James Browne of Acton

???? - 1778


Biography

Nephew of Jeremiah Browne of Nevis.

  1. Will of James Browne [the elder formerly of Nevis but now] of [town] Acton in Middlesex [made in 1777] proved 01/04/1779. He left his wife Anne his household effects and half his money and proceeds of sugar in Britain, the other half going to his son James Browne of Weymouth. He left his son John Browne the plantation or parcel of land called Rafinaldo [?] on Nevis that James Browne the testator had purchased for £1000 from William Hull, and the parcel of land called Parkinsons which he had bought from Dr William Mills for £250, together with 20 named enslaved people [Old Sarah, Little Tom, Pope, Great Quomina, Tom, Halford, Cambridge, Bristol, Joe, Quashey, Jack, Mulatto Cooper Sawrey, Old Betty, Baby, Hannah, Frankey, Delia, Fanny, Old Dinah, Phillis] and the 'increase and issue' of the enslaved females. He said he had lately barred the entail of his paternal estate Browne's so that he could dispose of it. From the proceeds he left his son William one guinea for his misbehaviour, and his daughter Elizabeth £1000 currency plus three enslaved people, Juno, Amelia and Thiah, and his wife Anne an annuity of £300 p.a. He left £1000 each to his two sons Jeremiah Nisbet Browne and Innes James Browne, as well as £600 currency to his wife's daughter Mary Anne Nisbet. He left an annuity of £10 p.a. to each of the five children of a free woman Aby [?], namely Sally, Nancy, Jacky, Jerry and Fanny.

Sources

There is a detailed reconstruction of the family of James Browne by Christine Eicklemann of Bristol University at http://eis.bris.ac.uk/~emceee/mountravers~part3chapter3.pdf [accessed 21/06/2017]

  1. PROB 11/1051/324. The list of enslaved people is not punctuated and the transcription above might not have accurately recorded all the names in captivity. Vere Langford Oliver shows the end of the entail on Brownes in two indentures with the London attorney James Dobie, History of Antigua Vol. I p. 75.

Further Information

Absentee?
Transatlantic
Spouse
(2) Anna or Anne nee Nisbet

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
- 1774 [EY] → Tenant-for-life

James Browne broke the entail in 1774


Relationships (3)

Father → Son
Husband → Wife
Nephew → Uncle

Addresses (1)

Acton, London, Middlesex, London, England