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Authorised form of nameRycaut; Sir; Paul (? 1628 - 1700); diplomat and writer
Other forms of surnameRycant
Ricant
Ricaut
Dates? 1628 - 1700
NationalityBritish
Place of birthThe Friary, his father's seat at Aylesford, Kent, England, Europe
Date of birth1628 or 1629
Date of death16 November 1700
DatesAndPlacesBurial:
South chancel of Aylesford church, Kent, England, Europe
OccupationDiplomat
ActivityEducation:
Trinity College, Cambridge (BA 1650); Gray's Inn (admitted 1652)
Career:
Secretary in the Turkish Embassy of Heneage Finch, Earl of Winchilsea (1661); Consul of the Levant company at Smyrna [0zmir] (1667-1679); Secretary to the Earl of Clarendon (1685); Privy Councillor (1685); Judge of the Admiralty in Ireland (1685); Resident at Hamburg and the Hanse towns, Germany (1689-1700)
Honours:
Kt 1685
Memberships:
Dublin Philosophical Society
Membership categoryFellow
Date of election12/12/1666
ProposerHenry Heathcote
Henry Howard, 6th Duke of Norfolk
Other Royal Society activityHad a letter read and published in the 'Philosophical Transactions' on natural history and zoological matters (1699)
RelationshipsParents: Sir Peter Rycaut and Mary Vercolad
PublishedWorksRCN: R61721
OtherInfoRycault published multiple works on the Ottoman Empire and its culture, religion, and history. His diplomatic and linguistic skill afforded him his appointment as resident in Hamburg. He also translated 'The Critick' by Balthazar Gracian from Spanish. Reportedly, Rycault tried to introduce down-filled duvets to England but remained unsuccessful for over a century.
Related imagesDiscover a selection of related images in our picture library
Image

Rycaut_P_IM003959.jpg

SourceSources:
Bulloch's Roll; DNB; Venn; Hunter
References:
K Theodore Hoppen, 'The Royal Society and Ireland. II' in NR 1965 vol 20 pp 78-99
Notes:
Hunter gives birth date as 1629.
Virtual International Authority Filehttp://viaf.org/viaf/132112
CodeNA8384
Archives associated with this Fellow
RefNoTitleDate
P/0113Portrait of Rycaut, Sir Paul1691
IM/003960Rycaut, Sir Paulnd
IM/003959Rycaut, Sir Paulnd
EL/R1/52Letter, from Paul Rycaut to Mr Ellis, dated at Thorne30 December 1698
EL/O1/56Letter, from Henry Oldenburg to Paul Rycaut30 January 1668
EL/R1/20Letter, from Paul Rycaut to Henry Oldenburg, dated at Deale16 February 1667
EL/R1/21Letter, from Paul Rycaut to Henry Oldenburg, dated at Smyrna23 November 1667
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