Adriaen Goltsmit

Biographical synthesis
Adriaen Goltsmit (alt. Adrian Goldsmith) (b. ?; d. ?). Merchant.

Living in Antwerp in early 1650s, but earlier at Malaga, and believed to be a Hamburger.

Mentioned in case brought by Christopher Boone [ADD REFERENCE]; merchant; according to Derrick Heytman, master of the Saint John Baptist Adrian Goldsmith was a Hamburger, who had lived for a long time in Spain, and who had moved to Antwerp in early 1652. This is possible, since in a later claim from 1655 ("The claime of Adrian Goldsmith of Antwerp and others for goods in the Hare in the feild, John Kein Master"), the London merchant, John Nicolas, had been an assurer for goods of Adrian Goldsmith on the ship and stated in a deposition in support of this claim that he had seen a letter, prior to his subscription to the assurance policy "that the said goods were laden for the accompt of Mr Goldsmith of Antwerp and (as hee remembreth) other friends of Hamborowe"

The metadata for a document dated 1668 held at the Museum Plantin in Antwerp identify a Catharina Bollaert as the widow of Adrian Goltsmit ("Verklaring van Catharina Bollaert, weduwe van Adriaen Goltsmit over het ontvangen van een wisselbrief door bemiddeling van Henri François Schilders, 1668") In the same document depository there is a record of "Rosso, Silvestro en Goltsmitt, Gillis, 1677, Cadiz 1 stuk"

Derrick Heytman also stated that Adrian Goldsmith owned six sixteenth parts of the Saint John Baptist in 1653, the other owners being "G[?e]romus Snitger of Hamburgh owner of a 16th part, Daniel Brands of the same of a 16th part...Daniel Leon and ffrancis Panniq two Hamburgers of Sevill each a 32th part. Vincent dal Campo a Hamburger living at Cales owner of a sixteenth part, Christofer Bussel a Hamburger living at Malaga a 16th part, Maurice Halman, George [?Gryp] and company of Malaga all Hamburgers an 8th part, Boldwin Coleman of Gant an eighth part" Derrick Heytman stated specifically in November 1653 of Adrian Goldsmith that he "hath not lived above a yeare and a halfe last or thereabouts at Antwerp, having longe before lived in Spaine" The ship the Saint John Baptist was carrying goods from Malaga to Dunkirk at the time of her seizure. Interestingly the ship the Morning Star, which was seized the previous year, and in which Goldsmith was lead owner and had goods, was also in her course from Malaga when seized by the English.

"Adrian Goldsmith" was the lead owner of the ship the Morning Star ("The claime of Adrian Goldsmith and company for the shipp the Morning Starr Henry Lawreson Veger Master") which was set out in July 1652 from Ostend for Mallega "to touch by the way at Biscay a porte of Spaine thereabouts to put men ashore that were transported from fflanders for the service of the Kinge of Spaine". The ship took in a lading of wine and fruit at Malaga and was seized by the English in her return course for Ostend. The other ship owners were Gilles Billet "in right of Vincent Clingenbergh of Hamborough", Phillip da Papa and the ship's master, Henry Lawreson Veger. The ship's master stated that Gilles Billet had been an inhabitant at Gant for the last 20 months, and that "Phillip da Papa dwelt formerly at Dunquirke but hath lived at Ostend ever since the ffrench tooke Dunquirke which was about 6 yeares since". Phillip da Papa had rnow returned to Dunkirk since its recapture by the Spanish. The master identified the two Malaga merchants Andreas Massa and Charles [?Van damma] as Adrian Golsmith's factors at Malaga, and added that "doe live in Mallaga in the same house where the said Adrian for many yeares lived, and which hee (as this deponent hath heard) gave over unto them" Furthermore, Veger had known Andreas Massa and Charles Vandamma for a yeare last "and saith the said Massa is a hamburger and Charles Vandamma an Antwerpian by birth, and that the said Massa is a widower and the said Vandamma (as hee beleveth) a batchellour" There is a related "Claime of Adrian Goldsmith Walter Boschaert of Antwerp, and others of Lisle and Gant for goods in the Morning Starr" and a further "Clayme of Vincent Klingenbergh mrchant of Hamborough for his goods in the Morning Starr

There is a further record of Adrian Goldsmith trading with Malaga, though in this case on the route Hamburg to Malaga, without involving Flanders. The record also cshows Goldsmiths close relationship with the Hamburg based partnership of Daniel Brand and Jerome Snutger. The two Malaga resident factors mentioned in this record to whom goods were shipped are the same factors mmentioned as factors of Adrian Goldsmith in the HCA case concerning the ship the Morning Star. According to John Menke, the Hamburg resident master of the ship the Leaping Hart, the ship was freighted not on account of her owners but "by theis merchants of Hamburgh whose names are Daniel Brandt and Jerome Sny[?eter] for account of Adrian Goldsmith but there was not as he saith any Charter partie of affringement, or any bills of lading made for the goods by them the sayd merchants laden aboard her the sayd shippe" The lading of the ship consisted on the outward journey from Hamburg consisted of twenty thousand pipestaves, laden by Brandes and Dyneter fpr the account of Mr Adrian Goldsmith, a fatt of skins for Synter and some cheese and butter for Menke himself. The ship sailed from Hamburg directly to Malaga and was seized by the English on its return from Malaga to Hamburg and carried into Plymouth. According to Memke, Goldsmith's pipestaves were consigned and delivered to "Andreas Mars[?ch] or [?Marsa] and Carlos van Dam att Malaga or [?Masa] att Malaga but was not delivered to him but was taken and plundered out of the sayd shipp in her passage by some ffrench Capers." The owners of the ship on which Goldsmith's goods were ransported were all Hamburgers ("Augustin Hendrickson was and is owner of one eighth part of the sayd shipp the Leaping Hart, Harman Hendrickson of one 16th part. Simon Cornelison Prophet of one 16th part. and Bartall Yonkall was and is owner of one halfe of the sayd shipp and Peter Wield and his brother whose name att present he remembreth not were and are owners of one eighth part of the sayd shipp. and saith that the sayd present Owners bought their sayd respective parts and shares therein about 7 monethes now past att Hamburgh of and from the foresaid Peter Bruyer and his brother") The ship itself was relatively small, with just eleven men and boys on board. Adrian Goldsmith's goods on the return voyage are not explicitly identified by John Menke, but it is likely that they were raisins and possibly some Malaga wines, which were the goods Memke shipped for himself.

The connection between Adrian Goldsmith and known Hamburg merchants and factors is reinforced by the testimony of Francis Thoris, the former bookkeeper to the English merchant and factor in Seville, Anthony Upton, who was the Seville correspondent of Christopher Boone back in London. Thoris stated that "Antonio de Leon and ffrancisco Panninck" were the Spanish agents (possibly based in Seville) of Adrian Goldsmith and made a bargain with Anthony Upton in Seville on behalf of Goldsmith. ; "Testimony by Adriaen Goltsmit insurer to Cornelis Cock on cargo in the ship Prins Willem, sailing from Middelburg to Biscay, which stranded in England. Most merchandise was sold in Zealand, 1656."