Sir William Tufton, 1st Baronet (1589 – May 1631) was the British governor of Barbados between 21 December 1629 and 16 July 1630.

Career

William Tufton was born in 1589, in Mote, Hothfield,

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

. He was the fifth son of

Sir John Tufton Sir John Tufton (died 1624) was an English landowner. Career and family He was the son of John Tufton and Mary Baker, a daughter of Sir John Baker. His family home was at Hothfield in Kent. He twice served as Sheriff of Kent, was knighted in 160 ...

, and his second wife, a daughter of Sir Humphrey Browne, a Justice of the Common Pleas. His elder brother,

Humphrey Humphrey is both a masculine given name and a surname. An earlier form, not attested since Medieval times, was Hunfrid. Notable people with the name include: People with the given name Medieval period :''Ordered chronologically'' *Hunfrid of P ...

was created a baronet in his own right.Geni: William Tufton, of Vintners
/ref> In 1629, the Earl of Carlisle appointed Sir William Tufton as 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). ...

, sending him to the island. In Barbados, Tufton removed Governor freehold, building six parishes and churches of the parishes and creating parish councils to govern them. In addition, he improved some aspects of employment of workers, changing some of the policies of former governor Robert Wheatley. However, the increased attention given to the workers rather than entrepreneurs led to Carlisle and traders replacing him with

Henry Hawley Henry Hawley (12 January 1685 – 24 March 1759) was a British army officer who served in the wars of the first half of the 18th century. He fought in a number of significant battles, including the Capture of Vigo in 1719, Dettingen, Fo ...

, who arrived in Barbados in June 1630. Under Hawley the entrepreneurs's benefits increased, while the living conditions of the workers declined. In addition, Barbados suffered a severe drought, which restricted the supplies to workers and caused the so-called "hunger period". Tufton accused Hawley of withholding supplies for himself and his governing council, while workers had nothing to eat. Tufton gathered a large number of signatories in support of his claim, but he was not able to convince the board, as this was composed of those who supported Hawley. Hawley then accused Tufton of treason for presenting his petition, arguing that Tufton had rejected his authority as governor. The Council accepted the indictment and Tufton was executed by shooting in May 1631.totallybarbados
Retrieved on 25 April 2013, to 21:30 pm.The History of Barbados
Edited by R.H. Schomburgk. Page 256.

Personal life

He married Anne Cave (died 1649) on 30 January 1621 at Greenwich. They had three sons.Robert Pococke, ''Memorials of the Family of Tufton, Earls of Thanet'' (Gravesend, 1800), p. 45.

References

Governors of Barbados 1589 births 1631 deaths Baronets in the Baronetage of England Younger sons of baronets People from Hothfield Expatriates of the Kingdom of England in Barbados {{UK-gov-bio-stub