Thomas Gudgeon

London Demerara merchant, of Stamford Hill, dying c. 1819; the executors of Thomas Gudgeon of Stamford Hill claimed under Briitish Guiana claim no. 289 as holders of a lien on Plantation Litchfield. In addition, in 1819 William Kewley and Mathias Rader had registered enslaved people on Enfield estate the property of Thomas Gudgeon.

1. Thomas Gudgeon of Stamford Hill London died in or about the year 1819; the will of Thomas Gudgeon of Stamford Hill was proved 27/05/1819. Chancery suits of Parkinson v Bourdieu and Gudgeon v Bourdieu must have grown out of the will.

2. Gudgeon had been a partner of John Bolton of Liverpool (q.v.), and was co-owner in three recorded slave voyages with him from Liverpool in 1794-1794.

3. In his will Gudgeon made a number of specific legacies totalling some £27,000: £400 to his sister-in-law the widow of his brother John Gudgeon; to the five following children William, Thomas, Robert, John and Ann Gudgeon £1000 each; to his 'first sister' Clare Parkinson £1000 and to her daughter Mary £1000; to his 'second sister' Ann Jackson £1000 and to the following children Ann, William and John Jackson and her natural daughter called Mary Reid £1000 each; to Thomas and Ann Smith son and daughter of his sister Margaret Smith £1000 each; to Alice Smith 'my fourth sister' £1000 and to her six following children Thomas John William, Ellen, Ann, Mary and also her natural son Robert 'there being seven in all' £1000 each; £1000 to the son of my friend John Dodson being called Thomas Gudgeon Dodson to whom I am godfather; £500 each to his servants George Newton and Mrs Warner should they be living with him at his death; to his old acquaintance Roberta Sandford £400 and £400 to her son Benjamin Sandford; to his godchildren Charles Sandford son of Benjamin Sandford and Richard and Caroline Horton, son and daughter of Richard Hooton, £400 each; to my old acquaintance Joshua Guide [?] £500; to his old acquaintance Mary Potter late of London Street £1000; to his old clerk Augustin Deroubaix [?] £100. He made his trustees and executors his residuary heirs. A codicil of 22/04/1818 made minor amendments.

1. London Gazette, Issue 18029, 22/05/1824, p. 837, notice to creditors; PROB 11/1616/474.

2. George Baillie (q.v.), 'Interesting letters addressed to John Bolton, Esq. of Liverpool merchant and colonel of a regiment of volunteers', (1809) p. 10; http://www.slavevoyages.org accessed 23/02/2014.

3. PROB 11/1616/474.

We are grateful to Jane Croom for her assistance with compiling this entry.