Thomas Papillon facts for kids
Thomas Papillon (born September 6, 1623 – died May 5, 1702) was an important English merchant and politician. He was a very influential person in the City of London for about 50 years. He also worked as a Commissioner for the Victualling of the Navy, which meant he helped supply food and other necessities to the navy, from 1689 to 1699.
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Early Life and Education
Thomas Papillon was born on September 6, 1623, at Roehampton House in Roehampton. He was the third son of David Papillon and his second wife, Anne Marie Calandrini. He went to school in Drayton, Northamptonshire. In 1637, he started learning the merchant trade from Thomas Chambrelan, a London merchant. The next year, he became an apprentice to the Mercers' Company, a group of merchants. He officially became a free member of this company in 1646.
Starting His Own Business
In 1647, Thomas Papillon was involved in some protests in London. A crowd broke into Parliament, forcing them to change a rule about the city's army. When the political group he was against gained power, he went to France to avoid being arrested. He came back in November and was held in Newgate Prison for a short time in February.
After a while, Papillon was released. Around this time, he started his own business as a general merchant. He mostly stayed out of public affairs, except when he spoke out against unfair taxes on lead in 1653. He also defended the French church, where he was a leader, against the government in 1657. He avoided politics until the English Restoration in 1660, when the king returned to power.
Working with the King and Parliament
Thomas Papillon was chosen to be part of the council for trade and foreign plantations. In 1663, he joined the board of directors for the East India Company, a powerful trading company. He stayed on the board until 1670. In 1667, he represented the company's interests during important talks with the Dutch Republic in Breda.
He served on the board again from 1675 to 1682. In 1676, the king was unhappy with him, so he was not on the board that year. This was probably because he had fought against high taxes on brandy in court. He was also the deputy-governor of the company in 1680 and 1681.
Serving in Parliament
On February 11, 1673, Papillon was elected to Parliament as a representative for Dover. He held this position until 1681. During his time in Parliament, he was a strong speaker and served on many committees.
He was part of the "country party," a group that often disagreed with the king's government. In 1676, he criticized a system that made English merchant ships unsafe at sea unless they had special government licenses. In 1678, he supported a motion that wanted the government to reveal its foreign alliances before Parliament approved money for the army.
Papillon was a strong Protestant. In 1678, he suggested that the secretary of state, Sir Joseph Williamson, be sent to the Tower of London. He also believed the claims of the Popish Plot, which was a false story about a Catholic plan to kill the king.
He believed in free trade. In 1679, he opposed a bill that would continue to stop Irish cattle from being brought into England. He also stood up for the town of Dover when its local government was threatened by the court.
Facing Challenges
In 1682, Papillon ran for the position of sheriff of London. This election became a big contest between the king's supporters and the "country party."
In 1684, a jury ordered Papillon to pay a large sum of money to Sir William Pritchard. Papillon had accused Pritchard of not doing his job correctly when he was trying to become sheriff. To avoid paying, Papillon gave his properties to his son-in-law and left for Utrecht in the Netherlands.
A book called A Treatise concerning the East India Trade was written for Thomas Papillon in 1680. It talked about how the East India trade was good for England and how a company with shared ownership could manage it best. This book was reprinted in 1696.
Return to England and Later Life
After the Glorious Revolution in 1688, when a new king and queen came to power, Thomas Papillon returned to England. He was elected to the Convention Parliament for Dover on January 10, 1689, and kept that seat until 1695.
In October 1695, he was elected to represent the City of London in Parliament. He continued to represent London until 1700. After returning, he joined the New East India Company. He had left the old company after a plan to reorganize it failed in 1681.
In 1693-1694, he was the chairman of a committee in the House of Commons that looked into the case of the Redbridge. This was an East Indiaman ship that was stopped as an "interloper" (someone trading without permission) by the navy, at the request of the old company. Papillon then worked to combine the two East India companies.
In November 1689, Papillon was appointed a Commissioner for the Victualling of the Navy. He held this important job until he resigned on May 26, 1699.
Thomas Papillon passed away in London on May 5, 1702. He was buried on May 21 in the church at Acrise, Kent. He had bought the land there in 1666.
Family Life
Thomas Papillon married Jane Broadnax in Canterbury Cathedral on October 30, 1651. Jane was a letter writer and the daughter of Thomas Broadnax from Godmersham, Kent. She died in 1698. They had eight children, and four of them lived to adulthood.
Their children included:
- Elizabeth, born on July 27, 1658, who married Edward Ward on March 30, 1676.
- Philip (1660–1736), born on November 26, 1660. He was Thomas's heir and also became a Member of Parliament for Dover during the time of Queen Anne.
Thomas's older brother, Philip Papillon (1620–1641), was born on January 1, 1620. He studied at Exeter College, Oxford, and passed away in 1641. He published a play called Sicily and Naples by his friend Samuel Hardinge, even though Samuel didn't want it published. Philip also wrote poems with other students, asking William Browne of Tavistock to publish more of his famous work, Britannia's Pastorals.
Sources
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: "Papillon, Thomas". Dictionary of National Biography. (1885–1900). London: Smith, Elder & Co.
