William Blathwayt (or Blathwayte) (1649?-August 1717) was a civil servant and politician who established the War Office as a department of the British Government and played an important part in administering the Thirteen Colonies of North America. // Events January 30 - King Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland is beheaded. ... // Events January 4 — The Netherlands, Britain & France sign Triple Alliance February 26-March 6 What is now the northeastern United States was paralyzed by a series of blizzards that buried the region. ... Old War Office Building, Whitehall, London - the former location of the War Office The War Office was a former department of the British Government, responsible for the administration of the British Army between the 17th century and 1963, when its functions were transferred to the Ministry of Defence. ... The United Kingdom is a unitary state and a democratic constitutional monarchy. ... Betsy Ross purportedly sewed the first American flag with 13 stars and 13 stripes representing each of the 13 colonies. ... World map showing location of North America A satellite composite image of North America North America is a continent in the northern hemisphere, bounded on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the North Atlantic Ocean, on the south by the Caribbean Sea, and on the west...

Born in the parish of St Martin-in-the-Fields in London, Blathwayt was born to a well-to-do family of Protestant merchants and lawyers. His father, William Blathwayt senior, was educated at Brasenose College, Oxford and attended the Middle Temple. William junior followed the same route, enrolling at the Middle Temple in 1665. He joined the diplomatic service in 1668 when his uncle Thomas Povey, an influential London lawyer, found him a post at the English embassy in The Hague. St Martin-in-the-Fields is a Church of England church just northeast off Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, London. ... St Stevens Tower - The Clock Tower of the Palace of Westminster which contains Big Ben London (see also different names) is the capital city of the United Kingdom and of England. ... Protestantism is a general grouping of denominations within Christianity. ... Brasenose College (in full: The Kings Hall and College of Brasenose) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. ... The Middle Temple is one of the four Inns of Court around the Royal Courts of Justice in London. ... Events March 4 - Start of the Second Anglo-Dutch War March 6 - Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society begins publication March 16 - Bucharest allows Jews to settle in the city in exchange of annual tax of 16 guilders June 3 - The Duke of York defeats the Dutch Fleet off the... // Events January - The Triple Alliance of 1668 is formed. ... Arms of The Hague The Hague (with capital T; Dutch: Den Haag, or officially s-Gravenhage) is the administrative capital of the Netherlands, located in the west of the country, in the province South Holland of which it is also the capital. ...

Returning to London in the early 1670s, Blathwayt became a clerk to the Privy Council, a highly influential body which advised the King. He was considered "as a very fit person" to be assistant to the secretary of the council, becoming heavily involved in the administration of England's colonies in North America. In 1680 he became the first auditor-general of royal revenues in America, and after 1685 became the secretary of the Privy Council's committee on trade and foreign plantations - in effect, colonial under-secretary. It was in this capacity that he became a key figure in American affairs. He was responsible for establishing the charter of the Crown colony of the Province of Massachusetts Bay, the predecessor of the state of Massachusetts. He did much to promote trade in America and the Caribbean, promoting the slave trade and benefitting considerably from gifts and bribes received in connection with his office (as was the usual practice in his day). A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a nation, especially in a monarchy. ... Events First Portuguese governor was appointed to Macau The Swedish city Karlskrona was founded as the Royal Swedish Navy relocated there. ... Events February 6 - James Stuart, Duke of York becomes King James II of England and Ireland and King James VII of Scotland. ... A United Kingdom overseas territory (formerly known as a dependent territory or earlier as a crown colony) is a territory that is under the sovereignty and formal control of the United Kingdom but is not part of the United Kingdom proper (Great Britain and Northern Ireland). ... The Province of Massachusetts Bay was a crown colony organized October 7, 1691 in North America by the monarch of England. ... State nickname: Bay State Other U.S. States Capital Boston Largest city Boston Governor Mitt Romney (R) Official languages English Area 27,360 km² (44th)  - Land 20,317 km²  - Water 7,043 km² (25. ... ... This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

In October 1686, he became the Clerk of the Privy Council. That same year, he married Mary Wynter, a wealthy heiress. His rise was noted by many of his contemporaries; the diarist John Evelyn commended him as "very dexterous in business" and as one who had "raised himself by his industry from very moderate circumstances." Events The League of Augsburg is founded. ... John Evelyn (October 31, 1620 - February 27, 1706) was an English writer, gardener and diarist. ...

In 1683, Blathwayt obtained by purchase the office of Secretary at War. This was originally merely the role of secretary to the Commander-in-Chief of the British Army but under Blathwayt the remit of the Secretary was greatly expanded to encompass all areas of Army administration. He effectively established the War Office as a department of the government, although he had very little input into the actual conduct of wars. Issues of strategic policy during wartime were managed by the Northern and Southern Departments (the predecessors of today's Foreign Office and Home Office respectively). Events June 6 - The Ashmolean Museum opens as the worlds first university museum. ... The Secretary at War was a position with some responsibility over the administration of the British military. ... Commander-in-Chief (in NATO-lingo often C-in-C or CINC pronounced sink) is the commander of all the military forces within a particular region or of all the military forces of a state. ... The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British military. ... Old War Office Building, Whitehall, London - the former location of the War Office The War Office was a former department of the British Government, responsible for the administration of the British Army between the 17th century and 1963, when its functions were transferred to the Ministry of Defence. ... The Northern Department was a former department of the government of England and later the United Kingdom, responsible for dealing with government business in the northern part of Europe. ... The Southern Department was a former department of the government of England and later the United Kingdom. ... The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is the United Kingdom government department responsible for promoting the interests of the United Kingdom abroad. ... The modern concept of Small Office and Home Office or SoHo , or Small or Home Office deals with the category of business which can be from 1 to 10 workers. ...

From 1692-1702, Blathwayt served as the Secretary of State to King William III. He became a Whig Member of Parliament for Bath in 1693 (a post which he retained until 1710) and built a large mansion house for himself at Dyrham Park near Bristol, which he decorated with numerous Dutch Old Masters and sumptuous fabrics and furnishings. Events February 13 - Massacre of Glencoe March 1 - The Salem witch trials begin in Salem Village, Massachusetts Bay Colony with the charging of three women with witchcraft. ... Events March 8 - William III died; Princess Anne Stuart becomes Queen Anne of England, Scotland and Ireland. ... In several countries, Secretary of State is a senior government position. ... For other men named William of Orange, see William of Orange (disambiguation) William III of England (14 November 1650–8 March 1702; also known as William II of Scotland, William Henry and William of Orange) was a Dutch aristocrat and the Holy Roman Empires Prince of Orange from his... This article is about the British Whig party. ... A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters of an electoral district to a parliament; in the Westminster system, specifically to the lower house. ... Palladian Pulteney Bridge and the weir at Bath Bath is a city in south-west England, most famous for its baths fed by three hot springs. ... Events January 11 - Eruption of Mt. ... // Events April 10 - The worlds first copyright legislation became effective, Britains Statute of Anne Ongoing events Great Northern War (1700-1721) War of the Spanish Succession (1702-1713) Births January 4 - Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, Italian composer (d. ... An Old Master (or old master) is one of the great European painters who lived 1500 through 1800, or a painting by one of these painters. ...

Blathwayt retired to Dyrham in 1710 (his wife had died in 1691). He remained there until his death in 1717; he is buried in the local churchyard. Events March 5 - French troops under Marshal Louis-Francois de Boufflers besiege the Spanish-held town of Mons March 29 - Siege of Mons ends to the city’s surrender October 3 - Treaty of Limerick which guaranteed civil rights to catholics was signed. ... // Events January 4 — The Netherlands, Britain & France sign Triple Alliance February 26-March 6 What is now the northeastern United States was paralyzed by a series of blizzards that buried the region. ...

References

• "The Lords of Trade and Plantations, 1675-1696", Winfred T. Root (American Historical Review 23 (October 1917): 20-41)
• William Blathwayt - Virtual American Biographies
• Chronological Listing of Documents and Events relating to the Massachusetts Mint, Louis Jordan
• Committees of the Privy Council for trade and plantations 1675-96
• The Golden Falcon Chapter XIII/2 - Neptune
• William Blathwayt: a late 17th Century English Administrator, G. A. Jacobsen (New Haven 1932)