William Stout (1665-1752), the Clerk of Lancaster Meeting of Friends,
wrote the following in his
Autobiography:
In this year, Robert Haydock [a Quaker merchant] of
Liverpool freighted a ship for Philadelphia,
to take in such passingers as were disposed to goe to settle in Pensilvania.
Upon which there were more than twenty persons,
old and young of our meeting of Lancaster,
tooke this
opertunety, sould there estates and tooke their families.....
The loading of dutiable goods on the Britannia began on 15 April 1699
and was completed on 5 May. Loading of passengers and their
personal possessions could not
begin until after 5 May