Arthur Peatt

London West India merchant, of Philpott Lane.

1. Arthur Peatt, son of John Peatt, baptised 08/02/1741 in Holme Cultram, Cumberland. Through the marriages of his sisters Sarah and Martha, Arthur Peatt was the uncle of Joseph Timperon (1762-1846, q.v.) and Isaac Westmorland (1755-1824, the father of Isaac Westmorland (1787-1856) q.v.) and the great uncle of Joseph Dobinson (1790-1866, q.v.). His sister Mary married William Litt, probably the father William Peatt Litt (1769-1840, q.v.).

2. He may be the Arthur Peat who, with his wife Mary, had a son John Hayward Peat born 25/01/1769 and baptised 07/02/1769 in Kingston, Jamaica (although his will proved in 1802 makes no mention of a wife or children). Peatt and Westmorland were reportedly a slave-trading firm in Kingston, Jamaica, in 1775. A Mr John Peatt testified before a Parliamentary Select Committee in 1777 that he was "a West India merchant, and had been in that business about sixteen or seventeen years; that he was in Jamaica in 1776, and purchased several puncheons of rum; and knew of a great many other purchases of rum at that time." This may be Arthur's brother John Peatt (b. 1733).

3. The will of Joshua Peatt, late of Jamaica but now of London, clerk, proved 24/10/1750, lists the children of his brother John and sister-in-law Sarah Peatt as Mary, Martha, Sarah, John, Anne, Richard, Arthur and Joseph. These names correspond quite closely (assuming the deaths of several other offspring) to Arthur and his siblings, making Joshua Peatt Arthur's uncle. The will includes bequests to free schools at Abbey Holme and Bromfield.

4. The will of Joshua Peatt junior of the parish of Port Royal in the Island of Jamaica, Rector, written in 1740, left everything to his uncle Joshua Peatt senior of St Thomas-in-the-Vale, Rector, who was also executor and later proved the will in London 10/08/1750.

5. Arthur Peatt had offices at 6 Three Kings Court, London, from 1774 to 1788. Peatt formed a partnership with a young Joseph Timperon from 1788 when the company moved to 26 Philpot Lane (this was to remain Joseph Timperon's business address until his death in 1846).

6. The will of Joseph Peatt, late of Jamaica but now of Winton in the county of Cumberland (Arthur's brother) was proved in London in 1797, and mentions many of the family relationships.

7. Arthur Peatt Esquire, "widower, brought from the parish of Camberwell, aged 61 years", was buried at Holy Trinity, Clapham, 06/03/1802.

8. The will of Arthur Peatt merchant of Philpott Lane was proved 08/03/1802. The long will identifies his nephews as including William Peatt Litt (q.v.), Joseph Timperon (q.v.), Jonathan Harrison (q.v.), Isaac Westmorland (q.v.) and John Westmorland, and his grand-nephew as Joseph Dobinson (q.v.).

1. Email from Anne Wares, 18/01/2018; Ancestry.com, England, Select Births and Christenings, 1538-1975. The Ancestry public members tree 'Hartley Family Tree' by margtbillhartley16 gives a detailed account of some of these relationships.

2. Familysearch.org, Jamaica Church of England Parish Register Transcripts, 1664-1880 [database online]; Randy J. Sparks, Where the Negroes are Masters (2014) p. 108 (snippet view via Googlebooks); The Parliamentary Register Great Britain (1788) via Googlebooks, https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=PF2Z8y-7TeQC&q=peatt#v=snippet&q=peatt&f=false [accessed 29/01/2018].

3. PROB 11/783/161.

4. PROB 11/781/378.

5. Email from Anne Wares, 18/01/2018; Ancestry.com, U.K. and U.S. Directories, 1680-1830 [database online].

6. PROB 11/1284/14.

7. Ancestry.com, London, England, Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1812 [database online]; email from Anne Wares, 18/01/2018.

8. PROB 11/1371/98.

We are grateful to Anne Wares for her assistance with compiling this entry.