Richard Brissett

Resident slave-owner on Jamaica, owner of at least 7 estates western Jamaica and dead by 1796. Basic details of his life have been surprisingly elusive given the scale of his slave-ownership and how well-connected he was with elite Jamaican slave-owning families: he was executor to the wills of Neill Malcolm 11th of Poltalloch (d. 1802) and of Sir Simon Clarke bart. (made in 1777 and proved in 1783), and his name was embedded in that of Simon Taylor's nephew Sir Simon Richard Brissett Taylor.

1. Richard Brissett was listed in the Jamaican Quit Rent books for 1754 as the owner of 300 acres of land in St James.

2. Richard Brissett Esquire contributed £42 to the University of Pennsylvania following Dr John Morgan's fundraising tour of the West Indies in 1772-1773.

3. The executors of Richard Brissett were among the parties in an appeal to the Privy Council dated 1801-1803, in which Charles Mitchell as administrator of William Innes merchant deceased (q.v. under William Innes of Lime Street) was plaintiff.

Will of Sir Simon Clarke bart. of Hanover proved 10/05/1783 PROB 11/1103/168.

1. 'A List of landholders in the Island of Jamaica together with the number of acres each person possessed taken from the quit rent books in the year 1754', TNA CO 142/31 transcribed at http://www.jamaicanfamilysearch.com/Samples2/1754lead.htm.

2. William Smith, Joseph Hopkinson, and Plunket Fleeson Glentworth, Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania Minute Books, Volume 2, 1768-1779 p. 76, entry for 13/12/1773. Note amounts are in Jamaican currency.

3. PCAP 6/4/50 Description: Printed Appeal to an Appeals Committee of the Privy Council from JAMAICA [Caribbean]. Appellants: Charles Mitchell, esq administrator of William Innes, merchant deceased. Respondents: Hugh Barnett, esq, William Hugh Barnett and Mary Ann Barnett infants, Robert McGhie, James McGhie, Jonathan McGhie esqs, Simon Taylor, George Brissett and Joseph Brissett esqs, executors of Richard Brissett esq deceased. Documents: Appellants case. Respondents case for Richard Brissett. Respondents case for Hugh Barnett. Appendix to Barnett case. Supplement to the Reasons. Appendix to Appellants case. Pages 1263- [end].