John Morant VI

Hampshire landowner, son of John Morant II (d. 1794) and owner of three estates in Clarendon Jamaica and one in Vere, and mortgagee of 3 others, brother of George Morant (q.v.).

1. Born 27/01/1787, son of John Morant of Brockenhurst House 'landowner' (d. 2 March 1794) and Elizabeth Richards. Eton. Married 1823 to Lady Catherine Hay, daughter of 17th Earl of Erroll (3 sons, 1 daughter). Anglican. JP, DL Hampshire. High Sheriff 1820-1. Died 05/05/1857, leaving £250,000. 'A landowner in Hampshire, especially near Boldre, Brockenhurst and Ringwood. His personalty was unusually large, suggesting the he had other sources of income, possibly from property development.' 'In 1883 his son owned 5596 acres worth £8266 per annum in Hampshire. The family had been Jamaica merchants in the mid-seventeenth century.'

2. Will of John Morant of Brockenhurst Hampshire with 18 codicils proved 10/06/1857. The original will was made in 1823 and was pro forma, leave his estate to his [unborn] eldest surviving son then to his eldest surviving daughter, failing whom to his brother George. In a series of codicils, he inter alia: in 1834 explicitly bequeathed the 'live and dead stock' on his estates in Jamaica to go with the estates themselves; again in 1834 left £40,000 to his be divided between his younger sons Hay Richards Samuel and William Samuel Richards, and left £5000 to any daughter he might have; in 1838 left an annuity of £200 p.a. to Mary Anne or Marianne Hall of Petersfield and £60 p.a. to her son Edward (to which he added in 1844 a lump sum of £200); in 1844 increased the legacy to his two younger sons by a further £40,000 [i.e. to £80,000]; in 1852 left the Manor house at Ringwood to his son Hay Richards Morant and entailed his other real estate, converting his son John Morant IV to a life interest; in 1853 took his one-sixth share in the Lymington Bridge out of entail and left it to the absolute use of his heir.

3. John Morant III's son, also known as John (1825-1899), was (probably) a committee member of the Eyre Defence Fund in 1866. This John Morant IV left £9898 17s 6d in 1899; his brother Hays Richard Morant left £51941 12s in 1895; and his other brother William Samuel Morant left £5000 (resworn from £6000) in 1879.

T71/859 Clarendon Nos. 89, 90 and 91 for the Ballard's River, Pindar's River and Chateau estates; T71/858 Vere claim no. 61 for Bog estate. T71/859 Clarendon No. 15 Mount Hindmost and No. 338 for St Jago and Paisley Pens; T71/855 St Thomas-in-the-Vale No. 297 for Crawle. In Clarendon No. 15 and St Thomas-in-the-Vale 297 the claimant is identified as Edward Morant Gale with John Morant counterclaiming as mortgagee with George Morant and Robert Lambert.

1. William D. Rubinstein, Who were the rich? A biographical dictionary of British wealth-holders Volume Two 1840-1859 (MSLondon) reference 1857/11. Morant of Brockenhurst papers held at Hampshire Record Office include 6M80/E/T259 Grant of annuity of £1200 p.a. Payable from estates left by Edward Morant [d. 27/07/1791] to son John, who married [this appears to be an error: the marriage settlement of this date may be an amendment of an older document] 07/06/1792 Elizabeth; 6M80/E/T260 1823 settlement upon marriage of John Morant of Brockenhurst to Hon. Carolina Augusta Hay, jointure of £700 per annum to wife should she survive husband + £150 per annum pin money; 6M80/E/T261 settlement 28/05/1894 between John Morant of Brockenhurst Park, son Edward John Harry Eden Morant, entailing [!] 12 estates in Vere and Clarendon.

2. PROB 11/1244/145.

3. The Eyre Defence and Aid Fund (London, 1866), p. 4; for the lineage of John junior: http://thepeerage.com/p34863.htm#i348626; National Probate Calendars 1900, 1895 and 1879.