James Willasey

Liverpool merchant, of James Willasey & Co., and Willasey, Garnett and Maddan, owner of the Orchard estate in Port Royal Jamaica, compensation for which was paid partly to Willasey's executors Rev. James Furnival and Rev. Benjamin Guest, and partly to George Guest.   

1.  The case of Guest v Willasey in 1825 gives background to the claim. James Willasey by will dated 10/02/1814 devised Clifton Hall [apparently an English estate] to his son James and bequeathed the Orchard Hall estate in Port Royal to Nicholas Salisbury and Abraham Garnett on trust. In 1818, having sold Clifton Hall, he bought Allerton Hall in Lancashire. He added a codicil in 1819 to divide the proceeds of the sales of Clifton Hall and Allerton Hall to his children after a £300 annuity to his wife Mary.  On 30/09/1823 he added a second codicil with instructions on the sale of Orchard Hall and appointing Edward Lister of Everton and Rev. James Furnival of Upton as executors. On 13/02/1824 he added a third codicil, replacing Edward Lister with Rev. Benjamin Guest of Everton. Willasey died 17/02/1824 and his widow died shortly thereafter.  The parties were Guest and Furnival versus James Willasey an infant, Mary J. Willasey, Sarah C. Willasey, William Willasey, Edward Willasey,  Maria Ruth Willasey, Alicia Willasey and Salisbury and Garnett.

2. James Willasey married Mary Casteen 08/07/1809 at Holy Trinity Liverpool; James Willasey of Allerton Hall parish of Childwall aged 47 was buried 21/02/1824 at St George Everton.

T71/864 Port Royal No. 30. In the Jamaica Almanacs, Orchard was shown against James Willacy in 1811, James Willasey in 1816, Barnaby Maddan in 1818, John Willasey in 1820 and then Barnaby Maddan from 1821 to 1833.

1. John Moore, Cases argued and determined in the Court of Common Pleas and Exchequer Chamber (1828) Vol. 10, pp. 223-233. It seems peculiar that Willasey would entrust his estate to two youngish clergymen, but the identification of Rev. James Furnival of Upton is clear. Clifton Hall has not yet been identified and might well refer to a Lancashire estate.

2. Ancestry.com, Liverpool Lancashire England Burials 1813-1974[database online]; Ancestry.com, Liverpool Lancashire England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials 1659-1812[database online]. Children are taken from the court case with the addition from Ancestry.com, England and Wales Christening Records 1530-1906 [database online] of Caroline (baptised 1813) and Charles Furnival Willasey (baptised 1822). Allerton Hall was bought from William Roscoe, reportedly for £20,000, in 1819.