John Stanley

1740 - 1799


Biography

MP for Hastings 1784-1796. 1st son of Michael Stanley of St Kitts. His estates were sold after his death to pay off his creditors.

  1. Will of John Stanley of the island of St Christopher [but now at Portsmouth and about to depart for that island] [made 11/03/1776] proved 16/05/1799. He left his wife his household effects and £2000 to furnish a house, and gave small legacies to his daughters-in-law and sons-in-law. He paid tribute to his benefactor, Ralph Willett, 'parent of my necessitous youth', and identified one brother-in-law as William Feuilleteau (q.v.) and another as Joseph Stanley, the preservation of whose business as merchant abroad he encouraged his wife to support. He left the rest of his estate to his wife and to his son John Willett Stanley. In a codicil dated 30/03/1792 he identified himself as of Plumstead Kent, and of the island of Nevis: he had at that stage left his wife in Britain. In the codicil he said that he had since making his will bought several estates, viz .the plantations and estates [unnamed] formerly belonging to James Brodbelt in the parish of St John; a parcel of land lately belonging to Mrs Grace Patterson and Mr Bate[s] Peterson and his wife in the same parish and island; and lands belonging to George Bryan in the parish of St John Capisterre on St Christopher. He left these also to his wife and his son John Willett Stanley. In the codicil he identified Joseph Webbe Stanley (q.v.) as his brother. In a second codicil ('Memorandum') dated 01/10/1795 in Tortola, he stated that his son John Willett Stanley had died, and that he therefore left everything to his wife Susanna. In 1833 administration was granted to James Hackman Pearson and Richard Davis both of St Helens Place, City of London, arising out of a Chancery suit of Boddington et al v Seton. This suggests a connection with the Lavington estate, the compensation for which was paid into the Chancery suit of Boddington v Seton.

Sources

J.M. Collinge, 'Stanley, John (1740-1799) of Plumstead, Kent', http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1790-1820/member/stanley-john-1740-99 [accessed 27/11/2015]; https://seis.bristol.ac.uk/~emceee/mountravers~part3chapter3.pdf pp. 1213-1215.

  1. PROB 11/1325/48

Further Information

Absentee?
Transatlantic
Spouse
Susanna Brouncker nee Feuilleteau
Children
John Willett;

Associated Estates (1)

The dates listed below have different categories as denoted by the letters in the brackets following each date. Here is a key to explain those letter codes:

  • SD - Association Start Date
  • SY - Association Start Year
  • EA - Earliest Known Association
  • ED - Association End Date
  • EY - Association End Year
  • LA - Latest Known Association
- 1799 [EY] → Owner

Legacies Summary

Political (1)

MP
West India interest 
election →
Hastings Sussex
1784 - 1796

Relationships (4)

Nephew → Uncle
Notes →
James Brodbelt identified John Stanley as his nephew in the power of attorney he granted to Stanley in 1774, Common Records 1776-1777, British Library, EAP794/1/1/16,...
Brothers
Notes →
Joseph Webbe Stanley was identified as his brother in the will of John Stanley....
Second Husband → Wife
Testator → Executor
Notes →
James Hackman Pearson and Richard Davis both of St Helen Place were awarded administration of the will of John Stanley in 1833, more than 30 years after his death....

Addresses (1)

Plumstead, Kent, South-east England, England