George Palmer

1. London East India merchant, partner in Palmers, Mackillop (q.v.) until retirement 31/12/1842, son of William Palmer (1748?-1821) and brother of John Horsley Palmer, William Jocelyn Palmer and Sir Ralph Palmer (all of whom q.v.). With John Horsley Palmer and Lestock Peach Wilson (his partners in Palmers, Mackillop) George Palmer was awarded compensation as mortgagees of the Upper Latante estate in Grenada and, together with his three brothers, George Palmer was awarded the compensation as mortgagees-in-possession of Springs and Mount Aire, also in Grenada.

2. George Palmer (1772-1853) has an entry in the ODNB as 'merchant and philanthropist'.  First Chairman of the General London Shipowners Association; chair of committee at Lloyds for establishing a new register of shipping. MP for South Essex 1836-47; vice chairman RNLI. Died at Naz[e]ing Hall Essex. His son William Palmer is also in the ODNB as lawyer and jurist, as is his brother John Horsley Palmer as merchant banker.

3. Joined the navy of the East India Company in 1786. Designed a new kind of lifeboat which was adopted by the RNLI in the late 1820s; used his political position to push for regulations to improve safety at sea.

4. Will of George Palmer of Nazeing Essex proved 21/06/1853.

5. The journals of the East India Company ship Boddam 1786-1800 are held in the British Library. Palmer was ship's captain 1795/6 and 1799/1800.

6. George Palmer's eldest son George junior became one of the Colonisation Commissioners for South Australia in 1835; his second son William became a Gresham professor of law in 1836.

1. T71/880 Grenada claim nos. 859 (Upper Latante) and 455 (Springs and Aires). The date-of-birth of the father William Palmer is given as 1737 in the ODNB entry for John Horsley Palmer.

2. See the following entries in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, (Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2004); online edn, Jan 2008: Freda Harcourt, ‘Palmer, George (1772–1853)’; J. M. Rigg, ‘Palmer, William (1802–1858)’, rev. Joanne Potier; A. C. Howe, ‘Palmer, (John) Horsley (1779–1858)’. All accessed 09/08/012.

3. 'MP of the Month: George Palmer, a 'firm friend of the shipwrecked', The Victorian Commons, https://victoriancommons.wordpress.com/2014/10/22/mp-of-the-month-george-palmer-a-firm-friend-of-the-shipwrecked/ [accessed 10/12/2020].

4. PROB 11/2174.

5. British Library, Mss Eur F723 and L/MIL/5/143.

6. 'Foundation of the Province', South Australia State Library website, https://www.samemory.sa.gov.au/site/page.cfm?u=349&startRow=13 [accessed 10/12/2020]; J.M. Rigg, revised by Joanne Potier, 'Palmer, William (1802-1858), lawyer and jurist', ODNB https://doi.org/10.1093/ref:odnb/21223 [accessed 10/12/2020].

We are grateful to Melanie Smith for her assistance with compiling this entry.