Carleton 1742–1762 Samuel Crawley 1762–1794 Anthony Hayes 1794–1825 Francis Werry At Aleppo 1580–1586 William Barrett 1586–1586 James Toverson 1586–1586 John Eldred 1592–1594 Michael Locke 1596 George Dorrington (acting vice-consul) 1596–1596 Thomas Sandys 1596–1597 Ralph Fitch 1597–1597 Richard Colthurst vacant 1606 James Hawarde (acting vice-consul) 1606–1610 Paul Pindar 1610–1616 Bartholomew Haggatt 1616–1621 Libby Chapman 1621–1627 Edward Kirkham 1627–1630 Thomas Potton 1630–1638 John Wandesford 1638–1649 Edward Bernard 1649–1659 Henry Riley 1659–1672 Benjamin Lannoy 1672–1686 Gamaliel Nightingale 1686–1689 Thomas Metcalfe 1689–1701 Henry Hastings 1701–1706 George Brandon 1707–1715 William Pilkington 1716–1726 John Purnell 1727–1740 Nevil Coke 1740–1745 Nathaniel Micklethwait 1745–1751 Arthur Pollard 1751–1758 Alexander Drummond 1758–1758 Francis Browne 1759–1766 William Kinloch 1766–1768 Henry Preston 1768–1770 William Clark 1770–1772 Charles Smith (pro-consul) 1770–1783 John Abbott 1783–1784 David Hays (pro-consul) 1784–1786 Charles Smith (pro-consul) 1786–1791 Michael de Vezin (pro-consul) factory closed 1791–1803 1803–1825 John Barker Shipping numbers: Turkey and the Levant Chaplains Decline Membership began declining in the early eighteenth century. In its decline the Company was looked upon as an abuse, a drain on the resources of Britain. The Company's purview was thrown open to free trade in 1754, but continued its activities until dissolution in 1825. The name of the bird called 'turkey' came from the Turkey merchants. Turkish opium was bought by the Levant Company. The Levant Company encompassed American merchants before 1811 who bought Turkish opium. These merchants would sell the opium to the Chinese, beginning in 1806. Among these American Turkey merchants were members of the famous Astor family. Heraldry The arms of the Levant Company were: Azure, on a sea in base proper, a ship with three masts in full sail or, between two rocks of the second, all the sails, pennants, and ensigns argent, each charged with a cross gules, a chief engrailed of the third, in base a seahorse proper. * The crest was: On a wreath of the colours, a demi seahorse saliant. The supporters were: Two seahorses. The Latin motto was: Deo reipublica et amicis ("For God, the Commonwealth and our Friends"). See also Chartered companies British foreign policy in the Middle East Notes References Manuscripts Harley MSS, 306 Standing Ordinances of the Levant Company (ff.72-4) c.1590 Lansdowne MSS. 60 Petition of the Turkey and Venice Merchants to be incorporated into one body (f.8) c.1590-1 MSS Bodleian Library Folio 665, (i List of the Membership of The Levant Company, 1701 (ff.97-8) British Museum, 1718. Paragraphs of