G'day Mel, The Battle of Bothwell Bridge was in Scotland not England, and the Crown forces were lead by Charles II's illegitimate son, James, Duke of Monmouth. The battle occurred while the English and Scottish Crowns were separate entities, ie before the Act of Union in 1707. The Covenanters were Presbyterian dissidents. (The English always get the blame for any unpleasantness, unlike the "saintly" Scots and Irish !) The whaling grounds of your Charles Rich's time would probably have been those of the Davis Strait between Canada and Greenland. I believe that the Scottish Record Office has records of the whaling including details of bounty payments to the crews. I have a William Stewart who married Margaret Rich (born 1831), daughter of Edward and Stewart (sic) Rich of Rackwick. Edward, would be a contemporary of your Thomas. Cheers David, Western Australia ----- Original Message ----- From: <MRICH10000@aol.com> To: <ORKNEY-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Saturday, August 21, 1999 7:46 AM Subject: [ORKNEY] Rich/Ritch/Richie/Ritchie > 20 August, 1999 > > There, I've finally found it. An Orkney Islands mailing list web site. > Now, maybe I can get down to business and get some answers to my many > questions concerning my genealogy. > For instance, I am a decendant of Charles Rich who was born in Rackwick > on Hoy on 18 June, 1833. He was the son of Thomas Rich, b. 27 February, 1793 > in Rackwick, and Barbara Thomsen, b. 30 September, 1792 also in Rackwick. > They had four other children (known to me), John Rich, b. 07 October, 1821; > Thomas Rich, b. 06 July, 1824; Andrew Rich, b. 01 August, 1826; Margaret > Thomso(e)n Rich b.26 August, 1828; then Charles, the youngest. > Charles went to work on a whaling vessel when he was a very young man, > sailing, I suppose, around there in the North Sea and the Orkney Islands. > Later he went ot work aboard a freighter vessel which sailed between Port > Elizabeth, South Africa and ports in China. > He then, and with two of his ship mates, decided to emigrate to the United > States, to Salt Lake City, Utah to be exact. > I am looking for any and all of the information which I can get regarding > Charles Rich, his mother and father, his brothers and sister and any of his > ancestors. > I understand that there was most probably a change in the spelling of the > surname of Rich. That is it seems that at one time the spelling was probably > Ritch. Although I have seen spellings of Richie and Ritchie, as well. > Also, I understand that the Rich's/Ritch's arrived in Orkney after > fleeing from a sinking prison ship named the Crown on which they and about > 250 othe people were being held as prisoners for religous descention, (they > called themselves, Covenanters) and the battle in which they were involved, > in England, was the Battle of Bothwell Bridge in 1679. Many of the prisoners > drowned in the sinking ship, as the captain had them battened down in the > hold. It seem that at least two of the Rich"s/Ritch's escaped and changed > their names at that time to avoid detection. > I really don't know who my ancestors were that escaped from that sinking > ship, but possibly one was a man named Hugh Ritch. > I could go on with much more, but I wont take up your time. If you do > have any information regarding any of these > people or for that matter any of the events which I have described, Please, > oh please write to me. > Anything will be appreciated...... > > Respectfully > > Mel Rich > E-mail: MRich10000@AOL.com >