|
Nicholas Downton
Nicholas Downton (1561-6 August 1615), was a commander in the service of the English East India Company (EIC). Life and career Early years Downton was born in the village of Bushley in Worcestshire in early 1561, the son of John and Katherine Downton. On the orders of the George Clifford, 3rd Earl of Cumberland, Earl of Cumberland he took part in the action of Faial in 1594 as commander of the ''Samson'', which resulted in the destruction of the Portuguese carrack ''Las Cinco Chagas''. Although severely wounded during the action, by 1605 he had recovered and made a trading voyage in the ''Pilgrim'' to Cumaná and other Caribbean ports. Records held at the India Office indicate that Downton and the Earl of Cumberland were the principal shareholders in the venture, and since tobacco was the return cargo, it may be inferred that the ''Pilgrim'' returned home via Virginia. Far east Early in 1610 he was appointed to command the EIC's ship ''Peppercorn'', and sailed under Sir Henry Midd ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
East India Company
The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia), and later with East Asia. The company seized control of large parts of the Indian subcontinent, colonised parts of Southeast Asia and Hong Kong. At its peak, the company was the largest corporation in the world. The EIC had its own armed forces in the form of the company's three Presidency armies, totalling about 260,000 soldiers, twice the size of the British army at the time. The operations of the company had a profound effect on the global balance of trade, almost single-handedly reversing the trend of eastward drain of Western bullion, seen since Roman times. 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 du ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
