William Offord joined Adventure for Cook’s Second Voyage on 11 February, 1772, at Deptford, as Carpenter.  According to the minutes of the Admiralty on 7 February, 1771, “Wm. Offord to be carpenter of Adventure; former resigning”.¹ 

At the end of the voyage there was a deficiency in the carpenter’s stores, which required Captain Tobias Furneaux to negotiate with the Navy Board and the Admiralty to resolve the matter.  On 24 November, 1774, the Navy Board wrote to the Admiralty.

William Offord, late carpenter of Adventure: on dispensing with some deficiency of stores.  Navy Board is of the opinion that dispensing with the deficiency of stores alleged by Captain Furneaux may prove very prejudicial to His Majesty’s service if drawn into a precedent, as the same reasons may be pleaded in other cases where the like deficiencies may happen, whether it should arise from negligence, waste or embezzlement.  Nevertheless submit to their Lordships whether his request may not be granted on account of the particular voyage he has made”.²

Five days later, the Navy Board minuted, “At Furneaux’s request orders are to be given to dispense with W. Offord, late his carpenter, passing an account for some stores charged against him for not being regularly expended”.³ 

A few years later, Offord made representations to the Earl of Sandwich about a possible promotion and appointments.  It was recorded as “Wm. Offord of the Thames”, a fifth-rate ship, asked to be appointed to a “50 gun ship to be built at Bucklers Hard”, as he “Was round the world in the Adventure sloop, deserving of preferment as per certificate from Capt. Furneaux”. The result was Offord was “appointed to the Jupiter”, a fourth-rate launched in 1778.⁴

On 20 February, 1799, a William Orford wrote a will in which he wrote “invalid, late belonging to His Majesty’s Ships Drake, Adventure and as belonging to His Majesty’s Ship Lark”.⁵  Presumably he died soon after, as his will was proven on 9 August.  He left everything to his mother Sarah Orford, a widow living at 103 Brook Street in London.  Nobody else is mentioned in the will, suggesting Orford never married.

John Robson

References

1. ADM 3/79.  Held at The National Archives (TNA), Kew.
2. Reference ADM 106/2203. TNA. 
3. Reference ADM 3/80.  TNA. 
4. The Sandwich Papers.  Reference SAN/3.  Held in the Caird Library at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich. 
5. Reference PROB 11/1329.  TNA. 

Originally published in Cook's Log, page 13, volume 48, number 1 (2025).