Sir Paul Pindar (1565–1650) was a merchant and, from 1611 to 1620, was Ambassador of King

James I of England James VI and I (James Charles Stuart; 19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 March 1603 unti ...

to the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

Biography

Born in

Wellingborough Wellingborough ( ) is a market town in the North Northamptonshire, Unitary Authority area, England, from London and from Northampton, north of the River Nene. Originally named "Wendelingburgh" (the stronghold of Wændel's people), the Anglo ...

and educated at

Wellingborough School Wellingborough School is a co-educational Private schools in the United Kingdom, private day school in the market town of Wellingborough in Northamptonshire. It was established in 1595 and is one of List of the oldest schools in the United Kin ...

Pindar entered trade as the apprentice to an Italian merchant in London. He later became involved when he received Company Articles to the

on 27 September 1611. As secretary to the English ambassador in

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

he arrived in December 1611, eventually becoming ambassador himself. Pindar was present when the famous gift of an organ was made to the royal household by Ambassador Lello and he went on to become a favourite of Safiye Sultan, the powerful mother of Sultan

Mehmed III Mehmed III (, ''Meḥmed-i sālis''; ; 26 May 1566 – 22 December 1603) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1595 until his death in 1603. Mehmed was known for ordering the execution of his brothers and leading the army in the Long Turkish ...

. As ambassador he was "renowned for his generosity in educating young men at his own 'care and cost'" He was recalled on 25 January 1618 but did not leave until May 1620. Pindar was knighted by James I in 1623. A pamphlet published in London in 1642 states that Pindar saved the life of a felon named "Running Jack" who had been sentenced to death. The prisoner "was found to have been such a notorious Malefactor, that the Bench did condemn him to dy: but hee hath since obtained a Reprieve by the means of Sir Paul Pindar." The pamphlet does not elaborate on his crimes, or on why Sir Paul had an interest in the case. In 1644, Pindar provided 1,705 lbs (775 kg) of gold, via

Jane Whorwood Jane Whorwood ( Ryder; 1612 – September 1684) was a Cavalier, Royalist agent during the English Civil War. She managed circulation of intelligence, as well as smuggling of funds to sustain the Royalist faction. Whorwood was a close confidante o ...

, to smuggle the

Queen Queen most commonly refers to: * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen (band), a British rock band Queen or QUEEN may also refer to: Monarchy * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Q ...

and the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales (, ; ) is a title traditionally given to the male heir apparent to the History of the English monarchy, English, and later, the British throne. The title originated with the Welsh rulers of Kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd who, from ...

to France.

Legacy

In the 18th century Sir Paul Pindar's House in

Bishopsgate Bishopsgate was one of the eastern gates in London's former defensive wall. The gate's name is traditionally attributed to Earconwald, who was Bishop of London in the 7th century. It was first built in Roman times and marked the beginning o ...

became a tavern called the "Sir Paul Pindar's Head" and was then demolished to make way for the expansion of

Liverpool Street station Liverpool Street station, also known as London Liverpool Street, is a major central London railway terminus and connected London Underground station in the north-eastern corner of the City of London, in the ward of Bishopsgate Without. It i ...

in 1890. Its façade was preserved and can now be seen in the

Victoria and Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (abbreviated V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.8 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and named after Queen ...

.''Sir Paul Pindar's house''
(Victoria and Albert Museum) There is a commemorative vase to Pindar in St Botolph's Church Bishopsgate.

References

External links

*
''Tithe Barn to All Hallows Church''
(Wellingborough Heritage Trail) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pindar, Paul 1565 births 1650 deaths Ambassadors of England to the Ottoman Empire Merchants from the British West Indies People from Wellingborough 17th-century English diplomats 17th-century English merchants