John Deffell

Profile & Legacies Summary

???? - 1806

Biography

London merchant and slave-owner in Jamaica.

Will of John Deffell merchant of Gower Street Bedford Square proved 12/06/1807. Under the will he left £6000 to his daughter Charlotte Deffell and £2000 to his daughter Ann wife of William Anderson of Russell Square. He left the rest of his estate to his son John Henry Deffell, failing whom then to his four daughters equally (the other two were Elizabeth Caroline the wife of Henry Davidson and Emily the wife of Richard Shaw[e]),with an adjustment to charge £5000 upon the share of Elizabeth Caroline because on her marriage with Henry Davidson he had 'been induced' to settle £5000 more upon her than he had done for his other daughters. In a codicil he reduced the legacies to Charlotte from £6000 to £5000 and to Ann Anderson from £2000 to £500 'in justice to my son', given the 'heavy losses we have of late sustained' and the great changes and falling off in all West India concerns.

Sources

PROB 11/1462/190.

Further Information

Absentee?

British/Irish

Spouse

Married but no further details

Children

Ann; Charlotte; Emily; Elizabeth; John Henry;

Occupation

West India merchant

Associated Estates (4)

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

1797 [EA] - 1806 [EY] → Owner

Brown's Hall Pen [ Jamaica | St John ]

1797 [EA] - 1801 [LA] → Owner

Hay's Pen [ Jamaica | St Dorothy ]

1786 [EA] - 1787 [LA] → Trustee

Southfields [ Jamaica | St Ann ]

Co-trustee of the mortgagees-in-possession

1797 [EA] - 1806 [LA] → Owner

Swansea Sugar Estate [ Jamaica | St John ]

Although the estate was registered to 'John Deffell' 1809-1815, he had died in 1806: these later entries must refer to his son John Henry Deffell

Legacies Summary

Cultural (1)

Paintings

John Russell, R.A. (Guildford 1745-1806 Hull) Portrait of a gentleman, possibly Captain John Deffell (1742-1806), half-length, in a blue coat and white cravat signed and dated 'Russell R.A. pt./...

Details

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