Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary p. 19 defines affair as "1 a pl : commercial, professional, or public business, b : matter, concern". There are several other definitions here, but this is the one meant to be used during this post.
The father of our Inigo Jones (1573 -1652) was another fellow named Inigo. A Sr./Jr. phenomena which is frequently found in many folks family tree. Inigo Sr. was living with his family in London before 1573 when Inigo Jr. was christened in the church of St. Bartholomew the Less, Smithfield, 29 July 1673. By the time of his father's will 14 Feb. 1596-7, there were three other living children; Joan, Judith, and Mary. There where at least four other siblings that died in infancy. This would place the life of Inigo Sr. ca. 1553 - 1597 if one assumes Inigo Jr. was first born and the generally accepted marriage was 18-21 yrs. of age.
By the time Inigo Sr. arrived in London he was involved in the clothing business. This was his trade and the folks in Smithfield held every year a cloth fair around the feast of St. Bartholomew. [from 1133 A.D. to 1840 A.D.] Booths were occupied by drapers and cloth workers. According to Livery Company documents: "Livery Companies are trade associations based in the City of London. They originally developed as guilds. They were responsible for the regulation of their respective trades, controlling, for instance, wages and labor conditions." In 1515 an order of precedence was settled for the 103 Livery Companies in London. This order was based on the Companies' economic or political power. Mercers (General Merchants) were #1. The Company of Drapers were #3. Our families' affair (Company of Clothworkers) was listed as #12 out of the 103 companies ranked according to their economic power. Not so bad a position for economic or political power among these ranked companies.
