Baijer Otto Baijer or Bayer

Son of John Otto Bayer of St Thomas the Apostle Exeter. Shown as the owner in 1817 of 180 enslaved people, in 1821 of 174 enslaved people, in 1824 of 170 enslaved people and in 1828 of 165 enslaved people on an estate on Antigua unidentified in all Slave Registers but probably Otto's, for which he claimed the compensation unsuccessfully in 1834: it was paid instead to Langford Lovell (q.v.) as 'owner, assignee.' Baijer Otto Baijer died of Bentinck Street Middlesex in 1839. He had married Ann Blizard, daughter of Henry Hodge and widow of Langford Lovell senior.

1. Will of Baijer Otto Baijer of Bentinck Street Manchester Square proved 09/03/1839. In the will (made in 1826) he instructed his property in Antigua to be sold within two years and the proceeds together with the rest of his estate divided between Eliza Mason of Beel House [Amersham] Buckinghamshire, Langford Lovell of Hursley (q.v.) and the families of his sisters, Elizabeth Sercombe, Ann Okes, Barbara Patch, Edith Watkins and the childen of his deceased sister Mary Cooper. In a series of codicils he relaxed the instruction to sell the Antigua estates and after the death of Eliza Mason and other beneficiaries he redrew the division of his property. Eliza Mason (nee Lovell) was the daughter of Ann Blizard and Langford Lovell (d. 1795), the widow of Kender [sometimes given as Kendar] Mason jun. of Beel House (d.1819) and sister of Langford Lovell (d. 1852, q.v.). He had another sister, Fanny Otto Baijer, who married William Cazal in Exeter in 1789 but who is not named in the will.

The will of John Otto Bayer of St Thomas the Apostle Exeter, proved 01/07/1791 PROB 11/1207/5, left unspecified estates and 'negroes' in Antigua to his only son Baijer Otto as well as monetary legacies to John Otto Bayer's several daughters; T71/245 pp. 441-445; Vere Langford Oliver, History of Antigua Vol I., 'Pedigree of Baijer' pp. 18-19 and p. 24 - the latter contains an indenture 17/11/1780 [Close Roll 20 Geo III, Part 4. no. 4] that shows Rowland Otto Baijer and Sarah his wife conveying the Otto estate to Thomas Oliver of Layton Essex for one year, subject to recovery by Baijer if he cleared debts of £7726 4s to Thomas Oliver; £4056 6s 7d to Thomas Oliver and Michael Lovell, and further advances by the two men to Baijer of £2052 6s.

1. PROB 11/1907/388. Familysearch.org batch no. M05096-1.

We are grateful to Jane Sercombe Lewis for her assistance with compiling this entry.