Alderman John Atkins

1760 - 26th Oct 1838

Claimant or beneficiary

Biography

London West India merchant and significant slave-owner in Jamaica, Lord Mayor of London 1818-1819, and MP for Arundel 1802-1806 and 1826-1832 and for London 1812-1818.

  1. John Atkins of the Parish of Charlton, Kent, married Anna Maria Burnaby on 01/10/1803 at Greenwich St Alphege. Five children born between 1805 and 1813 and baptised at St Stephen's Walbrook, London. He was however also father of John Pelly Atkins (q.v.), born c. 1790, whose mother is shown as Sarah in his 1790 baptism record. John Atkins and Sarah Littell married 12/04/1779 at St Stephen's Walbrook; the first child of this marriage, Drury Hunt Atkins, was born and baptised in 1788 at St Michael Cornhill and died in 1789.

  2. Listed as Alderman John Atkins at 68 Wimpole St and at Halstead-place, Richmore-hill, Kent in 1835 and John Atkins & Sons, merchants, at 7 Walbrook in 1836.

  3. Lord Mayor of London, 1818-1819: "In 1818–19 Alderman John Atkins was host at the Mansion House. In early life he had been a Customs' tide-waiter, and was not remarkable for polished manners; but he was a shrewd and worthy man, filling the seat of justice with impartiality, and dispensing the hospitality of the City with an open hand."

  4. Died at Halstead Place, Kent, aged 78, in 1838, leaving personalty of £90,000.


Sources

http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1790-1820/member/atkins-john-1760-1838 and http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1820-1832/member/atkins-john-1754-1838 [both accessed 03/08/2016].

  1. London, England, Marriages and Banns, 1754-1921; London, England Baptisms, Marriage and Burials, 1583-1812; London, England, Births and Baptisms, 1813-1906; Rubinstein 1872/1 John Pelly Atkins; Ancestry.com, London, England, Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1812 [database online].

  2. Boyle's Directory (1835); Post Office Directory (1836).

  3. 'The Lord Mayors of London', Old and New London: Volume 1 (1878), pp. 396-416. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=45053&strquery=john+atkins [accessed 19/12/2011].

  4. Times 29/10/1838 p. 7; http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1820-1832/member/atkins-john-1754-1838 [accessed 03/08/2016].

We are grateful to Keith Jeffery for his assistance with compiling this entry.


Further Information

Absentee?
British/Irish
Spouse
(1) Sarah Littell (2) Anna Maria Burnaby
Children
With (1) John Pelly (1790-). With (2) Anna Maria (1805-), Andrew Burnaby John (1806-), Sarah Jane (1807-), Edwyn John Ibbetson (1809-), Mary Schwardt (1813-)
Wealth at death
£90,000
Occupation
West India merchant

Associated Claims (12)

£37 10s 2d
Unsuccessful claimant
£2,078 8s 10d
Awardee (Owner-in-fee)
£2,260 5s 10d
Awardee (Owner-in-fee)
£3,733 8s 11d
Awardee (Owner-in-fee)
£5,489 5s 7d
Unsuccessful claimant (Judgement creditor)
£3,142 0s 3d
Unsuccessful claimant (consensual) (Judgement creditor)
£1,281 10s 11d
Claimants in List E or Chancery cases (Judgement creditor)
£2,240 14s 4d
Unsuccessful claimant (consensual) (Judgement creditor)
£1,389 13s 8d
Claimants in List E or Chancery cases
£1,885 12s 1d
Awardee (Owner-in-fee)
£3,997 16s 4d
Awardee (Mortgagee)
£3,977 3s 7d
Awardee (Mortgagee)

Associated Estates (8)

The dates listed below have different categories as denoted by the letters in the brackets following each date. Here is a key to explain those letter codes:

  • SD - Association Start Date
  • SY - Association Start Year
  • EA - Earliest Known Association
  • ED - Association End Date
  • EY - Association End Year
  • LA - Latest Known Association
1834 [EA] - 1834 [LA] → Owner
- 1834 [LA] → Mortgage Holder
1817 [EA] - 1835 [LA] → Owner
1799 [EA] - 1800 [LA] → Mortgage Holder
1823 [EA] - 1834 [LA] → Owner
1834 [EA] - → Mortgage Holder
1820 [EA] - 26/10/1838 [ED] → Owner

Possibly joint owner with his son John Pelly Atkins.

Other

John Atkins and Son was the consignee in 1817 and probably thereafter: J. Atkins made a counterclaim for the compensation for the enslaved people on the estate in the 1830s.


Legacies Summary

Commercial (1)

Firm Investment
J & A Atkins
West India merchant  
 

Political (1)

MP
Tory 
election →
Arundel Sussex
1802 - 1806
election →
London London
1812 - 1818
election →
Arundel Sussex
1826 - 1832

Relationships (2)

Father → Son
Business partners
Notes →
Also...

Addresses (3)

Charlton, Woolwich, Kent, London, England
68 Wimpole Street, London, Middlesex, London, England
Halstead Place, Sevenoaks, Kent, South-east England, England