MRP: 22nd August 1667, Letter from William Ryder to Sir GO, Bethnal Green

22nd August 1667, Letter from William Ryder to Sir GO, Bethnal Green

BL, Add. MS. XX,XXXX, ff. 29-34

Editorial history

11/08/09, CSG: Finished transcription
13/12/11, CSG: Created page & posted transcription

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Suggested links

See biographical profile of Sir William Ryder

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To do

(1) Check transcription against physical manuscript in BL, and fill small holes

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Transcription

This transcription has been finished, but requires checking

[f. 29]

[LH SIDE]
Bethnal Green 22nd August 1667

My last to yow was of ye 16 Aprill past when was very breede being not in my best healthe but I prayed our deere ffreind Sr George Smith to suply my xxxxx though not well allso, who not many weeks affter having had losses by sea & unkindness at home laid it soe neare to heart he waisted away & died ye last of June God in mercie fitt us all for our owne Change, I was at Gravesend w:n he deied preventing ye Insolent Dutch from Coming up ye river of theames but came up to his interment, w:ch was on ye 4th last month yt we e have both lost a deare loveing ffreind, I am not like to be long after him, having got a cold by ==overstiring in his Ma:ties Service, but I must leave this unpleasing story & come to busnes. Being now to reply unto yo:e wellcom lines of ye 31th March 30th Decemb 17th ffeb: 1665 all in double ??ropyes, & allso yr of ye 9th & 10:th Septemb: 1666 in severall of w:ch yow seeme to be unsatisfied w:th some of ye Comity yt

[f. 30]

they should a ?sperse yow & have hard thoughts for yo:w but I must assure yo:w & y:t wth much Confidente for a great trueth yt I know not one pson of ye whole Comity but hath much love & respects for yo:w & yw busnes hath beene upon yoe writing ye yow gane not content to all, when every man pticulerly XXX himselfe publickly yt thet were never better satisfied w:th any president since there were a comp:y w:th yo:w & yo:w Actings w:ch they finde to be reall & Cordiall to y:m & well they may , but I shall forbeare to tell yow all yt was said in ye ffavours & Comendations, w:ch time will manifest unto yow

I remitt yow herew:th a list of ye Comittes names under Mr Rob:t Blackbourne our present secretarys handwriting, Jn: Stanien being dismissed for houlding Correspondence & privatt trading w:th ye Comp:a Servants, Especially w:th S:r Edward Winter, & some allso of ye ffactory w:ch you will have at large gereafter by ye sgipps w:ch are Intended to yow suddenly, - As for ye Amber yow write of w:cch Sr George Smith gave yow a hint of ye prizes here is now little in towne, it must come from Danthirke & ye Bastirkesea is yet stopped up & will be shortly xxxx of all w:th & publique affaires pleased to be referred unto our Generall letters – The small Box marked WR cont: one Dimond w:ch yow returne me as ye full proceed of ye ?Enamel proves very well, & thanke yow for it, noting yt, yt Comodity is not fitt for yoe parts though our deceased friend Capt. Blackman made me writ for it to venise – I may by ye shipp semd yow a small pcell of false stones, Dymonds, Rubyes, Sapheirs Emralds & xxxxx wt they will doe – The 6 Dymonds for acct of shipps Eagles Stones proved pretty goods & produced about 200: M Cha:s Conyars is dead who XXX & sould ym & my hopes are yt yo:w will not suffer by ym storyes w:ch were carryed out ye Richard & Martha; & for ye 7 Great XXXXXXXXX if ye cann prevaill wt Bennedas to take ym in XXX of his debts hee pretends from quandam, President Blackman Estate for XXXXX lett him give a discharge & send me his power it shall well content me. And I presume yt Warr is proclaimed betweene ye Persian & King of India such great Gunns will grow much in demand & be very usefull aongst y:m; I never heard yt M:r Andrews demanded ought of Capt. Blackman in ye behafe of Bennedas &

[f. 31]

it would be to small purpose for him to doe it, Jeremy not being in a condition to pay such sumes of monys - Your reasons have Convinced me y:t yo:w could not w:th safety (as y:e case stood) have detayned Andrewes in y:t Cuntry & Comp:a have cleered w:th him for a song, & now he is not a shamed to demand monyes of y:e Comp:a w:ch pretends yo:w have stope of in Tulcidas Parorks hands when y:e Comp:a hath yett 2: bonds against him - As for ye ship Love Sr Martin Nowell & he [PRESUMABLY THE "HE" IS ANDREWES?] sent out & was lost nigh Musembeque ye Compa:a Complayned to his Ma:tie of it, Sir Martin is dead & his Executor doth not pay his just debts, soo I am if yt opinion yt Andrewes furnished & made use of ye Kings Name for retourning of their Ill …….. [one inch blank in origninal manuscript] pretending yt they wold goe to ports unfrequented by ye Comp:a & bring sich Comoditys as ye Comp:a did not use to deale in, A lye is but sandy foundation to buyld (sic) on, but their shipp found a XXXXX ye Mariners behaved ym selves well not to part w:th ye mony as they had ?surety for their pay but I have dwelt to long on this.

The whole remainder of ?Terrells estate ye ring his wife had, but ye ??Asaseseta not bein good to her was Consumed in ye late dreadfull fire, We have had plenty of Gods Judgm:ts upon us of late yeares, & are little ye better, pestilence, fire & sword in a full measure have beene showered upon ye Nation

The 15 stones w:ch yo:w sen on Acco:tt in 1.2 to S:r George Smith & myselfe, he had ym long in his hands, & not long before he deid he xx ym to me, & I sould y:, last weeke to Mr: Jn:e Portman at 6:19p Carrett being 2 3.4 being 3 16 I tooke his note to pay in amontte & he refusin to pay for y ¼ carrett I gott 20 of him & for ye Agetts & beads in 1.4 trade being shutt XXXX can yett make nothing of it, they remaine w:th ye executor Mr: Mathew who since her ffathers Death is marryed XXXXX Mr Jn:e ffenn, ye pay Mr of his Ma:tie Navy, as I deeme her to be well maryed presunub yt S:r Ge:o in his life time was XXXXX to it, he hath left his lady about 1/3 pt of his Estate & giving all rest to his daughter –

I have not herd ought of Ma: Dallison in his lifetime, nor of S:r Henrey Oxinden since her death anything towards ye 1/3 pt of ye XXXXX sent out by ye returne w:ch I am sorry to heare proves not to yo: content soe yoe ay please to make it me good there XXXXXX it how you plese & send returnes in good XXXXX well bought Dymonds but rather in XXX for Dymonds are in now Demand at all ye Towne full, these warrs have destroyed all rade, & y:m yt have jewells in & about ye (they doe sell y:m to rebuild their houses, soe yt these

[f. 32]

Judgm:ts have much Impoversihed us, I have had my sheare but thanks e to God w:t is left, & I shall not lay it to heart, seeing it hath beene Gods good pleasure to leave me w:te more y:n I expected at his hand, if ye strings of ye false pearles be faulty I conceive it was through too much frugality in not sending y:m home to my drye warehouse, but letting y:m lye in my son Rich:d Myddellton’s house by ye moyst yard, yett hope yow will use y:m

I hope our little Charles will gett safe to yo:w & yt yow will pardon my brevity being y:n w:th a fitt of ye gravell on me & ye shipp depted I would send a suply – I see yow are not well please w:th ye Comp:a semding yo:w our shipps in these times of warr yett thanks be to God through his providence & ye Carefull managm:t all is come safe near our homes, only ye Dowras was taken by a pittifull privatere a worse shipp by farr yn her selfe

The Constantinople & St George I hope safe at Kingssaill in ireland ye Returne in portsmouth harber where ye Ducth who are now & have beene all this simer M:es of ye seas, attempted to destroy his Ma:ties Shipps Royall, ye like attempt they made on Harwich but beaten off though they were much encouraged by yt success they had at Chatham where they rayzed of ye Royall Charles burnt ye Royall James Oake & Katherine, w:ch 3 of their grear ships were formerly tooke from y:m & all through our Carlessness & seXXXXXty w:n they might allso come up ye Thames & burnt ye remaynder of ye Citty & suburbs w:th ye Tower XX but by his Ma:ties Command we sunke shipps tXXXX ye ReXXXX at woolw:ch & planted guns there one both sdes w:ch being done his Ma:tie sent me to Gravesend to fortify yt place w:ch being done allso & now there fleer came into Tilbury hope yett wee sent downe fireships & disordered y:m burning all their fire ships XXXXX in Number w:th ye losse of ffive of our owne & one of their fire ships taken by us though they have beene M:ts of ye seas yett it hath pleased God to preserve Miraculously our Merch:ts Shipping, wee having in severall ports of ireland above 50 saile of merch:t shipps from severall ports & at falmouth xxxx & Plimouth 59 saile of good ships from Virginia & at Dartmouth about 40 saile of strayts XXXX & w:th severall other Merch: shipps & at Portsmouth above 30 saile soe yt wee have at least 200 saile of good

[f. 33]

Merch:t ships come safe into port & they have not taken above ??100 merch:t ships of ours, we have taken of their Merch:t ships by our Kings ships & privateres above 60 saile & y XXXXX [scotch?] have very much XXXXXXX y:m who have taken some hundred sof their ships since these Warrs begunn in soe much yt ???Turky is like to prove a Gentleman

M:r Valentine Nurse is heare & I thank yo:w for y:t good Caracter w:ch yo:w give of him to ye Comp:a whose ffather ye good honest XX died about 2 months past, & it is XXXX hee may have left Valentine some wt but he must abroad againe, If yo:w could XXX my ffreind, M:r Jn:e Portmans sonn honest Erasmas Smiths Nephew it will be greatfull XXXX busness is alsoe ended easy enough to him, I was much mistaken in Jn: Lambton but find it to evedent (sic) he was worthe nothing poore Tho: Crowthers Widdow is like to be a great sufferer by him.

I am troubled to heare yt saffagee hath againe gott his liberty to pay y Rogue soe my granada shells are like to be desperat, w:th ?demed ym long sence to be I take notice of ye good Carracter w:ch yo:w gave Jn:e Goulsborough who being an able seaman I will not be wanting to stead him w:t I can for yo:w sake, The miscarriages at Bombay I hope are now all reforemd by S:r Jarvis Lucas, who seemeth to be a very sivall rationall psone & fitt for Goverm:t

The affaires of ye Royall Comp:a are in truth bad enough who have lost their stock double by surprisalls of ye Dutch, & yettI hope wee shall have enough left to pay ye just debts, & as goods ar ½ our stock about 60 pct to beginn ye ?would againe w:te all, soe y:t now in a day or 2 wee shall meete & thinke on some way to revive y:t dead Child y:e trade in it selfe is very beneficiall; Honest M:r Bartlett who was mate on y:e Affrican ffrigeet hath bought a small freggatt & now bound for Ginny being loycensed by ye Royall Comp:a soe I have 1/8 [I THINK IT IS ONE EIGHTH] of his ship Cargozon y:e Comp;a having licensed severall privat ships to goe y:t way paying 10 pcent on y:e Cargo w:ch they Carry out before departure, alto keepe life & soule to gather & latle anough, but they will raly again & a Comp:a though farr below y:e speace [?]of y:e East India comp:a who have devided 15 pcent on y:e new Joynt stocke, & ye ramaines still worthe ye principle, so y:t y:s yeare we shall send out about 10 saile of good ships & a stock on y:m of a bought 17:m of value of w:ch yo:w are like to have about 7:m of in ?both lead quicksilver vermilian copper of severall sorts, & if ye Comp:a doe not thinke fitt to send you a parcell of Tinn I shall aske

[f. 34]

their leave to send tenn tuns to yo:w for a tryall y:t will not cost above 5:f: pc:to XXXX a board, I having soe unhapy as to be of y:e Tinn ffarmers by w:ch wee are like to loose 2000 ??f:pman of in 2 or 3 years y:t we have held y:e farme by reason Gods Judgm:ts pestilence & sword hath debarred us of trade, soe yt wee have now above 100 thousand pounds worth of y:e Comodity in our hands & ye Kings prtension destroyed but Gods will must be done

I cannot now take cume to Answers every pticular of yo:w severall lres having tried yo:w patience alredy

The Narrative in our Generall lette will advise yo:w of publique affaires I begg yow to Excuse me to honest M:r Goodier M:r Gray M:r Aunger & M:r Tayler I shall by y:e shipps if Gods pmitt write y:m & enlarge to yo:e goodselfe in ye intrim my prayers are not wanting for yo:e health & happines & on all occasions yo:w shall assuredly ffriend me

[NO SIGNATURE OR SIGN OFF]

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Notes

Valentine Nurse, merchant

"Valentine Nurse "drunken sott" as he is, he sends home to England instead of leaving him to die in the country"

- This above statement is rather surprising in the light of the good character that Sir William Ryder reports receiving from Sir George Oxenden for Valentine Nurse in Ryder's letter to Oxenden dated August 22nd, 1667

- The above statement is more consistent with a sentence from an earlier letter from Sir William Ryder to Sir George Oxenden, dated April 16th, 1667:

I must beg yo:e Pardon for my brevity but xx [worm hole obscures small word] I conclude must thanke yo:e kindness to my friends son va: [?] Nurse who I see is but Athick sculled peece [!!] [could be peere]

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