Pett dynasty
Encyclopedia
The so-called Pett Dynasty was a family of shipwrights
who prospered in England
between the 15th and 17th centuries. It was once said of the family that they were "so knit together that the Devil
himself could not discover them". This saying refers to the era during which Samuel Pepys
was much involved in getting royal aid for Ann Pett, widow of Christopher Pett.
, was granted a Coat of Arms in 1563. His son, Joseph Pett of Limehouse, succeeded his father as Master Shipwright before Peter's death in 1605. Joseph surveyed the timber for the construction of a ship named Sovereign of the Seas, and married Elizabeth, daughter of Richard Hoborn
, another shipwright and churchwarden at Chatham. Joseph died in 1652, aged about 60. Joseph's son, the second Peter Pett, carried on the private family business of shipbuilding at Wapping
. Joseph's other son, also named Joseph, became the master carpenter employed at Chatham in 1643 by the then Earl of Warwick
.
Another son of the first Peter Pett was Richard Pett, who raised his son (Peter of Deptford (1593–1652) and the third Peter Pett) to be a shipwright. The sons of this Peter Pett were Phineas (a captain in the Royal Navy
) and another Peter (the fourth).
This fourth Peter was baptised in St Nicholas' Church in 1630, and was later educated in St Paul's School and Sidney Sussex College of Cambridge, where he was admitted in 1645. He then graduated to Pembroke College
, Oxford
, and in 1648 was elected to a fellowship at All Soul's College
. He was bachelor of civil law to Gray's Inn
from 1657 to 1658, and was knighted in 1661, after which he sat as a Member of Parliament for Askaeton in the Irish Parliament. He was called to the bar
in 1664, as a barrister
in law of the Middle Temple
, and one of the original Fellow
s of the Royal Society
in 1663, from which he was later expelled in 1675 for "not performing his obligations to the society". He also became Advocate-General in Ireland
, before his death in 1699. Peter was a learned author and many of his manuscripts have survived him.
Phineas Pett, designer of the Sovereign of the Seas
Phineas Pett
succeeded shipwright John Holding in the post of keeper of the plank yard, but his income was meagre by the standards set by his family. In his diary, he recorded that it became his duty, for which he considered himself unfit, to take charge of the affairs of his "poor sisters and brother." Phineas thought that his kinsman Joseph should have paid more attention to their plight, but he "cared not what became of them".
The Autobiography of Phineas Pett indicates his pride in the coat of arms of his father Peter. Phineas' son Peter, commissioner of Chatham, was disgraced because of the Battle Of Medway and the loss of capital ships almost 100 years later. These arms display three black balls rather than the three R’s of the Leicestershire Pates. The significance of the balls is made clear in some versions of this arms, which show below them a scuttled frigate. The lion passant shown on some versions indicates the Pett (Paetus (founders of Padua), Pettus) origins in Venice (colony of Padua), seafarer home of St. Mark, who is identified with a lion.
Peter Pett, in his application for arms, explicitly indicates his descent from Thomas Pett of Skipton.
Joseph Pett of Limehouse
As noted above, Joseph of Limehouse became Master Shipwright in 1589, before his father Peter's death. He was the father of Joseph of Chatham and had another son, William, and a daughter, Lydia, who took up the trade of her father and is a rare example of a female master tradesman of the era. He was married twice, first to Margaret Curtis (who died in 1594), and later to Margaret Humphrey (who died in 1612). Joseph died in 1605.
Petts were represented as Pates in America, where they were found in New Kent County and Isle Of Wight County, Virginia. The estuarian ferry at Yorktown was run by a Thomas Pate, who continued the Pett shipbuilding tradition in America. There are many Pett tracks in Isle Of Wight County, Virginia. The Virginia General Assembly in 1663 rewarded "John Pitt", of Isle Of Wight County, for building a vessel of twenty-three tons.
Pates built wooden ships in Old Bertie County in colonial North Carolina. Their shipyard was on Cashie river, near the present town of Hertford, North Carolina. Later Throughgood Pate descendants were boat builders at Hobucken, North Carolina. Samuel Pate was the name of the founder of the Hobucken Pate boatyard. Samuel Pett was the name of a famous Pett shipbuilder of Deptford.
Political, religious and professional conflicts made America a better place for Pates than was England under Cromwell. Thoroughgood Pate was a casualty of Queen Anne’s War, which was fought to preserve the English slave trade. Descendants of Thoroughgood Pate related to family historian Julia Claire Pate claim the coat of arms of Peter and Phineas Pett their own.
The influence of the Pett family in integrating the peoples of the world is apparent. Joseph was a given name of the Pates of Patetown, in North Carolina, through which flows Stoney Creek, the original of which runs through New Kent County, in Virginia.
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Shipbuilding
Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to before recorded history.Shipbuilding and ship repairs, both...
who prospered in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
between the 15th and 17th centuries. It was once said of the family that they were "so knit together that the Devil
Devil
The Devil is believed in many religions and cultures to be a powerful, supernatural entity that is the personification of evil and the enemy of God and humankind. The nature of the role varies greatly...
himself could not discover them". This saying refers to the era during which Samuel Pepys
Samuel Pepys
Samuel Pepys FRS, MP, JP, was an English naval administrator and Member of Parliament who is now most famous for the diary he kept for a decade while still a relatively young man...
was much involved in getting royal aid for Ann Pett, widow of Christopher Pett.
The four Peter Petts
Peter Pett, Master Shipwright of DeptfordDeptford
Deptford is a district of south London, England, located on the south bank of the River Thames. It is named after a ford of the River Ravensbourne, and from the mid 16th century to the late 19th was home to Deptford Dockyard, the first of the Royal Navy Dockyards.Deptford and the docks are...
, was granted a Coat of Arms in 1563. His son, Joseph Pett of Limehouse, succeeded his father as Master Shipwright before Peter's death in 1605. Joseph surveyed the timber for the construction of a ship named Sovereign of the Seas, and married Elizabeth, daughter of Richard Hoborn
Richard Hoborn
Richard Hoborn was a shipbuilder of Kent, England during the 17th century.The first reference to him in the "Declared Accounts" of payments to a mastmaker at Chatham Dockyard in Kent is in 1619, when he and William Wyborne were paid "for making with HM materials a new mast," etc. for the Defiance...
, another shipwright and churchwarden at Chatham. Joseph died in 1652, aged about 60. Joseph's son, the second Peter Pett, carried on the private family business of shipbuilding at Wapping
Wapping
Wapping is a place in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets which forms part of the Docklands to the east of the City of London. It is situated between the north bank of the River Thames and the ancient thoroughfare simply called The Highway...
. Joseph's other son, also named Joseph, became the master carpenter employed at Chatham in 1643 by the then Earl of Warwick
Earl of Warwick
Earl of Warwick is a title that has been created four times in British history and is one of the most prestigious titles in the peerages of the British Isles.-1088 creation:...
.
Another son of the first Peter Pett was Richard Pett, who raised his son (Peter of Deptford (1593–1652) and the third Peter Pett) to be a shipwright. The sons of this Peter Pett were Phineas (a captain in the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
) and another Peter (the fourth).
This fourth Peter was baptised in St Nicholas' Church in 1630, and was later educated in St Paul's School and Sidney Sussex College of Cambridge, where he was admitted in 1645. He then graduated to Pembroke College
Pembroke College, Oxford
Pembroke College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England, located in Pembroke Square. As of 2009, Pembroke had an estimated financial endowment of £44.9 million.-History:...
, Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
, and in 1648 was elected to a fellowship at All Soul's College
All Souls College, Oxford
The Warden and the College of the Souls of all Faithful People deceased in the University of Oxford or All Souls College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England....
. He was bachelor of civil law to Gray's Inn
Gray's Inn
The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns...
from 1657 to 1658, and was knighted in 1661, after which he sat as a Member of Parliament for Askaeton in the Irish Parliament. He was called to the bar
Bar association
A bar association is a professional body of lawyers. Some bar associations are responsible for the regulation of the legal profession in their jurisdiction; others are professional organizations dedicated to serving their members; in many cases, they are both...
in 1664, as a barrister
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
in law of the Middle Temple
Middle Temple
The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers; the others being the Inner Temple, Gray's Inn and Lincoln's Inn...
, and one of the original Fellow
Fellow
A fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...
s of the Royal Society
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
in 1663, from which he was later expelled in 1675 for "not performing his obligations to the society". He also became Advocate-General in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, before his death in 1699. Peter was a learned author and many of his manuscripts have survived him.
Phineas Pett, designer of the Sovereign of the SeasHMS Sovereign of the SeasSovereign of the Seas was a 17th century warship of the English Navy. She was ordered as a 90-gun first-rate ship of the line of the English Royal Navy, but at launch was armed with 102 bronze guns, at the insistence of the king...
Phineas PettPhineas Pett
Phineas Pett was a shipwright and a member of the Pett dynasty.-Family background:Born at "Deptford Strond", he was the second son of Peter Pett of Deptford, his elder brother being named Joseph....
succeeded shipwright John Holding in the post of keeper of the plank yard, but his income was meagre by the standards set by his family. In his diary, he recorded that it became his duty, for which he considered himself unfit, to take charge of the affairs of his "poor sisters and brother." Phineas thought that his kinsman Joseph should have paid more attention to their plight, but he "cared not what became of them".
The Autobiography of Phineas Pett indicates his pride in the coat of arms of his father Peter. Phineas' son Peter, commissioner of Chatham, was disgraced because of the Battle Of Medway and the loss of capital ships almost 100 years later. These arms display three black balls rather than the three R’s of the Leicestershire Pates. The significance of the balls is made clear in some versions of this arms, which show below them a scuttled frigate. The lion passant shown on some versions indicates the Pett (Paetus (founders of Padua), Pettus) origins in Venice (colony of Padua), seafarer home of St. Mark, who is identified with a lion.
Peter Pett, in his application for arms, explicitly indicates his descent from Thomas Pett of Skipton.
Joseph Pett of LimehouseLimehouseLimehouse is a place in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is on the northern bank of the River Thames opposite Rotherhithe and between Ratcliff to the west and Millwall to the east....
, Master Shipwright
As noted above, Joseph of Limehouse became Master Shipwright in 1589, before his father Peter's death. He was the father of Joseph of Chatham and had another son, William, and a daughter, Lydia, who took up the trade of her father and is a rare example of a female master tradesman of the era. He was married twice, first to Margaret Curtis (who died in 1594), and later to Margaret Humphrey (who died in 1612). Joseph died in 1605.Petts were represented as Pates in America, where they were found in New Kent County and Isle Of Wight County, Virginia. The estuarian ferry at Yorktown was run by a Thomas Pate, who continued the Pett shipbuilding tradition in America. There are many Pett tracks in Isle Of Wight County, Virginia. The Virginia General Assembly in 1663 rewarded "John Pitt", of Isle Of Wight County, for building a vessel of twenty-three tons.
Pates built wooden ships in Old Bertie County in colonial North Carolina. Their shipyard was on Cashie river, near the present town of Hertford, North Carolina. Later Throughgood Pate descendants were boat builders at Hobucken, North Carolina. Samuel Pate was the name of the founder of the Hobucken Pate boatyard. Samuel Pett was the name of a famous Pett shipbuilder of Deptford.
Political, religious and professional conflicts made America a better place for Pates than was England under Cromwell. Thoroughgood Pate was a casualty of Queen Anne’s War, which was fought to preserve the English slave trade. Descendants of Thoroughgood Pate related to family historian Julia Claire Pate claim the coat of arms of Peter and Phineas Pett their own.
The influence of the Pett family in integrating the peoples of the world is apparent. Joseph was a given name of the Pates of Patetown, in North Carolina, through which flows Stoney Creek, the original of which runs through New Kent County, in Virginia.
Family 1
- Joseph Pett of Chatham St. Mary, Assistant Master Shipwright (1643-52), born ca. 1592, died ca. 1652, married to Elizabeth Hoborn (born/baptized 5 Dec. 1615, St. Mary, Gillingham Green, died 23 July 1667, daughter of Richard HobornRichard HobornRichard Hoborn was a shipbuilder of Kent, England during the 17th century.The first reference to him in the "Declared Accounts" of payments to a mastmaker at Chatham Dockyard in Kent is in 1619, when he and William Wyborne were paid "for making with HM materials a new mast," etc. for the Defiance...
, shipwright of Chatham, and Margaret)- Children of Joseph and Elizabeth Pett:
- Joseph, baptized 4 Apr. 1630
- Peter, baptized 18 Nov. 1632
- Rose, baptized 8 May 1639/buried ca. 1640/48
- Margaret, baptized 19 Dec. 1641
- Elizabeth, baptized 5 Aug. 1645
- Samuel, baptized 14 Nov. 1647
- Thomas, baptized 16 Apr. 1650
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Family 2
- Peter Pett, married 1st Elizabeth Paynter, 2nd Elizabeth Thornton
- Children of Peter Pett and his first wife, Elizabeth Paynter:
- Joseph, of Limehouse, died 1605, married Margaret (unknown maiden name)
- Children of Joseph and Margaret Pett:
- William
- William, of Limehouse, Assistant Master Shipwright/Master Shipwright, born or baptized 23 Dec. 1627, died 1687, married Elizabeth March
- Children of William and Elizabeth Pett:
- Elizabeth
- Lucy
- James, married to Frances (unknown maiden name), had son Phineas born ca. 1644
- Peter of Wapping, Purveyor (1594), Shipbuilder (1631), Keeper of the Plank Yard (1615–1638), married 1st Ann Tusam, 2nd Elizabeth (unknown maiden name)
- Children of Peter Pett of Wapping:
- Peter of Deptford, Master Shipwright at Woolwich and Deptford 1629~52, inherited his father's shipyard at Ratcliffe, born 1592, died 1652, married Elizabeth Johnson
- Children of Peter and Elizabeth Pett:
- Phineas C., born 1635, died 1694, 3rd Commissioner at Chatham, Shipwright, whose son Phineas (died 1680, married Elizabeth (unknown maiden name), was 2nd Assistant Master Shipwright at Chatham
- William, Clerk in Holy OrdersHoly OrdersThe term Holy Orders is used by many Christian churches to refer to ordination or to those individuals ordained for a special role or ministry....
at Cuxton, died 1651 in Devon - Elizabeth, married to Thomas Barwick
- Ann
- Mary, died 1668
- Richard, of London
- Lydia, died 1610
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- Children of Peter and Elizabeth (Thornton) Pett:
- Jane Susannah, died 1567
- PhineasPhineas PettPhineas Pett was a shipwright and a member of the Pett dynasty.-Family background:Born at "Deptford Strond", he was the second son of Peter Pett of Deptford, his elder brother being named Joseph....
, Shipwright, First HMD Commissioner at Chatham (1630-47), born 1570 at Deptford Stronde, died 1647, married 1st Ann Nicholls of MiddlesexMiddlesexMiddlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
(died 1627; details of Phineas' children by Ann are found below) in 1598 at Stepney, 2nd Susan (Eaglefield) Yardley of Stratford le Bow (died 1637, widow of Robert Yardley, by whom she had three children) in 1627, 3rd Mildred (Etherington) Byland (died 1638) in 1638 - Noah, died 1595
- Peter, died 1600
- Rachel, died ca. 1591, married Rev. W. Newman
- Abigale, died 1599
- Elizabeth, died 1599
- Mary, died 1626, married (unknown given name) Cooper
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Family 3
- Peter Pett, born 1593, died 1652, Shipwright at Deptford, married Alice (unknown maiden name)
- Children of Peter and Alice Pett:
- Peter, Sir, Judge Advocate to Ireland, Member of Parliament, author, born 31 Oct. 1630, baptized at Deptford, married Alice Newman of Chatham in 1658
- Children of Sir Peter and Alice Pett:
- Phineas, died 1674, married Rabsah (unknown maiden name, died 1662)
- Children of Phineas and Rabsah Pett:
- Charles, died 1662
- Mary
- James
- Alice, born 1666
- Phineas, Sir, Comptroller of His Majesty's Store Accounts, knighted 1680
- Peter, Sir, Judge Advocate to Ireland, Member of Parliament, author, born 31 Oct. 1630, baptized at Deptford, married Alice Newman of Chatham in 1658
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Extension of Family 2
- Children of Phineas and Ann Pett:
- John, Captain, Royal Navy, lost in the ship Whelp, Kent, born 1601/2, died 1628, married Katherine Yardley (third daughter of Robert Yardley)
- Children of John and Katherine Pett:
- Phineas, Master Shipwright, Chatham, born 1628, died 1678
- Henry, born 27 Mar. 1603, died 1613
- Richard, Shipwright at Chatham, born 1606, died 1629
- Joseph, Shipwright at Chatham, born 1608, died 1627
- PeterPeter PettPeter Pett, was an English Master Shipwright, and Second Resident Commissioner of Chatham Dockyard. He is noted for the incident concerning the protection of his scale models and drawings of the King's Fleet during the Dutch Raid on the Medway, in Kent in June 1667, during the Second Anglo-Dutch...
, Shipwright, 2nd Commissioner at Chatham (1647–1668), born 1610, died 1672, married 1st Katherine Cole, 2nd Mary Smith of Greenwich- Children of Peter Pett:
- Ann, born 1612
- Phineas, born 1615, died 1617
- Mary, born 1617, baptized 22 Apr. 1617, died 1617, twin sister of Martha
- Martha, born 1617, died 1637, twin sister of Mary, married John Hoderne
- Phineas, Captain, Royal Navy, killed in the ship Tiger, born 1610, died 1665, married Frances Carre
- Children of Phineas and Frances Pett:
- Phineas, Shipwright, born 1646, baptized ca. 1670, died 1694
- Christopher, Sir, Master Shipwright, Woolwich and Deptford (1652–1668), born 1620, died 1668, married Ann (unknown maiden name, died 1679)
- Children of Sir Christopher and Ann Pett:
- Ann, died 1714, married in 1674 to Daniel Furzer (Master Shipwright, Chatham: 1698, Surveyor of the Navy 1699)
- Children of Daniel and Ann Furzer:
- Elizabeth Furzer, died 1751
External links
- Phineas Pett: Beginnings of English Ship-Building
- Pett, Petty and Penn naval and other maritime interactions (including German aurum fulminans (monatomic gold?) weaponry development
- Present day historical connections in Greater London
- An article explaining how two portraits previously thought to be of Sir William Monson and Peter Pett are probably of Phineas Pett, builder of the Sovereign of the Seas.