The Autobiography of Phineas Pett
After my foresaid master his death, I laboured to have served Mr.
Mathew Baker, one of her Majesty's Master Shipwrights also; but by
the working of one Mr. Peter Buck,[184] then Clerk of the Check at
Chatham, and some other back friends, I was crossed in my service
and so put to my shifts, and left to the wide world without either
comfort or friend, but only God.
At this time my eldest brother by my father's side, Mr. Joseph
Pett, succeeded in my father's place, one of her Majesty's Master
Shipwrights, which preferment no doubt God brought him to the better
to enable him to have given his help to us; but we found it clean
contrary, for he was not only careless of us all and left us to our
fortunes, but became also so unkind a brother to two of us, my own
brother Noah and myself, that he was forced to leave his native
country and seek comfort in Ireland with an uncle of ours, own
brother to my mother, called George Thornton, an ancient and well
experienced sea captain; where he shortly after was drowned in the
river of Cork; and myself was constrained to ship myself to sea upon
a desperate voyage in a man of war,[185] not greatly caring what
became of me.
I was shipped on this voyage a little before Christmas in anno 1592,
in a ship called the Gallion Constance of London, of burden of 200
tons or thereabouts, belonging to a gentleman of Suffolk, one Captain
Edward Glenham,[186] for the carpenter's mate, the master carpenter
being one Edward Goodale, born in Deptford. To my setting out to
sea, I found not any of my kindred so kind as to help me, either
with money or clothes, or any other comfort; only another brother I
had by my father's side, Peter Pett, dwelling then at Wapping, that
vouchsafed me lodging and meat and drink till the ship was ready to
set sail; one William King, a yeoman in Essex and a stranger to me,
lent me 3_l._ in ready money to help to furnish my necessaries, which
afterward I repaid him again.
In this voyage I endured much misery for want of victuals and
apparel; and after twenty months spent in the Levant Seas, coasts of
Barbary and Spain, with many hazards both of loss of life and time,
without taking any purchase[187] of any value, we, extreme poorly,
returned for Ireland into the river of Cork; and there taking leave
both of ship and voyage, I travelled to Dublin[188] to visit my uncle
Captain Thornton and my brother Noah, being then master with him in
the Popinjay of the Queen's Majesty's; and presently after bent my
course for England, taking passage at the town of Waterford.
With some difficulty I got to London, some three days before
Christmas in anno 1594, having neither money nor apparel, and took
up my lodging at my brother Peter's house in Wapping, before spoken
of, who, although I was returned very poor, yet vouchsafed me kind
entertainment. The next day I presented myself to my brother Joseph,
who very coyly receiving me, out of his bounty lent me 40_s._ to
apparel myself, which I bestowed as frugally as I could in Birchin
Lane in London, contenting myself as well as I could with mean
attire, till such time as it should please God to provide better for
me.
At that time it so fell out that there were certain of her Majesty's
ships appointed to be made ready for the voyage of Sir Francis Drake
and Sir John Hawkyns, amongst which the Defiance[189] was to be
brought into Woolwich Dock to be sheathed; which work being commended
to my brother Joseph's charge, he was contented to admit me amongst
many others to be one, where I was contented to take any pains to
get something to apparel myself, which by God's blessing I performed
before Easter next after, and that in very good fashion, always
endeavouring to keep company with men of good rank far better than
myself.
In the latter end of this year 1594 about the beginning of Lent, I
lost my dear brother Noah, who was drowned in Cork river with eight
more of his company, and lieth buried in Cork church in Ireland.
About Bartholomew tide in anno 1595, the Triumph of her Majesty's
was had into Woolwich Dock to be new builded by Mr. Mathew Baker,
under whom I was entertained there as an ordinary workman and had
allowed me a boy, which was John Wood, being the first servant that
I ever kept; but presently after Mr. Baker was appointed to leave
that business, and had order to go in hand with the building of a
great new ship at Deptford, called afterward the Repulse,[190] and
was admiral of my Lord's of Essex squadron in the Cadiz journey. The
Triumph[191] was then appointed to my brother Joseph's charge, with
whom I a while continued, but, finding him altogether unwilling to
prefer[192] me in his work as next under him, with some passage of
discontent betwixt us, I left him, and had ready entertainment by
Mr. Baker in his new business at Deptford, yet no otherwise than an
ordinary workman; with whom I continued from the beginning of the
foresaid ship, till she was wholly finished, launched, and set sail
of her voyage from Woolwich, which was about the latter end of April
1596.
All that winter, in the evenings, commonly I spent my time to good
purposes, as in cyphering, drawing, and practising to attain the
knowledge of my profession, and I then found Mr. Baker sometime
forward to give me instructions, from whose help I must acknowledge I
received my greatest lights. At this time also the Lord Admiral[193]
lay most of the winter at his house[194] at Deptford, by reason
whereof I got some acquaintance amongst his men, and was much
importuned to have attended his Lordship in that journey,[195] which
no doubt might have proved very much both profitable and beneficial
unto me, besides it would have brought me in acquaintance and favour
with my Lord Admiral, but some other reasons restrained me from all
these likelihoods and kept me at home, to my no small hindrance as it
fell out.
After I was discharged from the Repulse, my brother Joseph
entertained me at Woolwich upon the Triumph, upon which ship I
wrought till her launching and the discharge of the men from her, and
afterwards was employed at my brother's, at Limehouse, upon a small
model for the Lord Treasurer[196] his house called Theobalds,[197]
and the next winter I spent in Essex, at Paglesham[198] in Rochford
Hundred, as overseer for my brother Peter in certain woods he had
bought there.
About this time, was I very desirous, by the instigation of some
special friends of mine, to have been a follower of the Lord of
Essex, and was three several times brought purposely to have been
presented unto his lordship, but was every time delayed by reason of
his great state[199] affairs, the Lord of heaven having other ways in
his secret wisdom determined to dispose of me.
In the latter end of March succeeding, or beginning of April 1597,
by the means of one Mr. Gilbert Wood, one of the Lord Admiral's
Chamber, an especial good friend of mine, I was presented to the Lord
High Admiral of England, at his Manor at Chelsea, where his lordship
was pleased not only to accept me as his servant, but also openly
shewed such extraordinary respect of me as I had much cause to give
God thanks, who no doubt had stirred his honourable heart to regard
me, but a simple and mean fellow, even far beyond my expectation or
desert, and this was the very first beginning of my rising.
In the beginning of this year, 1597, my dear and loving mother
deceased at Weston in Suffolk, not far from Bury, and lieth buried
in the parish church there. A little after midsummer in the same
year, I was employed by my brother Joseph Pett, in his yard at
Limehouse, upon the repairing of a great Flemish ship of whom was
master Mr. John King of Limehouse, where I first came acquainted
with him, and in his company and Mr. Nicolas Simonson of Limehouse,
I was first brought acquainted at Highwood Hill[200] where I first
fell in love with my now wife, which was about St. James' tide.[201]
About Bartholomew tide[202] next following, the Elizabeth Jonas
was brought into her Majesty's Dock at Woolwich, and there was the
first preferment my brother Joseph holp me with, making me principal
overseer of that business under him. During all the time of this
work, we both lodged and dieted at old Mr. Lydiard's[203] in the yard.
During the continuance of this work I did not neglect my wooing,
having taken such a liking of the maiden that I determined resolutely
(by God's help) either to match with her or never to marry any; the
which I with much difficulty (praised be God) at length achieved, all
my own kindred being much against my matching with her, by reason of
some controversies grown twixt Mr. Nicolas Simonson and them.
Toward the end of February in this present year, I took the lease
of a new house (of Mr. William Borough,[204] then Comptroller of
her Majesty's Navy) at Limehouse by the through head,[205] which to
some charge I fitted for my dwelling, although I remained not in it
little more than two years, paying 11_l._ yearly rent, and 20_l._
income.[206]
I was married to my now wife Ann, the daughter of Richard Nicholls
of Highwood Hill in the parish of Hendon in Middlesex, a man of good
report and honest stock, the 15th day of May 1598 at Stepney Church
upon a Monday in the forenoon. I kept my wedding at my own charge in
my new dwelling house at Limehouse, accompanied with my brothers and
sisters, my wife's parents, and divers of her friends and kindred.
About midsummer after, was the Elizabeth Jonas launched out of
Woolwich Dock, and sudden preparation made to have received her
Majesty aboard the ship riding afloat; but upon some unknown reasons
her Majesty came not at all, for even at that instant had one Mr.
Wiggs[207] procured commission about examination of certain abuses
in the Navy, which was pursued with a great deal of malice against
divers particular men but with little profit to her Majesty's service.
From midsummer, all the ensuing year, till Christmas I lay still and
idle without any manner employment or comings in but what my servants
got with working now and then abroad, which was very little and
hardly able to buy me food.
About Christmas my honourable lord and master the Lord High Admiral
commended me to an employment in Suffolk and Norfolk for the
finishing of a purveyance of timber and plank formerly undertaken by
one Child of Sole,[208] who dealt in Norfolk and, dying, left the
business in much disorder.
And one Robert Ungle[209] who dealt in Suffolk and, for divers
abuses by him there committed, fled the country and left all the
service in great disorder and spoil; for the rectifying of which
abuses, saving of her Majesty's provisions, and discharging of the
countries,[210] it pleased my Lord to make choice of me to undertake
the same, and to take order to send in all the said provisions
of timber and plank; which accordingly I did, using all care and
diligence in the performance of the same, both to the content of her
Majesty's service, my Lord Admiral and the Officers of the Navy, and
the satisfaction of all countries where I had to do. Notwithstanding
through the malicious envy of old Mathew Baker, Bright, Adye, and
others[211] all my doings and accounts were throughly sifted, but
thanks be to God nothing could be proved against me, so that I had
all my bills passed quietly; but by reason Mr. Fulke Greville,[212]
being then Treasurer of the Navy, did not greatly affect[213]
me, by cause of some particular spleens between him and Mr. John
Trevor,[214] then newly made Surveyor, who was my especial and
worshipful friend, he laid a rub[215] in my way, cutting me off
wrongfully of twenty pounds in my accounts after all my bills were
passed and signed by the hands of the Principal Officers, according
to the custom of the Navy.