Anthony Carter

Background Story


Anthony Carter was born in a middle class family in the year of 1694 in the town of Boston, Massachusetts. His father, Charles, was originally a preacher of the protestant faith in the town of Lincoln, England, which prompted some to consider him to be a "dissenter". However, despite the persecution Charles generally received from many Catholics, he became a man of respect and very popular among the local populous. Upon hearing that the New World welcomed freedom of religion, Charles soon decided to journey to the English Colonies. Upon arrival in 1692, Charles quickly settled in Boston, Massachusetts. It was shortly after his arrival that Lieutenant Governor William Stoughton sought out Charles to serve on the jury of the Salem witch trials. Charles disliked the pressure that was being placed on him and likewise, Governor Stoughton disliked the fact that Charles found no wrong-doing with any of the alleged witches. These events put a bad taste in Charles’ mouth, however, he would later argue that at least some good came amidst the bad. While in Boston, Charles met Charity Anne Richardson, who was a school teacher, and they soon married. Charles never fully recovered from what he had witnessed at the witch trials and so he and Charity boarded the next ship to the Caribbean, also known at the time as the "Burning Sea", where they were misled to believe that the Crown had established a dominant presence over the Spanish. They soon arrived in Port Royal. Charles saw a great need for his ministry in the midst of such lawlessness and in only a few months time, once again became a man of great respect and led a congregation of several hundred British Soldiers and Seamen each Sunday. However, it was not to last. In the fall months of 1693 Charity became pregnant. The Caribbean was no place for a pregnant woman and Charity could only put up with the heat, disease and pirates for so long. She turned to Charles and said, “I cannot be expected to raise a family in such harsh conditions." The family traveled back to Boston and moved into a plantation home.  In April 1694, Charity delivered her first son, Anthony.

Childhood
Anthony grew up among all the British "Redcoats" and Seamen and this inevitably sparked great interest and intrigue with young Anthony. At the age of 11, he sought out a job at the Boston Port and worked hand-in-hand with several Naval Officers. He also frequented the local taverns and found great joy in grabbing a bench in the corner and listening to seamen tell their tales for hours on end. After only a few short months at the port and making quite a name for himself, Anthony finally received the adventure he had been looking for. He was hired as a deckhand by Richard Sawkins and traveled, for the first time, to the "Burning Sea". On this particular journey, they encountered primarily Spanish trading vessels and a few days of storms and rough waters, which proved of no consequence. Their destination: Jenny Bay in Guyana. Little did Anthony know that he would soon return to this very destination as an Officer in the Royal Navy. Upon arrival at Jenny Bay, the crew quickly restocked and set sail once again; this time searching for a local pirate that was rumored to be in the area. This search proved uneventful and the ship set course for Boston. The events of this voyage, though by most, was said to have been unsuccessful only ignited the fire that burned within Anthony. He made a promise to himself that he would one day return to the "Burning Sea" in service to his King and Country.

Adulthood
When he was 13 years of age, his childhood dream had finally become a reality. Anthony was now an Officer in the Royal Navy. In 1719, after 12 years of honorable service; with pressure from Charles, Anthony reluctantly requested to be placed on half-pay status. He moved back to Massachusetts and began attending Harvard College in the fall of that same year. Even though this was not something that Anthony wanted to do, he certainly made the most of it and he would later reflect, "Although my father was the primary reason for my attendance at Harvard, I later thanked him for the man I became." At Harvard Anthony studied astronomy, Newtonian physics, meteorology, military history and any other topic that he thought would make him a better Naval Officer. This prepared Anthony more than anything else in his life to further his career in the British Royal Navy. After graduating, Anthony immediately returned to full-pay status and was sent to Jenny Bay and subsequently assigned to the Saint George Squadron under the command of Captain the Lord Joseph Fletcher. And so begins the adventures of Captain Anthony James Charles Carter...

Record of Service

 *  2 Feb 1723: Appointed Governor of Island Harbor


 *  3 Jan 1723: Laterally promoted to Esquire under new rank structure est. 1723


 *  27 Dec 1722: Appointed Chief of Naval Personnel, St. George Squadron


 *  20 Dec 1722: Promoted Master in the St. George Squadron


 *  5 Dec 1722: Participated in the Small Ship Regatta


 *  29 Nov 1722: Enlisted in the St. George Squadron


 *  23 Nov 1707: Start of service with His Majesty's Royal Navy

Commissions
Present Commands

HMS Independence, 72-guns third-rate, Wenden-class

HMS Swallow, 54-guns fourth-rate, Macedon-class

HMS Dauntless, 54-guns fourth-rate, Mordaunt Sleek-class

HMS Leopard, 40-guns fifth-rate frigate, Trinidad (St. George)-class

HMS Interceptor, 36-guns fifth-rate frigate, Raa Mastercraft-class

Previous Commands

HMS St. Joan of Arc, 44-guns fifth-rate frigate, Capricieux Mastercraft-class

HMS St. Mary, 42-guns fifth-rate frigate, Tigre Mastercraft-class

HMS St. Michael, 40-guns fifth-rate frigate, Gallant-class

HMS St. James, 30-guns fifth-rate frigate, Stralsund-class

HMS St. John the Baptist, 12-guns, van Hoorn Snow-class

HMS St. Peter, 6-guns, La Belle Light Corvette-class

Family
Anthony has one younger brother, Joseph, which is two years his younger and also graduated from Harvard College with advanced studies in business. Joseph pursues a career as a Freetrader in the "The Burning Sea".

Joseph's Business Endeavors
4 x Plantation, General (Charlestown); 4 x Textile Mill (Charlestown); 1 x Logging Camp, Fir (Oreleans); 1 x Tar Distillery (Charlestown)