John Johnston

London merchant, of Danson Park Kent dying in 1828 and leaving £120,000. He has been connected by W.D. Rubinstein with Tobago and his firm H. & J. Johnston characterised as West India merchants. No relationship with Tobago has yet been confirmed. Danson House and Danson Park have been the subject of significant historical work within and by the local community in Bexley to explore the origins of the estate in the Boyd slave-trading family, but to date no slavery connection appears to have been made with this later owner: John Johnston is usually characterised in the context of that work as a merchant or retired soldier. John Johnston was the brother of Hugh Johnston, his partner in the original firm who was dead by 31/12/1807, and the father of Hugh Johnston (q.v.), who with Antigua-born John Laforey Butler (q.v.) were continuing partners in H & J Johnston in the 1830s, by which time the firm appears on the lists of bankers in London.

1. Will of John Johnston of Danson Hill Kent proved 10/02/1829. Under the will he left substantial monetary legacies but made no reference to property in the Caribbean or to enslaved people. He does refer to his late brother Hugh and to the 'commercial house of H___ and J___ Johnston of which I am the principal partner', and identifies his sons as John, Hugh and Thomas.

2. The firm of H. and J. Johnston, Thorley and M'Quoid of Coleman Buildings was dissolved 31/12/1807, when John Johnson was given as administrator of Hugh Johnston. The other partners were Robert Thorley (who appears to have withdrawn at that stage) and William M'Quoid, who retired in 1813.

W.D. Rubinstein, Who were the rich? A biographical directory of British wealth-holders Vol. 1 1809-1839 (2009) p. 300, reference 1829/18; Cliff Pereira, 'Representing the East and West India links to the British country house: the London borough of Bexley and the wider heritage picture', in Madge Dresser and Andrew Hann (eds.) Slavery and the British Country House (English Heritage, 2013), pp. 132-141.

1. PROB 11/1751/334.

2. London Gazette 16106 05/01/1808 p.43; ibid, 16837 01/01/1814 p. 32.