Edward Bancroft
Encyclopedia
| Edward Bancroft | |
| Date of Birth | 9 January 1744 |
| Date of Death | 8 September 1821 |
| Place of Birth | Westfield, Massachusetts Westfield, Massachusetts Westfield is a city in Hampden County, in the Pioneer Valley of western Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 41,094 at the 2010 census. The ZIP Code is 01085 for homes and businesses, 01086 for Westfield State... |
| Nationality | American United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
| Occupation | Scientist Scientist A scientist in a broad sense is one engaging in a systematic activity to acquire knowledge. In a more restricted sense, a scientist is an individual who uses the scientific method. The person may be an expert in one or more areas of science. This article focuses on the more restricted use of the word... , writer Writer A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images.... , spy and double agent Double agent A double agent, commonly abbreviated referral of double secret agent, is a counterintelligence term used to designate an employee of a secret service or organization, whose primary aim is to spy on the target organization, but who in fact is a member of that same target organization oneself. They... during the American Revolutionary War American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the... |
Edward Bancroft (9 January 1744 – 8 September 1821) was an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
physician and double-agent
Double agent
A double agent, commonly abbreviated referral of double secret agent, is a counterintelligence term used to designate an employee of a secret service or organization, whose primary aim is to spy on the target organization, but who in fact is a member of that same target organization oneself. They...
spy
Espionage
Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
during the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
.
He worked as a spy
Espionage
Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
for Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin
Dr. Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. A noted polymath, Franklin was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, musician, inventor, satirist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat...
in Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
before the Revolution, and also while serving as secretary to the American Commission in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. During the latter period, he was also a spy for Britain, and reporting on dealings between France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and the United States.
Early life
Edward Bancroft was born on 9 January 1744 in WestfieldWestfield, Massachusetts
Westfield is a city in Hampden County, in the Pioneer Valley of western Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 41,094 at the 2010 census. The ZIP Code is 01085 for homes and businesses, 01086 for Westfield State...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. His father died when Edward was only two years old, and his mother had to support the family alone. She remarried five years later, and they moved to Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
to live with his stepfather, David Bull. In Connecticut, Bancroft studied under Silas Deane
Silas Deane
Silas Deane was an American merchant, politician and diplomat. Originally a supporter of American independence Deane served as a delegate to the Continental Congress and then as the United States' first foreign diplomat when he travelled to France to lobby the French government for aid...
, a schoolmaster who later became an important politician and diplomat. At the age of sixteen, Bancroft was apprenticed to a physician, but ran away after a few years. (Many years later, Bancroft returned and repaid his debt to his former master.)
On 14 July 1763, Bancroft departed for British Guiana
British Guiana
British Guiana was the name of the British colony on the northern coast of South America, now the independent nation of Guyana.The area was originally settled by the Dutch at the start of the 17th century as the colonies of Essequibo, Demerara, and Berbice...
, where he became a doctor on a plantation. He soon expanded his practice to multiple plantations and wrote a study of the local environment. His discovery that the torpedo fish
Electric ray
The electric rays are a group of rays, flattened cartilaginous fish with enlarged pectoral fins, comprising the order Torpediniformes. They are known for being capable of producing an electric discharge, ranging from as little as 8 volts up to 220 volts depending on species, used to stun prey and...
discharged electricity
Electricity
Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...
is notable. However, Bancroft grew tired of South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
and left in 1766. He spent a year traveling between North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
and South America before leaving for London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
London years
In London, Bancroft studied medicine at St. Bartholomew's Hospital. During this period, he also published a book entitled Natural History of Guiana (1769). This book attracted the attention of Paul Wentworth, New HampshireNew Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
's colonial agent in London. He hired Bancroft to survey Wentworth's plantation in Surinam and make recommendations for more efficient operation. Bancroft spent two months in Surinam at Wentworth's plantation before returning to London.
Bancroft now encountered another colonial agent in London, Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin
Dr. Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. A noted polymath, Franklin was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, musician, inventor, satirist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat...
, representative of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. Bancroft and Franklin became friends, and Bancroft agreed to become a spy for Franklin.
Spying for Franklin
Bancroft was employed to gather information from British political and military sources for Franklin. It's not clear whether Bancroft continued spying after Franklin left London in 1774. Most agree, nonetheless, that Bancroft maintained his position as an agent for the colonies. When the Committee of Secret CorrespondenceCommittee of Secret Correspondence
The Committee of Secret Correspondence was a Revolutionary American council dedicated to attaining European support for the war for independence. The CSC's most notable success was convincing the French government to support the colonials' cause. The organization was formed on November 29, 1775 by...
sent Silas Deane (Bancroft's former teacher) to France in 1776, Franklin wrote Deane telling him to contact Bancroft. This suggests that Franklin believed that Bancroft would be a source of useful information for Deane.
Deane arrived in France on 7 June 1776; the next day he wrote Bancroft, asking him to come to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. In the letter, Deane said they would discuss procuring goods for trading with the Indians
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
, and enclosed thirty pounds
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
(a generous amount) for travel expenses. Bancroft met with Deane on 8 June, and learned that Deane's purpose in France was to win French aid for the Americans against Britain. While Bancroft declined the invitation to attend negotiations, he did serve as Deane's assistant and interpreter. Deane's negotiations resulted in France sending some supplies to the Americans.
Deane told Bancroft that American leaders hoped to embroil Britain in a war against other foes (specifically, an alliance of France and Prussia
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
), which they hoped would distract Britain. Though Deane and other Americans thought France would form the alliance, this ploy came to nothing. But it greatly troubled Bancroft. On 26 July 1776, Bancroft returned to London. Before leaving France, he assured Deane that he would spy for the colonies in Britain.
Spying for the British
Though Bancroft had worked for Franklin and Deane, he was not a great enthusiast for American independence, and the possibility of a French war against Britain alarmed him. Despite his promise to Deane, he had reservations about doing anything that might promote a rift between Britain and the American colonies.In London he met Paul Wentworth, recently recruited by the British Secret Service. Wentworth arranged for Bancroft to meet Secret Service chief William Eden and Lords Suffolk
Henry Howard, 12th Earl of Suffolk
Henry Howard, 12th Earl of Suffolk, 5th Earl of Berkshire, KG, PC was a British politician, styled Viscount Andover from 1756 to 1757....
and Weymouth
Thomas Thynne, 1st Marquess of Bath
Thomas Thynne, 1st Marquess of Bath KG was a British politician who held office under George III serving as Southern Secretary, Northern Secretary and Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. Between 1751 and 1780 he was known as Lord Weymouth...
. Bancroft agreed to be a double agent for Britain.
Soon after this, Franklin arrived to take over the negotiations with France. Bancroft was ordered to associate himself with Franklin. Fortuitously, Franklin appointed Bancroft as secretary to the American Commission in Paris. For his spying, the British promised Bancroft a pension of 200 pounds. (This amount was later increased to 500 and then 1,000 pounds.)
Bancroft reported under the cover of weekly letters to "Mr. Richards", signed "Edward Edward", about "gallantry" (the writer's exploits with ladies). But between the lines of the cover text, Bancroft wrote his reports in a special ink. Every Tuesday, he put the letter in a bottle, tied a string around the bottle, and left the bottle in a hole in a certain box tree
Buxus
Buxus is a genus of about 70 species in the family Buxaceae. Common names include box or boxwood ....
in Paris, after 9:30 PM. A British official retrieved the message and replaced it with new orders. Bancroft return later that night to recover his bottle. It is said that, through this method, George III
George III of the United Kingdom
George III was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of these two countries on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death...
saw the French-American Treaty of Alliance
Treaty of Alliance (1778)
The Treaty of Alliance, also called The Treaty of Alliance with France, was a defensive alliance between France and the United States of America, formed in the midst of the American Revolutionary War, which promised military support in case of attack by British forces indefinitely into the future...
just two days after it was signed. In addition, Bancroft was often sent on spying missions to London by Franklin and Deane, so he was able to report directly to Lord Suffolk and others.
Franklin's possible knowledge of Bancroft's intrigue
There is some debate as to whether Franklin knew that Bancroft was a British spy. Franklin wrote that even though he suspected one associate of being a British spy, as long as he (Franklin) did not provide the suspect with any private information, there was nothing to worry about, and the spy need not be dismissed. Even if Franklin did discover Bancroft's true loyalty, he never revealed it explicitly in any of his extant writings. Regardless, Bancroft was successful but ineffective; that is, he certainly gathered a good deal of information, but the British did not prevent the French-American alliance.Life after the Revolutionary War
At the end of the Revolutionary War, Bancroft obtained patents giving him the right to import chinkapin (yellow) oak bark into Britain and France. He became wealthy from this trade. In 1794, Bancroft published Experimental Researches Concerning Permanent Colors, a book he updated in 1813. He was elected a Foreign Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and SciencesAmerican Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
in 1797.
Bancroft's actitivity as a double agent remained hidden until 1891, when British diplomatic papers were disclosed to the public.