BURSIE, JOHAN [SSNE 5059]
Text source
Johan (Hans) Bursie appears to have been the son of Peter Bursie [SSNE 5060] as he is often referred to as 'Hans Petterson Bursie'. By 1639 he was already a merchant and burgess of Jonköping and soon after that became the factor for the munitions factory there. He seems to have been a Scottish factor working for the Swedes between 1639-1651, a period which coincides with the time that the Covenanters were seeking military support from Sweden against King Charles I. Bursie had a strong trade with the Swedish army. In August 1639 he was engaged in delivering artillery and other armoury items to Stockholm. He also had gunsmiths and people constructing safe storage boxes working for him as in 1640 the military college instructed Bursie to ensure that their work was reliable. Apparently this issue remained a problem as in 1644 he was accused of allowing unworthy muskets to leave his factory. That year he served as a councillor for the town. He died in April 1666. .
Sources: Krigskollegium Kancelliet: Adressatregistratur till Krigskollegiets Registratur 1631-1654 including "om de artilleri och rustkammarpersedlar han bor leverera 14/8 1639"; "att tillhålla sina underhavande pistolsmeder och lådmakare att göra sitt arbete oförfalskat och varaktigt 10/12 1640"; "svar pa hans skrivelser 22/2 1642"; "om det odugliga musköter han vid sitt faktori later förfärdiga 4/3 1644"; The last letter is dated 16/5 1651; Steve Murdoch, Network North: Scottish Kin, Commercial and Covert Associations in Northern Europe, 1603-1746 (Brill, Leiden, 2006), pp.221-222.
Service record
- SWEDEN, JONKOPING
- Departed 1651-12-31
- Capacity COMMERCIAL FACTOR, purpose CIVIC, MERCANTILE AND MILITARY