Walter Jacks

Bristol merchant and ship-owner, failing c. 1806 and then apparently moving to Jamaica.

1. Walter Jacks was part-owner of the slave ship Recovery and a defence witness at the infamous trial of Captain John Kimber for the murder of an enslaved girl on the Recovery in 1792. Kimber was acquitted but the case established that the crew of a slave ship could be liable for the murder of enslaved people.

2. Will of Walter Jacks [of the city of Bristol but now] of the parish of St Catherine Jamaica merchant proved 24/11/1812. Under the will he manumitted an enslaved man names James alias James Ross, and left him an annuity of £20 currency; he left his sister Mary Jacks of Bristol an annuity of £50 p.a., and settled £4000 in trust for his son also Walter Jacks, a soldier in 20th Regiment of Light Dragoons. He left £250 each to the natural daughters of Foote March, which in a codicil he revoked except in event his son Walter predeceased him.

3. In 1806 William Jones of Swansea and Walter Jacks of Bristol were shown as bankrupts.

1. 'The trial of Captain John Kimber, for the supposed murder of an African girl : at the Admiralty Sessions, before the Hon. Sir James Marriot ... and Sir William Ashurst ... on Thursday, June 7, 1792 : of which he was most honourably acquitted, and the two evidences for the prosecution committed to Newgate to take their trials for wilful and corrupt perjury' (1792) p. 39.

2. PROB 11/1538/425.

3. London Gazette 15888 08/02/1806 p. 182.

We are grateful to Kumarlo Menns for his assistance with compiling this entry.