Abraham Harderet facts for kids
Abraham Harderet was a skilled goldsmith and jeweller who lived in England during the early 1600s. He worked for important people like Queen Elizabeth I and Queen Anne, who was the wife of King James I. He was active from about 1604 to 1625.
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Early Life and Family Business
Abraham Harderet came from a family of French Huguenots, who were French Protestants who had to leave their home country because of religious persecution. His father was Martin Harderet, and his mother was Rachel Fontaine. Rachel's father, Robert le Maçon, had fled France after a terrible event called the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre. The family name was sometimes spelled "Hardret" or "Hardrett."
In 1604, Abraham said that Queen Elizabeth I owed him a lot of money. Soon after, he was appointed as a jeweller to King James I, Queen Anne, and their son, Prince Henry. He earned an annual salary of £50 for this important job.
Other members of the Harderet family, like Jacob, Martin, and Nathaniel, were also jewellers during this time. King James I even gave Abraham and Martin a gift of £200, which came from money taken from people who didn't follow the official church. In 1608, Abraham and Nathaniel were officially confirmed as jewellers to the king. Jacob, Abraham's brother, helped make a chain bigger for Princess Elizabeth in 1610.
Martin Harderet, Abraham's father, was recorded as a "stranger" (meaning a foreigner) in London in 1582. He supplied fancy items for the queen's parties as early as 1574.
Abraham worked hard to become a royal jeweller. In June 1604, after asking important officials like the Earl of Salisbury and the Earl of Nottingham, he was asked to help create the details for the job of "Surveyor of Jewels." He then officially became a jeweller to the King, Queen, and Prince of Wales.
In 1608, Martin Harderet was a witness at the christening of James Oliver, the son of a famous miniature painter named Isaac Oliver. Martin might have even made the special cases for Oliver's tiny portraits. Abraham and Martin Harderet received a large sum of £3000 from money that had been taken from people who didn't follow the official church. Martin passed away in April 1612, leaving a house in France to Abraham.
Jewels for Princess Elizabeth
Jacob Harderet, Abraham's brother, provided beautiful pendants and rings to Princess Elizabeth in April 1612. On February 14, 1613, Princess Elizabeth married Frederick V of the Palatinate. As she left England, Jacob Harderet supplied her with diamond and ruby rings and pendants to give as gifts. Princess Elizabeth even wrote directly to Sir Julius Caesar, a high-ranking official, asking him to pay Jacob's bill of £500.
Jacob Harderet traveled with Princess Elizabeth on her journey to Heidelberg. Along the way, she gave gifts to people in her group who were returning to England. Harderet provided these jewels to her on credit, meaning she would pay for them later. He returned to England with a letter from Princess Elizabeth. In the letter, she explained that she had to buy many jewels from him to give as gifts during her wedding and journey, even to people she didn't know well. She said she had bought more than she could pay for and that Harderet could show the bills she had signed. Elizabeth wanted her friend John Murray to arrange for Sir Julius Caesar to pay Harderet.
Later Business in London
Abraham Harderet, along with other royal jewellers like George Heriot, William Herrick, and John Spilman, was part of the funeral procession for Queen Anne of Denmark in 1619.
Abraham Harderet was still listed as a jeweller to King James I in 1625.
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