PhD Forum briefing note: Material culture and language

PhD Forum briefing note: Material culture and language

Editorial history

04/12/12: CSG, created page

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Purpose of page

This draft page is a briefing note for the planned PhD Forum online discussionn of material culture and language

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- HCA 13/71 f.XXXX Case: XXXX; Deposition: XXXX; Date: XXXX. Transcribed by XXXX

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Suggested links

PhD Forum

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Resources in HCA 13/71 on language

Language skills were highly valued in mid-C17th international commerce. Finding solid evidence of such language skills is somewhat harder. Neverthless, various depositions in HCA 13/71 make reference to the ability of both merchants and mariners to understand specific lanugaes other than English

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Language skills of merchants

Dutch

French

Spanish

Portuguese

Turkish

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Language skills of mariners

Dutch

French

The thirty-five year old mariner Robert Bowden of Sain Magdalen Bermondsey in Southwarke reported that he was well aware of the merchant Trenchpaine's handwriting and that he could understand the "french tongue."

• "1. delivery of the sayd three bayles back to the sayd de Richards, which

2. meets this deponent (being requainted well with the sayd Trenchpaines hand
3. writeing and understanding the french tongue) verily beleveeth (although hee sawe not the same wriiten) was and is
4. the proper hand writing of the sayd Trenchpaine, and saith the sayd Trenchpaines
5. factor did alsoe affirme the same noate to bee his the sayd Trenchpaines hand=
6. ˹writing˺ and that hee save him write the same, whereup this deponent replyed to the sayd
7. de Richards and told him that hee this deponent could not deliever the sayd
8. bayles unto him although they were his, for that hee this deponent had signed
9. and delivered to the sayd Trenchpaine three bills of ladeing of one tenor for the
10. sayd three bayles, and that the sayd bills were signed with blankes as to the
11. name of the person for whose risque and Accompt they were laden and alsoe as to
12. the name of the person to whome they were to be delivered at London
13. and that for ought hee this deponent knew the sayd Trenchpaine had filled
14. up these blankes and therefore it was not safe for him this deponent to deliever
15. the sayd goods to the sayd de Richards And hee saith that the sayd de Richards
16. there upon and further to these articles (saving his subsequent deposition and
17. saving hee saith the sayd Trenchpaine did not at any tyme whilst this deponent
18. remayned with his sayd shipp at Morlaix acquainte this deponent that the sayd
19. three bayles of linnen were for Accompt of the arlate Lewis desormeaux
20. or that they were to be delivered to the arlate John Tufton or any other their
21. in London) hee cannot depose"

- HCA 13/71 f.201v Case: Lewis de desormeaux against John de Richard Sieur de Kargonell; Deposition: 1. Robert Bowden of the parish of Saint Mary Magdalen Bermondsey in the County of Surrey mariner aged thirty five; Date: 05/05/1656. Transcribed by Jill Lewis

Spanish

Portuguese

Turkish

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Use of translation

A number of depositions and other legal statements in HCA 13/71 were translated, either by other merchants or mariners, or by hired translators.

An example of this can be seen in XXXX.