John Cave (bef. 1736 - abt. 1800)

Born before 6 Apr 1736 in Avenbury, Herefordshire, England [uncertain]

Ancestors

Husband of Susanna (Cox) Cave — married 1 May 1762 in Newton, Dorset, England

Descendants

Died about Mar 1800 after about age 63 in Bedminster, Somerset, England

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Biography

Early Life

John Cave, the third son of Edward Cave of Poole Hall, Bromyard and Mary Hallward was baptised on 6 April 1736 in Avenbury, Herefordshire.^[1][2]

He moved to Bristol as a young man and married the heiress Susannah Cox, daughter of Stephen Cox of Sturminster, Newton in Dorset, on 1 May 1762 in St Thomas the Apostle, Bristol.^[3][2]

They had five known children:

1. Stephen Cave (1763-1838)
2. John Cave (1765-1842)
3. William Cave (Died 1836)
4. Walter Cave (died 1792) and
5. Susanna (Cave) Daniel (1767-)

and the family lived in Brunswick Square in Bristol before moving to Arno's Vale in Somerset.^[2]

Public Life

John was a successful banker and industrialist in Bristol; he was one of the founding members of the bank Ames, Cave & Company with his partners Levi Ames, Joseph Harford, George Daubeny and Richard Bright which opened at 15 Corn Street in Bristol on 1 February 1786 and he remained a partner until his death in 1800;^[4] he was one of the first directors of Brunel's Great Western Railway Company, investing £18,000 of the estimated £2,500,000 of the project^[5] and held shares in the Bristol Theatre (which he bequeathed to his son William).^[6]

Connection to Slavery

John Cave appears to have been connected to, but not directly involved in slavery.

He was a member of and, in 1807, became the Master of the Society of Merchant Venturers of the City of Bristol,^[7] a charitable organisation which played a part in the civic development of Bristol but also promoted trade protectionism and lobbied the government in protection of the slave trade.

On 13 April 1789 the society had appointed an influential committee to defend the traffic on which the welfare of the West India islands and the commerce and revenue of the kingdom so essentially depend. Amongst its members was John Cave. The views of this body were enunciated by Henry Cruger the MP for Bristol in the House of Commons:^[8]

if the traffic were to be abolished, which he strongly deprecated, compensation to the extent of about seventy millions sterling should be awarded to the injured merchants.

Also his daughter Susannah married Thomas Daniel, sugar merchant and West Indies plantation owner, the son of Thomas Daniel of Barbados:

So large were the the estates and possessions of Thomas Daniel and Sons in Demerara, and other of the West Indian Islands, that it was stated at the time of the Slave Emancipation Act, they obtained as compensation for the services of the negroes who were manumitted by that humane measure, not much less than a quarter of a million of the twenty voted for that purpose.' High Sheriff of Bristol 1786

Death and Burial

John Cave died in Bedminster, Somerset in March 1800 and was buried on 7 March 1800 in Portland Square, St Paul, Bristol.^[9]

His will, which passed probate on 26 March 1800, he divided his property and capital between his two sons, Stephen and John and bequeathed property to his wife; it mentions the following:^[6]

• I John Cave late of the city of Bristol now of Arno's Vale in the parish of Bedminster in the County of Somerset Esquire
• my sons Stephen Cave and John Cave
• my brother William Cave
• the Trade or Business carried on by me in Copartnership with them ( ie his sons, Stephen and Jon Cave) and with my Brother William Cave under the firm of John Cave and Company
• my daughter Susanna the wife of Thomas Daniel of the city of Bristol Esquire
• my son William Cave
• my dear wife Susanna Cave
• in copartnership with George Daubeny in the Glass Trade in the city of Bristol..in the name of Harris's Concern[?]

Sources

1. ↑ Baptism: "England, Select Births and Christenings, 1538-1975"
   Original data: England, Births and Christenings, 1538-1975. Salt Lake City, Utah: FamilySearch, 2013; FHL Film Number: 991961
   Ancestry uk Record 9841 #163218101 (accessed 21 January 2024)
   John Cave baptism on 6 Apr 1736, son of Edward Cave & Mary, in Avenbury, Hereford, England.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2} Cave & Cave: Charles Henry Cave, Charles Daniel Cave;A History of Banking in Bristol from 1750 to 1899. Containing Numerous Portraits, Reproductions of Notes, Etc. Bristol: W. Crofton Hemmons, 1899; page 109, 107Gale Primary Sources subscription required)(accessed 21 January 2024).
3. ↑ Marriage: "Bristol, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1938"
   Bristol Archives; Bristol, England; Bristol Church of England Parish Registers; Reference: P/St T/R/3/A
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry uk Record 61686 #1636786 (accessed 21 January 2024)
   John Cave marriage to Susannah Cox on 1 May 1762 in St Thomas the Apostle, Bristol, England.
4. ↑ Cave & Cave: Charles Henry Cave, Charles Daniel Cave;A History of Banking in Bristol from 1750 to 1899. pages 14,107.
5. ↑ Society of Merchant Venturers: Latimer, John, The History of the Society of Merchant Venturers Bristol:1903, page 257, Internet Archive(accessed 21 January 2024).
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1} Will: "England & Wales, Prerogative Court of Canterbury Wills, 1384-1858"
   The National Archives; Kew, Surrey, England; Records of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, Series PROB 11; Class: PROB 11; Piece: 1338
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry uk Record 5111 #212626 (accessed 21 January 2024)
   Will of John Cave Esq, granted probate on 26 Mar 1800. Died about 1800 in Bedminster, Somerset, England.
7. ↑ Society of Merchant Venturers: Latimer, John, The History of the Society of Merchant Venturers, page 331.
8. ↑ Society of Merchant Venturers: Latimer, John, The History of the Society of Merchant Venturers, page 186.
9. ↑ Burial: "Bristol, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1812"
   Bristol Archives; Bristol, England; Bristol Church of England Parish Registers; Reference: P/St P/R/3/1
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry uk Record 61666 #1538564 (accessed 21 January 2024)
   John Cave Esq burial (died in 1800) on 7 Mar 1800 in Portland Square, St Paul, Bristol, England.

• http://thepeerage.com/p21008.htm#i210072