Maurice Abbot facts for kids

Sir Maurice Abbot (1565–1642) was an important English merchant and politician. He was a leader of the East India Company from 1624 to 1638. He also served in the English Parliament between 1621 and 1626. In 1638, he became Lord Mayor of London. His successful career showed how much England's international trade grew in the late 1500s and early 1600s. He became very wealthy through his hard work and business skills.

Life and Business Success

Maurice Abbot was the fifth and youngest son of Maurice Abbot, a cloth-worker from Guildford. He was born in 1565 and baptized at Holy Trinity Church, Guildford on November 2. His older brothers were George, who became Archbishop of Canterbury, and Robert, who became Bishop of Salisbury. Maurice went to the Royal Grammar School, Guildford. He likely learned his father's trade in London.

Abbot became a member of the Worshipful Company of Drapers, a group for cloth merchants. He quickly became very rich by trading in many goods. These included cloth, indigo, spices, and even jewelry.

Leading the East India Company

Maurice Abbot was one of the first directors of the East India Company. This company was started in 1600 by the King. He was one of the first to invest a lot of money in it. From 1607, he was part of its special leadership team. He spent his life protecting the company's business interests.

In 1608, he helped the company check its spending. This was for a trip with the Muscovy Company to find the Northwest Passage. This was a sea route through North America.

Other Trading Companies

Abbot also joined the committee of the Virginia Company in 1610. This company helped set up the first English colonies in North America. He was also an auditor for them from 1619 to 1620.

In 1614, Abbot was one of the first investors in the Somers Isles Company. This company was formed to manage The Somers Isles (or Bermuda). The Virginia Company had been in control of Bermuda since a shipwreck in 1612. A place in Pembroke, Bermuda, called Abbott's Bay, was named after him. It was later renamed Clarence Cove.

Dealing with the Dutch

In 1615, Abbot was sent to Holland to solve problems. These problems were between the Dutch East India Company and the English East India Company. They were fighting over trading rights in the East Indies and fishing rights in the northern seas. But these talks did not fix the issues.

Later in 1615, Abbot visited the East Indies himself. When he came back, he was chosen as the deputy-governor of the company. He was re-elected to this job eight times.

The disagreements with the Dutch grew worse over the years. In 1619, Abbot helped sign a treaty in London. This treaty tried to share the spice trade in the Molucca Islands. The Dutch company got two-thirds of the spice, and the English company got one-third. But this agreement did not last.

In 1620, the Dutch broke some rules of the treaty. Abbot went to Holland again with Sir Dudley Digges to try and fix things. They met with the Prince of Orange and the Dutch leaders. But the Dutch did not want to give in.

In February 1621, Abbot returned to London. He told King James I that he had been treated badly. It was clear that the English and Dutch traders in the East Indies were very jealous of each other. Abbot felt this jealousy too, so he could not make things better.

The Amboyna Incident

In 1624, the situation became very serious. News reached England that English traders had been killed by the Dutch on Amboyna. This island was a major trading spot in the Moluccas. At this time, Abbot was the governor of the East India Company. He had been elected on March 23, 1624.

People in England were very angry. Everyone wondered what Abbot would do. He knew they needed to handle it carefully to avoid a war with Holland. But he kept telling King James I and the privy council that the Dutch must punish those responsible. He even said the English might stop trading if this did not happen. After a long delay, the Dutch agreed to make things right. But King James I died, and the promise was not kept. Abbot's efforts to continue the issue did not work.

Other Business Interests

Abbot was also an important member of the Levant Company before 1607. He had a lot of control over English merchant shipping. In 1614, one of his ships, the Tiger, was attacked by a French ship. Abbot tried to get payment for the damage but failed. In 1616, he received a reward for building six new ships.

In 1612, he became a director of a new company. This company was for merchants who wanted to find the north-west passage. In 1614, he brought a lot of gold to the mint from Indian goods he had sold. This shows his business deals were very large. He also wanted to start trading with Persia. He hoped to take over the trade there from the Portuguese East India Company.

Public and Political Life

In the last 20 years of his life, Abbot became even more involved in public affairs. In 1621, he was elected as a Member of Parliament for Kingston-upon-Hull. Soon after, he helped plan a trip to fight pirates in Algiers. The King's ministers often asked for his advice on these plans.

On November 17, 1621, Abbot became a customs farmer. This meant he collected taxes on goods. In 1623, he was allowed to make people swear oaths when they traveled in or out of England. A few months later, he talked with King James I and George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham about money. They wanted £20,000 from the East India Company.

In 1624, he was again elected to Parliament for Kingston-upon-Hull. Abbot was also made a member of the council for setting up the colony of Virginia. He was still governor of the East India Company in 1633. While in Parliament, he often spoke for the company. He complained that people blamed him and his friends. They thought foreign trade took wealth away from England. Abbot, being very smart for his time, said it was good for the country. He also spoke against stopping the export of money.

Serving King Charles I

When Charles I became King in 1625, Abbot was the first person the new King knighted. He represented the City of London in Parliament. He also provided some jewelry for Charles's coronation. On July 5, 1625, he received £8,000 for a diamond.

On December 15, 1626, Abbot became an Alderman for the Bridge Without area of London. A few months later, he was chosen as Sheriff of London.

In 1627, the customs department was changed. Abbot and others leased the customs on wines and currants for three and a half years. They paid £12,000 and loaned the King £20,000. But he was not always obedient to the King. In 1628, he was accused of refusing to pay a new tax on currants. He even broke into a government warehouse where his currants were stored. But the authorities did not press the charges.

In 1637, he helped fit out ships for London. This was for the ship-money edict of 1636. This tax was used to build ships for the navy. He was accused of not providing enough men and supplies. But the King's council stopped the case against him.

Lord Mayor of London

In 1638, Sir Maurice Abbot became Lord Mayor of London. He had changed his Alderman ward to Coleman Street in 1631. A writer named Thomas Heywood wrote about the parade for Abbot's new job. Heywood wrote that Abbot was very popular with his fellow citizens. He also mentioned the great success of Abbot and his two brothers. Heywood described Abbot as a merchant who traded with Turkey, Italy, France, and Muscovy. He was also the former governor of the East India Company.

Abbot's time as Lord Mayor lasted most of 1639. It was busy because of a war with the Scots (the Bishops War). The King himself left London to lead an army north. On March 7, Abbot was made "the King's lieutenant" in London. He had the power to arm the people and use martial law if needed. In the following months, he was often told to watch makers of weapons. He was also ordered to arrest people who were suspected of being against the King.

Sometimes, he seemed too strict. On May 28, he arrested a woman for giving out a pamphlet by John Lilburne. Lilburne was a famous activist. But the House of Lords later said Abbot's decision was wrong. Abbot also regularly collected ship-money. After his year as Lord Mayor, Abbot mostly retired from public life. He died on January 10, 1642, and was buried in St Stephen, Coleman Street, London.

We don't know exactly where Abbot's house was in London. But he owned property near St. Paul's Cathedral. In 1631, he helped with repairs to the cathedral.

In 1633, a writer named Robert Ashley dedicated his book about Cochin China to Abbot. Ashley wrote that Abbot believed "the remotest traffique is always the most beneficiall to the publick stocke". This means that trade with far-off places was best for the country. Abbot thought the trade to the East Indies was the best of all.

Family Life

Maurice Abbot was married twice. His first wife was Joan, daughter of George Austen. They had five children.

• Morris, one of his sons, became a lawyer. He helped carry out his uncle, the Archbishop's, will.
• George (1602–1645) studied at Merton College, Oxford. He carried a large banner at his uncle, the Archbishop's, funeral in 1633. He was a Member of Parliament for Guildford until he died in 1645.
• Edward, another son, often had money problems.

After Joan died in 1597, Abbot married Margaret Barnes. She was the daughter of a London alderman. Margaret died on September 5, 1630.

In 1635, Abbot built a detailed monument in Holy Trinity Church, Guildford. This was for his brother, the Archbishop of Canterbury, who had died two years earlier. Abbot was also in charge of his brother's will.