Hibbert, Purrier and Horton was a London-based merchant and shipping business, initially founded in 1770,Hall ''et al'', p.210. which was also extensively involved in the

slave trade Slave trade may refer to: * History of slavery - overview of slavery It may also refer to slave trades in specific countries, areas: * Al-Andalus slave trade * Atlantic slave trade ** Brazilian slave trade ** Bristol slave trade ** Danish sl ...

during the late 18th and early-mid-19th century. A partnership (its personnel and name changed several times), it was the primary trading vehicle for successive generations of the Hibbert family's business interests in the

West Indies The West Indies is an island subregion of the Americas, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which comprises 13 independent island country, island countries and 19 dependent territory, dependencies in thr ...

Origins

Manchester-based linen draper Robert Hibbert (1684–1762)Hall ''et al'', p.207. had three sons, two of whom settled in

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

and established extensive sugar plantations: Thomas Hibbert (1710–1780) travelled to Jamaica in 1734; John Hibbert (1732–1769) lived in Jamaica from 1754 until his death. The third son,

Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of ''Hrōþ, Hruod'' () "fame, glory, honour, prais ...

(1717–1784), succeeded his father as manager of the Manchester business. Several of Robert Jr's sons also joined the family business, with Thomas Hibbert (1744–1819) entering into partnership with London merchants John Purrier and Thomas Horton in 1770. His brother, a third generation Robert Hibbert (1750–1835) also joined the partnership, as did, in 1780,

George Hibbert George Hibbert (13 January 1757 – 8 October 1837) was an English merchant, politician and ship-owner. Alongside fellow slaver Robert Milligan (merchant), Robert Milligan, he was also one of the principals of the West India Dock Company which ...

(1757–1837) who eventually rose to head the firm, which had offices at 9

Mincing Lane Mincing Lane is a short one-way street in the City of London linking Fenchurch Street to Great Tower Street. In the late 19th century it was the world's leading centre for tea and spice trading. Etymology Its name is a corruption of Mynchen ...

Changes of name

Reflecting the changing personnel involved, with sometimes more than one partnership, business was conducted under various names including: * Hibbert, Purrier and Horton (1772–1781) * Hibbert, Fuhr and Hibbert (1791–1799) * Hibbert, Fuhr and Co (1800–1802) * Hibbert, Fuhr and Purrier (1802–1818) * Geo, Rob, Wm Hibbert (1804–1805) * Geo, Rob, Wm and Sam Hibbert (1811–1818) * G W S Hibbert and Co (1820–1838) * Hibbert and Co (1839–1863) Various fourth generation Hibbert sons were also engaged in the business, as was John Purrier's son, John Vincent Purrier (1773–1833), and grandsons Edward Purrier (1802–1858), John Vincent Purrier (died 1849) and (almost certainly) Thomas Purrier (c. 1809 – 1873).
Edward Purrier: Profile & Legacies Summary
'' Legacies of British Slave Ownership. UCL. Accessed: 31 July 2015.

Company ships

The company's vessels included the merchantman ''Mary Ann''. In July 1772, Maurice Suckling arranged for his nephew

Horatio Nelson Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronte ( – 21 October 1805) was a Royal Navy officer whose leadership, grasp of strategy and unconventional tactics brought about a number of decisive British naval victories during the French ...

to sail to the

in the Hibbert, Purrier and Horton merchantman, captained by John Rathbone, giving Nelson his first experience of seamanship and life at sea (he sailed from Medway, Kent, on 25 July 1771 sailing to Jamaica and Tobago, returning to Plymouth on 7 July 1772).

References

Sources

* {{cite book, last1=Hall, first1=Catherine, last2=McLelland, first2=Keith, last3=Draper, first3=Nick, last4=Donington, first4=Kate, last5=Lang, first5=Rachel, title=Legacies of British Slave-Ownership: Colonial Slavery and the Formation of Victorian Britain, date=2014, publisher=Cambridge University Press, isbn=978-1107040052 1770 establishments in England 18th-century English slave traders Jamaican slave owners 19th-century English slave traders