James Wedderburn of Leadenhall Street

London West India merchant, whose Jamaican estates were subject to the Chancery suit of Lyon v Colvile, between his brother-in-law David Lyon jun. (q.v.) and his former partner, creditor and kinsman Andrew Colvile.

1. James Wedderburn was son of John Wedderburn of Spring Garden (q.v.) and Mary Wisdom Bedward (q.v.). He inherited from his father possession through entail of Spring Garden, as well as several other estates. From his uncle James Wedderburn of Westmoreland (q.v.) he inherited possession of Mint estate. In 1817 James Wedderburn married Isabella, daughter of David Lyon of Portland Place and Jamaica (q.v.). Together they had one son John Kellerman Wedderburn (1818-1891) (q.v.), who inherited his father's Jamaican estates upon his death

2. He joined the family firm Wedderburn and Co. around 1810 and remained a partner until 1830. The firm took on much of his father and uncle's debt, which James endeavoured to pay off shortly before his death. To do so he borrowed £42,650 from his father-in-law David Lyon, secured through mortgages on Retreat, Moreland and Paradise. It was to reclaim this debt after James Wedderburn 's death that David Lyon Jun. filed a case against Andrew Colvile, senior partner in Wedderburn & Co.

3. Administration of the will of James Wedderburn of Leadenhall Street granted 25/04/1832 to Andrew Colvile and Alexander Seton creditors (the surviving executors and trustees were David Lyon [jun.] and John Watson, who renounced probate). A second administration was granted to John Kellerman[n] Wedderburn in 1856. John Kellerman Wedderburn himself left just under £25,000 (resworn from just over £30,000) in 1891.

1. Alexander Wedderburn, The Wedderburn Book: a history of the Wedderburns in the counties of Berwick and Forfar, designed of Wedderburn, Kingennie, Easter Powrie, Blackness, Balindean and Gosford, 1296-1896 (Published privately, 1898), pp. 345-46 and 443-44.

2. Lyon v Colvile, Reports of cases decided in High Court of Chancery, Vol.28, 1851, p.456

3. PROB 11/1796/272; National Probate Calendar 1891.