James Crokatt

London merchant trading with South Carolina. James Crokatt purchased a series of eight separate annuities totalling £460 p.a. on the Nevis property of John Abel Ward in 1774.

1. Will of James Crokatt merchant Richmond Surrey [made in 1776] proved 18/03/1777. He recorded in vivo gifts and settlements of £20,000 to his daughter and his sons Charles (who predeceased him) and Daniel, and made pained reference to his losses from the failure of Charles Crokatt's business. In the will he said he stood to succeed to an estate in Jamaica that had belonged to his late brother Daniel Crokatt (who was mortgagee-in-possession of Heart's Ease/George's Valley 1758-59). He also said '...I have lately purchased several life annuities depending on the lives of my said grandchildren', and urged his trustees to take into account theses annuities in dividing his estate among these grandchildren. It is possible that James Crokatt referred here to the Nevis annuities. almost certainly referring to the Nevis annuities. Research by Kent McKeever, however, shows that James Crokatt bought one Richmond Bridge Tontine share in the names of each of his eight grandchildren in 1774; the "several life annuities" mentioned in Crokatt's will are likely those Tontine shares rather than the Nevis annuities. The Richmond Bridge Tontine was one of the earliest tontines in England, and the use of the term "life annuity" for tontine shares was not uncommon.

We are grateful to Kent McKeever for his assistance in compiling this entry.

London Gazette 19129 18 February 1834 p. 296. The notice shows six annuities for a total of £300 p.a. and then later in the notice an additional two two annuities for £160 p.a. each.

1. PROB 11/1029/175. Richmond upon Thames Local Studies Library and Archive L624.2 RA 1.