ABSTRACT
Power, position and wealth were the driving motivations of Sir Josiah Child, and he succeeded in his ambitions through trade. Building on earlier ventures supplying the navy with timber and beer, Child became involved in East India Company in the 1670s and served as deputy governor and governor through much of the 1680s; he continued as a prominent force into the 1690s. The East India Company had cultivated support in the Stuart court with ‘gifts’ of substantial sums to both Charles II and James II. Free trade had some noted supporters, including the lawyer and political propagandist William Petyt, who was also tied to the political movement leading to the Glorious Revolution. Child abhorred the memory of the interruption in Company standing, in the face of a public demand for the opening of East India trade. At the same time, the first sustained campaign against Indian textiles simmered over the 1690s when the Company was least able to defend itself.
