CLERCK, ALEXANDER [SSNE 788]
- Surname
- CLERCK, KLERK
- First name
- ALEXANDER, SANDER
- Title/rank
- BURGESS, GOLDSMITH
- Nationality
- SCOT
- Region
- STOCKHOLM
- Religion
- LUTHERAN
Text source
Alexander Clerck was the son of the Scotsman Jacob/James Clerck [SSNE 4932], a goldsmith who died in Stockholm about 1615. His mother was Anna Eriksdotter (who married another goldsmith, Joakim von der Fecht in 1617). Alexander followed his father's and step-father's craft and became a goldsmith, also in Stockholm where he could be found working throughout the reign of Queen Kristina (1632-1654). On 7 May 1636, Alexander Klerk became a burgess of the town with Wilhelm Lehusen and Peter Tauste as witnesses. In the Maria Kyrkan records Sander Klarck is mentioned, possibly burying a journeyman goldsmith, although the record is unclear, and it could refer to that individual. Nonetheless, Sander was certainly still alive in 1666 but had died before 1679. In 1664 he attended the Stockholm Riksdag. Alexander had married Cathrina and had one son, Jacob [SSNE 736](born April 1667, who studied in Uppsala in 10/02/1683 and went on to become a lawyer and appears to have been ennobled in 1699. It is possible that Alexander fathered Hans Clerck [SSNE 2821] who also worked as a goldsmith in Stockholm. He in turn had a son Jacob [SSNE 1174] who became Mayor of Visby. In the Visby archives a file exists on this man which notes these last two men as being of Scottish origins. Alexander buried several children at St Nicholas church in Stockholm: in February 1644, May, 1646, May 1647, 2 in September 1651. He also buried a "foreign woman" in September 1664.Stockholms Stadsarkivet, Maria Församling: Register över döda, 1634-1655, p.188; Swedish Riksarkiv, Brev till Magnus Gabriel de la Gardie a) fran enskilda, letters from Alexander Clerk 1654-1656 (4); Stockholm Stadsarkiv: Borgare i Stockholm, Register 1601-1650, p.41; Svenska Adelns Attartavlor, vol. II, p.24; Landsarkiv i Visby, ViLA/10325, Jacob Clerck's Arkiv (p35); T. Fischer, The Scots in Sweden (Edinburgh, 1907), pp.216, 260; Borgarståndets Riksdagsprotokoll före frihetstiden, (Uppsala, 1933), p.388; Stockholm Stadsarkiv, St Nikolai Forsamling Doda 1627-1680, p.3. Curt Haij, 'Skottar i Stockholm under 1600-talet', unpublished list of names, Hintze biblioteket, Genealogiska Föreningen, Sundbyberg, Stockholm. Thanks to Ardis Dreisbach for this information.
Service record
- SWEDEN, STOCKHOLM
- Arrived 1636-01-01
- Departed 1666-12-31
- Capacity BURGESS, GOLDSMITH, purpose CIVIC, COMMERCE