William Cornelison
| William Cornelison | |
|---|---|
| Person | William Cornelison |
| Title | |
| First name | William |
| Middle name(s) | |
| Last name | Cornelison |
| Suffix | |
| Spouse of | |
| Widow of | |
| Occupation | Mariner |
| Secondary shorebased occupation | |
| Mariner occupation | Master |
| Associated with ship(s) | Two Brothers (Master: William Cornelison) |
| Training | Not apprentice |
| Is apprentice of | |
| Was apprentice of | |
| Had apprentice(s) | |
| Citizen | Unknown |
| Literacy | Marke |
| Has opening text | William Cornelison |
| Has signoff text | WC |
| Signoff image | (Invalid transcription image) |
| Language skills | Dutch language |
| Has interpreter | |
| Birth street | Near Liverpool |
| Birth parish | |
| Birth town | |
| Birth county | Lancashire |
| Birth province | |
| Birth country | England |
| Res street | |
| Res parish | |
| Res town | Dunkirk |
| Res county | |
| Res province | Flanders |
| Res country | Spanish Netherlands |
| Birth year | 1611 |
| Marriage year | |
| Death year | |
| Probate date | |
| First deposition age | 43 |
| Primary sources | |
| Act book start page(s) | |
| Personal answer start page(s) | |
| Allegation start page(s) | |
| Interrogatories page(s) | |
| Deposition start page(s) | HCA 13/68 f.493v Annotate |
| Chancery start page(s) | |
| Letter start page(s) | |
| Miscellaneous start page(s) | |
| Act book date(s) | |
| Personal answer date(s) | |
| Allegation date(s) | |
| Interrogatories date(s) | |
| Deposition date(s) | Feb 7 1654 |
| How complete is this biography? | |
| Has infobox completed | Yes |
| Has synthesis completed | No |
| Has HCA evidence completed | No |
| Has source comment completed | No |
| Ship classification | |
| Type of ship | Merchant ship |
| Silver Ship litigation in 1650s | |
| Role in Silver Ship litigation | None |
Biographical synthesis
William Cornelison (alt. England: William Keeles; Spain: William Cornelia; Flanders: Willemm Cornelison) (b. 1611; d. ?). Mariner.
Master of the ship the Two Brothers, allegedly formerly named the ffortune.
Resident in 1654 in Dunkirk.
William Cornelison was born near Liverpool in Lancashire. He had moved to Spain aaround the age of ten, and as a mariner went form port to port within the Mediterranean, before coming to Flanders, where he had lived in both Ostend and Dunkirk. In 1652 he had lived in Amsterdam with his wife, who had died in late 1653.
Evidence from High Court of Admiralty
Forty-three year old William Cornelison deposed on February 7th 1654 in the High Court of Admiralty. He was examined on interrogatories in the cause of "The Lord Protector against a shipp called now the Two Brothers, and formerly (as is said) the ffortune".[1]
The case involved the ship the Two Brothers, allegedly purchased at Rotterdam by Mr Boldero (alt. Baldero), an English merchant of the same city. William Cornelison had been put in master of the ship and had brought the ship first to Dunkirk, with a lading of queen stones and hops, and then with the same lading appears to have sailed to London.[2]
William Cornelison's story was remarkable in terms of geographical mobility. He stated that he was "an Englishman borne", at a location near Liverpool in Lancashire, where he lived until about the age of ten. He "thence went and lived 5 yeares in Spaine, thence hee went into the streights and setled up and downe there about six yeares and then in other places, and hath used that imployment as a sailor from port to port till hee came to settle in fflanders". In Flanders, Cornelison stated he had lived and kept house at Ostend and Dunkirk "for these 11 yeares last".[3]
William Cornelison's identity, as reflected in his travels and his name, was malleable. He had four different versions of his name - the name he was born with, his Spanish name, his Flemish name, and the name by which the Admiralty Court notary recorded his deposition. In his own words he stated that "His name in English is William Keeles, and that he was alwayes called by that name in England, but not abroad, the Spaniards calling him William Cornelia and the fflemings Willemm Cornelison as nearest to his owne name and to their pronunciation, and that this deponents fathers name was Robert Keeles, and that his said father was alwayes called by that name". The Admiralty Court notary rendered his name with the anglicised William, but used the Flemish Cornelison.[4]
He had taken a wife, who was possibly (though not necessarily) Flemish. According to Cornelison, "his wife lived alwayes with him at Ostend and Dunquirke for the time aforesaid of his dwelling there till about five monethes since that shee dyed, saving that for a yeeres speace or thereabouts ended about a twelvemoneth since, shee and this deponent dwellt at Amsterdam, and that his nowe dwelling is in Dunquirke, where (living single) hee hath only a chamber."[5]
Comment on sources
Profile of George Boldero (b. ca. 1603; d. ca. 1666). London merchant
Profile of Henry Boldero (b. ?; d. ?). Rotterdam merchant
