William Methwold
Encyclopedia
William Methwold (baptised 1590 South Pickenham, near Swaffham
, Norfolk
- died 1653, Kensington
), was an English merchant and colonial administrator in India. He is credited with identifying the site of Bombay as a strategic port.
A fictional character in the novel Midnight's Children
by author Salman Rushdie bears the same name and is described as a direct descendant. ( See List of Midnight's Children characters).
, Netherlands. During this time he gained knowledge of Latin, and became fluent in Dutch and French.
In September 1615 Methwold was accepted for service in the East India Company
as a linguist and sailed in its 1616 fleet to Surat
, in Gujarat, India.
He prospered as a merchant in the employ of the company from a base in Masulipatam on the Coromandel coast
. He practiced some private trading , which was forbidden by company rules and in 1622 was recalled to England to answer charges which he freely admitted . He left the company and spent a number of years practicing as an independent trader but reconciled with it in 1628 when he was given the freedom of the East India Company, entitling him to become a shareholder.
While in England he was married in April 1624 to Mary Wright (d. 1652), daughter of William Wright of Sevenoaks, Kent. With her he had two sons who both became merchants.
His skill as a negotiator and linguist, he could by now also converse in Persian
, the language of the Mughal
court and high officials, were noted and he was appointed president of Surat in November 1633. In 1635 he negotiated a pact with the Portuguese
which ceased hostilities in India and gave English ships access to Portuguese resources. Around this time he began to lobby for the acquisition of Bombay from the Portuguese as a supremely suitable trading centre on the west coast of India. The company eventually acquired it in 1667 from Charles II
, to whom Bombay had been ceded in his marriage to the Portuguese princess, Catherine of Braganza
as part of her dowry
.
Methwold was elected deputy governor of the East India Company in 1643 and was re-elected annually thereafter until his death. Methwold negotiated the amalgamation of the East India Company's with the rival Assada Company in 1649.
Around 1640 he acquired Hale House and adjoining land in Kensington
, London , as his home in England. His wife died in October 1652 and in February 1653 he married a widow, Sarah Rolfe (d. 1678?), daughter of Sir Richard Dean. Methwold himself died on 5 March 1653, at Hale House aged 63 years. He was buried, under the name Meathall, in St Mary Abbots
Church, Kensington
, on 10 March 1653.
Swaffham
Swaffham is a market town and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The town is situated east of King's Lynn and west of Norwich.The civil parish has an area of and in the 2001 census had a population of 6,935 in 3,130 households...
, Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
- died 1653, Kensington
Kensington
Kensington is a district of west and central London, England within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. An affluent and densely-populated area, its commercial heart is Kensington High Street, and it contains the well-known museum district of South Kensington.To the north, Kensington is...
), was an English merchant and colonial administrator in India. He is credited with identifying the site of Bombay as a strategic port.
A fictional character in the novel Midnight's Children
Midnight's Children
Midnight's Children is a 1981 book by Salman Rushdie about India's transition from British colonialism to independence and the partition of India. It is considered an example of postcolonial literature and magical realism...
by author Salman Rushdie bears the same name and is described as a direct descendant. ( See List of Midnight's Children characters).
Life
He was the son of Thomas Methwold and his wife, Susan both of Swaffham, Norfolk. The judge Sir William Methold was his uncle. At the age of sixteen he was apprenticed to an English merchant, and served him for four years in London and then five in MiddelburgMiddelburg
Middelburg is a municipality and a city in the south-western Netherlands and the capital of the province of Zeeland. It is situated in the Midden-Zeeland region. It has a population of about 48,000.- History of Middelburg :...
, Netherlands. During this time he gained knowledge of Latin, and became fluent in Dutch and French.
In September 1615 Methwold was accepted for service in the East India Company
East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
as a linguist and sailed in its 1616 fleet to Surat
Surat
Surat , also known as Suryapur, is the commercial capital city of the Indian state of Gujarat. Surat is India's Eighth most populous city and Ninth-most populous urban agglomeration. It is also administrative capital of Surat district and one of the fastest growing cities in India. The city proper...
, in Gujarat, India.
He prospered as a merchant in the employ of the company from a base in Masulipatam on the Coromandel coast
Coromandel Coast
The Coromandel Coast is the name given to the southeastern coast of the Indian Subcontinent between Cape Comorin and False Divi Point...
. He practiced some private trading , which was forbidden by company rules and in 1622 was recalled to England to answer charges which he freely admitted . He left the company and spent a number of years practicing as an independent trader but reconciled with it in 1628 when he was given the freedom of the East India Company, entitling him to become a shareholder.
While in England he was married in April 1624 to Mary Wright (d. 1652), daughter of William Wright of Sevenoaks, Kent. With her he had two sons who both became merchants.
His skill as a negotiator and linguist, he could by now also converse in Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
, the language of the Mughal
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
court and high officials, were noted and he was appointed president of Surat in November 1633. In 1635 he negotiated a pact with the Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
which ceased hostilities in India and gave English ships access to Portuguese resources. Around this time he began to lobby for the acquisition of Bombay from the Portuguese as a supremely suitable trading centre on the west coast of India. The company eventually acquired it in 1667 from Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
, to whom Bombay had been ceded in his marriage to the Portuguese princess, Catherine of Braganza
Catherine of Braganza
Catherine of Braganza was a Portuguese infanta and queen consort of England, Scotland and Ireland as the wife of King Charles II.She married the king in 1662...
as part of her dowry
Dowry
A dowry is the money, goods, or estate that a woman brings forth to the marriage. It contrasts with bride price, which is paid to the bride's parents, and dower, which is property settled on the bride herself by the groom at the time of marriage. The same culture may simultaneously practice both...
.
Methwold was elected deputy governor of the East India Company in 1643 and was re-elected annually thereafter until his death. Methwold negotiated the amalgamation of the East India Company's with the rival Assada Company in 1649.
Around 1640 he acquired Hale House and adjoining land in Kensington
Kensington
Kensington is a district of west and central London, England within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. An affluent and densely-populated area, its commercial heart is Kensington High Street, and it contains the well-known museum district of South Kensington.To the north, Kensington is...
, London , as his home in England. His wife died in October 1652 and in February 1653 he married a widow, Sarah Rolfe (d. 1678?), daughter of Sir Richard Dean. Methwold himself died on 5 March 1653, at Hale House aged 63 years. He was buried, under the name Meathall, in St Mary Abbots
St Mary Abbots
St Mary Abbots is an historic church located on Kensington High Street , London at a prominent intersection with Kensington Church Street. The present church was built in 1872 by the architect Sir George Gilbert Scott in neo-Gothic Early English style. It was the latest in a succession of churches...
Church, Kensington
Kensington
Kensington is a district of west and central London, England within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. An affluent and densely-populated area, its commercial heart is Kensington High Street, and it contains the well-known museum district of South Kensington.To the north, Kensington is...
, on 10 March 1653.
Works
- He wrote A Relation of Golconda , which appeared in the 1626 edition of Samuel PurchasSamuel PurchasSamuel Purchas , was an English travel writer, a near-contemporary of Richard Hakluyt.Purchas was born at Thaxted, Essex, and graduated at St John's College, Cambridge, in 1600; later he became a B.D., and with this degree was admitted at Oxford in 1615. In 1604 he was presented by James I to the...
's Purchas his Pilgrimage. It includes brief descriptions of the kingdoms of ArakanRakhine StateRakhine State is a Burmese state. Situated on the western coast, it is bordered by Chin State in the north, Magway Region, Bago Region and Ayeyarwady Region in the east, the Bay of Bengal to the west, and the Chittagong Division of Bangladesh to the northwest. It is located approximately between...
, Pegu, and Tenasserim.