Pett dynasty

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 quote is from "The Command of the Ocean: A Naval History of Britain, 1649-1815", [ISBN 0-393-06050-0, pp. 45-46] by N.A.M. Rodger, noted historian of the English Navy. The quotation is from Chapter Three, "A Looking-Glass of Calamity, Administration 1649-1660", the era during which Samuel Pepys was much involved in getting royal aid for Ann Pett, widow of Christopher Pett, whose surname is spelled Pate in some records of the so-called "Stepney Folk", from whom came many famous English seafarers. [ [http://website.lineone.net/~fight/Stepney/namespq.htm Stepney names] ]

Much of this article is based on the chapter of the book by Samuel Smiles, "Men of Invention and Industry" [Harper & Brothers, New York, 1885] , that is essentially extracted from the diaries of Phineas Pett and Samuel Pepys. It does not, however, provide us keys to unlock the history of the relationships and competition between the seafaring and shipbuilding Pett and Petty families, and collateral family, social, merchant and industrial relationships of the Petts, which were, to say the least, shrouded in craft secrecy and political intrigue. The Petts were not paranoid in their perception of perils.

We live in a world that would have been hard to fathom by the seafaring Petts. Theirs was a world of ruthless competition, in which only the excellent was acceptable. Their world was unbounded by national borders, but steel girt by royal loyalties. All language and symbology was as one to them, tools for making a world to their design. They would have understood:

L'homme avec la face assombrie qui court de la croix sanglante court non plus.
Baies qui abritent dans toutes les mers sont maintenant par le Diable tout découvertu.
L'homme cachée qui court a non où autrement courir n'importe quel plus.
Tout le vertueux morte sont debout avec les vivants dans la lumière de vérité révélu.
Quelque part avec Dieu dans Le Royaume Paisible vrai de William Penn.
Ceci est la signification de la Paetus et Arria du peintre Benjamin West.

The four Peter Petts

Peter Pett, Master Shipwright of Deptford, 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 Fellows 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, who was disgraced because of the Battle Of Medway. 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. [ [http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=45482 Deptford, St Nicholas | British History Online ] ]

Peter Pett, in his application for arms, explicitly indicates his descent from Thomas Pett of Skipton. Note that Skipton is just down the North Yorkshire Y08 road from Skipwith Hall. A John Pate married into the Merovingian Skipwith family, which has De Vere connections to Lanarkshire, Scotland, where Pates are connected to Blackwood House, ancestral home of HRH Prince Nicholas de Vere, author of The Dragon Legacy, which is made more rational and understandable by Mark Anderson, in his history-shattering book “Shakespeare” By Another Name. For whatever reason, a John Pate saw fit to change his surname to Rose. Do not underestimate the seriousness of Merovingian royalty involvement in modern power politics and Gothic literature, which is the basis for the “New Age” religious movement, seen most dramatically in the cathedrals built by operative Templar masons, that figure so prominently in the Da Vinci Code.

Joseph Pett of Limehouse, 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. [ [http://www.iwchs.com/IWCHistory.html History, Isle of Wight County (Virginia) ] ] The Virginia General Assemby 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. Hertford was named after Hertfordshire, location of Chislehurst Wood, later known as Pett’s Wood, [question this- Chisleshurst and Petts wood are in Kent near to Deptford] source of lumber for Pett (Pate) family shipbuilding in Deptford. 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. [ [http://www.fantompowa.net/Flame/blackheath_slavery.htm Blackheath Slavery] ] 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.

Details of Pett families

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 Hoborn, 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----

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 Orders at Cuxton, died 1651 in Devon
****Elizabeth, married to Thomas Barwick
****Ann
****Mary, died 1668
****Richard, of London
**Lydia, died 1610

**Children of Peter and Elizabeth (Thornton) Pett:
**Jane Susannah, died 1567
**Phineas, Shipwright, First HMD Commissioner at Chatham (1630-47), born 1570 at Deptford Stronde, died 1647, married 1st Ann Nicholls of Middlesex(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----

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----

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
**Peter, 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

References

External links

* [http://www.nalanda.nitc.ac.in/resources/english/etext-project/Biography/menofinv/chapter2.html#8 Phineas Pett: Beginnings of English Ship-Building]
* [http://www.athelstane.co.uk/kingston/rulewave/rwave10.htm Pett, Petty and Penn naval and other maritime interactions (including German aurum fulminans (monatomic gold?) weaponry development]
* [http://www.thisishertfordshire.co.uk/archive/display.var.325886.0.local_history.php Present day historical connections in Greater London]
* [http://www.mesh3.com/pett/Phineas%20Pett%20Portraits.pdf 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.