James Boevey

James Boevey (1622–1696) (pronounced "Boovey") was an English merchant, lawyer and philosopher of Huguenot parentage.

He was born in London at 6 a.m. on 7 May 1622 in Mincing Lane, in the parish of St. Dunstan-in-the-East. He was the youngest son of Andreas Boevey (c. 1566–1625) by his second wife Joanna der Wilde (d. 1644), daughter of Peter der Wilde. Andreas Boevey was a Dutch Huguenot from Courtrai in Flanders who had been brought to England aged 7 by his Huguenot parents following the invasion of the Low Countries by the Duke of Alva and the Duke's subsequent persecutions. Andreas had nine children by his first wife Esther Fenn and two by his second wife, the eldest of whom was James. James's mother remarried in 1628 Johannes van Abeele, a widower and member of the Dutch emigree community in Norwich.

He was educated at the Mercers' School in London, where his tutor was Mr Augur. In 1631 he went to the Netherlands to complete his schooling in Latin and Greek. In 1636 he embarked on a "grand tour" of Europe to perfect his cultural education.

Boevey started his career working for the Dutch-born financier Sir William Courten (d. 1636), discoverer of Barbados. Boeve married in 1638 Susanna Dwyer, the niece of John Money, Courten's business partner in the great firm of silk and linen merchants Courten and Money. He then worked as cashier for the banker Dierik Hoste, and also for the Spanish Ambassador in London.

During the Commonwealth whilst King Charles II was in exile on the continent, James Boevey was described in a petition later made by his son-in-law Captain William Hinton as: "Mr James Boeve of Middleburg in Zeeland... the person through whom most of the King's business passed during his exile, a duty which he fulfilled with integrity and with expense even to ruin. Yet he never asked reward, and declared that he would be satisfied if his son-in-law obtained the Government of Newfoundland". Hinton was later appointed Governor of Newfoundland.

The following record dated 29 June 1672 from the Calendar of Treasury Books explains the circumstances of Boevey's jail sentence in Zealand:

Representation to the King from the Treasury Lords concerning the case of Mr. James Bovey (Bovy), referred to said Lords by the order of Council of March 22 last, to hear and examine, in order to your Majesty's insisting upon reasonable satisfaction for your said injured subject when it shall be reasonable. Said James Boeve, merchant of London, married Susanna Dwyer, the daughter of John Moneye['s] only sister, who died in 1631 at Middleburg in Zealand, and left said Susanna a legacy of £2,000, as likewise the same legacy to the other sister Hester, who was married to John White and received her legacy from Sir William Courteen, who with one Boudean [Bowden], the son of Peter Bouden (whose window Money married), was left executor. When James Boven came to demand his legacy in the right of Susanna, his wife, Bowden, the other executor, who had drawn the most part of the estate into his hands, delayed him payment for four or five years with fair speeches. At last Boeve, finding himself abused, commenced his suit at Middleburg and obtained sentence for the payment of the legacy and interest. For the execution of this sentence he solicited a long time, but although your Majesty wrote in 1660, Aug. 15 to the States of Zealand that he might have the benefit of the sentence, yet nothing was done therein. By the law and custom there, there is no appeal to the High Court of Justice before such sentence given be performed, yet, notwithstanding, an appeal to the Great Council at the Hague was obtained and hath there depended ever since, your Majesty's letter to the States General demanding justice to be done to the said Boeve and the frequent solicitations of your minister for the expedition thereof being not at all regarded, but he hath been still delayed and denied having any end thereof. And not only was this injustice used towards the said Boeve but also they found means by false suggestions and pretences of debt, by a sentence of the Court of Admiralty of Zealand, to throw the said Boeve in prison without being heard by himself or his attorney, and continued all these injuries and injustices by the practice of the said Peter Bowden, who is a Comr. in the East India Company, although it appeared by an Act in the said court that the said suggestions and pretences are false. By all which said Boeve has been damaged above £20,000, besides the utter ruin of his credit and trade by being detained three years in prison. We represent his condition to your Majesty as a suitable time for your Majesty to insist on reparation for him by recommending his case to the Duke of Buckingham and the Earl of Arlington, Plenipotentiaries now in Holland, the cause being still depending at the Hague before the High Council and not concluded by any treaty with the States General".

Boevey withdrew from commerce and studied law at the Inner Temple, to which he was admitted on 10 June 1660. His legal training was largely utilized in launching his own personal law-suits over property in Chelsea, Gloucestershire and in the Netherlands.