William Spry (born England, died Barbados, September 4, 1772) was a jurist and governor of

Barbados Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estimate). ...

. On 25 September 1764 he arrived with his family at

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and largest municipality of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of the 2021 Census, the municipal population was 439,819, with 348,634 people in its urban area. The ...

, having been appointed judge of the

vice-admiralty court Vice Admiralty Courts were juryless courts located in British colonies that were granted jurisdiction over local legal matters related to maritime activities, such as disputes between merchants and seamen. American Colonies American maritime act ...

over all America, which had been recently constituted by act of parliament. In the proclamation that announces the opening of the court he is styled “The Right Worshipful William Spry, Doctor of Laws.” The other officers of the new court were: vice-admiral, the

Earl of Northumberland The title of Earl of Northumberland has been created several times in the Peerage of England and of Great Britain, succeeding the title Earl of Northumbria. Its most famous holders are the House of Percy (''alias'' Perci), who were the most po ...

; registrar, the Hon. Spencer Percival; marshal, Charles Howard, gent. These officers probably expected to fulfil their duties by deputies. Judge Spry opened his court at Halifax on 9 October 1764. Its creation had been opposed in the colonies, and the passage of the Stamp Act the next year, with the accompanying disturbances, probably prevented its extension to other provinces. The Court was abolished in 1768. Judge Spry was appointed

Governor of Barbados This article contains a list of viceroys in Barbados from its initial colonisation in 1627 by England until it achieved independence in 1966. From 1833 to 1885, Barbados was part of the colony of the Windward Islands, and the governor of Barbad ...

in June 1767. Spry arrived at Barbados the following year, and died in office in 1772.

Marriages

Spry married twice: *Firstly to Amelia Pitt, a daughter of

Thomas Pitt of Boconnoc Thomas Pitt (''c.'' 1705 – 17 July 1761), of Boconnoc, Cornwall, was a British landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1727 and 1761. He was Lord Warden of the Stannaries from 1742 to 1751. Pitt was the grandson and ...

(died 1761), a brother of

William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham, (15 November 170811 May 1778) was a British statesman of the Whig group who served as Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1766 to 1768. Historians call him Chatham or William Pitt the Elder to distinguish ...

. *Secondly to Katherine Cholmeley (1739-1817), a daughter of Robert Cholmeley (d.1754) of Barbados, a son of James Cholmeley (d.1735) of

Easton Hall Easton is a village in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England, almost north of Colsterworth, and east of the A1 road. It belongs to the civil parish of Stoke Rochford. History The village has no church, but forms part of the ...

in Lincolnshire.http://boards.ancestry.co.uk/localities.caribbean.barbados.general/1953.1.1.1.1/mb.ashx Katherine's sister Jane Cholmeley (Mrs Leigh-Perrot) was the aunt of the novelist

Jane Austen Jane Austen (; 16 December 1775 – 18 July 1817) was an English novelist known primarily for her six major novels, which interpret, critique, and comment upon the British landed gentry at the end of the 18th century. Austen's plots of ...

. By Katherine he had a daughter Wilhelmina Spry who married

Sir William Earle Welby, 2nd Baronet Lieutenant Sir William Earle Welby, 2nd Baronet (14 November 1768 – 3 November 1852) was a British land-owner, baronet and Member of Parliament for Grantham from 1807 to 1820. He also served as High Sheriff of Lincolnshire from 1823 to 1824. E ...

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Spry, William 1772 deaths English legal professionals Governors of Barbados Year of birth missing Place of birth missing