Agnes Bonham (née Skeete)

23rd Dec 1780 - 3rd Aug 1852


Biography

  1. Agnes Skeete, born 23/12/1780 and baptised 18/01/1781 in St Philip, Barbados. Married Pinson Bonham, a British army officer, in St Peter, Barbados, 16/12/1799. Nine children, born variously in Barbados, Dominica, St Kitts and Surinam. Six of the children survived childhood. Pinson Bonham was acting Governor of Surinam, 1811-1816. Retired to Warley Place at Great Warley in Essex.

  2. In her will signed in 1848 and proved in 1852, Agnes Bonham bequeathed £3745 9s 4d in the 3% consols in varying proportions to her children Sarah Bonham, Elizabeth Bonham, John Braithwaite Bonham and Agnes Clay (widow). The sum arose from "the sale or disposal" of her "undivided share of a certain plantation and estate in the island of Barbados", presumably Mangrove and/or Rock Hall estates which had been the property of her father. According to her marriage settlement, Agnes was entitled to will or dispose of the property herself and the sum had come about by an order of the High Court of Chancery made on the petition of Pinson Bonham and herself in 1835.

  3. Memorial inscription in the Old Churchyard, Great Warley, Essex: "In memory of AGNES wife of General PINSON BONHAM of Great Warley Place died 3rd August 1852 aged 71 years also of General PINSON BONHAM died April 19th 1855 in his 93rd year also of AGNES MARGARET CLAY eldest daughter of Rev. JOSEPH CLAY M.A. and granddaughter of General PINSON BONHAM died 9th August 1856 aged 20 also of SARA BONHAM daughter of the above General PINSON BONHAM died 25th November 1885 aged 78 years"


Sources

  1. Information received by email 29/08/2020; Familysearch.org, Barbados Church Records, 1637-1887 [database online]; portrait of Pinson Bonham in the NPG, https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/person/mp88216/pinson-bonham [accessed 29/09/2020].

  2. PROB 11/2158/325.

  3. Findagrave memorial ID 51419940.

We are grateful to Andrew George for his assistance with compiling this entry.


Further Information

Absentee?
Transatlantic
Maiden Name
Skeete
Spouse
Pinson Bonham
Will

PROB 11/2158/325.

Transcript of the will of Agnes Bonham, 1848

This is the last Will or Testamentary Appointment of me Agnes Bonham wife of Pinson Bonham of Great Warley Place in the County of Essex a General in Her Majestys Army Whereas Articles of Agreement made previous to my marriage with the said Pinson Bonham dated on or about the fourteenth day of December one thousand seven hundred and ninety nine made between Agnes Skeete (my mother) of the first part, myself (then Agnes Skeete spinster) of the second part the said Pinson Bonham of the third part and John Braithwaite Skeete and Matthew Coulthurst Esquires of the fourth part my undivided share of a certain Plantation and Estate in the Island of Barbados and all other property to which I should become entitled as therein mentioned was settled or agreed to be settled to such uses for such estates and purposes and in such manner as I notwithstanding my coverture should by deed or by my last will or any codicil give direct or appoint And whereas by an Order of the High Court of Chanc ery made on the Petition of my said Husband and myself and dated the twenty seventh day of March one thousand eight hundred and thirty five the sum of three thousand seven hundred and forty four Pounds nine shillings and four pence Three Pounds per Centum Consolidated Bank Annuities which had arisen and been produced by the sale or disposal of the property mentioned in the said Articles or some part thereof was ordered to be transferred and the same was accordingly transferred into the names of the Reverend Hastings Robinson Doctor of Divinity Rector of Warley aforesaid and Henry Bonham Bax then of Walmer in Kent but now of Charlton in Kent Esquire upon the trusts of the said Articles of the fourteenth day of December one thousand seven hundred and ninety nine Now in pursuance of the power to me given by the said Articles and of every other power I do by this my Will appoint that the said Hastings Robinson and Henry Bonham Bax or other the Trustees of the said Articles shall and do within one month after my decease by sale and disposal of a sufficient part of the said three thousand seven hundred and forty four pounds nine shillings and four pence Three Pounds per Centum Consolidated Bank Annuities raise and pay to each of my daughters Sarah Bonham and Elizabeth Bonham the sum of one thousand pounds sterling clear of legacy duty and do and shall stand possessed of the remainder of the said trust sum of Bank Annuities and all the dividends thereon after my decease upon the trusts following namely As to two third parts thereof In Trust for my Son John Braithwaite Bonham absolutely And as to the remaining one third part thereof In Trust for my daughter Agnes Clay Widow absolutely And I appoint the said Hastings Robinson and Henry Bonham Bax Executors of this my Will In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand the third day of June one thousand eight hundred and forty eight — Agnes Bonham — Signed and acknowledged by the said Agnes Bonham as and for her last Will in the presence of us present at the same time who in her presence and in the presence of each other have hereunto subscribed our names as witnesses Willm. Wall – Alfred Haldron

Proved at London the 10th Septr. 1852 before the Worshipful William Calverley Curteis Doctor of Laws and Surrogate by the Oaths of the Revd. Hastings Robinson Doctor of Divinity and Henry Bonham Bax Esqr. the Executors named in the Will to who Admōn was granted Limited so far only as concerns all the right title and interest of the deceased in and to all such Personal Estate and Effects as the said deceased by virtue of a certain Indenture of Settlement bearing date the 14th decr. 1799 has a right to appoint or dispose of and hath in and by her said Will appointed and disposed of accordingly but no further or otherwise they having been first sworn duly to administer.

We are grateful to Andrew George for transcribing this will.


Relationships (11)

Grand-daughter → Grandfather
Niece → Uncle
First Cousins
First Cousins
First Cousins
Grand-daughter → Grandmother
Daughter → Mother
Sister → Brother
Sister-in-laws
Sister → Brother
Sister → Brother

Addresses (1)

Warley Place, Great Warley, Essex, South-east England, England