Lord Ponsbury is an English nobleman settled in the Río de la Plata, former chancellor of the Southern Asiento company, owner of HMS Daphne, and the contact the first faction provides to the company of adventurers. Through him come work, pay and access.
| Type | Character |
| Other names | Mr. Patrick |
| Spanish entry | Lord Ponsbury |
Name
«Es Mr. Patrick para los demás es Lord»: “Mr. Patrick” to most, “Lord” to the few. His is “one of the few titles in use” on these shores.
Background
He arrived “on a ship” as ambassador ten to fifteen years ago and traveled to Tamido with a diplomatic treaty. He “speaks good Castilian”, learned over “some 20 years here and there”, with English habits showing through.
Influence
He has interests in ships and in the Southern Asiento. By rank he “must be in the Chamber” and keeps weight there, though “certain special jobs” keep him “here”. He handles invitations to the box at the Teatro Victoria, takes people off lists and ships them out. He is involved in lodges with commercial interests. He is reached by letter.
Employer
He also hires “people like the baqueano Pepe”, engaged for a mission, and takes on the company for fifty pounds a week. When the English blockade closes the river, the group holds out “with the good support of Lord Ponsbury”, at once shipowner, paymaster and access to the Chamber.
Conflicting accounts
- Twenty years of Castilian against ten to fifteen years since his arrival.
- One record writes “the Daphne, which belongs to Lord Osbury”.
Open questions
- Appearance, age and dress are not recorded.
- What exactly he was chancellor of, and why he left.
- What the “special jobs” are, and who assigned them.
- How “Mr. Patrick” relates to “Ponsbury”.
- Which lodges; their tie to the first faction; the Tamido treaty; where he is found.