Anthony Abdy (18 October 1579 (baptised) – 10 September 1640), was a citizen and East India merchant of

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. On the death of his father in 1595 he inherited lands at Colliers Row, Havering atte Bower,

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

and property in Red Lion Gate, London. He had a small book collection.

Career

Abdy served as an

alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many Jurisdiction, jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council membe ...

of the City of London and was

Sheriff of London Two sheriffs are elected annually for the City of London by the Liverymen of the City livery company, livery companies. Today's sheriffs have only nominal duties, but the historical officeholders had important judicial responsibilities. They have ...

, 1630-31. He was appointed as a director of the

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southea ...

in 1617 and as its deputy governor in 1639. He lived in Lime Street, London, in the house where

William Dockwra William Dockwra (c. 1635–1716) was an English merchant who along with his partner Robert Murray (financier), Robert Murray created the first London Penny Post, Penny Post in London in 1680. In latter 17th century London there was no official p ...

’s

Penny Post The Penny Post is any one of several postal systems in which normal letters could be sent for one penny. Five such schemes existed in the United Kingdom while the United States initiated at least three such simple fixed rate postal arrangements. Un ...

was established in 1680. He was a member of the

Worshipful Company of Clothworkers The Worshipful Company of Clothworkers was incorporated by Royal Charter in 1528, formed by the amalgamation of its two predecessor companies, the Fullers (incorporated 1480) and the Shearmen (incorporated 1508). It succeeded to the position of t ...

and served as its Master in 1632. In 1630, he purchased the Felix Hall estate in Essex, which was bequeathed to his eldest son, Thomas. Abdy had a small private book collection in his Lime Street home, valued at £12. In addition, the Felix Hall estate held a small number of books valued at 12s. He was buried in

St Mary Abchurch St Mary Abchurch is a Church of England church off Cannon Street in the City of London. Dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, it is first mentioned in 1198–1199. The medieval church was destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666, and replace ...

, London.

Family

He married Abigail (d. after 1640), daughter of Sir

Thomas Cambell Sir Thomas Cambell (c. 1536 – 13 February 1614) was an English merchant who was Lord Mayor of London in 1609. Life Cambell was a city of London merchant and a member of the Worshipful Company of Ironmongers. He was auditor for the city fro ...

, (who was

Lord Mayor of London The Lord Mayor of London is the mayor of the City of London and the leader of the City of London Corporation. Within the City, the Lord Mayor is accorded precedence over all individuals except the sovereign and retains various traditional powe ...

in 1609-10), on 14 August 1610 at

St Mary Aldermary The Guild Church of St Mary Aldermary a contraction of St Mary Aldermanbury (or St Mary Elder Mary) is an Anglican church located in Watling Street at the junction with Bow Lane, in the City of London. Of medieval origin, it was rebuilt from 15 ...

, London. They had six sons (three of whom became baronets): Sir Thomas Abdy (1612–86); Anthony Abdy (1615–22); Sir Robert Abdy (1616–70) of Albyns; Sir John Abdy (1617–62) of Moores in Salcot Verley; Nicholas Abdy (b. 1618) and Roger Abdy (1620–42) as well as three daughters: Alice Abdy (1611–69); Abigail Abdy (b. 1622; d. before 1640) and Sarah Abdy (b. 1624).

References

*J.B. Burke, ''Peerage and Baronetage'', 1924 {{DEFAULTSORT:Abdy, Anthony 1579 births 1640 deaths Sheriffs of the City of London 16th-century English businesspeople 17th-century English businesspeople Merchants from London Directors of the British East India Company