The Ceuta papers

Resistance, Cape Machichaco SW 6 or 7 leags, 2 March 1809 The Hnble W.W. Pole Sir, I enclose for the information of the Lords Commissioners of […]

Our research into the authorship of the Ceuta Papers led us to a set of letters written by Captain Charles Adam of the frigate HMS Resistance […]

Charles Adam’s letters from Falmouth are all stored in the National Archives ADM 1/1452 ‘Letters from Captain’s 1808/1809’. They start with a report of his arrival. […]

The Ceuta papers contain a large number of hints about our author and his role both in Ceuta and Cadiz. The evidence points to a Joseph […]

The threat from a joint enemyNapoleon and his French armies dominated Europe. Then, in 1807, France and Spain jointly attacked Portugal, Britain’s ally. The threat increased […]

At the beginning of 1810, events in Spain were unravelling at an alarming pace. The advance of the French troops in was directed at Cadiz which […]

The Cadiz journal appears to have been written in February/March 1810. The author says he had arrived in Cadiz from North Africa and we can therefore […]

The third document has quite a different format to the other two. It begins with the author’s arrival in Cadiz, where he logs the events and […]

The Ceuta report comprises two documents which are quite clearly continuous. They appear to be something of a report on the defences of Ceuta and of […]