MRP: 25th February 1662/63, Letter from William Morton to Sir GO, Temple, London

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25th February 1662/63, Letter from William Morton to Sir GO, Temple, London

BL, Add. MS., XX, XXX ff. 10-11

Editorial history




Abstract & context


Sir William Morton (b. c. 1605, d. 1672) wrote to Sir George Oxenden from the Inner Temple in a letter dated February 25th, 1662/63.

A stranger to Sir George Oxenden, he wrote to him to enquire about the estate of his deceased son, George Morton, who had died at Gombroon in Persia in 1660. In July 1662, a Court of Committees in London had ordered George Morton's accounts to be examined and made up.[1]

Sir William Morton was a lawyer of the Inner Temple. He supported the King during both the first and second English civil war. He had surrendered Sudeley Castle in 1644, and was arrested in the second English civil war, and confined to the Tower of London. He was called to the bench at the Inner Temple in 1659, and became a Welsh judge following the Restoration. He was moderately active member of the "Cavalier" parliament in 1663. He has been described as showing "staunch Anglicanism and unswerving allegiance to the crown" in his attempts to uphold the Clarendon Code.[2] He was buried in Temple Church, his wife, Lady Ann Morton, having predeceased him in 1668.[3]



Suggested links



To do


(1) Check transcription against physical manuscript at BL & add foliation

(2) Look at will of William Morton[4]

(3) Look at will of Nicholas Scrivener[5]


Transcription


This transcription has been completed, but requires checking

BL, Add. MS., XX, XXX ff. 10-11

Hon:d S:r

Though I am but a Strang:r to you onely I know yo:r Person yett having XXXXX soo large a Character of ye:r Integrity & Justice from y:e Exch:a in London, I am bound to make this Addresse to you, for y:d ??Excessive of itt, in a case y:t concernes myselfe w:thin your Jurisdiction w:ch is thus; In y:e yeare: 1658 a sonne of mine Geo: Morton[6] was intertained in y:e Service of y:e East India Comp:a & disposed by their order for a ffacto:r in persia, & tooke his voyage thither w:th M:r W:m Garway[7] & theire died in y:e yeare: 1660: att Gombroone in Psia att his gooing hence I furnished him w:th a Stock of commodities of vallew about 4:&500:ll, w:t is become of y:t Stock I could never learne & am onely made Acquaint:d w:th y:e unhappie & untimely death of my Sonn taken away by a ffeave:r in y:t unhealtfull Countrey those y:t knew him both here & there, doe Assure me that he was hopefull, Able, & ffruga:ll & I am very well Assured not likely to wast his Estate, his Xwill, & Frug:ll deportm:t whilst he was here in England having given mee that confidence, & I believe you will heare soo of him there yett I cannot discover w:t became of his Estate; In y:e yeare :61: I herd a XXX [lett:r?]from M:r ??Marsin Andrews[8] who then supplyed y:e place you now hold, whowe was pleased by his XXXX [lett:r] to promise mee y:t one M:r Buckridge[9] should give mee an Acco:t of my Sonns Estate at his returne into England, this M:r Buckeridge was principall in y:e Psian ffactory my Sonn was his second at his death, M:r Buckridge is Arrived here in England & I have spoken w:th him who gives me noo Satisfactory Acco:t of my Sonns Estate but pretends pt of it was lost in an Adventure at Sea, & to that end he produces a Certificate w:ch he pretends was made in y:e Indies by one Nich:o Scriven:r,[10] such a Ship, or y:t was ever such an Adventure, or loss, by my Sonn upon y:t Shipp, I am utterly Ignow:t ?more Y:n by his base Allegation he pretends my Sonn had some Estate in ye hands of one M:r Lambton[11] & others in Surr:tt & those ?Esteamd Pts. With whome my Sonne did hold Intercourse & Corespondency, It is True y:t my Sonn held correspondency w:th M:r Lambton att Surr:tt , & by my Sonne Ord:s XXXX Agents here by my direction did send over in y:e beginning of y:e yeare: 60: or 61: some cases of Sack & Strong Waters, to y:e vallew of above 40:ll fro my Sonns use, w:ch I am Informed came to M:r Lambtons hands butt After my Sonns death those goods, & w:tsoever of my Sonns was in M:r Lambtons hands before & at Y:e time of his death I could never as yett gett an Acco:t of, though I have written to M:r Lambton last yeare to desire an Acco:t & y:t he wold please to returne mee y:e vallew of it in beste other commodities of y:e Countrey upon y:e whole matter, mine humble & earnest Suite to you is , y:t in yo:e Zeale to Justice, & in favo:r to Right, you wold please to Speake w:th M:r Andrews, & M:r Lambton on my behalfe, & y:t you please by yo:r Selfe & Minist:es about you to call M:r Lambton to Acco:t & casue him to doe mee Justice in my reasonable & Just Demands, & y:t you wold please to communicate y:e discovery to my Noble ffreind S:r Abr:a Shipman[12] his Maj:ties of great Brittaines Commisson:er & Govern:e of Salcett w:th whom I know & presume you hold good correspondence, & I am confid:t he will Advise me of it, & if needd Require give you any Assistance he cann for y:e furthering of my desires to w:ch End I have written unto him, And if you will please to Add a further Obligation upon mee by soo much increase of yo:e Troubles as to lett mee receive a line or two from you by yo:e XXX direct:n to M:r Bennett [Binnett?] Maine[13] at his house at y:e Black Swan w:th 2 Necks in Wattlingstreet London att y:e Next Rieturne of y:e Shipps, you shall cast a very great ingamem:t upon mee to endeavo:r a Requitall of yo:r soo high favo:r, by any Service I can doo you or any y:r Relations here, wherin I shall promise you in y:e ?word of a gen:tle, I will not be remiss, but I hope I may prove soe Successful in yo:r comm:ds as may Render mee worthy to be Registered amongst y:e Numb:er of

[LH side] Temple[14] London y;e 25:th Febr 1662

[RH side] Yo:r Affectionate ffreind & Rieall Serv:t
William Morton


Images

Sir William Morton, Inner Temple, Soest


"Soest, Gerard (born circa 1600, died 1681) : Sir William Morton : Inner Temple, London"[15]


Notes

Sir William Morton


"The Monuments and Gravestones more lately placed and laid in this Church, are for the Remembrance of these Persons following....

Heic subtus jacet corpus Willielmi Morton, Militis, unius Justiciariorum ad Placita coram ipso Rege tenenda, &c. Collonellus equorum atque pedum Caroli beatæ memoriæ primi, &c. 1672.

Lady Anne Morton, late Wife of Sir William Morton, Kt. 1668.

John Morton, Esq; eldest Son of Sir William Morton Kt. and Anne his Wife, of the Inner Temple. And Captain of a Regiment of Foot in Ireland, and Governour of Kilkenny, 1668."[16]


EEIC, 1660-1663


"[July 11, 1662] The accounts of [George] Morton, who died in Persia, and of John Edwards, to be examined and made up ; and Puleston's security to be requested to clear the debt he owes the Company."[17]




George Morton


George Morton is mentioned in Court Minutes:

"The staff in Persia was to consist of William Garway (Agent, at 125l.), Nicholas Buckeridge (50l.), John Hoddesdon (30l.), George Morton (25l.), William Jennings (25l.), and Peter Samway (25l.); the last two being intended to voyage to and fro between Gombroon and Surat"[18]


Sir James Morton


"Morton, Sir James (b. 1652), knight, of Kidlington, Oxford County, Member of Parliament for Steyning Borough, Sussex County, 1681, 1685-87, and 1689-90. He was the youngest son of Sir William Morton, justice on the Court of King's Bench, who had fought in the royalist army during the Civil War. Sir James was educated at Trinity College, Oxford, and the Inner Temple although he was not called to the bar."[19]


Nicholas Scrivener


"Samuel Pauncefote, William Janson, and Nicholas Scrivener, were sent in the Diamond..."[20]

"[February 25, 1650] The following factors to be continued at Surat : Thomas Merry as President, at 300/. per annum for a year after the arrival of the ships to be dispeeded thither in March ; Edward Pearse, accountant, his salary to be increased from loo/. to aoo/. per annum ; George Oxenden, his salary to be increased from 40/. to 100/. per annum ; both these on condition that they abstain from private trade ; Anthony Clitherowe, Henry Young, John Adler, and Nicholas Buckeridge. To be continued at Ahmadabad : Anthony Smith and Isaac {should be Isaiah] Joyce. At Agra : Richard Davidge and Thomas Andrews. At Lucknow, William Jesson and John Burnell. At 'Sinda' or 'Tuttha'[Tatta] : John Spiller, Nicholas Scrivener, Henry Garry, Richard Newland, Thomas Reynardson, Charles Milward, Daniel Elder, and William Weale. In Persia : George Tash, John Lewis, Thomas Best, and John Goodyeare. The following to return home : John Bradbent, Philip Wylde, Francis Hamersly, Thomas Cogan, Thomas Cooke, and Rivett Walwin."[21]

"Henry Revington is appointed Chief at Ahmadabad, Nicholas Scrivener Chief at Sind or Tatta, Anthony Smyth Chief in the Deccan, and William Garway Agent in Persia"[22]


The Black swan with two necks, Watlingstreet, London


"Bedford co. Red Lyon in Aldersgate street, t. f. wa. Swan with two necks in St. Johns street, w. Rose and Crown in Aldersgate street, w. Red Lyon ditto, th."[23]


Possible primary sources

TNA


PROB 11/326 Hone 1-57 Will of Nicholas Scrivener or Scrivenor, Merchant of India 03 March 1668

PROB 11/342 Pye 53–118 Will of Sir William Morton or Moreton, Justice of Our Sovereign Lord the King 03 March 1674
  1. ↑ 'A Court of Committees, July 11, 1662' (Court Book, vol. xxiv, p. 504), in Ethel Bruce Sainsbury (ed.), A Calendar of the Court Minutes of the East India Company, 1660-1663 (Oxford, 1922), p. 236
  2. ↑ Leonard Naylor, Geoffrey Jaggar, 'Morton, Sir William (c.1605-72), of Winchcombe, Glos. and Hampden Manor, Kidlington, Oxon.' (XXXX, 1983), The history of parliament trust, http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1660-1690/member/morton-sir-william-1605-72, viewed 18/01/12
  3. ↑ '(Temple Church) Faringdon Ward without. (Monumnts.)', John Strype, A survey of the cities of London and Westminster", (XXXX, XXXX), bk. 3, ch. 12, p. 273
  4. ↑ PROB 11/342 Pye 53–118 Will of Sir William Morton or Moreton, Justice of Our Sovereign Lord the King 03 March 1674
  5. ↑ PROB 11/326 Hone 1-57 Will of Nicholas Scrivener or Scrivenor, Merchant of India 03 March 1668
  6. ↑ George Morton was XXXX
  7. ↑ William Garway was appointed agent at Gombroon in 165X, with Nicholas Buckeridge as his number two, and George Morton as his number three (EFI 55-60, p. 147)
  8. ↑ M:r ??Marsin Andrews was XXXX. This was presumably Mathew Andrewes
  9. ↑ Nicholas Buckeridge
  10. ↑ Nicholas Scrivener was XXXX (PROB 11/326 Hone 1-57 Will of Nicholas Scrivener or Scrivenor, Merchant of India 03 March 1668). See Missing faces
  11. ↑ John Lambton, the Surat warehouseman
  12. ↑ Abraham Shipman was XXXX
  13. ↑ M:r Bennett [Binnett?] Maine was XXXX. See Missing faces
  14. ↑ XXXXX
  15. ↑ 'The art world in Britain 1660 to 1735,' at http://artworld.york.ac.uk/sourceSearchView.do?sourceUrn=5.1480.06924&start=7461&ac=on&tl=on&bl=on&dc=all; accessed [date]
  16. ↑ '(Temple Church) Faringdon Ward without. (Monumnts.)', John Strype, A survey of the cities of London and Westminster", (XXXX, XXXX), bk. 3, ch. 12, p. 273
  17. ↑ 'A Court of Committees, July 11, 1662' (Court Book, vol. xxiv, p. 504), in Ethel Bruce Sainsbury (ed.), A Calendar of the Court Minutes of the East India Company, 1660-1663 (Oxford, 1922), p. 236
  18. ↑ EFI 55-60, p. 147
  19. ↑ George L. Cherry, The Convention Parliament, 1689: a biographical study of its members (XXXX, 1966), p. 128
  20. ↑ EFI 37-41, p. 275
  21. ↑ 'A Court of Committees for the Fourth Joint Stock, February 25, 1650 (Court Book, vol. xx, p. 494), in Ethel Bruce Sainbury (ed.), A Calendar of the Court Minutes of the East India Company, 1650-1654 (Oxford, 1913), pp. 23-24
  22. ↑ CCM 55-59, p. 221
  23. ↑ Richard Burridge, A new review of London: being an exact survey, lately taken, of every street, lane Court, ... within the cities, liberties, or suburbs of London, Westminster, and the borough of Southwark. Alphabetically digested (London, 1728), p. 38

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