James Morrison (mutineer)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

James Morrison (1760 - 1807) was a British seaman and mutineer who took part in the Mutiny on the Bounty.

James Morrison was a native of Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis in Scotland where his father was a merchant and land entrepreneur. He joined the navy at 18, serving as Clerk on the Suffolk, Midshipman on the Termagant, and Acting Gunner on the Hind. In 1783, he passed his Master Gunner's examination.

Morrison was Boatswain's Mate on the Bounty. After the mutiny, Morrison was one of the mutineers who settled on Tahiti, while Fletcher Christian sailed the Bounty on to Pitcairn Island. Along with the others who remained behind, he was captured here by Captain Edward Edwards of the Pandora on 29 March 1791, and brought back to England for court-martial.

At the court-martial judgement, delivered on 18 September 1792, Morrison was sentenced to be hanged. However the court recommended his mercy to the King, and, perhaps aided by a letter testifying to his good character from Captain Stirling of the Termagant, he was pardoned on 26 October 1792, along with Peter Heywood. While incarcerated, Morrison wrote an account describing the Bounty's journey and the island and customs of Tahiti.

Following his pardon, Morrison returned to naval service. He reached the rank of Master Gunner, and saw action in the Mediterranean. After serving as a gunnery instructor in Plymouth, he joined Sir Thomas Troubridge in the Blenheim, which sank in 1807 off Madagascar with the loss of all on board.