Nathaniel Bayly

The Bayly family had long-standing connections to Jamaica and though Bayly was born in Westbury, he came to England from Jamaica in 1759, settling in London. According to his nephew, Bryan Edwards, author of the History of the West Indies: 'In 1759, a younger and the only brother of my great and good uncle, came to England, and settling in London, took me to reside with him, in a high and elegant style of life. He was a representative in Parliament for Abingdon, and afterwards for his native town. Further I cannot speak of him so favourably as I could wish; for I remember that at the period I allude to, his conduct towards me was such as not to inspire me with much respect: he perceived it; and soon after, in the latter end of the same year, sent me to Jamaica. This proved a happy and fortunate change in my life, for I found my eldest uncle the reverse, in every possible circumstance, of his brother.'

As an MP his West Indian interests were of paramount importance, especially during the period 1774-78. Thus he thought that the Government’s American policy would ruin the both himself and the West Indies. For instance, on 11 December 1775 he said in the Commons that 'in order to wreak the revenge of a vindictive ministry on the Americans, you are now going to ruin all the plantations in the West-India islands, and to give their present produce up for plunder to your sailors, before the inhabitants can have any notice of your intentions'. And again, on 21 December: 'He was well informed, nay he was fully convinced, that the inhabitants of those islands must be starved; and though they should not, their crops must be left, as they had not nearly lumber enough to save the present; that such being the case, the proprietors must be ruined, and the consequences would in the end reach the merchants, so as, he feared, to bring on a general bankruptcy among those in any manner concerned or interested in the West-India trade.'

Bayly married (1) 3 May 1767, Elizabeth, daughter of the Hon. Charles Ingram, M.P., sister of Charles, 9th Viscount Irwin, no children. (2) 18 March 1773, Sophia Magdalena Lamack of Clapham with whom he had at four daughters and two sons: Charles Nathaniel (c. 1775), Charlotte Susanna, Diana Sarah (1781), Sophia Maria (1783), Wentworth (1784) and Anna (1786).

Bayly's second daughter Charlotte Susanna married Job Matthew Raikes (q.v.) in Woodford, Essex, in 1798. His third daughter Sophia Maria married Thomas Raikes junior in Woodford in 1802. Thomas Raikes father, also Thomas, was Governor of the Bank of England 1797-1799 as was Thomas junior's brother Richard Mee Raikes from 1833-1834; Thomas junior was also a cousin of Job Matthew Raikes.

Bryan Edwards, 'Sketch of the Life of the Author' in his History …of the British West Indies (5th edn., 5 vols., vol. 1, 1819), pp. ix-x; John Cannon, BAYLY, Nathaniel (c.1726-98), of Epsom, Surr. and Shipton House, Abingdon, Berks., History of Parliament online; Ancestry.com, Surrey, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1812 [database online]; Ancestry.com, Essex, England, Church of England Marriages, 1754-1935 [database online]; Salisbury and Winchester Journal 31/05/1802; W. P. Courtney, revised by K. D. Reynolds, 'Raikes, Thomas (1777–1848), dandy and diarist', ODNB Online.

We are grateful to Alastair Gilks for his assistance with compiling this entry.