Selected Families and Individuals

Notes


Thomas MENDENHALL "II"

1.  Alternate date of birth:  10 Dec 1609 in Ramsbury, England.

2.  Alternate date of death:  1656 in Ramsbury, England


Thomas MENDENHALL "I"

1.  Occupation:  Farmer

2.  He owned a two story, two bedroom home.

3.  At the time of his death he was mostley retired and his sons had taken over the respojnsibility for his farm.

4.  An inventory of his estate following his death showed that his houseehold goods, crops and stock were worth D41 15s and 6 pence.


John MENDENHALL "Jr"

1.  John had gainede a good deal of experience on merchant ships and became a ships captain in the employ of Richard Staper, a merchant of London.  He had gone as far as Constantinople and the Mesopotamian region by 1598.  Late that year he returned to London.  
     In Feb 1599 he set sail on an epic, ten year journey to the Far East.  He set sail first for Constantinople in the "Hector" and arrived in October.  During that winter he heard that an expedition sponsored by Queen Elizabeth to launch a British trading venture with India had failed.  John decided to do it himself.
    England wanted to enhance its economic and political power.  To do this they had set up the British East India Company to establish trade rights and possible monopolies with the Persians and the old Mogul Emperors of India.
    Privy Council Papers of 1599-1600 record letters from Queen Elizabeth to Sir John Harte, Alderman Banninge and their fellow adventurers setting off for India. She wiched them well and gave a few instructions.  They had six ships financed by the Crown.
     Previously in 1583 and in 1591 the British Levant Company had sent expeditions to India and had failed.  The 1599 expedition likewise failed, not even succeeding in getting around the Cape of Good Hope.
     Meanwhile John was at Constantinople and decided to travel the overland route to reach the Mogul Emperor Akbar.  He organized a large caravan of 600 persons.
     John spent some time in Persia and bought and sold in order to augment his funds.  He finally arrived in Lahore, India in 1603.  His plan was to claim to be the Queen's personal ambassador in order to arrance trade concessions.  He could then greatly profit by offering these trading privileges to the English Crown.  He spent three years in Agra.  He saw the Mogul and presented him 29 Persian horses and jewels and was very convincing as an ambssador.  He requested trade facilities like the Portuguese had and non-interference in the war the British were fighting then with the Portuguese.  The Mogul refused. There were Portuguese Jesuits there who opposed the Englishman.  
     The Mogul offered some money and some trading privileges but John refused, deciding to wait him out.  While waiting he learned the language and in six months got all he requested from th eEmperor. He even promised to have Queen Elizabeth's ambassador come to live there as a hostage for the peaceable behavior of his countrymen.  They signed papers and then also signed papers with Akbar's son, Emperor Jahangir, who ruled in Eastern India at the time.
     This accomplished, John started on his way back to England in Oct 1606.  He stopped over again in Persia and sent a letter to the East India Company.  In it he declared what privileges he had obtained.  He offered his documents and services in exchange for D1500 and high position in the East India Company.  The company deferred its decision saying John's demand were unreasonable, particularly his demand for a high postion.
     By 27 Jul 1609 he was back in England and appealed to King James directly.  He said he had just completed ten years of travel and had discovered great trade in the dominions of the Great Mogul.  He even asked if he could conduct the trade privileges himself.
     Finally the Company gave in and appointed him as a factor and paid him a substantial sum.  Within two years the English began establishing trading stations on the east coast of India.  From there the company grew to dominate the Far Eastern trade and eventually the British Empire itself developed from that.
     John remained at odds with the East India Company and couldn't wait to get out of London again.  He sailed with a shipment from Staper and ote4hr London merchants.  He went to Constantinople and this time tried to sail on farther, through the Black Sea.  But the Turks attacked him there and pursued him for many miles.  Finally they captured him and accused him of being a Persian.


John MENDENHALL "Sr"

1.  John Mildenhale was a landowner in Marridge Hill, Wiltshire County, England.

2.  He was named in the Will of the Earl of Pembroke and in the dissolution of his property in 1565.


Thomas MENDENHALL

1.  In the Subsidy [Tax] Rolls there is a document calendared as 16th Henry VIII or 1524, reference E179/197/165 PRO.  It may in fact date from 1522.  This groups Ramsbury with Baydon and Dishopston.  In a list of names there is a Thomas Mildenhall as having paid five shillings on his assessment of goods valued D10.


William MENDENHALL

1.  A muster roll of r 1539 survives for North Wiltshire where there is mention of William Mynold of Chesburye (Little Bedwyn).   He was required to supply a harness.


Walter MENDENHALL

1.  Walter received a croft of land containing 4 acres at Hokededych in the Parish of Froxfeld from his father in 1444.


Richard MENDENHALL

1.  In 1444 Richard Myldenale of Ramsbury, granted to  his son, Walter, a croft of land containing 4 acres at Hokededych in the Parish of Froxfeld.


Nicholas MENDENHALL

1.  In 1441 Nicholas Mildenhale was granted a tenement with a curtilage in Ramsbury, Wiltshire County, England


Richard MENDENHALL

1.  From the register of John Chandler 1404-1417 W. R. S. vol. XXXIX 1983:  John Chandler was Dean of Salisbury and dealt with various legal businesses, defects in the fabric in the churches, misconduct by the clergy, sins of the laity, failure to attend church regulary heresy, and witchcraft.

2.  In 1405 John Chander visited Ramsbury.  Richard Mildenhale was described in the index as a questman, a person who answered the visitation articles and usually of some special standing, was one of the parishioners who gave information regarding the tithes to which Ramsbury Church was entitled.

3.  In 1409 John Chandler visited Ramsbury and Richard Mildenhale was one of the parishioners who said that the chancel windows were broken and the roof and cellar defective through the rectors fault.  John Ferrour reportedly gave a cow and ten sheep to maintain the font candle and Richard Mildenhale has them and will not account for thier increase in the last four years.

4.  In 1412 when John Chandler visited Ramsbury, Richard Mildenhale disclosed that John Ferrour gave the church 10 sheep worth 20 shillings and a cow worth 10 shillings which was handed over to Richard.


John MENDENHALL

1.  In 1441 John Mildenhale and his wife were granted a tenement with a curtilage in Ramsbury, Wilshire County, England.


Robert MENDENHALL

1.  In 1439 Robert Mildenhale and others were granted rights to a manor with lands in the parishes of Syllesdon and Hendon in Middlesex.


John MENDENHALL

1.  In 1388 John Mildenhall was listed as a Prior of St. Mary Bethlehem.