Middleton

Sir Henry Middleton (d.1613) merchant and sea-captain, was the second son of John Middleton of Chester, sheriff in 1570. He was born in the parish of St Peter and was one of at least nine children. Robert Middleton, sheriff of Chester in 1518, was probably his grandfather. In his will, he styles Sir Thomas Myddelton, lord mayor in 1613–14, "my loving and good friend". Henry died at Bantam on 10 Feb.

Formed on 31 December 1600, the East India Company's (EIC) first voyage departed on 13 February 1601. The flagship of the five-vessel fleet was "Malice Scourge", purchased from the Earl of Cumberland for £3700; he had initially asked for £4000. There was at first some reluctance on the part of the EIC to acquire the vessel:


 * "her burthen being so great, whereby the Tunage agreed uppon shallbe so greatly exceeded" but they relented "to the ende the preparation of the viage [voyage] be not hindred by restinge in uncertentie of shipping."

Originally chartered as the "Governor and Company of Merchants of London Trading into the East-Indies", the company rose to account for half of the world's trade during the mid-1700s and early 1800s, particularly in basic commodities including cotton, silk, indigo dye, sugar, salt, spices, saltpetre, tea, and opium. The company also ruled the beginnings of the British Empire in India. The first voyages were funded in a rather an odd way, with individual sums being raised for each group of ships sent out and a joint stock company was only formed later. The story of the Middletons is largely reconstructed from the work of Samuel Purchas (c. 1577 – 1626) who wrote several volumes of reports by travellers to foreign countries. Those concerning the Middletons are in Volume 8, Chapter 10.

First Voyage


Middleton's elder brother, John, was one of the twenty-four directors of the newly formed East India Company in 1599, and was both the vice-admiral and captain of Hector (300 tons and 108 men) when that vessel took part in 1600 under Captain James Lancaster in the first voyage fitted out by the company. The other ships being Ascension (260 tons, 82 men, Captain William Brand) and Susan (84 men, John Hayward). To these was added, as a victualler, the Guest of 130 tons. On John's recommendation, 10 Oct. 1600, Henry was appointed purser of the Malice Scourge, afterwards named the Red Dragon, which was engaged in Lancaster's expedition; but before the fleet sailed Henry was advanced to be a factor for the voyage, and another purser was appointed in his stead.

They replenished their provisions from a captured Portuguese vessel (Viana) en route, but much of the fleet was affected by scurvy by the time they arrived at Table Bay on 9 September. Lancaster had managed to prevent the sailors on his own ship from being so stricken by regularly dosing them with lemon juice, and he was forced to send members of his own crew to help man the other ships into the harbour. They stayed at Table Bay for seven weeks before departing, navigating along the eastern side of Madagascar. Since leaving England, they had lost more than a fifth of their crew complement across the fleet, but those that remained were fit and healthy. On 5 June, the fleet arrived in the road of Aceh, on the northern end of Sumatra, where they found sixteen or eighteen sail of different countries, and John Middleton and four or five gentlemen were sent to see the "King", Ala-uddin Shah, who was delighted at the prospect of trade with the English, and granted them an exemption from customs dues. However the goods available at Aceh failed to even fill one of the ships.

At Aceh, in June 1602, Lancaster appointed Henry to Susan (formerly a Levant trader) as "captain and chief-merchant", and sent him to Pariaman to try and procure pepper and spices. Lancaster decided to target Portuguese vessels in the Strait of Malacca to increase his cargo. The mission was successful, a Portuguese carrack of 900–1,000 tons called São Thomé was captured. The vessel had sailed from San Thomé (now part of Chennai), and the goods of calicoes and other produce were transferred onto the English ships. Susan obtained a cargo of cloves and pepper, and in December sailed for England, where Henry arrived on 21 June 1603. Red Dragon and Hector eventually arrived back in England on 11 September 1603, but not with John Middleton who had died at Bantam shortly after his brother Henry and Susan had set sail for England.

Second Yoyage
On Lancaster's return, Henry Middleton was appointed to command the second voyage fitted out by the EIC, and on 25 March 1604 he sailed from Gravesend in Red Dragon, having also under his command Hector, Ascension, and Susan, but when they stopped at the Downs, it was discovered that they were forty men short of their complement, and so had to wait for the remaining men. There was then a rather farcical series of events where as the new crew arrived it was discovered that they would have suplus crew so some men were actually paid off and put ashore.

After touching at Maio, one of the Cape Verde islands, they sailed again on 26 April, but being becalmed in the doldrums, they did not sight the Cape of Good Hope till 13 July. Although in the former voyage Middleton had seen the value of lemon juice being doled out by Lancaster, he had taken no measures to provide his ships with it. The men had consequently suffered severely, and, contrary to the company's orders, the fleet was obliged to stop for a month at the Cape to get fresh produce which still contained vitamins.

On 19 Dec. they made the coast of Sumatra, and anchored at Banten on the 23rd, the men being, by this time, again at the last extremity of weakness. On 18 Jan. 1604–5, Middleton, in Red Dragon, with Ascension, went on eastwards, and Hector and Susan were ordered home with cargoes of pepper. The men were at this time dying fast; twenty-six are named as having died on board Dragon between leaving Banten and anchoring at Ambon on 10 Feb. And just at this time the Dutch seized the island, and so put an end to all chance of trade there.



After long debate and with much misgiving, the Ascension and Dragon resolved to separate, the former going to Banda, the latter to the Moluccas. They sailed from Ambon on 18 Feb., and on 22 March after a tedious voyage the Dragon got off Tidore, where the Portuguese had a settlement, and were supporting the natives in a war with their neighbours at Ternate, who were aided by the Dutch. Middleton's force was too insignificant to permit of his taking any part in the quarrel, which ended in the complete defeat of the Portuguese.

The Dutch then threw every possible obstacle in the way of the English trade; and though Middleton managed, here and there, to pick up some cloves, it does not appear that he had anything like a full cargo when, on 24 July, the Dragon anchored again at Bantam. She sailed for England on 6 Oct., and on 19 December, standing in for Table Bay, sighted Hector in the last extremity of distress, almost all her men being dead. Middleton sent men on board to take her into the bay, where they stayed for a month, and where they were joined by Ascension.

They sailed on 16 January, and, after touching at St. Helena, anchored in the Downs on 6 May 1606. Middleton's services were promptly recognised. He had pushed his voyage much further than the company had dared to order him, and the profits were very great. He was knighted at Greenwich on 25 May 1606; and ten years later he was still described as "the thrice worthy general who laid the true foundation of our long desired Cambaya trade".

1607: David Middleton
A third brother, Captain David Middleton in Consent, appears to have been intended to accompany the fleet under Captain William Keeling. But setting out on the 12th March, 1607, from Tilbury Hope, while Captain Keeling did not reach the Downs till the 1st April, Middleton either missed the other ships at the appointed rendezvous, or purposely went on alone. David was the younger brother of John and Sir Henry Middleton and in 1601 jointly commanded a voyage to the West Indies. In 1604 he went to the East Indies with his brother Henry, as second captain of Red Dragon, and is mentioned as having conducted the negotiations with the native kings of Ternate and Tidore. He returned with Henry in May 1606, and on 12 March 1606–7 sailed from Tilbury as captain of the Consent, one of the ships of the third voyage under William Keeling.

Fifth Voyage
One ship only, Expedition belonging to London, appears to have been employed in this fifth voyage which was commanded by David Middleton.

Sixth Voyage
In 1610 Middleton was appointed to command the sixth voyage set forth by the East India company, and sailed from the Downs on 4 April in Trade's Increase, having in company Peppercorn, commanded by Nicholas Downton, and Darling. The voyage out was comparatively fortunate, and there was no exceptional sickness when, on 7 November, they arrived at Aden.

Leaving Peppercorn there, Middleton, with Darling, went on to Mocha; but in entering the roadstead, in charge of a native pilot, Trade's Increase was run ashore, and much of her cargo and stores had to be landed before she could be floated off. The governor, or aga, received Middleton and the merchants with every appearance of friendship; but a few days later, 28 Nov. when a large working party was on shore, he suddenly attacked them, killed eight in the scuffle, and made prisoners of Middleton and the others, to the number of fifty-nine. He then attempted to seize Darling, which was lying close in shore; but in that the Turks were repulsed with heavy loss. For more than three weeks the prisoners were kept at Mocha, heavily ironed; they were then sent to the bashaw at Sinan (Sana), where they were more humanely treated and allowed to communicate freely with the ships.

Downton, who had arrived from Aden in Peppercorn, proposed making reprisals on the Turkish and Indian trading vessels, but Middleton restrained him, fearing that ‘it might prove prejudicial to him and his company.’ The bashaw, he said, had promised that they should all be set free at the coming of the westerly winds; if he suspected any breach of faith, he would make his escape. And when he learnt that a fleet of galleys was expected from Suez, and that the aga was negotiating for the hire of some of the larger country ships which Downton had allowed to come to Mocha, Middleton, on 15 May 1611, with fifteen of his men, did make his escape, got on board Darling, and sent orders to Downton to join him at once with the other ships.

He then, by a strict blockade of the port, compelled the Turks to send back all the men who remained in captivity, and to restore the goods which had been seized on shore, or to pay compensation for the loss, and after refitting at Socotra, he went to Surat, where he arrived on 26 Sept. He found the place closely blockaded by a Portuguese fleet of eighteen frigates, which made communication with the shore difficult, and prevented fresh victuals or refreshments being sent off for the men who were suffering from scurvy. After some skirmishing the prohibition to trade was partially withdrawn; but the governor was in too great dread of the Portuguese to receive the English with any appearance of friendship. He refused them permission to establish a factory, and after a stay of four months ordered them to leave. The merchants on shore were also ordered away, no time being allowed them to get in their debts. On 11 Feb. 1611–12 they sailed for Dabul, but neither there could any trade be done; and Middleton thought himself poorly recompensed by seizing a Portuguese ship of three hundred tons, and taking out of her what she had of


 * "cloves, cinnamon, wax, and bales of raw China silk—but a mite in comparison to the loss inflicted on the venture by the Portuguese."

From Dabul he went back to the Red Sea, blockaded Aden and the Straits of Bab-el-Mandeb, and seized several Indian ships by way of reprisals; but learning that the company's fleet of the year (the eighth voyage), under the command of John Saris, with whom was Gabriel Towerson, had passed into the Red Sea, he went in and joined Saris at Assab. He then demanded from the Turks one hundred thousand pieces of eight as compensation for former injuries and insults, and would probably have forced them to pay but for an angry quarrel between him and Saris, partly about the division of the spoil, and still more, it would seem, about their precedence.

Finally they accepted something like a third of their demand from the Indian ships; and so with much ill-feeling, and without ‘the usual courtesies,’ they separated in the beginning of August 1612, Middleton, with Peppercorn in company, going to Tecoa, where he joined Darling on 19 October. From Tecoa they went to Bantam, and Middleton proposed to send Downton home in Trade's Increase with a cargo of pepper, while he himself, in Peppercorn, should attempt another voyage to the Moluccas. It was found, however, that Trade's Increase was in need of a very extensive refit; so in the beginning of February 1612–13, Downton sailed for England in Peppercorn. After a few months Trade's Increase, while being careened, fell over on her side, became a total wreck, and was maliciously set on fire by the Javanese. Most of the men died from their injuries, and with them Henry Middleton himself, 24 May 1613.

1614: David sails again
In May 1614 he sailed once more for the East Indies in Samaritan, with Thomas and Thomasine under his orders, and arrived at Bantam on 14 February 1614–15. A full cargo was collected, and after sending the smaller vessels to other ports, Middleton, in Samaritan, sailed for England on 3 April 1615. But the ship was wrecked on the coast of Madagascar, and though it was at first reported that "passengers and goods were saved", the loss seems to have been total. The first report of Middleton's death reached the Company on 5 September 1617. No exact news was ever received, but he was registered as dead, and his will proved on 18 April 1618. On 6 October 1624 the court of directors had under consideration a letter in favour of Middleton's son. "After much reasoning the court called to mind that the captain lost both ship and goods to a very great value, and therefore they gave it for answer that there is nothing due".

Family
It does not appear that Middleton was married; the entries in the Calendar of State Papers (East Indies) to the contrary effect are certainly erroneous, as is shown by his will (at Somerset House), dated on board the Trade's Increase 29 March 1610, and proved by Alice, wife of David Middleton, on 22 June 1614. By this, his brother David, and David's son Henry, are left executors and residuary legatees. Mention is made of his brother Christopher; of his three sisters, Katharine Tetlow, Margaret Burre, who has been erroneously named as his daughter, and Ursula Fawcet; his niece and god-daughter, Joan Burre; his cousins, John Haylin, Margaret Radford, Jane Hill, and her sister Sarah Hanmer; ‘my sister, Alice Middleton’ (David's wife), and her daughter Elizabeth; ‘my sister, Margery Middleton’ (Christopher's wife?); also Sir Thomas Myddelton and his son Thomas, Hugh Myddelton, Captain William Myddelton, Captain Roger Middleton, and his brother William, and Robert Middleton. None of these last are described as relations; but in John's will dated 5 March 1600–1, proved by Henry 27 Oct. 1603, Hugh Myddelton is styled cousin; the sisters, Margaret and Ursula, were then unmarried, and two other brothers, Jarrett and Randall, are named, as well as his father, John. David in his will, mentions Robert Middleton also as a cousin.

Sources and Links

 * The voyage of Sir Henry Middleton to Bantam and the Maluco Islands;
 * Other Middletons at the Chester Civic Trust;