Sir William Courteen

William Courteen was English merchant and ship-owner well-known for his enterprises in the West Indies and in the East Indies.

Born in a family of a Protestant refugee who came to London in 1568, Courteen from an early age acted as the agent in Haarlem, Netherlands for his father’s silk and linen business. At Haarlem he made a favorable marriage with the deaf daughter of a Dutch merchant Peter Cromling which brought him a substantial dowry. His career prospered in the following period and in 1606 he became senior partner in the merchant house of Courteen and Moncy. By trading with Europe, Guinea and West Indies Courteen made a considerable fortune and due to his prominence he was knighted in 1622.

Courteen was also involved in shipbuilding activities and had a fleet of vessels which at one time numbered twenty ships. During an expedition, one of his ships discovered an island which he named Barbados and started to colonize it. But, his discovery and efforts were disputed by James Hay, 1st earl of Carlisle who claimed to be owner of all the Caribbean islands lying between ten and twenty degrees of latitude.

He also suffered losses due to large loans made to Kings James I and Charles I, and trading failures in the East Indies.

However, Courteen continued to be wealthy businessman and he left many legacies to charitable institutions in his will.