William Willshire also known as William Wiltshire (c. 1790 – 4 August 1851), was British
Vice Consul
A consul is an official representative of the government of one state in the territory of another, normally acting to assist and protect the citizens of the consul's own country, as well as to facilitate trade and friendship between the people ...
to
Mogadore (Essaouira),
Morocco
Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria t ...
from 1814 until 1844, before being assigned to the
Consularship of
Adrianople (Edirne) in 1845, until his death in 1851.
A native of London, he became an employee of English trading house James Renshaw and Co, and in early 1814 he was dispatched to Mogadore as that company's agent there. In the years thereafter he established himself as the foremost European
merchant in the city, which was at that time an important trading port linking
Saharan and
Sub-Saharan
Sub-Saharan Africa is, geographically, the area and regions of the continent of Africa that lies south of the Sahara. These include West Africa, East Africa, Central Africa, and Southern Africa. Geopolitically, in addition to the African co ...
Africa to Europe and North America. Today Willshire is best remembered as the man who redeemed, cared for, and helped repatriate hundreds of Western
sailors
A sailor, seaman, mariner, or seafarer is a person who works aboard a watercraft as part of its crew, and may work in any one of a number of different fields that are related to the operation and maintenance of a ship.
The profession of the s ...
enslaved in the
Sultanate
This article includes a list of successive Islamic states and Muslim dynasties beginning with the time of the Islamic prophet Muhammad (570–632 CE) and the early Muslim conquests that spread Islam outside of the Arabian Peninsula, and continuin ...
of Morocco during the early part of the 19th century, including
Captain James Riley,
Robert Adams, and
Captain Alexander Scott, all of whom would later write and publish harrowing accounts of their hardships endured as slaves in the
desert. The town of
Willshire in the US state of
Ohio
Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
is named after him, in thanks, by James Riley.
Early life and posting to Mogadore
William Willshire was born in London in 1790 and spent his early life there. Having gained employment with the London-based, English trading house James Renshaw and Co, he was despatched to Mogadore (Essaouira), Morocco as the company's agent in early 1814, partnering a successful mercantile establishment that was engaged in trading between Mogadore and Great Britain with the resident British Vice Consul and merchant
Joseph Dupuis
Joseph Dupuis (1789–1874) was appointed as Consul and Vice-Consul for the British Government between 1811 and 1842, with various postings to Africa during that period, including one as Vice-Consul in Mogador. He was married to Evelina Danby, who ...
.
Appointed Vice Consul
When Dupuis returned to Britain in August 1814 he recommended Willshire to take over as British Vice Consul in Mogadore, a recommendation that was accepted by the
Foreign Office in London. After his appointment he remained the Vice Consul in the city and the agent of the American Consul General in
Tangier
Tangier ( ; ; ar, طنجة, Ṭanja) is a city in northwestern Morocco. It is on the Moroccan coast at the western entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar, where the Mediterranean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Spartel. The town is the capi ...
for Mogadore too, (there being no Americans in the town to accept the duties of vice consul), until he left Mogadore in 1844.
The redemption of Christian slaves
Part of the British Vice Consul's duties at Mogadore involved the redemption of British
nationals (usually sailors) from slavery under the terms of an Anglo/Moroccan treaty. To secure a redemption he employed as payment The Ironmongers' Fund, administered by The
Worshipful Company of Ironmongers
The Worshipful Company of Ironmongers is one of the Great Twelve Livery Company, livery companies of the City of London, incorporated under a Royal Charter in 1463.
History
The Ironmongers, who were originally known as the Ferroners, were in ...
in London and set up by one of its members, Thomas Betton, in 1723, who himself had been enslaved in
Barbary.
Willshire was an intensely devout
Anglican throughout his life and upon arriving in Mogadore and learning of the desperate hardships suffered by enslaved, mostly European and American Christian sailors who had been wrecked on the
Saharan coast, he resolved to work tirelessly to secure the freedom of as many as he was able, regardless of nationality.
Barbary pirates took Europeans for ransom or slavery from passing ships or coastal towns as far north as Iceland. The
first Barbary war
The First Barbary War (1801–1805), also known as the Tripolitan War and the Barbary Coast War, was a conflict during the Barbary Wars, in which the United States and Sweden fought against Tripolitania. Tripolitania had declared war against Sw ...
attempted to stop the practice but this stoppage proved temporary but the
second Barbary war
The Second Barbary War (1815) or the U.S.–Algerian War was fought between the United States and the North African Barbary Coast states of Tripoli, Tunis, and Algiers. The war ended when the United States Senate ratified Commodore Stephen ...
finally stopped it. The US
Marines hymn commemorates their involvement in the first Barbary war.
Captain James Riley
It was during one such redemption in 1815 that he first became aware of Captain James Riley. An American national, Riley's ship had been wrecked off the
Western Sahara
Western Sahara ( '; ; ) is a disputed territory on the northwest coast and in the Maghreb region of North and West Africa. About 20% of the territory is controlled by the self-proclaimed Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), while the ...
coast in August of that year and he and his crew enslaved. Willshire was approached by Riley's master Sidi Hamet with the purpose of ransoming Captain Riley and some of his crew.
The Ransom was completed successfully with Riley and some of his crew delivered to Willshire.
During Riley's convalescence at Willshire's house in Mogadore, the two became firm friends and later, business partners, forming a close relationship that lasted until Riley's death in 1840. Riley later went on to find fame with his published journal ''
Sufferings in Africa'', describing his experiences as a slave in the Moroccan Sahara.
In thanks to William Willshire for the kindnesses he had received during his redemption and subsequent convalescence, Riley named his third son William Willshire Riley. When building a new town in Ohio, USA in 1822, Riley named it
Willshire in his honour. The town today has 400 inhabitants.
Captain Alexander Scott
Shortly after the redemption of Riley and his crew, he also redeemed another notable enslaved Westerner, Captain Alexander Scott, who had survived captivity for 6 years and who also wrote an account of his hardships for ''
The New Monthly Magazine and Literary Journal'' in 1821.
Willshire was also recipient of many notes of thanks from organisations and individuals for his humanitarian work in Mogadore during his tenure as Vice Consul there, including in 1821 being elected honorary member of the
Massachusetts Peace Society The Massachusetts Peace Society (1815–1828) was an anti-war organization in Boston, Massachusetts, established to "diffuse light on the subject of war, and to cultivate the principles and spirit of peace." Founding officers included Thomas Dawes, ...
, receiving an award of $45 with the title.
Life as a merchant in Mogadore
His position as Vice Consul in Mogadore never carried with it significant financial reward (between 1831 and 1845 his salary from the foreign office was just a £100 a year), but during the 1820s and 30s as Willshire's business interests flourished, his social and professional influence in Mogadore increased, along with his personal fortune.
Over time he began to play an important role in the various intrigues of the Moroccan elite and the foreign and Jewish merchants. For example, during the early 1830s he was conferred power of attorney in the long and complex bankruptcy dispute between the influential Moroccan based
Anglo
Anglo is a prefix indicating a relation to, or descent from, the Angles, England, English culture, the English people or the English language, such as in the term ''Anglosphere''. It is often used alone, somewhat loosely, to refer to peopl ...
/Moroccan
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
merchant house Macnin & Co and its several dozen London based creditors, in their attempt to recoup the company's £21,729 debt from its Moroccan based assets.
Upon the return of James Riley to Mogadore that same year, the pair struck up what was to be a highly lucrative business partnership, exporting goods to New York.
Other activities that Willshire engaged in included drawing a sketch map of Southern Morocco for the
Royal Geographical Society and writing a commentary on it in 1845.
Marriage and children
By 1832 Willshire had married and had a young family, two sons Leonard and Alexander, a daughter Sara and two small girls.
Audience with the Sultan
In late 1839, Willshire along with his son Leonard and James Riley, were granted an audience with the Moroccan
Sultan Mulay Abdir Ahman where he received the blessings of the monarch. It was at this time that Riley persuaded Willshire that he ought to think about returning to Christian lands.
By 1840, with his fortune from his business interests amounting to some $200,000 he was ready to leave Mogadore and through James Riley he bought a home in New York at a cost of $16,000.
But soon after this James Riley died at sea and Willshire abandoned his plan to move to America, his New York property being sold.
Impoverishment and Consularship in Adrianople
The French attack Mogadore
Willshire instead remained in Mogadore and his business interests continued to flourish until an attack by the French
fleet
Fleet may refer to:
Vehicles
*Fishing fleet
*Naval fleet
*Fleet vehicles, a pool of motor vehicles
*Fleet Aircraft, the aircraft manufacturing company
Places
Canada
* Fleet, Alberta, Canada, a hamlet
England
* The Fleet Lagoon, at Chesil Beach ...
in 1844. As the most important foreigner in Mogadore it came to Willshire to negotiate with the Moroccan governor on the evacuation of foreign nationals out of the city and onto waiting British ships.
Despite securing the safe evacuation of most of the foreigners out of the city, due to a dispute over unpaid import duties with the Moroccan Sultans' officials in the town, Willshire and a number of other European merchants and their families were prevented from leaving the town and joining the British evacuation ships.
The Europeans were able to shelter safely in Willshire's warehouse whilst the French started their bombardment, but when the Sultans' officials and troops fled Mogadore under the attack, local
Arab
The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...
desert
tribesmen seized the opportunity and plundered the town for two days and nights.
During the ransacking, all of Willshire's fortune and goods were looted with Willshire and his family being manhandled and threatened in the process, his wife at one point having a scimitar held at her throat.
The families were eventually rescued by a French boat and having been handed over to the British, the Willshire's arrived in London on 4 September 1844 utterly destitute, with no home, no business and no money. William Willshire was never able to return to Mogadore to reclaim his property.
The subsequent consolatory stance towards the belligerents by the British government prevented Willshire from claiming any compensation from the French and Moroccan governments and Willshire was obliged to seek a new consular appointment.
Consularship of Adrianople
After initial refusals, the Foreign Office offered him the consulship of
Adrianople (Edirne) following the previous consuls death.
The Willshire family's time in Adrianople was one of misery, disease and poverty. On an initial salary of just £60, despite frequent requests for a raise, it was only occasionally granted. Even after a miserable five years, his wife contracting
typhus
Typhus, also known as typhus fever, is a group of infectious diseases that include epidemic typhus, scrub typhus, and murine typhus. Common symptoms include fever, headache, and a rash. Typically these begin one to two weeks after exposure. ...
, his children with frequent fevers and Willshire himself having an operation on a cancerous growth, his constant requests for a transfer were always turned down flat.
A typical response from
Viscount
A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status.
In many countries a viscount, and its historical equivalents, was a non-hereditary, administrative or judicia ...
Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston
Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston, (20 October 1784 – 18 October 1865) was a British statesman who was twice Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in the mid-19th century. Palmerston dominated British foreign policy during the period ...
was simply "write larger and in a more upright hand".
Desperate "to end my banishment from civilised society" he volunteered to retire and return to Britain, to live on his pension. The foreign office replied that his post did not entitle him to a pension, and that he could not be treated as a special case.
Death
Eventually the Foreign Office decided that it did make financial sense to close the consulate in Adrianople and use the money saved to pay Willshire on his return to Britain, a pension of £100 a year. Palmerston proposed it and the Treasury agreed. They wrote to him on 18 August 1851 to let him know the good news.
A response sent from Adrianople informed Palmerston that William Willshire had died on 4 August.
An intensely religious man, during his lifetime William Willshire, despite receiving thanks from many quarters for his work in redeeming Western Christian sailors from a life of slavery, including a vote of thanks from the
US Congress
The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washin ...
, didn't seek any accolades or recognition for his selfless and far reaching humanitarian work, but James Riley's son described him as "an honour to his nation and an ornament to mankind".
Lincoln
Lincoln most commonly refers to:
* Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States
* Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England
* Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S.
* Lincol ...
is quoted as saying that Riley's journal of his experiences in Africa, which might never have been written without Willshire's help to secure Riley's freedom, was one of the most important works in guiding his opinion on
abolition in the United States.
[Maislish, p. 409.]
See also
*
James Riley (Captain)
*
*
History of Western Sahara
The history of Western Sahara can be traced back to the times of Carthaginian explorer Hanno the Navigator in the 5th century BC. Though few historical records are left from that period, Western Sahara's modern history has its roots linked to som ...
*
History of Morocco
History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...
References
External links
The Life of James Riley and later anti slavery work in OhioThe Captivity of Captain Alexander Scott, from ''The New Monthly Magazine and Literary Journal Vol I (1821)''The Story of ''The Sultan's Jew'' in early 19th Century Morocco
{{DEFAULTSORT:Willshire, William
Civil servants in the Foreign Office
British Anglicans
Businesspeople from London
1790s births
1851 deaths
British merchants
English people of Moroccan descent
British diplomats
19th-century British diplomats
19th-century British businesspeople
19th-century English businesspeople