Warwick Week Four

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Proposed Agenda: 4-6 pm, Tuesday, February 6th, 2018

(1) Quick update from Colin & Ben

(2) Discussion of recent transcription experience & review of your transcriptions [All]

(3) Expanding our exposure to different handwriting and document types [All]

- Huntingdon Library material
-- Images from Humphrey Slaney vs. Thomas King court case (c. 1627-1630) [To be posted online before our meeting]
-- Images relating to the state of the Royal Navy and merchant shipping in England c.1627. [To be posted online before our meeting]
- State Paper Civil War Horse Lists SP 28/131/5 ff.2v-3r
- HCA 13/53



Quick update from Colin & Ben






Discussion of recent transcription experience & review of your transcriptions


  • Raise issues, share tips, make suggestions to Ben and Colin
  • Review whatever transcription work you have done over the last two weeks


Expanding our exposure to different handwriting and document types


Huntington Library transcription experiment


The Huntington Library has a wide variety of rare manuscripts for historians of seventeenth century England. A large proportion of these documents relate to the Admiralty and merchant shipping, and are therefore of interest to the MarineLives project.

For instance, the Ellesmere Collection (one of the most studied collections at the Huntington) reveals a lot of information about the formation of commercial connections between England and the wider world. It also provides insights into how the state and monarchy were talking about trade in the late sixteenth century and early seventeenth century. Reports on the state of shipping, merchant petitions, and papers concerning legal cases related to English commercial activity are strong points of the collection.

The Huntington also houses an array of rare books and almanacs from the seventeenth century, many of which are of relevance for people interested in colonial affairs and international trade. Finally, the Huntington's renowned collection of early modern maps (which remain underused by historians) offer new visual perspectives on the world that merchants, mariners, and explorers inhabited in the seventeenth century.

For more information see Huntington Library transcription experiment



Huntington Library: Images from Humphrey Slaney vs. Thomas King court case (c. 1627-1630)


Image set one

The first set of images are of the Humphrey Slaney vs. Thomas King court case (c. 1627-1630). Some of these documents are lengthy, while others are very short. They are from the Ellesmere Collection (EL 7007 - EL 7040). Humphrey Slaney was a prominent member of the London merchant community in the early 17th century, and his commercial networks spanned the Atlantic. He was active in the Newfoundland fisheries, financed voyages to Guinea, and also participated in the tobacco trade with nascent English colonies in the Americas. He often conducted business in partnership with Nicholas Crispe, John Wood, and William Cloberry.[1] The lengthy court case documented in these manuscripts resulted from a dispute between two former business partners (Slaney and King), who fell out when their merchant vessel, the Anne, took a Portuguese ship as a prize. The goods seized were very valuable, and included 'Shuger, Hides, Tobacco, Cotton Wooll, greene ginger, and ginger to the valew of twentite thousand pounds', as well as silver bullion 'to the valew of two thousand pounds'.[2] King was suing Slaney for refusing to give him the half share of this prize.

Other primary sources concerning Humfrey Slaney (alt. Humphrey Slany)

STAC 8/94/2 Short title: Coryton v Kekwich. Plaintiffs: William Coryton esq of Newton and John Kekwich esq, in his custody as a ward of the Crown, and son and heir of George Kekwich esq. Defendants: William Kekwich, brother of said John Kekwich, Edward Kekwich his uncle, Richard Bennett of the Middle Temple utter barrister, Richard Smith gent, John Slany and Humphrey Slany both merchants of London (feoffees to uses) and William Code (against whom no process is asked for). Subject: Procuring conveyances from the said John Kekwich in his minority of the mansion house of Catchfrench and other lands, the manors of Trewythie, Tollearioe, Hidehall, Penheale and Trevithick, land called 'Lindley' in Shropshire, land in Tresmeer and a messuage called the 'Eagle and Child' [Inn ?] in the Strand, London; and collusive proceedings to obtain confirmation of part of the same conveyances in Chancery. Cornwall, Essex, Shropshire, London. Barnes category: conspiracy; fraud; subornation; lawyer's offence. Another action was also brought before the Court of Chancery. 1615 February.

1641, 1 Feb; Parties: Oliver Clobery executor of William Clobery late of London, merchant v Sir Nicholas Crispe; Samuel Crispe; Humfrey Slaney; George Fletcher; John Bollow; James Acton; Robert Bateman, chamberlain of the City of London; Raph Latham, common sergeant of the said City; William Cloberye, Elizabeth Cloberye, Oliver Cloberye, Nicholas Clobery, John Cloberye & James Clobery, infants, children of the said William Clobery decd & orphans of the said City of London; Subject matter: Investment shares due from Guinea Company to heirs of William Clobery; Roll/Case no.: C78/463, no. 5A 6

C 7/325/29 Short title: Slaney v Slaney. Plaintiffs: Humphrey Slaney. Defendants: [John Slaney]. Place or subject: estate of John Slaney, London etc, Middlesex, Essex. Document type: bill only. 1643.

C 5/388/48 Short title: Eldred v Slany. Plaintiffs: John Eldred. Defendants: Humphrey Slany, [unknown] Broadgate, and others. Subject: money matters. Document type: bill, answer. 1647

Volume EL 7007-7040

Let's take a look at:

EL 7007 f.1v
EL 7008 f.2v



Huntington Library: Images relating to the state of the Royal Navy and merchant shipping in England c.1627


Image set two

The second set of images relate to the state of the Royal Navy and merchant shipping in England c.1627. This set of documents is also from the Ellesmere Collection (EL 7002). They provide a lot of information about the state of the navy in the early seventeenth century; a formative period for English naval expansion and the extension of English trade networks across the globe. Of particular interest is the quantitative data relating to vessels belonging to the Royal Navy, and the various propositions for how the state might improve the efficiency of the navy by reducing costs.

Volume EL 7002

Let's take a look at:

EL 7002 f.1r
EL 7002 f.1v

EL 7002 f.2v
EL 7002 f.3r


State Paper Civil War Horse Lists, 1642-43


Dr Gavin Robinson has imaged and transcribed three sets of related documents from the English State Papers, which list horses provided to Parliament from London and surrounds in 1642 and 1643. These are SP 28/131/3, SP 28/131/4 and SP 28/131/5

Let's take a look at

SP 28/131/5 ff.2v-3r


HCA 13/53 depositions


HCA 13/53 has over 500 folios.

Let's look at some of the later ones from HCA 13/53 ff.190r - 199v

Nehemiah Bourne of Wappinge in the county of Middlesex naupegus aged 25 yeares
Carolus Van de Putt of the parish of Saint Dionis Backchurch London merchant aged 24 yeares
Thomas Wood of Maydstonein the county of Kent merchant aged 26 yeares
John Day of the parish of Saint Gabriels ffenchurch London broker aged 40 yeares
Elias Pilgrim of Redriffe in the county of Surrey marriner aged 25 yeares
Richard Deane of Barkinge in the county of Essex ffisherman aged aboute 60ty yeares
John Hudd of Barkinge aforesaid ffisherman aged 19 yeares or thereabouts
Georgius Austen of Lymehouse in the county of Middlesex nauta aged 52
Johannes Sayer of Wappinge in the county of Middlesex nauta aged 23 yeares
Nicholas Phillipps of Lymehouse in the county of Middlesex nauta aged 25 yeares
Johannes du Boies alias Wood of [?Cunbate] in Kent silke weaver aged 43 yeares
Willimus Rigby of Dartmouth in the county of Devon merchant aged 23 yeares
Thomas Burley of Redriffe in the county of Surrey mariner aged about 54 yeares
Johannes ffleminge of the parish of Saint Michaels Crooked Lane servant of George Plummer chirurgeon aged 18 yeares
James Gribble of Torrington in the county of Devon yeoman aged 31 yeares
Thomas ffoscue of Redriffe in the county of Surrey nauta aged 29 yeares
Edwardus Robins of the parish of Saint Dunstans in the East London merchant aged 34 yeares
ffranciscus Shepperd of the parish of Saint Michaels in Corne hill London scrivener aged 31 yeares
Hugh Preston of Weymouth Melcombe regis in the county of Dorsett mariner aged about 47 yeares
Johannes Digby of the parish of Saint Andrew Hubberd London [?XXX] and pewterer London aged 40 yeares


  1. Robert Brenner, Merchants and Revolution: Commercial Change, Political Conflict, and London's Overseas Traders, 1550-1653 (Princeton, 1993), pp.163-164 & 187.
  2. Huntington Library, EL 7018, ‘The informacon of Captane Thomas Kinge plaints against Humphry Slaney merchant defendant.’