Indian Antiquary Vol 59

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Charles E A W Oldham, S Krishnaswami Aiyangar, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarka
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 339

DECEMBER, 1930] THE SCATTERGOODS AND THE EAST INDIA COMPANY
[NOTES ON DOCUMENT No. 7.] As will be seen from the Articles of Agreement, the commander of the Bu 980rah Merchant was apparently Captain John Cockroft, but, strangely enough, his name does not appear as such, nor is the vessel mentioned in the Fort St. George Diary which, however, records the arrival, on 5 May 1711 at Madras, of the Elizabeth, with Cockroft as commander, and her departure for China, also under Cockroft, on 23 May of that year, the day following the signing of the Articles of Agreement for the Bussorah Merchant.
The most probable explanation of the puzzle seems to be that the freighters, who had made their plans before Captain Cockroft's arrival at Madras, intended to induce him to change the name of his ship or to take command of another in their behalf, both which proposals he refused, but as all the accounts for lading, etc., had been made out in the name of the Bussorah Merchant, there was no time to alter them, and consequently all entries in China were continued under that designation.
For actual proof that Cockroft was commander and Scattergood and Jones superoargoes of the Elizabeth in her voyage to China in May 1711, there is among the Papers a receipt dated in Macao on 28 December (to be given later on) in which they are so designated, and it is further stated that the ship was then bound for Madras. Therefore it is plain that the Elizabeth, alias the Bussorah Merchant, sailed for China on 23 May and reached Macao on her homeward voyage on 28 December 1711.
Persons mentioned in the title. (1) Thomas Frederick. He had been in the Company's service since 1703. In 1711 he was Paymaster and Seventh in Council at Fort St. George. Later he became Deputy Governor of the Company's faotory at Fort St. David, Cuddalore (Kadalar). In January 1704/5 he married Mary, daughter of Thomas Mackrith, an associate of Job Charnock in Bengal (Mrs. Penny, Marriages at Fort St. George).
(2) Charles Boone, then a free merchant, was Governor of Bombay, 1716-1720. In June 1709 ho married at Fort St. George, Jane, widow of Joseph Lister, daughter of Daniel Chardin and niece of Sir John Chardin (Mrs. Penny, op. cit.).
(3) John Cookroft. Like Scattergood, Captain John Cockroft was a "seafaring man, not constant inhabitant" of Fort St. George. He had been in India for some years and had already made voyages to Surat and China. In August 1708 he married Ann Crump, who seems to have been his third wife (Mrs. Penny, op. cit.). He disappears from the Madras Records and the Scattergood Papers after 1711. If he complied with the 8th Article of the Agreement, he would have gone on to Surat, where he may have remained.
(4) Captain Philip Gamon (or Gammon), of whom no mention has been found in the Madras Records, appears to have been a free trader. The Papers show that he died before Ootober 1713.
(5) James Penning. No other mention has been found of this individual. He was probably connected with Thomas Penning, a factor at Calicut and a friend of Francis Forbes, the first husband of Scattergood's wife, Arabella.
Imprimis. Edward Jones, also "& seafaring man, not constant inhabitant" of Fort St. George, had been supercargo of the Sweepstakes, owned by Catherine, widow of John Nicks, and commanded by Captain Thomas Gaywood. The ship was lost at Tranquebar in April 1710, and Gaywood and Jones were ordered "to make satisfaction for the damage sustained ” to the trustees of Mrs. Nicks, who had died in the interval. They appealed against the award, but without result (Fort St. George Diary and Consultations, 1711).
Mr. Guyn. John Gwynn, later a shareholder in the Amity and Britannia, in both of which Scattergood was largely interested.
Sthly. Nagapatum. Negapatam in Tanjore District, 160 miles south of Madras, where the Dutch had a factory from 1660 to 1781.
Trincombarr. Tranquebar, also in Tanjore District, 12 miles north of Negapatam. It was given to the Dance by the Nayak of Tanjore in 1618 and they established a factory there.