Sir Thomas Rowe. From an original picture at Merchant Taylors Hall.

Sir Thomas Rowe. From an original picture at Merchant Taylors Hall. © National Maritime Museum, London

Repro ID: PU2478

Description: Sir Thomas Rowe (1581-1644) was a City man by birth - a grandson on one side of a Lord Mayor of London, on the other of Sir John Gresham. As a young man he had been a servant of Queen Elizabeth I; later, he had been sent by Henry, Prince of Wales, to explore the Amazon. In 1614 he led a mission to get trade concessions for the East India Company's factory at Surat from the Mughal Emperor, Jahangir. He set sail from London with four ships in March, and returned completely successful four years afterwards. Jahangir gave Rowe a 'farman' (a royal charter) which promised protection to resident English merchants.

Creator: Unknown

Date: 17th century

Credit line: National Maritime Museum, London