Rev. William John Jolliffe

Rev. William John Jol[l]iffe entered into a number of transactions with the failed London merchant firm of Inglis Ellice on 19th December 1823 which appear to represent the transfer to Jolliffe of claims of Inglis Ellice on estates in St Lucia and debts from slave-owners there in settlement or partial settlement of mortgages held by Jolliffe: the trustees of Inglis Ellice called a meeting of creditors to approve certain steps in the transactions. In 1830, Jolliffe apparently transferred back to Inglis Ellice claims and securities transferred to him in 1823.

1. Son of William Joliffe (1745-1802), MP for Petersfield 1768-1800 and 1801-1802. Brother of Hylton Jolliffe, who was also MP for Petersfield in 1796-1797 and with intervals between 1802 and 1834. Grandson of John Jolliffe, again MP for Petersfield 1741-1754 and 1761-1768. Father of Sir William George Hylton Jolliffe, 1st bart. (1800-1876), MP for Petersfield 1830-32, 1837-38 and 1841-66 and of Gilbert East Jolliffe, MP for Petersfield 1830-1831.

2. Will of Rev. William John Jolliffe of Merstham Surrey proved 27/02/1835.

3. 'Reverend W. J. Jolliffe' London appears in the 1819 Slave Register of St Lucia as the owner of 21 enslaved people.

4. The History of Parliament entry for Sir William George Hylton Jolliffe shows that the Rev. William John Jolliffe 'set about the exploiting the mineral wealth on the family’s Merstham estates. To carry the stone from its rich lime workings the pioneering Surrey Iron Railway was built in 1805. With the overseer of this project, Edward Banks, William John Jolliffe entered into a business partnership in 1807. Jolliffe and Banks of Beauford Street, Strand, were listed in the London directories as lime burners, but as contractors for public works they were responsible for the construction of Waterloo Bridge, Sheerness dockyard, Dartmoor prison and the new London Bridge.'

5. The role of Jolliffe in the Inglis Ellice claims and the path to his own slave-ownership both remain unclear. A detailed account of the situation as of 1825 appeared in the London Gazette.

T71/884 St Lucia claim nos. 763 and 757: the latter shows the counterclaim of John Bellingham Inglis arose 'by transfer by Rev Wm Jno Jolliffe of all claims due to the Firm of Inglis Ellice & co. and Inglis & co., assignment of 16/3/1830 of numerous mortgages, £16087 0s 11d'; London Gazette, Issue 18192, 08/11/1825, p. 11 shows the original transfer to Jolliffe; Caribbeana Vol. II p. 335 shows that in 1822 Rev Wm Joliffe of Merstham conveyed with consent of Inglis & co. [John Bellingham Inglis, John Inglis and Jas Inglis all of Mark Lane] the Union estate (in St Lucia) to Cha Campbell, John Deacon and Alex Gillespie, merchants of London (who were assignees of the failed Inglis Ellice firm).

1. Entries in History of Parliament Online: William (1745-1802) https://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1754-1790/member/jolliffe-william-1745-1802; Hylton (1773-1843) https://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1790-1820/member/jolliffe-hylton-1773-1843; John (c.1697-1772) https://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1754-1790/member/jolliffe-john-1697-1772; Sir William (1800-1876) https://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1820-1832/member/jolliffe-sir-william-1800-1876; and Gilbert East (1802-1833) https://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1820-1832/member/jolliffe-gilbert-1802-1833 [all accessed 06/07/2020]. John Burke, A General and Heraldic Dictionary of the Peerage and Baronetage of the British Empire (1838) p. 539.

2. PROB 11/1842/391

3. Slave Registers St Lucia: Abstract of Returns (Personal slaves) 1819.

4. Philip Salmon/Howard Spencer, 'Jolliffe, Sir William George Hylton Jolliffe 1st bart. (1800-1876), of Merstham, Surr.' http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1820-1832/member/jolliffe-sir-william-1800-1876 [accessed 24/10/2015].

5. London Gazette, Issue 18192, 08/11/1825, p. 11: THE Creditors who have proved their debts under a Commission of Bankrupt awarded and issued forth against John Bellingham Inglis and James Inglis, late of Mark-Lane, London, Merchants, (surviving Partners of John Inglis, late of Mark-Lane aforesaid, Merchant, deceased), are requested to meet the Assignees of the estate and effects of the said Bankrupts, on Thursday the 1st day of December next, at Twelve o'clock at Noon, at the Court of Commissioners of Bankrupts, in Basinghall- Street, in the City of London, in order to assent to or dissent from the said Assignees concurring with the Trustees of the late dissolved Partnership firm of Inglis, Ellice and Company, under an Indenture, dated the 19ih December 1323, in doing and executing all necessary acts and deeds for carrying into effect a proposed arrangement with the Reverend William John Jollife, a mortgagee of certain estates, debts and other property, in the Island of St. Lucie. and in France, transferred to him by the Partners in the said firm of Inglis, Ellice and Company, and By the said John Inglis, John Bellingham Inglis, and James Inglis, Partners in the firm of Inglis and Company, whereby the said William John Jolliffe is to retain to his own use all monies, property and consignments' remitted, received, possessed or made, or to be remitted, received, possessed or made to him from all his securities up to the 31st day of December 1825; and whereby the said William John Jolliffe is to retain all debts and interest due and to become due thereon from the following persons (that is to say), from Dame Elizabeth Motet, widow of Mr. William Alexander, formerly of the Island of St. Lucie, deceased, or the heirs or family of the said William Alexander, deceased, and from Josephine Marquis, the widow of Louis Marie Duval, and Jacques Marie Dorigny Le Caze, and from Eusebe Lauriol de St. Croix, and Clotide Adelaide Casse, his wife, (including as part of the debt due and owing by them, A certain debt or charge in favour of the Demoiselle Marguerite Clotilde Francoise Victorie Fourcade, widow of the late Thomas Biddulph, which debt or charge, secured on property of the said l.auriol and wife, had been assigned by the said widow Biddulph to the said Messieurs Inglis, Ellice and Company) ; also from the late John Falvey, of the said Island of St Lucie, deceased; also from Jean Pupin and Laurier Pupin, of the said Island of St. Lucie; also debts on the estates of Alexander, and other debts purchased and assigned, or agreed to be purchased and assigned by Peter Muter and Company, to the amount of £9,200; also from Marie Jean Pierre Alexander, and all mortgages, bonds, assignments, transfers and other securities for the same several debts, whether in St. Lucie, France, England, or elsewhere, are to be retained by or to be transferred, assigned, ratified and confirmed by the said Trustees and Assignees respectively to the said William John Jolliffe absolutely, subject only to the equity of redemption of the original Mortgagees, but discharged of all equity of redemption by such Trustees and Assignees respectively, and whereby it is proposed to be re-ferred to arbitration whether the debt contracted by Brossard de Bois la Pierre and Dame Brossard, with the late firm of lnglis, Elice and Company, and all mortgages and other securities for the same shall be also retained by, or be assigned, transferred, ratified and confirmed to the said William John Jolliffe, subject only to the equity of redemption of the original mortgagors (but discharged of all equity of redemption by the Trustees or Assignees), or whether the same last mentioned debt and the securities for the same shall be retransferred and assigned by the said William John Jolliffe, and all necessary parties to the Trustees of Inglis, Ellice and Company, upon the trusts of and for the purposes expressed in the said indenture of the 19th December 1823, of and concerning the estate and effects thereby conveyed and assigned, the said several debts, charges and the securities for the same to be accepted and taken by the said William John Jolliffe, in full satisfaction of all monies due and owing to him from or by the said several films of Inglis, Ellice and Company, and Inglis and Company, or either of them, or any of the Partners of the said firms, either of them; and also to assent to or dissent from the said Assignees transferring and assigning, or joining with the said William John Jolliffe, in transferring and assigning to the Trustees of the said firm of Inglis, Ellice and Company, the following mortgages, (that is to say), a mortgage, dated 31st May, from Peter Muter and Michael Jackson to Inglis, Ellice and Company, of the Le Soufriere estate in St. Lucie, with the slaves, cattle, stock and appurtenances, for securing to the said Inglis, Ellice and Company the sum of £16,000 sterling and interest; also a Mortgage, dated 31st July 1821, from the said Peter Muter and Michael Jackson to the said John lnglis, John Bellingham Inglis, and James Inglis, as liquidators of the said late firm of Inglis, Ellice and Company, of the said Le Soufriere estate, with the slaves, stock, and appurtenances, for securing to the said Inglis and Company, in the names aforesaid, the sum of £31,704 13s. 4d. (including therein the said debt of £16,000 and interest); and also a mortgage, dated the said 31st July 1821, from the said Peter Muter and Michael Jackson, to the said John Inglis, John Bellingham lnglis, and James Inglis, as liquidators of the late firm of Inglis, Ellice, and Company, of the Praslin [sic] estate in St. Lucie, with the slaves, stock, and appurtenances', for securing, to the said Inglis and Company, in the names aforesaid, the sum of £t21,659 14s. and interest, and upon the trusts and to and for the intents and purposes expressed in the said trust deed of the 19th December 1823, which last mentioned debts and securities now form part of those in mortgage to the said William John Jolliffe; and also to assent to or dissent from the said Assignees acceding to and confirming a settlement made with the house or firm of Messieurs Gordon, Duff and Company, and the payment by the-said Messieurs Gordon, Duff and Company to the Trustees of the firm of Inglis, Ellice and Company, of the sum of £8129 15s 4d. in satisfaction of all claims and demands whatsoever of the said late firms of Inglis, Ellice and Company, and Inglis and Company, or of the surviving Partners of the said firms, or either of them, or of the said Trustees and Assignees respectively; and on other special affairs.