Satterthwaite Letter Books : Satterthwaite Letter Book Volume 1

Satterthwaite Letter Books

<p style='text-align: justify;'> Benjamin Satterthwaite was an English Quaker, the first of Thomas Satterthwaite and Mary Ledger’s three children. Born in Leeds in 1718, he moved to Lancaster in 1731 with his mother and siblings following the death of his father in 1728. Benjamin spent the majority of his life serving as resident factor in the West indies for his family’s firm and documented his time as factor in the form of a letter book comprised of three volumes. The letters in the third volume were written by his son John Satterthwaite. John worked as a factor in the West Indies in the 1770s. </p><p style='text-align: justify;'> The first volume follows Benjamin’s life as factor in Barbados for the Townson-Rawlinson-Dilworth family firms from 1737 to 1741. In 1741 Benjamin marries Anglican-born Jane Casson and is subsequently disowned by his family and the Society of Friends for a brief period. </p>