William Eccles

Profile & Legacies Summary

???? - 1847

Claimant or beneficiary

Biography

Merchant in Glasgow. William Eccles, merchant in Glasgow, married Mary Robertson, lawful daughter of the deceased Andrew Robertson, merchant in Glasgow, 24/12/1805 in Glasgow. They had fourteen children born between 1806 and 1828.

'The estates of William Eccles and William Eccles, junior, now or lately residing in Glasgow, as Partners of the Company or Copartnership now or lately carrying on business as Merchants, in Glasgow, under the firms of Eccles, Burnley, and Company, and William and James Eccles and Company, and in Greenock under the firm of George James Eccles, and as Individuals, were sequestrated on the 7th day of September 1848.'
Tom Devine shows James, Robert and Thomas as the sons of William Eccles, 'a merchant of Ireland', and as shareholders in Robert Eccles & Co. [n.d.]

Sources

T71/886 British Guiana claim no. 1662A & B (Sevilla Estate), 1754 (Palmira Estate) and 1924 (Otaheit) ; T71/887 British Guiana claim nos. 2362 and 2536A-C; T71/894 Trinidad claim nos. 1802A-F, 1838A & B (Clydesdale Cottage) and 1886 (Bromage Estate).

London Gazette, Issue 20896, 12/09/1848, p. 3381.
T.M. Devine, 'An eighteenth-century business élite: Glasgow-West India merchants, c. 1750-1815', Scottish Historical Review, 57 (1) (April, 1978), pp. 40-67. To date no Thomas Eccles has been traced: according to online genealogical material, James (d.1842), Robert (d. c. 1848) and William Eccles (d. 1847), together with George Eccles (d. 1796/1799) were all the sons of William Eccles (d. 1796, reportedly at Trinidad) and all reportedly born at Watercourse, Co. Cork in Ireland.

Further Information

Absentee?

British/Irish

Spouse

Mary Robertson

Children

William (1806-), Mary (1807-), Andrew (1810-), Elizabeth (1813-), William (1814-), George (1815-), Robert (1816-), Isabella (1818-), Charlotte (1819-), Margaret (1820-), Helen (1822-), Camilla (1823-), James (1825-), Mary (1828-)

Will

William Eccles set up a trust, 10/01/1846, consigning his whole estate to trustees: "Mrs Mary Robertson or Eccles my Spouse, Robert Eccles Esquire Merchant in Glasgow my Brother, Andrew Eccles Esquire Merchant in Glasgow my Son, William Eccles Esquire Captain in Her Majesty’s 82 Regiment of Foot my Son, John Ronald Esquire Merchant in Glasgow and William Frederick Burnley Esquire Merchant in Glasgow".

The trustees were instructed to: Firstly, pay all just debts and funeral expenses

Secondly, to award Mary Robertson or Eccles, according to their marriage contract, an annuity of £300 pa and to add to this a further annuity of £300 pa making a total of £600 pa. To also pay to Mary Robertson or Eccles a sum of £500. Mary Robertson was also bequeathed all his furniture, bed and table linen, books, silver plate, pictures, wine, liquors etc.

Thirdly, to divide the residue of the estate into eight equal parts. Two-eighths each to sons Andrew Eccles (merchant in Glasgow) and William Eccles (Captain in the 82nd Regiment of Foot) in absolute fee. One-eighth each to daughters Isabella, Charlotte (spouse of Rev. George Thornton Mostyn, minister of the Episcopal Chapel in Greenock), Margaret (spouse of John Francey William French of Pinkson) and Mary.

SC36/51/23.

Occupation

Merchant