Robert Jeaffreson

Former owner of Sion Hill, which he sold to John Taylor in 1792 for £4000 currency and a series of annuities payable to him on the lives of women connected to him (including his daughter Elizabeth Looby (q.v.)). He left the benefit of these annuities to the respective women under his will.

1. Will of Robert Jeaffreson [now] of the City of London (made in 1806 with a codicil of 18/03/1807) proved 04/07/1807. In the will he recited the annuities to which he was entitled: £60 p.a. for the life of 'a mulatto woman named Sarah Dickson'; £100 p.a. during the life of 'a mustee woman named Elizabeth Looby late Elizabeth Jeaffreson'; and £80 p.a. during the life of a 'mustee girl named Ann Jeaffreson', all three payable by John Taylor and secured on an unnamed estate and the enslaved people 'thereunto belonging late my property', and on other real estate of John Taylor. He left the annuities in trust, with the benefits to be paid to the respective women, but [as he observed] the women thus having no right to assign the payments to others. He had £9000 in 3% consols in the name of Robert Jeaffreson of Southampton Street Covent Garden, which he also left in trust to fund an annuity of £100 p.a. to Jane Middleton of Gower Street and £15 p.a. per year to Elizabeth Plymsell [sp?] until she received the £300 which he gave her provided she lived until 29/10/1812 or earlier at the discretion of his trustees at her marriage if she had their written approval for it. He left £200 to John a mulatto lad son of Jane belonging to the estate of the late Bertie Entwisle Esq. of Antigua. The residue of his estate held by his trustees was for the benefit of Elizabeth Looby (whom he identified as his daughter) for life and then to her children. In the codicil he left £30 to 'my black servant Thomas Pringle.'

1. PROB 11/1464/52. There were three successive grants of administration of this will: 1833; 1854; and 1865.