John Newbery

John Newbery was a London merchant and traveler remembered as one of the pioneers in India.

Newburry was one of those traders who ardently wanted to establish trade connections with India. It is known that he undertook three major voyages. On the first trip he went as far as the Levant. The second took him from the Levant through Mesopotamia to the Persian Gulf and Hormuz and then back through central Persia, the southern fringe of the Caucasus, Anatolia, and Eastern Europe.

Then the Queen Elisabeth I decided to grant a new charter in 1582 to the Levant Company and to address letters to the Emperor Akbar and to the King of China. Her representative in charge for letters addressed to these sovereign, was John Newbery, a member of the Levant Company. Namely, Newbery could speak Arabic, he was in good terms with governor of Hormuz, and competent in business dealings.

On the trip John was accompanied by merchant Ralph Fitch, a jeweler William Leedes, and an artist James Storey. The group decided to separate in 1584. Leeds remained in the emperor’s service as jewel expert; Fitch went on down the Ganges, while Newbery decided to return home. Unfortunately, Newbery died on the route home. He is remembered as the first Englishman to visit several of these regions.