MRP: 20th March 1661/62, Letter from Sir William Rider to Charles Conyers

From MarineLives
Jump to: navigation, search

20th March 1661/62, Letter from Sir William Rider to Charles Conyers

BL, Add. MS. 40,696, f. 28r.-28v?, Oxenden Papers, vol. I., 16 Jan. 1656 – 5 Apr. 1662

Editorial history

01/02/12, CSG: Created page






Abstract & context


William Rider is one of the owners of the Eagle

Capt. Richard Langford, commander of the Eagle, is reported dead by Charles Conyers, Purser of the Eagle in a letter dated Feb 18 and 28th March 1660/61 on the Eagle’s outward journey to Surat. I have a note in my Excel database recording Richard Langford as Capt of the Eagle, April 1658. (B:: [no title] E/3/85 f 53 14 Apr 1658)]. He appears to have been purser’s mate in the Jonas in ca. 1623 or 1624, when he petitioned for an increase in his wages. (source: p. 479, Calendar of State Papers , Colonial Series, East Indies, China and japan, 1623-1624, 1878



Suggested links




To do


(1) Complete the transcription

(2) Which MSS no. is this letter?
- Probably OXENDEN PAPERS. VOL. I. 16 Jan. 1656 – 5 Apr. 1662: ADD. 40,696

(3) Who were the other owners of the Eagle?



Transcription


TRANSCRIPTION IS NOT YET COMPLETE (THURSDAY, 12TH FRIDAY 2009)

[f. 28]

[LH SIDE]
M:r Charles Conyers[1]

[RH SIDE]
In London the 20:th Mch 1661/2

S:r Wee the owners of shipp Eagle comend up ?curtely unto you. Having received your Letter dated in Swaly the 18th ffebruar & 28 th March last past relating the sad storye of your ?ruff passage outwards bound wth the death of your good Comander Cap:t Rich Langford – your mate Kid & [small blank not filled in in manuscript] men XXX XX doth very much trouble us butt must submitt unto the hand of the Almighty – you having bin. by the sad experience, made senceable what the ttreaty of A delaterye dispatch here hath produced & hoope itt may bee a Warning to your ?delay & ?oath ffor the ffuture ?ti aceyde such ?eauly And both you & us have Just Cause to blesse God that has att last brought you unto your desired porte in safty –

Wee Understanding that the East India Comp:a have sent thear President that if need request hee may detayn your shipp one year longer in India Wch wee hoope will not bee don In regard your XXX passage [tidway?] our Will have worne yoar sayey & stXXXX & thearby rendred her the more Uncapable xx due Service, We XXXX aparent danger of Lousing all, Wee thought XXX to take leave of the Comp:a that in case you should bee in the Country on arrivall of thear shipp, to ffurnish you wth such stores as wee deeme you may must want & have by their Leave sent you outt upon the Shipp Rich & Martha Recommended unto our ffrind S:r Geo: Oxenden our new President they ensewing XXXX N:o 6 la q seven bar 24 ¾ of Noyally ?Canary Cost 116:2:0 N:o 5 ba q 20 thousand of sheathing nayle 9:16:8 No. 1 bar qt 150 l wt of twine wch cost 7:0:6 And the Com:a having sent outt Anchers & Small ?Corday thee sayd President will ffitt you with what you may want more over wee have spoken to the Principal officer of his maty navey to spare you a new cable in case you should want itt Wee XXX presum you will

[f. 28 – second side of two sided letter]

In case you should stay Butt our Hoopes are to see you here before August & in such case wee pray S:r Ge:o Oxenden (this is how WR wrote his name) to make sall of our Stores of Canary twine & nayles att the best rate hee cann & send by returne in good dymonds

[12 lines still to transcribe]

[f. 29]


4 lines still to transcribe

[f. 29]

[ON THE WRAPPER: "The Owners of y:e Eagle to M:r Conyer togeather with an Invoyce of what laden on y:e Rich & Martha by them for y:e Eagles use: if she stay in India

dated y:e 20:th March 1662/63" [sic]

[ON THE WRAPPER : "To Mr Charles Conyers Purser of Shipe Eagle
By the hand of S:r Ge:o Oxenden (sic)]



Notes

People


Mr. Charles Conyers, purser of the Eagle
Y:e owners of y:e Eagle
Captain Richard Langford
Sir Ge:o Oxenden [their President]
Your mate ?Kid



Ships


The Eagle
The Richard & Martha

Places:

Material Items:

Events:



The Eagle


BL lists six different ships called

THE EAGLE:

EAGLE 1:

Built 1619, 280 tons. Voyages: (1) 1619/20 Surat. Master Thomas Taylor. Downs Mar 1620 - Nov Surat - Bandar Abbas - Surat - Jambi - Batavia 6 Mar 1622 - Downs. (2) 1623/4 Surat and Bantam. Master John Johnson. Downs 28 Mar 1624 - 17 Jul Cape - 10 Oct Surat - 6 Nov Dabhol - 19 Nov Surat - 23 Dec Bandar Abbas - in action against Portuguese Feb 1625 - 7 Mar Surat - Jambi - 31 Oct Batavia - Surat - voyages between Surat and Java in 1627, 1628 and 1629 - laid up at Bantam Oct 1629.

EAGLE 2:

Company's own ship; sold to Capt Jeremy Blackman 6 Nov 1650 for £2700. Voyages: (1) 1644/5 Surat. Capt Thomas Stevens. Downs 3 Apr 1645 - 21 Jul St Augustine's Bay - 12 Aug Johanna - 25 Sep Surat 4 Jan 1646 - 24 Feb Cape - 31 Mar Ascension - 27 May Downs. (2) 1646/7 Surat. Capt Thomas Stevens. Downs 27 Apr 1647 - 16 Aug Johanna - 24 Sep Surat 7 Jan 1648 - Downs.

EAGLE 3:

Contents:
500 tons, 60/100 crew. Voyages: (1) 1650/1 Surat. Capt Thomas Proud. (2) 1653/4 Goa, Rajapur and Surat. Capt Thomas Proud. (3) 1655/6 Surat. Capt William Harvey. (4) 1657/8 Surat. Capt Richard Langford. (5) 1659/60 Surat.

EAGLE 4:

Also called Loyal Eagle, 3 decks, 500/600 tons, 24/36 guns, 90/118 crew. Voyages: (1) 1673/4 Bantam. Capt James Bonnell. Downs 30 Mar 1674 - 30 Mar 1675 Downs. (2) 1675 Madras and Bengal. Capt James Bonnell. Downs 8 Jan 1676 - 13 Aug 1677 Downs. (3) 1677/8 Bantam. Capt Nathaniel Horseman. Downs 27 Mar 1678 - 1 Apr 1679 Downs. (4) Madras and Bengal. Capt Nathaniel Horseman. Downs 25 Feb 1680 - 14 Jan 1682 Downs. (5) 1681/2 Surat. Capt John Bonnell. Downs 23 Apr 1682 - 15 Jul 1683 Downs. (6) 1683/4 Bengal. Capt John Bonnell. Plymouth 28 May 1684 - 25 Aug 1686 Downs.

I also have the following references: (1) Harvey and Langford - commanders of the Eagle (2) Captain Ryckman - commander of the Eagle (index CCM 60-63)

Eagle hired by the Admiralty in 1653 and used in Anglo-Dutch war, frustrating intent of EIC to send Eagle to East Indies. Eagle discharged from State Service, Sep 1653, and to be fitted out for departure for India by November 1 1653. Request made to Council of State " for a warrant to prevent the workmen to be employed in the said ship from being pressed, and to give liberty to 80 seamen and 30 landmen to sail her to India and back". The Eagle had served the State for 6 months, and "had sustained great loss and damage to her cables, anchors, masts and rigging". Now resolved in Sep 1653 to send to India to fetch saltpetre and "to bring home the Company's estate, factors and servants, who otherwise may find themselves in a very sad condition by reason of ' our powerful insulting enimy there'[2]


"[Ralph and William Freeman, leading exporters of cloth to Europe, who undertook a rich slice of the Levant trade and a lion's share of that with Russia, holding also for a time a monopoly of "Greenland" whaling, in addition to important interests in the East India Company, Newfoundland fishing and tin exports] ""Amongst the ships in which the Freemans held shares were the Trial (200 tons), the Blessing (280 tons), the Freeman (450 tons), the William and Ralph (400 tons), the Talbot (200 tons), the Hector (400 tons), the Assurance (250 tons), the Delight (350 tons), the Eagle (340 tons) and the Merchant Bonaventure (230 tons)[3]

"... and Company of Merchants Trading into the East Indies to the Mayor, ..... according to which Alvarez da Fonseca became part-owner of the "Eagle" …"[4]



Possible primary sources

TNA


PROB 11/336 Duke 54-101 Will of How Langford, Mariner of Bridport, Dorset 20 June 1671
PROB 11/408 Fane 1-48 Will of John Langford, Mariner of Wapping Whitechapel, Middlesex 29 January 1692
PROB 11/421 Box 136-186 Will of Robert Langford, Mariner belonging to Their Majesty's Ship Saint Andrew of London 11 October 1694

PROB 11/447 Lort 180-220 Will of Thomas Langford, Mariner of Stepney, Middlesex 10 August 1698
  1. Sir William Ryder mentioned his death in a letter to Sir George Oxenden dated April 16th, 1667: "M:r Cha:s Conyers died about 10 dies past God fitt us all for o:e end" (16th April 1667, Letter from William Rider to Sir GO, London; PROB 11/323 Carr 1–58 Will of Charles Conyers, Merchant of City of London 24 April 1667)
  2. Petition of the East India Company to the Council of State, October 3, 1653 (Public Record Office : C. O. 77, vol. vii, no. 64, quoted p. 267, CCM 50-54)
  3. Kenneth R. Andrewes, Ships, Money, and Politics (Cambridge, 1991), p. 51 citing "SP 16/16/148; SP 16/17/7, 39; Appleby, "Privateering". II, 12, 17, 18, 27, 41; SP 16/137. Sir Ralph became Lord Mayor in 1633")
  4. Walter J. Fischel, The Jewish Merchant-Colony in Madras (Fort St. George) during the 17th and 18th Centuries: A Contribution to the Economic and Social History of the Jews in India (Concluded) (BRILL, 1960), p. ?