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Richard Craddock's Career with the East India Company - Man Family

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44<br />

Sir George Oxenden<br />

LONDON<br />

After Craddock’s arrival in London <strong>the</strong> source of<br />

information we have on him is mostly The Court Minutes of<br />

<strong>the</strong> <strong>East</strong> <strong>India</strong> <strong>Company</strong> (CMEIC) also edited by Sir William<br />

Foster. These are much more limited in content and <strong>with</strong>out<br />

<strong>the</strong> detail provided by <strong>the</strong> earlier letters quoted in<br />

English Factories in <strong>India</strong> (EFI) it is not possible to<br />

follow events so easily.<br />

It took Craddock almost a year to reach London arriving<br />

<strong>the</strong>re on 20 December 1664. He had spent much of <strong>the</strong> time at<br />

Isphan where his old colleague William Rolt had died in <strong>the</strong><br />

summer. His journey back to England had included stopping<br />

off at Aleppo and picking up a letter from <strong>the</strong> Consul <strong>the</strong>re<br />

dated 26 September. At <strong>the</strong> <strong>East</strong> <strong>India</strong> House in Leadenhall<br />

Street on 22 December a consultation was held at which<br />

Craddock was admitted to <strong>the</strong> Council (where he took rank<br />

after Goodier.) (EFI 61-64, p.321)<br />

It is not surprising that <strong>the</strong> Court Minutes indicate no<br />

activity from Craddock during 1665 as <strong>the</strong> Companies<br />

attentions were diverted by <strong>the</strong> Great fire that swept<br />

through London …<br />

The first mention of Craddock in London occurs on 6<br />

February 1666 and is as follows:<br />

<strong>Richard</strong> Craddock to be permitted to have cloths and edibles<br />

which he brought back in <strong>the</strong> London from Surat, but nothing<br />

else until fur<strong>the</strong>r order. (CMEIC p. 294)<br />

This would suggest that Craddock is being given permission<br />

to trade some of <strong>the</strong> products that he had brought <strong>with</strong> him<br />

after his return to England.<br />

A week later on 14 February 1666 Craddock appears to have<br />

run into some trouble as <strong>the</strong> following entry implies:

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