Women's investment activities and record keeping

Women were very much involved on shore in the C17th maritime business. Getting involved in collecting freight, assuring ships, and purchasing investment goods for adventuring in their husband’s ships, either on their husband’s behalf, or on their own account. This involvement was not restricted to wives of masters of ships and other senior officers, but extended to more junior officers, and to the wives of common men and sailors. Much of this business activity required literacy and numeracy, although there are also examples of illiterate women acting in the business affairs of their living husbands.

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Distiller's wife sent adventure to sea with master of the Sara Bonadventure [1634]

Jane Hendell, fifty year old wife of James Hendell, distiller of Saint Olaves in the borough of Southwark, Surrey. Sent an adventure with the master of a ship called the Sara Bonadventure. Deposed January 1635.

"Within the tyme arlate the arlate William Hyatt was master of the shipp the Sara Bonadventure, which shee knoweth to bee true for that within that tyme shee dyned aboard that shippe and sent an adventure to sea with him the sayd Hyatt.

Uppon the firste day of September laste was twelve monethes , the arlate William Yeames and William Hyatt came to this examinate’s husbandes house beinge a distiller of stronge water, and called for stronge waters to drincke, and there treated concerninge some worke that the said Hyatt was desirous that the said Yeams being a shipp carpenter shoulde doe uppon the said shippe the Sara Bonadventure and from this examinate’s house they wente to a taverne called the King’s Head in Southwarke and carried this examinate alonge with them to that taverne to bee a witnes to their bargaine, and at that taverne it was aggreed betweene the said Hyatt and Yeames in this examinate’s presence, that the said Yeams should cutt tenn ports in the said shippe and lay her gunroome and calke her above water and grave her belowe and above and finde all stuffe and materialls for the same, but whether hee was to doe any other worcke or noe shee cannott now remember, but shee sayeth that for that worcke which the said Yeams then aggreed with the said Hyatt to doe to the said shippe the said Hyatt did aggree with him that he should have sixteene poundes, and shee sayeth that the said Hyatt intreated this examinate dwelling neere the yard where the said Yeams wrought uppon the sayd shippe, to sea the worcke, and shee sayeth that shee was aboard the said shippe and dyned aboard her after the worcke was donn, and sawe that all the worcke had bin donn uppon the said shippe that was aggreed uppon in this examinate’s presence as aforesaid, as alsoe an overplus of worcke, but the perticulers therof shee remembreth not, nor the vallue therof, and shee sayeth that at the same tyme when the bargaine aforesaid was made betweene the said Yeams and Hyatt, they did aggree that one James Corbett then an apprentice to the said Yeames should goe carpenter in the said shippe in a voyage to the Westerne Islandes, but shee doeth not well remember what wages the said Hyatt caused to give the said Yeames for his foresaid servant, but to her now best remembrance it was thirty shillings a moneth, And she sayeth that after the said shippe returned from her voyage, the said Hyatt came to this examinate and intreated her to speake to the said Yeames to forbeare the monies that were due to him for the worcke that hee had donn uppon the said shippe, untill he had delivered his goods and receive his freighte and then hee would pay him the same, And this shee affirmeth to bee true, who formerly was a shipp carpenter’s wife and often sawe Yeames and his servants at worcke uppon the said shippe and was present when Corbett was bounde an apprentice to him the said Yeames."

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Grocer's mother (wife of a plasterer) and grocer's own wife present at discussions of ship's debts [1633]

XXX, wife of a plasterer, Ellens Piggens, and mother of XXX, a grocer, was present at discussions of the debts of a ship named the Hope for Grace, as was the grocer's own wife. They were both asked to bar witness to the payment of a shipwright in full satisfaction of work done to the ship.

"In the moneth of September last past was twelve moneths the arlate Mathewe Graves and Alexander Heard beinge at the house of this deponents father in lawe Ellis Piggens a plasterer scituate in Cheswell street within the parish of Saint Giles Cripplegate London, the sayd Graves and Herd had speech and conference about some worke (as it was sayd) donne by the sayd Graves uppon the arlate shipp the Hope for Grace, and the sayd Herd did then and there affirme that the sayd Graves had donne him a greate deale of wronge and dammage in not performinge the worke uppon the sayd shipp within the tyme limited, and that he had therby lost a voyage which he had undertaken for merchants, and that another man had made a voyage to the same place where he was bounde since the tyme limited for the doeinge of the worcke was expired, and afterwards the sayd Heard layd downe some gould, and did bidd the sayd Graves to take the sayd gould in full staisfaction for all the worke donne by him uppon the sayd shipp or else to lett it alone, and then the sayd Graves tooke up the sayd gould and sayd that he would take it in parte of payment, bu the sayd Heard bidd him to take it as he tendred it in full satisfaction or else to lay it downe agayne, but the sayd Graves would not laye it downe agayne but sayd he would take it in part, and soe caryed it awaye agayne with him there beinge then an there present, this deponent and his said father in lawe and his mother and this deponents wife whome the said Heard entreated to beare witnes that he payd Gravesthe sayd money in full said satisfaction"

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Widow of a mariner needed to recover a book from the papers of another deceased mariner John Norris [16XX]

Jeremy White, a twenty-nine year old London haberdasher, originally from Gloucestershire, was required by the High Court of Admiralty to produce a handwritten book formally belonging to a now deceased Ratcliffe mariner. White had acquired the book from the home of Jane Pinder, the widow of a mariner named John Norris, perceiving that there were clean pages within the book. However, the book also contained notes of relevance to a court case brought by John Trigges, the now husband of Jane Pinder, on Jane’s behalf.

[Regarding the allegation and book exhibited] "He affirmed that aboute three yeares past one John Norris a mariner beinge att sea died and by his will gave all that he had as he remembreth to Simon Pinder and Jane his wiffe who is nowe wife to the articulated John Triggis, and thereuppon this examinate was requested by the said Jane Pinder, nowe Jane Trigges whether togeather with a gold smithe called George [?Jole] to appraise such goods as the said John Norris had in his house in Ratcliffe and in perusinge such bookes and papers as were in the said house amongst the rest the booke exhibited nowe shewed unto him at the tyme of his examination was founde in an upper cubbard, and the same booke this examinate intreated the said Jane Pinder to bestowe uppon him for that there was cleane paper therein which he had occasion to use, and she accordingly gave it unto him and the same booke he ever since kepte untill he was served with a proces to appeare in this Court and then he delivered the said booke to the said Joane for that she sayd it concerned her, And he sayth that the severall notes sett downe in the 2nd and 6th leaves of the said booke firmed in the name per me William Jones in some places and in one place by Mr William Jones were in the said booke so written and sett downe as by the said booke appeareth when the said booke came to this examinates handes"

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Widow running a ship chandler's shop in the Precinct of Saint Catherines near the Tower of London

Strong agency amongst women in marine affairs is not restricted to wives of mariners. There are examples of shops, yards and workshops all being run by women on the Thames shoreline in the C17th. Mary Dell, a widow, ran a ship chandler’s shop in the Precinct of Saint Catherines near the Tower of London. She had servants working for her, and was involved in subscribing her name to documents, including receipts for goods received back from customers.

"Hee saith the sayd schedule is as hee beleeveth, subscribed with the propper hand of the said producent [Mary Dell], and beleeveth that some of the foresaid goods were by her received back againe"

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Wife of master of ship received money for him and familiar with his books of account

Anne Jolley, the literate wife of Josua Jolley, master of the Desire of London, had received money on her husband’s behalf from one of the part-owners of her husband’s ship. Moreover, she was familiar with her husband’s book of accounts.

"She well knewe the sayd shipp the Desire and well knoweth that Mr John Clarcke dwellinge in Birchinge Lane London was owner of a sixteenth part of the sayd shipp, tackle and furniture at the tyme of her departure to sea on her last voyage to the Barbadoes and that the sayd Clarcke had a bill of sale of a sixteenth part of the sayd shipp made unto him by her sayd husband. And the sayd Clarcke sent forth some serges in the sayd shipp in her sayd last voyage. The premisses she knoweth to be true for that she hath seene her husband's booke of accompts, and hath for the use of her husband received some moneys from the sayd Mr Clerke as owner of a sixteenth part of the sayd shipp since her departure to sea on her last voyage wherin shee was cast away (as shee hath heard) in her passage from Antego to Virginia"

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Wife of presumed master of ship looks after his affairs when he is at sea

Kathleen Moulton, the literate wife of a mariner (and presumed master of a ship), deposes in the English High Court of Admiralty concerning the ownership of a ship in which her husband had a share. She makes it clear that she looks after his affairs at home when he is at sea.

"And this she affirmeth to bee true, who in the absense of her husband beeing a seaman useth to looke to his affaires at home"

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Wife of shipwright collected moneys oweing her husband from his customers

The wife of Mathew Graves, a Stepney shipwright with his own yard and dock, collected moneys oweing him from customers. According to Nicholas Woster, servant to a Captain Bell, Mathew Graves wife received money on two separate occasions on behalf of her husband. The first occasion was at Captain Bell’s lodgings in Drury Lane, where the owner of a ship named the Alethia, Leonard Guy, paid Mrs Graves the sum of £40. He asked for a receipt for that sum and for a further sum he had already paid. Mrs Graves refused, telling him to come to her house, where her husband would issue the receipt. On a second occasion, at the house of another woman in Limehouse, at which Captain Bell’s servant was also present, Mathew Graves and his wife were both present when Leonard Guy paid the sum of £80 for materials used on repairing his ship.

"Hee this examinate beeinge servant unto one Captaine Bell was present when the wife of the arlate Graves and the arlate Guy came to his masters lodgeinge togather scituate in Drury Lane London and then and there his master delivered the said Guy forty poundes sterlinge which forty poundes the said Guy presently payd and delivered to the said Graves his wife, and withall demannded a receite of her for that forty poundes and forty poundes more which the said Guy sayd hee had formerly payd her husband, but shee denyed to give him a recete for the same but willed him to come home to her husbands house and hee should give him a receite for the whole fowerscore, and there uppon they both departed and went out of the house togeather and that money was as hee conceriveth concerneing a shippe that lay then or [?XXXX] in Greaves his docke called the Alathia, which did and doth belonge to the Lord of Southampton and by his master and not very longe afterwards the said Guy did pay and deliver unto the said Graves at one Mrs [?Barnes] her house in Lymehouse the summe of fowerscore poundes sterlinge which hee heard the said Guy saye at the delivery of the said money was for stuffe and other materialls which were for the use of the said shippe the Alethia hee this examinate beinge presente when the said Guy payd the said Graves and his wife the foresaid money"