William Hayman was a merchant, slave trader and

Mayor of Bristol The Mayor of Bristol is the head of government of Bristol and the chief executive of the Bristol City Council. The mayor is a directly elected politician who, along with the 70 members of Bristol City Council, is responsible for the strategic ...

in the 17th century. Hayman was Mayor of Bristol in 1684. In 1684, Hayman was involved in an abortive attempt to supply slaves illegally to a Somerset squire, William Helyar, with a plantation in

Nevis Nevis is a small island in the Caribbean Sea that forms part of the inner arc of the Leeward Islands chain of the West Indies. Nevis and the neighbouring island of Saint Kitts constitute one country: the Federation of Saint Kitts and Ne ...

. Slaves were transported but for an unknown reason were sold to other owners. Hayman undertook this trade with his nephews Anthony and

William Swymmer William Swymmer (birth and death dates unknown) was a Bristol sugar merchant, involved in the slave trade. In 1667, he became a member of the Society of Merchant Venturers. He was an alderman in Bristol, and then Sheriff in 1679. Swymmer may have ...

, and another merchant

John Napper John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

. Solomon, "a black belonging to William Hayman", was baptised in St Augustine's Church in Bristol in 1631; it is not clear if this the same Hayman. After the

Monmouth rebellion The Monmouth Rebellion, also known as the Pitchfork Rebellion, the Revolt of the West or the West Country rebellion, was an attempt to depose James II, who in February 1685 succeeded his brother Charles II as king of England, Scotland and Ir ...

, Hayman, who was Mayor of Bristol at the time, was fined £1000 by

Chief Justice Jeffreys George Jeffreys, 1st Baron Jeffreys, PC (15 May 1645 – 18 April 1689), also known as "the Hanging Judge", was a Welsh judge. He became notable during the reign of King James II, rising to the position of Lord Chancellor (and serving as ...

, for kidnapping of slaves for plantations. Hayman's daughter Mary married Thomas Edwards, MP. Mary inherited much of her uncle

Edward Colston Edward Colston (2 November 1636 – 11 October 1721) was an English merchant, slave trader, philanthropist, and Tory Member of Parliament. Colston followed his father in the family business becoming a sea merchant, initially trading in wine ...

's fortune when he died in 1721. It is not known when Hayman died. He attended a meeting of the

Society of Merchant Venturers The Society of Merchant Venturers is a charitable organisation in the English city of Bristol. The society can be traced back to a 13th-century guild which funded the voyage of John Cabot to Canada. In 1552, it gained a monopoly on sea trading ...

, of which he was a member, in 1699.

References

Year of birth missing Year of death unknown Mayors of Bristol British slave traders Members of the Society of Merchant Venturers {{England-mayor-stub