In the company of merchants

Abstract

London in the early seventeenth century was full of secretaries and clerks. In 1625, Edward Sherburne became the secretary of the East India Company. This position followed at least fifteen years of work as a secretary for a number of influential officials of the regime, including George Calvert, Robert Cecil, Dudley Carleton, and Francis Bacon. A year later, Sherburne became Clerk of the Ordnance of the Tower of London. These positions chart not just his career but his network of influence and connection. Sherburne kept formal and informal ties to many of his past employers and continued to act for past patrons sometimes years after he left their employ. This chapter examines the way Sherburne triangulated between the different responsibilities and expectations laid at his feet, the way he could use the responsibilities and perquisites of different offices to benefit different employers, and how his influence shaped the work he was tasked with. Stories of advancement and office seeking are common – less common is the experience of someone like Sherburne, whose career was modest but hard-earned. This chapter helps draw back the veil on the practices of London’s men of business, who managed the work of politics on behalf of their better-known employers.