William Wells

Slave-owner on St Kitts, married Elizabeth, the widow of Nicholas Taylor. His three children, likely all mulatto, were all baptised 03/03/1783; William, born 01/03/1775, Grace, born 02/01/1777, and Nathaniel, born 10/09/1779. William the son must have died prior to his father's death in 1794, since Nathaniel is recorded as the only son at the writing of his will.

1. Will of William Wells planter of St Christopher proved 02/12/1794. Under the will he freed four 'house negro women', Hannah, Juggy, Gotto and Kate, and left annuities of £60 p.a. each to the first two women and £20 p.a. to the second. He also freed 'my mullatto woman' Sue Wells (leaving her an annuity of £20 p.a.), 'my mullatto man Simon and my houseboy Fill' and his drivers Christian and Teaster [?] and also left them each annuities of £20 p.a. He left an annuity of £150 p.a. and a lump sum of £2500 to his natural daughter Elizabeth, whose mother was Perrin; an annuity of £150 p.a. and a lump sum of £3500 to his natural daughter Ann, the daughter of Sue Wells; an annuity of £140 p.a. and an lump sum of £1000 to his natural daughter Mary Ann, whose mother 'is named Sarah'. He left 1000 guineas to his friend Henry Berkley as a token of his regard for him; he left an annuity of £80 p.a. to his half-brother Miles Wells, and lump sums of £5000 each to his brothers the Rev. Robert Wells of Glamorganshire and Nathaniel Wells merchant of London; and 300 guineas p.a. for life to his nephew Burham [sic: in fact Burman] Wells of City of London. The rest of his estate he gave to his 'natural and dear son Nathaniel whose mother is Juggy', who was then in England at school in Newington under the care of his uncle Nathaniel; if Nathaniel the son failed to reach 21 (in 1800), then the residuary heirs became Nathaniel the uncle and Rev. Robert Wells, the testator's brothers. William Wells recommended that his son should go to Oxford. He calculated that after all the above legacies, the inheritance for Nathaniel the son was £120,000, including three plantations on St Kitts. At the end of the will, he left as an apparent afterthought £5000 to his son-in-law [i.e. stepson] John Taylor of Nevis.

We are grateful to Cheryl Hazell for assistance in writing this entry.

1. PROB 11/1253/24. Burman Wells, linen-draper of the Minories, had been bankrupt c. 1772, Gentleman's Magazine Vol. 48 (1778) p. 142.