PhD Forum briefing note: Material culture and language

PhD Forum briefing note: Material culture and language

Editorial history

04/12/12: CSG, created page

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Purpose of page

This draft page is a briefing note for the planned PhD Forum online discussionn of material culture and language

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- HCA 13/71 f.XXXX Case: XXXX; Deposition: XXXX; Date: XXXX. Transcribed by XXXX

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Suggested links

PhD Forum

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Resources in HCA 13/71 on material culture

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Commodities

Currants and raisins trade
Oranges and lemons trade
Textile trade

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Infrastructure

Materials handling
Thames docks and wharves
Thames lighters

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Physicality of trades

Port trades

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Resources in HCA 13/71 on language

Language skills were highly valued in mid-C17th international commerce. Finding solid evidence of such language skills is somewhat harder. Neverthless, various depositions in HCA 13/71 make reference to the ability of both merchants and mariners to understand specific languages other than English.

Almost all documents in HCA 13/71 are in English. However, boxes of HCA instance papers (HCA XX/XX) from the 1650s contain a number of douments in Dutch, Portuguese, and Spanish. Typically, though not always, an English translation is appended to these documents. Bills of lading usually went untranslated. However, petitions and letters from non_English mariners were translated and written out by notaries public, scriveners or lawyers, and sub,itted to the High Court of Admiralty.

There is considerable difficulty in determining the actual language skills of merchants and mariners. For example, the English merchant Sir George Oxenden was praised by the English East India company early in his career, when based in Surat, western India, for his skill in Indian langueages. However, it is unspecified as to whether this was Gujarati, Hindustani, or some other Indian language, and there is no corroborating evidence of his verbal or written skills in any of these languages. A document survives at the British Library written in French and signed by Sir George Oxenden, but it is unclear whether he drafted this document, or whether he put his name to a pre-drafted document. Oxenden's nephew, Robert Master, was also praised for his adeptness in Indian languages. Streynsham's father wrote to Sir George Oxenden:

"I heare Robin hath y:e Language well w:ch must helpe some other omissions"

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Language skills of merchants

Dutch

French

Spanish

Portuguese

Turkish

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Language skills of mariners

Dutch

French

The thirty-five year old mariner Robert Bowden of Sain Magdalen Bermondsey in Southwarke reported that he was well aware of the merchant Trenchpaine's handwriting and that he could understand the "french tongue."

• "1. delivery of the sayd three bayles back to the sayd de Richards, which

2. meets this deponent (being requainted well with the sayd Trenchpaines hand
3. writeing and understanding the french tongue) verily beleveeth (although hee sawe not the same wriiten) was and is
4. the proper hand writing of the sayd Trenchpaine, and saith the sayd Trenchpaines
5. factor did alsoe affirme the same noate to bee his the sayd Trenchpaines hand=
6. ˹writing˺ and that hee save him write the same, whereup this deponent replyed to the sayd
7. de Richards and told him that hee this deponent could not deliever the sayd
8. bayles unto him although they were his, for that hee this deponent had signed
9. and delivered to the sayd Trenchpaine three bills of ladeing of one tenor for the
10. sayd three bayles, and that the sayd bills were signed with blankes as to the
11. name of the person for whose risque and Accompt they were laden and alsoe as to
12. the name of the person to whome they were to be delivered at London
13. and that for ought hee this deponent knew the sayd Trenchpaine had filled
14. up these blankes and therefore it was not safe for him this deponent to deliever
15. the sayd goods to the sayd de Richards And hee saith that the sayd de Richards
16. there upon and further to these articles (saving his subsequent deposition and
17. saving hee saith the sayd Trenchpaine did not at any tyme whilst this deponent
18. remayned with his sayd shipp at Morlaix acquainte this deponent that the sayd
19. three bayles of linnen were for Accompt of the arlate Lewis desormeaux
20. or that they were to be delivered to the arlate John Tufton or any other their
21. in London) hee cannot depose"

- HCA 13/71 f.201v Case: Lewis de desormeaux against John de Richard Sieur de Kargonell; Deposition: 1. Robert Bowden of the parish of Saint Mary Magdalen Bermondsey in the County of Surrey mariner aged thirty five; Date: 05/05/1656. Transcribed by Jill Lewis

Spanish

Portuguese

Turkish

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Literacy

Some preliminary analysis has been done of a subset of the complete HCA 13/71 deposition data, examining signatures and markes used to approve depositions as recorded by the High Court of Admiralty clerks or proctors.

See: Literacy analysis, 04/12/12

The characteristics of the subset of data are as follows:

Depositions by country of location (alphabetical)

Barbados = 1
Denmark = 2
England = 436
France = 32
Germania = 2
Hansa Ports = 10 (Danzig: 2; Hamburg: 6; Lubeck: 2)
Ireland = 3 (Dublin: 1; Wexford: 1; Londonderry: 1)
New England = 1
Norway = 2
Pommerland = 1
Scotland = 3
United Provinces = 26

TOTAL = 520

Depositions by country of location (rank)

England = 436
France = 32
United Provinces = 26
Hansa Ports = 10 (Danzig: 2; Hamburg: 6; Lubeck: 2)
Scotland = 3
Ireland = 3 (Dublin: 1; Wexford: 1; Londonderry: 1)
Germania = 2
Norway = 2
Pommerland = 1
New England = 1
Barbados = 1

TOTAL = 520

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Depositions of persons located in England (alphabetical)

Bristol = 5
Cornwall = 2
County of Durham = 2
County of Lincoln = 1
County of Southampton = 5
Devon = 11
Dorset = 6
Essex = 11
Hampshire = 2
Isle of Wight = 3
Kent = 17
London = 155
Middlesex = 115
Norfolk = 4
Northumberland = 2
Suffolk = 16
Surrey = 63
Yorkshire = 1

TOTAL = 421

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Depositions of persons located in England (rank & grouping)

London = 155

Middlesex = 115
Surrey = 63
SUB TOTAL = 178

London + Middlesex + Surrey = 333

Kent = 17
Essex = 11
SUB TOTAL = 28

London + Middlesex + Surrey + Kent + Essex = 361

Devon = 11
Dorset = 6
Bristol = 5
Cornwall = 2
SUB TOTAL = 24

County of Southampton = 5
Hampshire = 2
Isle of Wight = 3
SUB TOTAL = 10

Suffolk = 16
Norfolk = 4
SUB TOTAL = 20

County of Durham = 2
Yorkshire = 1
Northumberland = 2
SUB TOTAL = 5

County of Lincoln = 1

TOTAL = 421

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Depositions of Londoners and surrounds

London parishes
- Aldermanburie, London = 2 (2 x occupation unspecified)
- Allhallowes Barking, London = 4 (Winecooper; Servant/apprentice to a ship chandler; 2 x Mariner)
- Saint Bottolphe Billingsgate, London = 1 (Merchant)
- Saint Buttolphes without Bishopsgate, London = 2 (Armourer; Servant/apprentice to a Merchant)
- Saint Mary Magdalens, London = 1 (Grocer)
- Saint Margaret Fishstreete, London = 1 (Cooper)
- Saint Mary Hill, London = 1 (Merchant)
- Daint Mary Matsellon alias Whitechappell, Middlesex = 1 (Mariner)
- Saint Olaves, Southwarke, Surrey = 1 (Lighterman, 2x Waterman)
- Saint Pancras Soperlane, London = 1 (Merchant)
- Stepney, Middlesex = 1 (Mariner)

Middlesex parishes

Surrey parishes

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Use of translation

A number of depositions and other legal statements in HCA 13/71 were translated, either by other merchants or mariners, or by hired translators.

An example of this can be seen in XXXX.