John Willett Adye (1745–1815), in later life John Willett Willett, was a British politician.

Life

He was the second son of Stephen Adye of

St Kitts Saint Kitts, officially the Saint Christopher Island, is an island in the West Indies. The west side of the island borders the Caribbean Sea, and the eastern coast faces the Atlantic Ocean. Saint Kitts and the neighbouring island of Nevis cons ...

and his wife Clara Payne, born 1 January 1745. He was adopted while still young by Ralph Willett, a first cousin of his mother. After education at

Lincoln's Inn The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of the four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. (The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn.) Lincoln ...

, he took to the gentlemanly life of a collector, following the example of his adoptive father Willett. Willett died in 1795. Adye was his principal heir, to plantations in

, and under a condition of the will took Willett as his surname. The following year he was elected as Member of Parliament for . A supporter of

William Pitt the younger William Pitt the Younger (28 May 175923 January 1806) was a British statesman, the youngest and last prime minister of Great Britain (before the Acts of Union 1800) and then first prime minister of the United Kingdom (of Great Britain and Ire ...

, he did not stand in the

1806 United Kingdom general election The 1806 United Kingdom general election was the election of members to the 3rd Parliament of the United Kingdom. This was the second general election to be held after the Acts of Union 1800, Union of Great Britain and Ireland. The general elec ...

after Pitt's death. In later life Willett had financial troubles, and during 1813 sold collections from Merley House. He died on 26 September 1815. He was a Fellow of the

Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...

and of the

Society of Antiquaries of London A society is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction, or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. Societ ...

. A monument to him was placed in the church of

Canford Magna Canford Magna is a village in Dorset, England. The village is situated just south of the River Stour and lies between the towns of Wimborne Minster and Poole. The village has a mixture of thatch and brick buildings, mostly serving as residence ...

Family

Adye married: # In 1780, Catherine Brouncker (died 1798), daughter of Henry Brouncker of

; and # In 1805, Frances Wilson. Sons of the first marriage included the eldest, John Willett Willett Jr., (1784–1839), declared a lunatic, and Henry Ralph Willett, a barrister, to whom the estate passed.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Adye, John Willett 1745 births 1815 deaths Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies Fellows of the Royal Society Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London British MPs 1796–1800 UK MPs 1801–1802 UK MPs 1802–1806 Saint Kitts and Nevis slave owners