Dudman, Joseph, Commander, Honourable East India Company, 1790-1864.

The collection consists of Dudman's logs, 1808 to 1834; accounts for the INGLIS, 1816 to 1820, 1827 to 1834; chronometer rate books, 1827 to 1834; and a hold book with entries in 1815, 1817 and 1822. There are also account books for the shipbuilding business of the Dudman family, 1812 to 1815; and logs for the East India Company ships NORTHUMBERLAND, 1795 to 1797; and WARLEY, 1811 to 1812 and 1815 to 1816. Finally, there are some loose papers relating to shares and probate of members of the Dudman family in the mid-nineteenth century.

Administrative / biographical background
Dudman was born at Deptford in 1790. After serving his time as a midshipman, he joined the CUMBERLAND as fifth officer in 1808. On his next voyage, in 1812, he left her at Whampoa to join the INGLIS. He stayed with this ship until 1834, having taken command of her in 1828. Dudman's family owned a shipyard at Deptford which built warships and East Indiamen and two other commanders of East India Company ships also came from the family. In 1836 Dudman went into partnership with Thomas Bush, a hop and seed merchant of Southwark. Dudman died aged 73 at his residence, Pitney House, near Langport, Somerset, in 1864.