PhD Forum briefing note: Material culture and language
PhD Forum briefing note: Material culture and language
Editorial history
04/12/12: CSG, created page
Purpose of page
This draft page is a briefing note for the planned PhD Forum online discussionn of material culture and language
Adding footnotes
- Go into edit mode
- Insert immediately after the sentence or phrase you wish to annotate the following macro:
<ref>This is the footnote text</ref>
- Replace 'This is the footnote text' with the footnote you wish to add, using the format: first name, surname, title, (place of publication, date of publication), page or folio number
- Save the page
Creating an electronic link within the footnote to a digital source
- Using the link icon in the top RH menu bar in your open window, highlight the footnote text which you wish to become the clickable link. This will place square brackets round the text, within the existing curved brackets
e.g. <ref>[Electronic link to a digital source]</ref>
- Insert the URL of the digital source IN FRONT of the existing text, but still within the square brackets, leaving one space between the end of the URL and the start of the footnote text
e.g. <ref>[http://XXXXX Electronic link to a digital source]</ref>
- Save the page, and the footnote text will now show 'Electronic link to a digital source' as a clickable link, which, when clicked, will go to 'http://XXXXX'
- FOOTNOTE TEMPLATE:
- HCA 13/71 f.XXXX Case: XXXX; Deposition: XXXX; Date: XXXX. Transcribed by XXXX[1]
Contents
- 1 Suggested links
- 2 Working definition of material culture and language for this forum discussion
- 3 Resources in HCA 13/71 on material culture
- 4 Resources more generally in HCA records on material culture
- 5 Resources in HCA 13/71 on language
- 6 Resources more generally in HCA records on language
- 7 Literacy
- 8 Use of translation
Suggested links
Working definition of material culture and language for this forum discussion
Resources in HCA 13/71 on material culture
Commodities
Currants and raisins trade
Oranges and lemons trade
Textile trade
Infrastructure
Materials handling
Thames docks and wharves
Thames lighters
Physicality of trades
Resources more generally in HCA records on material culture
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.[2] 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.[3] 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"[4]
Language skills of merchants
Dutch
French
Spanish
Portuguese
Turkish
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[5]
Spanish
Portuguese
Turkish
Resources more generally in HCA records on language
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
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
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
Depositions of Londoners and surrounds
London parishes
- Aldermanburie, London = 2 (2x occupation unspecified)
- Allhallowes Barking, London = 4 (Winecooper; Servant/apprentice to a ship chandler; 2 x Mariner)
- Saint Andrews Wardrobe = 1 (Doctor in physicke)
- Saint Bennett Fimck = 1 (Notary publique)
- Saint Bottolphe without Allgate = 6 (2x Mariner; 2x Merchant taylor; Mariner; Waterman; Cooper)
- Saint Bottolphe Billingsgate, London = 2 (Merchant; Servant/apprentice to Salter)
- Saint Buttolphes without Bishopsgate, London = 2 (Armourer; Servant/apprentice to a Merchant)
- Saint Catherine near the Stocks = 1 (Grocer)
- Saint Dunstans in the East = 1 (Merchant)
- Saint Dunstans in the West = 1 (Mariner)
- Saint Edmonds Lombard Street = 1 (Master Mariner)
- Saint James Rotherhithe = 1 (Barber Chryugeon)
- Saint Katherine near the Tower of London = 4 (4x Mariner)
- Saint Mary Magdalens, London = 1 (Grocer)
- Saint Margaret Fishstreete, London = 1 (Cooper)
- Saint Martin Axe = 1 (Mariner)
- Saint Martin in the Vintry = 1 (Chirugion)
- Saint Mary at Hill, London = 4 (Merchant; Vintner; Salter; Scrivener)
- Saint Mary Colechurch = 1 (Grocer)
- Saint Mary Woolchurch = 1 (Merchant)
- Saint Maudlins Milkstreete = 1 (Secretary to Prize Commission)
- Saint Michael Bassishaw = 1 (Clothworker)
- Saint Michael Cornhill = 2 (Scrivener; Surgeon)
- Saint Michaels Crooked Lane = 1 (Servant/apprentice to fishmonger)
- Saint Nicholas Olaves = 1 (Chirugion)
- Saint Olaves, Southwarke, Surrey = 1 (Lighterman, 2x Waterman)
- Saint Pancras Soperlane, London = 2 (Merchant; Copperas man)
- Saint Stephens Wallbrooke = 1 (Merchant)
- Saint Thomas Apostle = 2 (2x Merchant)
- Saint Thomas Shoreditch = 1 (Mariner)
- Tower Libertie = 2 (Late servant to a compasse maker; Servant/apprentice to a sail maker)
- Saint Mary Matsellon alias Whitechappell, Middlesex = 5 (5x Mariner)
- Stepney, Middlesex = 1 (Mariner)
- Limehouse = 4 (4x Mariner)
- Shadwell = 8 (Anchor smith; 2x Carpenter; Master mariner, 4x Mariner)
- Wapping = 10 (1x Carpenter; Brewers servant; Mariner(Gunner); 3x Marine; Mariner (Cheife Mate); Mariner (Boatswaine); Deale merchant; Labourer)
SUBTOTAL = 22
- Saint Mary Magdalen Bermondsey in Southwarke, Surrey = 15 (XXXX)
- Saint Olave Southwarke, Surrex = 9 (8x Mariner; 1x Brewers clerk)
Middlesex parishes
Surrey parishes
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.