William Woodley (1728 - 1793)

Born 26 May 1728 in Saint Christopher, Saint Kitts and Nevis

Husband of Frances (Payne) Woodley — married about 30 Mar 1758 in St George's, Hanover Square, London

Descendants

Died 2 Jun 1793 at age 65 in Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis

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Biography

William was baptised 27 June 1728 in St Kitts, Eastern Caribbean. He was the eldest son of William Woodley of St Kitts and his wife Anne Payne, daughter of Abraham Payne of Christ Church, St. Kitts. ^[1]

30 March 1758 he married his 2nd cousin Frances Payne daughter and heiress to Abraham Payne jun.of St. Kitts. ^[1]

From 1761 - June 1766 he was Member of Parliament for Great Bedwyn, Wiltshire ^[1]

William was first appointed Governor of the Leeward Islands in 1766, a post he held until 1771. ^[1]

In 1766 a family portrait was painted

He was governor of Antigua 1768 until 1788 ^[1]

From 1780 - 1784 he was MP for Marlborough ^[1]

In 1791 he was again appointed Governor of the Leeward Islands ande Governor of Antigua; post he held until his death ^[1]

William Woodley, Colonial administrator died in 1793 and his will was proved in 1796 ^[1]

Will of William Woodley of [Mansfield Street] St Marylebone proved 11/05/1796. :He left his unnamed estate (including explicitly the enslaved people) at Nichola Town in trust for his son William Woodley, subject to an annuity of £1000 p.a. on one moiety of it for his wife Frances, and the raising of portions totalling £23,000 for his sons John and Charles and his daughters Harriet and Maria (£6000 each apart from £5000 to Charles). His trustees included William Woodley of Eccles ^[2]

Issue

1. William Woodley (d. 1810) Lieutenant-Governor of Berbice, m. Eliza - Issue ^[3]
2. Frances Woodley, m. Henry Bankes the younger, of Kingston Lacy, Wimborne Minster, Dorset. - Issue
3. Harriet Woodley m. 1788 Thomas Pickard of Bloxworth (1765–1844) and became an amateur artist.
4. John Woodley Attorney General of St Kitt's in 1826 will proved 1829 - Issue m2) Frances Laurence widow of Samuel Laurence of Clifton's, Paynes and Morton's Bay in Nevis ^[4]
5. Charles Woodley m. Sophia Ley - Issue
6. Maria Woodley (1772–1808), Poet. m1). 1791 in the West Indies, Walter Riddell (d c 1798) of Glenriddell, (Dunscore) Dumfriesshire - Issue & m2) in 1807 Philip Lloyds Fletcher.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7} Brooke, Namier J ed. in The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1754-1790, Pub, 1964 via History of Parliament Online; Woodley, William (1728 - 1793)
2. ↑ Legacies of British Slavery; William Woodley MP 1728 - 1793
3. ↑ Legacies of British Slavery, William Woodley, William Woodley Lt-Governor of Berbice
4. ↑ Legacies of British Slavery; Frances Woodley

See Also

Wikipedia; Berbice

Colonial connections in Britain’s built heritage; Kingston Lacy