Thomas Rodie

Merchant of Liverpool, slave-trader and co-owner with William Shand and John Staunton (each of whom q.v.) of the Alliance and Bel Air estates in Demerara.

1. Will of Thomas Rodie merchant of Liverpool proved 09/03/1819. He left his estate in trust to secure an annuity of £800 p.a. to his wife Elizabeth, and lump sums of £8400 to his son John William Rodie and £8000 to each of his [unnamed, but three known] daughters except Jane Scott Cooke. The residual estate was to be equally divided among all his children, including Jane Scott Cooke. He left his house in Clayton Square to his wife for her life and then to their children in such shares as her will directed. In a codicil of 10/07/1818 [the day after his original will was made] he authorised his executors and trustees to sell all his 'lands, plantations, negroes...or other West India property.'

2. In 1851 Elizabeth Rodie widow aged 81 annuitant born Antigua was living at 1 Brook Street, Bath with her daughter Jane Scott Cooke aged 58, two of Jane Scott Cooke's daughters and a third grandchild, Matilda Pauline Phillips (Margaret Maitland Rodie had married William Phillips in Liverpool 08/10/1821), together with six servants. Elizabeth Rodie's will was proved 02/08/1851: it shows her distributing the proceeds of the sale of the Clayton Square house in Liverpool among her surviving daughters and grand-daughters.

3. At the time of his death in July 1818, Thomas Rodie was a partner with Charles and William Shand in Rodie and Shands of Liverpool. Until 31/12/1800, he had been a partner in a Liverpool insurance broker called Henderson, Rodie, Begg & Co. with Gilbert Henderson, William Begg, William Fawcett, Robert Sellar and George McIntosh.

The Transatlantic Slave-Trade Database shows 16 voyages for Thomas Rodie between 1787 and 1802, nine of them in partnerships in which Charles Shand (q.v.) also participated.

1. PROB 11/1614/145.

2. 1851 census online; PROB 11/2138/176.

3. London Gazette 17443 23/01/1819 p. 159; ibid, 15325 03/01/1801 p. 32.