James Hayes (Prince Rupert's secretary)
Encyclopedia
Sir James Hayes was secretary to Prince Rupert and first Deputy-Governor of the Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...

.

He was born the son of James Hayes in Beckington, Somerset. He was educated at St Paul's School (London) and Corpus Christi College, Oxford
Corpus Christi College, Oxford
Corpus Christi College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom...

, where he matriculated in 1649. He was admitted to Lincoln's Inn in 1649 and called to the Bar in 1656.

In 1659 he was elected MP for Marlborough
Marlborough (UK Parliament constituency)
Marlborough was a parliamentary borough in Wiltshire, which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons from 1295 until 1868, and then one member from 1868 until 1885, when the borough was abolished.e-1295-1640:-1640-1868:...

 (Jan-May 1659) and appointed Recorder of Marlborough. In May 1663 he was a founding Fellow of the Royal Society.

He secured the post as Secretary to Prince Rupert at a time when England and France were vying for the natural riches of what is now Canada. Hayes was behind the 1668 expedition whereby two French fur-traders, Pierre-Esprit Radisson
Pierre-Esprit Radisson
Pierre-Esprit Radisson was a French-Canadian fur trader and explorer. He is often linked to his brother-in-law Médard des Groseilliers who was about 20 years older. The decision of Radisson and Groseilliers to enter the English service led to the formation of the Hudson's Bay Company.Born near...

 and Médard des Groseilliers
Médard des Groseilliers
Médard Chouart des Groseilliers was a French explorer and fur trader in Canada. He is often paired with his brother-in-law Pierre-Esprit Radisson who was about 20 years his junior...

, were financially supported in an effort to set up a permanent British trading post on the shores of Hudson Bay. Under Hayes guidance this in May 1672 became the Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...

 with the sole rights to trade in a huge area of North America. He became their first Deputy Governor under Prince Rupert, who was the first Governor. He was knighted in 1670.

In 1682 he bought Bedgebury Manor in Gouldhurst, Kent from Thomas Culpeper and rebuilt Bedgebury House in a new location within the park.

He died in 1694. He had married in 1664 Rachel, daughter of Anthony Hungerford and widow of Henry Cary, 4th Viscount Falkland
Henry Cary, 4th Viscount Falkland
Henry Cary, 4th Viscount Falkland was a Scottish nobleman and Member of the Parliament of England; the son of Lucius Cary, 2nd Viscount Falkland.Cary inherited his title after his brother Lucius Cary died in 1649...

. Their daughter Rachel married Lord David Hay, son of the Marquess of Tweeddale.

The Hayes River
Hayes River
The Hayes River is a river in Northern Region, Manitoba, Canada that flows from Molson Lake to Hudson Bay at York Factory. It was an historically important river in the development of Canada, and is today a Canadian Heritage River and the longest naturally flowing river in Manitoba.-Course:The...

which flows into Hudson Bay was named after him in 1684.
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