rests he became a farmer, first of
the inland and foreign post-office,--one writer speaking of him as
"the postmaster,"--and later, on a large scale, of customs and excise.
At one time or another he held the farm of the customs in general and
of the excise of salt, linen, silk mercery, and wines in particular. In
these capacities he acted as a banker of the government, paying salaries
and expenses of official appointees, advancing loans, and issuing bills
of exchange and letters of credit. His vessels carried letters of marque
during the Dutch war and the war with Spain, and he himself traded in
prizes and became one of the commissioners of prize goods. The Jamaican
expeditions of 1654 and afterward gave him an opportunity to become a
contractor and he organized a committee in London for the purpose of
financiering the expedition, himself advancing L16,000, and in company
with Capts. Alderne, Watts, and others contracted for the supplies of
the ships and soldiers, furnishing utensils, clothing, bedding, and
provisions for this and other expeditions, notably that to Flanders.
He was Gen. Venables' personal agent in London and agent for the army
in general in Jamaica. He also became a contractor for transporting
vagrants, prisoners, and others to various American plantations. These
accumulating ventures increased his interest in the colonies, and after
the capture of Jamaica in 1655 he obtained a grant of 20,000 acres in
that island, from which he created several plantations. In his new
capacity as planter he was constantly engaged in shipping servants,
supplies, and horses. The firm of Martin Noell & Company became
exceedingly prosperous, and Noell himself one of the mainstays of the
government. He became a member of the Trade Committee in 1655, of the
committee for Jamaica in 1656, and was frequently called in by the
Council of State to offer advice or to give information. He was on terms
of intimacy with Cromwell, and because of the Protector's friendship
for him and confidence in his judgment, his recommendations for office,
both in England and the colonies had great weight. Povey speaks of the
"extraordinary favor allowed him (Noell) by his Highness." He had a
brother, Thomas Noell, who was prominent in Barbadoes and Surinam and
in charge of his interests there. He was also represented in other
islands by agents and factors, of whom Edward Bradbourne was the most
conspicuous, while Major Richard Povey in Jamaica, and W