John Gordon of Wincombe Park

Owner of Glasgow estate in St James. Built Wincombe House in Wiltshire at some point before 1824 on land he had bought in 1808. Married Maria nee Brassey. 'John Gordon junior' in the Accounts Produce for Glasgow was described as of Bristol in 1796-1798, and as of Donhead Hall [with variants such as Down Head, Donehead and Domhead] between 1803 and 1808. Donhead Hall at Donhead St Mary is adjacent to Wincombe House, and it is thus plausible that John Gordon junior was the same man as the builder of Wincombe House. If so, then he was partner with William Gordon of Auchendolly (q.v.) as a Bristol West India merchant until 1791, and was presumably denominated as junior to distinguish him from William's brother John Gordon of Bristol (1758-1839, q.v.).

1. Indenture between John Gordon, of Wincombe House, Wiltshire; Maria Oliver, of Weymouth, Dorset (a widow); Richard and Geo. Brassey (Maria's brother(s)); Wm. Gordon, of Paris; and Geo. Gordon, of Tockington in the county of Gloucestershire, as trustees of a marriage settlement, dated 02/04/1825, whereby Maria Oliver brings £31,700 consols, £12,000 reduced annuities (transferred to trustees) and £10,000 from the sale of Haddons or Weeks plantation in Antigua (sold in 1807 to Langford Lovell Hodge, since deceased, with trustees), and £10,866 (being 2/3rds of the money from the sale of Diamond estate in Grenada, sold in the lifetime of Richard Oliver to Wm. Stuart, of Inverugie in Scotland) and whereas she was also entitled to a capital leasehold messuage in Weymouth it was agreed that the £10,866 and the mansion house became the absolute property of John Gordon, the trustees of first 3 chunks to pay her £500 pa clear and rest to John Gordon (in consideration of John Gordon's settlement to be made of Wincombe House and farms) for his life and at his death for her absolutely.

2. John Gordon died 14/01/1834, and left the Glasgow plantation - including the compensation to be paid for the enslaved people on the estate - and Wincombe after his death in trust for his nephew Charles Gordon. The will of John Gordon of [Wincombe in the parish of Donhead St Mary Wilts but now residing at] Clifton was proved 15/02/1834.

3. Son of William Gordon of Kilnotrie, Galloway. "These Gordons has migrated to Bristol and become connected with the West Indies, and John had an estate in Jamaica." First wife was Sybella Partridge. Remarried 07/04/1825 to Maria Brassey, widow of Richard Oliver (1762-1821) of Antigua.

http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/wilts/vol13/pp138-155 [accessed 04/10/2015]; London Gazette 13311 24/05/1791 p. 306.

1. Vere Langford Oliver, Caribbeana being miscellaneous papers relating to the history, genealogy, topography, and antiquities of the British West Indies (6 vols., London, Mitchell, Hughes and Clarke, 1910-1919) Vol. 6 p. 145.

2. PROB 11/1827/358.

3. Notes and Queries (1933) CLXIV (feb25): 135-a-135. doi: 10.1093/nq/CLXIV.feb25.135-a.