Difference between revisions of "MRP: 26th March 1663, Letter from Thomas Thomlins to Sir GO, St. Leonards Bromley"

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26th March 1663, Letter from Thomas Thomlins to Sir GO, St. Leonards Bromley

BL, Add. MS. XX, XXX, ff. 54-55

Editorial history

21/05/09, CSG: Completed transcription
14/12/11, CSG: Created page & posted transcription to wiki

Abstract & context

Thomas Thomlins (alias Tomlins) (b. ?, d. ?1677) wrote this letter to Sir George Oxenden from St. Leonards, Bromley, in Kent. The parish of St. Leonards Bromley was also the residence Thomas Tomlins gave when he wrote his will in 1676.^[1]

In his letter Tomlins solicited Sir George Oxenden's favour on behalf of his cousin Gervaise Maplesden, who was travelling to Surat on the Loyal Merchant, as a mate in the crew of Captain Millett. According to Tomlins, Gervaise Maplesden was down in his fortunes, and was seeking now to rebuild them. He was the son of the respected Captain Maplesden, who had been active in the Turkey trade.

Just one day earlier, Captain Nicholas Hurlestone had also written to Sir George seeking favour for Maplesden, who he described as the brother-in-law of the mariner Mr. Goodlad.^[2]

Tomlins also solicited on behalf of a London linen draper, William Wild, who separately had written to Sir George Oxenden about the estate of Captain Leonard Bushell (b. ?, d. ?1661). Wild was the executor of the estate of the Captain, who was the former commander of the Society and who had been resident in Limehouse.^[3]

Suggested links

See 10th March 1662/63, Letter from William Wild to Sir GO, London
See 20th March 1662/63, Letter from Thomas Tomlins to Sir GO, London
See 25th March 1663, Letter from Nicholas Hurlestone to Sir GO, Redriss

To do

(1) Check transcription against physical manuscript in BL

Transcription

This transcription has been completed, but needs to be checked

BL, Add. MS. XX, XXX, ff. 54-55.

[f.54]

Hono:ble S:r

I have binn very much solicited by y:e mother (& my first wives Aunt) of y:e bearer M:r ?Garuco Maplesdon,^[4] as well as by him selfe, who gooth one of Cap:t Milletts^[5] mates in y:e Loyall Merch:t to intreate yo:r favour on his behalfe, & I doe make it my humble request if there should bee any occasion to exchange á Masters mate, y:t hath lived any time in y:e Country & desires to come home. That then my Coz. Maplesden may stay in his place his abilities for a Mate have beene tryed, & I suppose Cap:t Millett will satisfie you well enough touching his experience in y:e knowledge of Navigation. He had á good fortune left him 600:ll by his ffather but Crosses in y:e World hath eaten it out, & is forced to beetake himselfe to begin to sett up ágaine I beg yo:r favour towards him His father was y:e gallant, honest, upright, Cap:t Maplesdon,^[6] y:t used the Turkie trade á bout 30: yeares since. Generally well knowne & beloved of y:e best Merch:ts of England please to doo him w:t kindenesse you can w:ch I shall take as done unto myselfe

[f. 55]

I was likewise desired by M:r W:m ?Wild [or Weld], lynen draper in Cornhill, and executor to y:e Deceased Cap:t Leonard Bushell,^[7] to desire you on his behalfe to call M:r Walter [XXXX] [?Taves?}[?Taudres] ffactor of Carwarr to acco:t for y:e amo:t of £560: sterling w:ch he was oblidged to pay Cap:t Bushell when hee was last in India Now M:r Weld tells mee part of y:e money was comitted unto M:r Jn:e Lambton,^[8] please to make Enquiry into y:e Busienesse, & w:t moneyes are in his hands to send it y:e Executor by first opportunity; And if you will give me incouradgem:t to send a small adventure for one of my daughters, to bee retourned in short ends, please to advise mee by y:e first , & you will further oblidge mee to begg yo:r pardon & to subscribe my selfe

Yo: most affectionate ffreind
And Serv:t
Thomas Thomlins

St Leonards Brumly y:e 26:th March 1663

[Below the date and signature is a three column tabular set of Debit and Credits]

Swally Marine Jan:y 9:th 1661/2:
1660/1 M:r Tho: Thomlins (sic)

      D:r M:a Pice	P Contra

C:r M:a Pice:a
Ffeb: y 25 To Cust:a of y:e p Contra being y:e halfe of foure duo (sic) 2:p Cont: is M:a

414:23	Ffeb:y 23: By Gold for peeces 964:ll 3s: 0d

Weatt 24: M:a peece is M:a

20739:-:
P Mathew Andrewes
Aprill 11: To M:r Wychees share p :d y:e London [?] as appeares by his note according to order at her departure for England

1949:09
1661: To P:r Wyches share p:d Tulcidas in p:t of his debt

2593:-:
X:ber 29: To Ambergrease for To:s 591/4: at 211:s [I think this is correct] 9:p told is rup:s (sic) 474:& is Mamodees

1066:26
Jan:ry 6: To sead Pearles at soul:ll prises Viz:t

Cochin oz:s 7971/2 at 9:49: tabar p oz is z:s 1527:4:la

Cochin oz:s 43: at 3/1/2 p oz is zos 143:9

[the numbers above are then totalled as follows]
25 940 ½ (sic) oz:s at sow:ll prises cost 1679:0

Is rupees 12531/4 & is mamode:s 2919:26
149:- To Dymonds: 210: Stones p:z catt:s 173 ½
At 14: rup:s p catt:d is rup:s 2429:-:
[X?] To Dymonds: 29: Stones p:z a
Catt:s 10: at 10:rup:s p catt:d is rup:s 100:-

Stones: 231:p:e cat:s 1931/2 is ru:s 2529:-

[I think next number is mamodee equivalent] 5690:-9:
To taffetyes (sic) for 100: pr:s at 63LM:a p pre is 6300:-:
To charges of parking (sic) mesurdage (?) Etc:a M:a 4:14
[GRAND TOTAL] M:a 20739:-:

T: [inverted triangle]: T: The prementiondd goods are all m:ked as p marg:t y:e Amber, & Sead pearles is in á Scinda Srcotore (sic) y:e Tafseties (sic) made up in á Bale & y:e Dyamonds in á small Ivory Box w:th 4: Cornelian Rings sent home p y:e Eagle
M:r Tho: Thomlins
D:r M:a Pice P Contra
C:r M:a Pice:a
To A Scinda Screetore

M:a 50:-: Ffeb:ry 19: By a Bearer [?] hatt rat:d worth

100:-:
To Mare [?] for 3:S:r: at 9:rup:s p sear is rup:s 24: and -:-

M:a 54:-: By Ballance to even y:s Acco:t

4:-:
M:a 104:-: M:a 104:-:
M.A.

Notes

Williams Adventure

Thomas Tomlins was a subscriber to the Williams Adenture, subscribing at least 1,000 to the joint stock.^[9]

English East India Company

"[1661] 22 May Nathaniel Wyche to Thomas Tomlins, 1,000/."^[10]

Chapel at Poplar: Major contributors Maurice Thompson, Thomas Tomlins & Sir Henry Johnson, 1650-54

"The hamlet of Poplar and Blackwall lies on the south side of the parish, is seven miles in circumference, and contains about 600 houses. The chapel at Poplar was begun before the year 1650, and finished in 1654, when Thomas Walton was appointed chaplain by William Greenhill, vicar of Stepney. The subscription for building it was begun by Gilbert Dethick, Esq. with a benefaction of 100l.; the whole expence was above 2000l. Mr. Maurice Thompson, Mr. Thomas Tomlins, and Sir Henry Johnson, were among the principal contributors. It is a brick structure, consisting of a nave, chancel, and two aisles. At the west end is a small wooden turret. The whole chapel was nearly rebuilt by the East India Company in 1776. On the front of the gallery are the arms of Johnson , and in the windows those of Dethick, Thomp son, and Tomlins"^[11]

Captain Leonard Bushell, the Society attacked by Dutch, 1657

"Relating how on the 25th April, 1657, the ship Society, being about 200 leagues to the south of the Cape of Good Hope homeward-bound from Masulipatam, was attacked by the Orange, a Dutch vessel of about 1,400 tons coming from Amsterdam and bound for Batavia, commanded by Rikelof with 400 men aboard. The attack was quite unprovoked and very fierce and the English ship was soon so disabled that her sails had to be lowered and she was forced to await the approach of her opponent. Her captain and some of her men were then ordered aboard the Dutch vessel, and on the captain asking the reason of such unwarrantable usage, he was told that at sea it is the custom for the weakest to submit to the strongest. The English ship was then searched for Portuguese goods, but none being found, some books of accounts and letters directed to men in Holland were taken, and the English commanded to return to their ship. The men declared that rather than venture in such a sea they would prefer to lose their wages and be carried captives to Batavia, but the Dutch threatening to throw them overboard, they were forced to go. Four men were washed overboard by the heavy seas but eventually rescued by ropes. Signed by Hugh Squier and attested by Leonard Bushell, commander of the Society, on the 6th January, 1658, before the Right Worshipful Charles Cock, Esq., Judge of the High Court of Admiralty, in the presence of Edmund Arnold, examiner of the said Court"^[12]

Possible primary sources

TNA

C10/72/23 Bornfold v. Andrewes, Winter, Edwards, Cranmer, Tomlins: Middx 1661
C 10/98/2 Thomas Andrewes, Thomas Winter, James Edwards and Thomas Tomlyns v Jane Bornford and Robert Cranmer: money matters, Middx 1663

PROB 11/163 Russell 1-57 Will of Edward Maplesden, Mariner of Rotherhithe, Surrey 31 May 1633
PROB 11/314 Bruce 49-96 Will of Jarvis Maplesden, Mariner of Rotherhithe, Surrey 13 August 1664
PROB 11/350 Bence 1-54 Will of Phebe Maplesden, Widow of Rotherhithe, Surrey 04 January 1676
PROB 11/354 Hale 44-95 Will of Thomas Tomlins of Saint Leonards Bromley, Middlesex 01 May 1677

1. ↑ PROB 11/354 Hale 44-95 Will of Thomas Tomlins of Saint Leonards Bromley, Middlesex 01 May 1677. Thomas Tomlins' eponymous son died just a few years later, murdered, allegedly, by his coachman; he also gave St. Leonards Bromley as his residence in his will (Robert Edmond Chester Waters, Genealogical memoirs of the kindred families of Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury, and Thomas Wood, Bishop of Lichfield (XXXX, XXXX), p. 49; PROB 11/385 Lloyd 136-181 Will of Thomas Tomlins, Merchant of Saint Leonard Bromley, Middlesex 02 December 1686
2. ↑ 25th March 1663, Letter from Nicholas Hurlestone to Sir GO, Redriss
3. ↑ 10th March 1662/63, Letter from William Wild to Sir GO, London; PROB 11/306 May 158-210 Will of Leonard Bushell, Mariner of Limehouse, Middlesex 10 December 1661
4. ↑ Jarvis (Or, Jervis) Maplesden is also mentioned in a letter sent on the same day to Sir George Oxenden from Captain Nicholas Hurlestone. He is described in Hurlestone's letter as a son of the mariner, Mr. Goodlad. See 25th March 1663, Letter from Nicholas Hurlestone to Sir GO, Redriss; see possibly PROB 11/314 Bruce 49-96 Will of Jarvis Maplesden, Mariner of Rotherhithe, Surrey 13 August 1664
5. ↑ Captain Nicholas Millett, commander of the Loyal Merchant
6. ↑ Jarvis Maplesden's father may have been Edward Maplesden. A captain of that name appears in Trinity House records in the late 1620s, and also in Levant Company records. However, it is not clear whether the PRC will proved in 1633 is his father's (PROB 11/163 Russell 1-57 Will of Edward Maplesden, Mariner of Rotherhithe, Surrey 31 May 1633)
7. ↑ Captain Leonard Bushell was commander of the Society and a resident of Limehouse, Middlesex. He died in 1661 (BL, East India Company Letter Book: E/3/85 f 53v 14 Apr 1658; PROB 11/306 May 158-210 Will of Leonard Bushell, Mariner of Limehouse, Middlesex 10 December 1661)
8. ↑ John Lambton, warehouseman at the Surat factory
9. ↑ 'List of bonds sealed and of dividends delivered, 1658 to 1659' (Home Miscellaneous, vol. xxvi, pp. 1-15), in Ethel Bruce Sainsbury (ed.), A Calendar of the Court Minutes of the East India Company, 1655-1659 (Oxford, 1916), fn. 2, pp. 206-207
10. ↑ 'Transfers of stock, 1660-3: New General Stock', Ethel Bruce Sainsbury (ed.), A Calendar of the Court Minutes of the East India Company, 1655-1659 (Oxford, 1916), p. 371
11. ↑ Daniel Lysons, 'Stepney', The Environs of London: volume 3: County of Middlesex (1795), pp. 418-488. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=45447 Date accessed: 16 January 2012
12. ↑ 'A Brief Relation of several Abuses received from the Dutch in the East Indian Seas, January 18, 1658 (Letter Book, vol. ii, p. 36), in Ethel Bruce Sainsbury (ed.), A Calendar of the Court Minutes of the East India Company, 1655-1659 (Oxford, 1916), pp. 216-317