Hon. James Philips

Slave-owner on St Kitts, shown as the owner of Stone Fort, apparently also in Jamaica in the mid-1820s, and dead c. 1831. Brother of George Washington Philips (q.v.). Although online genealogies show Henry Leigh Philips and George Washington Philips as the only children of Charles Philips, it is clear that there were also at least two daughters of Charles Philips, while the autobiography of George Washington Philips' son F.C. Philips refers to his uncles Col. James Philips of the Coldstream Guards and Capt. Charles Philips. The will of James Philips' mother Elizabeth Philips nee Spence (q.v.) shows the full family structure of seven children.

1. The will of James Philips of North Audley Street Grosvenor Square for which administration was granted 14/06/1841 is the will of the brother of George Washington Philips. The will was made 13/02/1823. He left annuities to: his father Charles Philips of £300 p.a.; his brother, also Charles, of £125 p.a.; another brother Henry Leigh Philips of £50 p.a.; Mary Jones niece of Mrs Catherine Wighton [?] of Holt near Wrexham of £25 p.a.; Maria Louisa dos Auros of Coimbra Portugal spinster of £15 p.a,; and his servant Andrew Pickett, if living with him [the testator] at the time of his death, of £10 p.a. and a lump-sum of £20. He left £500 to his brother Henry Philips [presumably the same man as Henry Leigh Philips earlier in the will] payable within 12 months of the death of the men's father Charles Philips. He left £150 to his nephew John Tharp the son of John Tharp [VI] of Chippenham 'by Maria Tharp my sister', and £150 to his niece Agnes Wilson daughter of Edward Lumley Wilson late of Arundel Sussex 'by Louisa Wilson my sister' at the age of 21, until when the interest at 5% was to be paid to Louisa Wilson exclusively for the benefit of Agnes. Subject to these annuities and legacies, he left his personal estate and his real estate on St Christopher and elsewhere in the West Indies and at Ruxley Lodge in Surrey to his brother George Washington Philips. In an undated first codicil he clarified that the £500 to Henry Philips was to be invested in the funds or similar until it could be used to Henry's advantage, with only the interest flowing to Henry until that time. In a second codicil dated 25/05/1827 and headed Jamaica he revoked the legacy to Andrew Pickett who had left his service: in that codicil he said that he had made his will before he left England for St Christopher's (the witnesses to the codicil both gave Good Hope Jamaica as their address). In a deposition dated 29/04/1841 the Rev. G.W. Philips said he could not give a date to the first codicil but that he and his brother the testator ('late of the island of St Christopher') the testator had had a conversation about the legacy consistent with the codicil before his brother left for Jamaica [sic] in 1823.

F.C. Philips, My Varied Life (London, 1914).

1. PROB 11/1947/301.