George Crafts of Rio Demerary Essequibo

Resident in Essequibo, originally from Twickenham Surrey. His will shows that he owned enslaved people and the Retrieve estate has been identified with him: he was almost certainly the eponymous partner in McCalmont Crafts & Co. which in 1799 was shown as owning two unidentified estates, Lots nos. 15 and 16 on the West Sea Coast of Berbice: the other partner was almost certainly Hugh McCalmont of Abbeylands (q.v.).

1. George Crofts [sic], baptised 20/10/1762 in Twickenham, son of Daniel and Martha Crafts.

2. Will of George Crafts of Rio Demerary Essequibo made 06/08/1805 and proved 02/03/1807. The will itself identifies him as of the Island of Leguan. Under the will he left among other philanthropic legacies £300 to the poor of the parish of Twickenham 'where I was born', £300 to the Magdalen hospital and £300 to the hospital called the Asylum. He left annuities of £500 p.a. to his sister Ann Crafts, and £100 p.a. to 'my particular friend Ann Harris she hath lived with me faithful for many years', together with the instruction that the house he was building for her in Stabroek be completed for her benefit. He left lump sums of £500 to his godson John Fullarton and god-daughter Mary Phillips of Barbados, and mandated that his 'little friends' Martha George and Franck might be freed and given an annuity of £10 p.a. each, and his servant George likewise freed and granted an annuity of £10 p.a. His residuary heirs were his siblings Leonard, Thomas, John, Martha Gater and Sarah Corfe, 'all of the said Kingdom' [implicitly Great Britain].

3. The will of John Crafts Attorney at Law of Chipping Wycombe Buckinghamshire (made in 1819 with a codicil of 1822), proved 28/08/1824, shows him leaving in trust his real estate in 'Essequibo Demerary South America...and the slaves thereon' to secure an annuity of £200 p.a. to his wife Elizabeth, with the rest of his estate passing share and share alike to his seven children. The codicil adjusted the will to reflect advances of £1000 and £1800 he had made to his sons John and George. Administration was granted to George Crafts the son in 1834. The testator must have been the brother and residuary legatee of George Crafts.

1. Findmypast.co.uk, Middlesex Baptisms [database online].

2. PROB 11/1457/32.

3. PROB 11/1689/403.

We are grateful to Joan Dyer for her assistance with compiling this entry.