CLAYHILL, THOMAS [SSNE 3831]

Surname

CLAYHILL, CLAYHILLS

First name

THOMAS

Nationality

SCOT

Region

ANGUS

Text source

Thomas Clayhills was born as a merchant's son in 1626 and moved to Danzig and further on to Riga around 1639, and he was still there in 1663 when he became involved in an inheritance dispute involving Mary Johnston. She was the only heir of Commander Francis Johnston and her husband John Bannatin. Francis apparently left two dispositions, one with William Jonston of Bishopcleuch and one with Thomas Clayhill in Riga. Mary declared to the Scottish Privy Council that she was the rightful heir (a fact agreed to by James Jonston of Annand and William Jonston). However, one John Forsyth of Taodun sent various letters to Mary's husband misrepresenting the disposition left with Clayhill in Riga with the intent of defrauding Mary. This is most likely John Forsyth, merchant of Dundee whose son Andrew Forsyth [SSNE 6630] was a merchant of Riga and received his birthbrieve from Scotland in March 1663. The Privy Council was asked to intervene in the dispute. His sons, Johann, Thomas and Hermann, moved to Tallinn. Johann Clayhills, who obtained the burghership of Tallinn in 1684, married the daughter of Thomas von Drenteln and inherited the company of his father-in-law. His son Thomas Clayhills, the mayor (Bürgermeister) of the town, left the company to his son Hermann Johann Clayhills (1719-1770), who gave the company its name "Thomas Clayhills & Son". There is a corpus of archival data pertaining to this company in the Talinn archives

Register of the Privy Council of Scotland, 3rd series, I (1661-1664), pp.493-494; D. Fedosov, The Caledonian Connection (Aberdeen, 1996); Ajalooarhiiv (Estonian Historical Archives), Ekspeditsioonifirma "Thomas Clayhills & Son", Reference code: 4924; Steve Murdoch, Network North: Scottish Kin, Commercial and Covert Associations in Northern Europe, 1603-1746 (Brill, Leiden, 2006), p.231.

Service record

DANZIG, POLAND-LITHUANIA, DANZIG

Arrived 1638-01-01

Capacity MERCHANT, purpose MERCHANT

SWEDEN, RIGA

Arrived 1639-01-01

Departed 1664-01-01

Capacity MERCHANT BURGESS, purpose COMMERCE, MERCANTILE, TRADE