Correspondence and documents from the office of William Blathwayt, 1671-1712

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Summary

Creators:
Blathwayt, William, 1649?-1717
Abstract:
This group of 34 documents consists of correspondence, reports, and accounts primarily accumulated by British civil servant William Blathwayt (1649-1717) between the mid 1670s and 1712 in his capacity as a British government official in such roles as Surveyor and Auditor General of Plantation Revenues and Secretary and member of the Lords of Trade. The materials consist chiefly of miscellaneous drafts or copies of documents related to the British colonies in North America and the West Indies. Items pertain to taxation, revenue, trade and shipping, and defense, primarily in the Bahamas, Jamaica, St. Kitts, and Nevis.
Extent:
1.4 Linear Feet (1 box)
Language:
The records are in English.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. Correspondence and documents from the office of William Blathwayt, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Background

Scope and content:

This group of 34 documents consists of correspondence, reports, and accounts primarily accumulated by British civil servant William Blathwayt (1649-1717) between the mid 1670s and 1712 in his capacity as a British government official in such roles as Surveyor and Auditor General of Plantation Revenues and Secretary and member of the Lords of Trade. The materials consist chiefly of miscellaneous drafts or copies of documents related to the British colonies in North America and the West Indies. Items pertain to taxation, revenue, trade and shipping, and defense, primarily in the Bahamas, Jamaica, St. Kitts, and Nevis. Within the collection, there are six letters from Henry Carpenter, the collector of customs in the Leeward Islands, and eleven documents concerning Colonel John Strode, Sir Charles Wheler, and issues related to the four and a half percent tax.

Biographical / historical:

English politician and administrator William Blathwayt (1649-1717) was one of the most distinguished civil servants of his time. Blathwayt was born in London, England, in 1649. Beginning in 1665, he attended the Middle Temple and in 1668 entered public life as clerk in the embassy of Sir William Temple at The Hague (1668-1672). In 1672, Blathwayt toured Germany and Italy, before returning to England.

Through the influence of his uncles, Thomas and Richard Povey, both of whom were prominent in colonial affairs, Blathwayt secured a position in the Plantation Office in 1675 as a minor clerk. Advancement came rapidly, and among the offices administered from that time on, were: Clerk Extraordinary of the Privy Council (1678); Secretary of the Lords of Trade (1679-1696); Surveyor and Auditor General of Plantation Revenues (1680-until his death); Under-Secretary of State to Lord Conway in the Northern department (1681-1683); Secretary at War (1683-1704); Clerk in Ordinary of the Privy Council (1686-1689); acting Secretary of State with William III, during his campaigns in the Low Countries in Flanders (1692-1701); member of Parliament for Bath (1693-1710); and a member of the Board of Trade (1696-1707).

During the reign of Queen Anne, he gradually lost his posts: in 1704 he was dismissed as Secretary at War, in 1707 lost his Board of Trade position, and three years later, his seat in Parliament. In 1712, Blathwayt, driven from active public life by ill health, withdrew to his seat at Dyrham Park, where the last five years of his life were spent in retirement.

Blathwayt married Mary Wynter (1650-1691) of Dyrham Park in December 1686, and the couple had two surviving sons and a daughter. William Blathwayt died at Dyrham Park on August 16, 1717.

Acquisition information:
Purchased from Sotheby's through the agency of Maggs Bros. on February 10, 1970.
Custodial history:

The collection was previously the property of Justin Blathwayt, Esq.

Arrangement:

This collection is arranged in two series:

  1. General papers (ca. 1676-1712)
  2. Documents related to Colonel John Strode and Sir Charles Wheler (1671-1686)
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more information.

Terms of access:

The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. Correspondence and documents from the office of William Blathwayt, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Location of this collection:
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108, US
Contact:
(626) 405-2191
reference@huntington.org
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