Uriemon Eaton
First Japanese Briton to attend Trinity College, Cambridge
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Uriemon Eaton or Ureamon Eaton (fl. 1639–1640, c.1621–1670) was a Trinity College alumnus and early member of the Japanese in the United Kingdom.
Uriemon Eaton | |
|---|---|
| Born | |
| Died | |
| Occupation | Scholar |
| Known for | Being the first Japanese Briton to attend Trinity College, Cambridge |
Biography
Eaton was an early member of the Japanese in the United Kingdom, born in Hirado, Japan after his father William Eaton and mother Kamezo (William's common-law wife) met during the period of the opening of the English trade factory East India Company in Japan (1613-1623). Eaton also had a half sister 'Helena' born to O'Man.[1] In English sources such as the Diary of Richard Cocks, early Euro-Asian relations are discussed including his life as a member of the English community in Japan. On occasion he appears in the English records as both William or Uriemon Eaton.[2]
Cocks relays how Eaton was taken by his father to live with him in England at a young age after the closing of the English factory in 1623, travelling separately via Batavia on a Dutch ship in 1624, sent by Cocks.[3] His family left behind in Japan (Kamezou and Helena) also kept in contact from Japan until at least 1624 via Cocks.[4] When Cocks died in 1624, Uriemon was accepted and 'maintained' (supported) through his studies by family and friends in England.[5] He is known to have petitioned Charles I of England in 1639 for denizen rights to gain access higher education, gaining these and attending Trinity College in Cambridge in 1640, then again after a bout of illness, in 1641.[6][7] Later records point to his having survived until the late 1670s.[8]
Further reading
- The English Factory in Japan, 1613-1623, Volume II, Anthony Farrington, British Library, 1991, Great Britain