John Proctor Anderdon

Originally (possibly after a period in Bristol) a London merchant, partner in Manning & Anderdon (q.v.) from 1794, retiring in 1816 and thereafter a rentier, connoisseur and collector: father of James Hughes Anderdon (q.v.) and John Lavicount Anderdon (q.v.). His first wife, Anne, was the daughter of Thomas Oliver (q.v.) and sister of Penelope Cave (q.v.).

1. Although the website for the Mount Somerset Hotel (the former Henlade House) at one stage identified John Proctor Anderdon as nephew and heir of Robert Proctor Anderdon of Henlade, it appears from the will of Robert Proctor Anderdon that his heir was another nephew, Charles Proctor Anderdon, who according to more recent research rebuilt Henlade between 1812 and 1815. John Proctor Anderdon was identified on the same hotel site as an officer serving with Duke of Wellington and commander of City of London militia at Waterloo: this has not been verified from other sources. John Proctor Anderdon's grandson John Edmund Anderdon did inherit Henlade House and was living there with his father, John Lavicount Anderdon, at the time of the 1871 census.

2. The identification of John Proctor Anderdon as the nephew [rather than as the heir] of Robert Proctor Anderdon, however, is confirmed by Vere Langford Oliver, whose family tree shows John Proctor Anderdon as son of Ferdinando Anderdon and Mary Hobart.

3. Died in Ramsgate, Kent.

4. Will of John Proctor Anderdon of Farley Hall Berkshire proved 03/02/1847. Under the will he left the moiety of the lands in Ireland at Broghill that he was entitled to will under the settlement on his first marriage of 1886 [sic, but clearly 1786] to his son James, subject to legacies of £2000 each to his other children Oliver, John and Lucy Claxton. With feelings of 'deep mortification' he excluded his unfortunate son Freeman Anderdon, whom he had given £5000 on his setting out in life, from any further part in his property. He left £15,000 in trust for the benefit of his wife for life, and £6000 for the benefit of his daughter Lucy Claxton. He said his pictures must be sold after his death, and that if the proceeds sufficiently exceeded £10,000, the surplus should be applied to offset a debt of £1200 due to him from his son James, but not the £3200 secured on James' house in Grosvenor Street [he revoked the provision about the promissory note for £1200 in a codicil and instead made James a co-residuary legatee]. He had three children with his present wife and left the £20,000 under his marriage settlement with her in the proportions £5000 to their daughter Emma, £10,000 to their son Hobart and £5000 to their son William. In a codicil of 1846 he changed his co-resdiuary legatees adding his sons James and John to his grand-daughters, and omitting his grandson William Harry.

T71/877 Antigua claim no. 17 (Seaforths).

1. http://www.mountsomersethotel.co.uk/default.asp?Page=history [accessed 06/08/2012]; [Nick Kingsley], Landed families of Britain and Ireland, http://landedfamilies.blogspot.co.uk/search?q=anderdon [accessed 07/03/2016].

2. Vere Langford Oliver, History of Antigua Vol.II pp.234-235.

3. Royal Society record of Anderdon.

4. PROB 11/2049/326.

We are grateful to Ruth Hecht for her assistance with compiling this entry.