William Hibbert (1759–1844) was a British merchant, slave trader, and slave owner. He was the sixth son of

Robert Hibbert (1717–1784) Robert Hibbert (1717 – 12 January 1784) was a West Indies slave owner and cotton manufacturer in Manchester with commercial premises on King's Street. Robert was one of three sons born in Cheshire to Robert Hibbert and Margaret Tetlow. His young ...

and Abigail Scholey. With his brother

George Hibbert George Hibbert (13 January 1757 – 8 October 1837) was an English merchant, politician, slave-owner, ship-owner, amateur botanist and book collector. With Robert Milligan, he was also one of the principals of the West India Dock Company which ...

and cousin Robert Hibbert (1769–1849), William was a partner in the

West Indian A West Indian is a native or inhabitant of the West Indies (the Antilles and the Lucayan Archipelago). For more than 100 years the words ''West Indian'' specifically described natives of the West Indies, but by 1661 Europeans had begun to use it ...

merchant house Geo. Rob. & Wm. Hibbert. The firm was involved in the slave trade and principally with the shipping, insurance and distribution of sugar from the West Indies.

Life and career

Hibbert was born in

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

in 1759, and baptised on 22 September 1759 at Cross Street Presbyterian Church. In the 1780s he moved to

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

to work in his uncle's slave factorage business in

Kingston, Jamaica Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley Inter ...

, where his brothers Robert and Thomas were already working. He was thought to be in Jamaica from 1781-82 but found it to be not to his liking. In 1782, Hibbert won £20,000 (or a share of it) in a Benefit Lottery, and returned to England, where he continued working in the London branch of the family business. Hibbert married Elizabeth

etty Etty, Ettie or Etti is a feminine given name, often a short version of Esther or Elizabeth. It is also a surname. It may refer to the following people: Given name * Etti Ankri (born 1963), Israeli singer-songwriter * Etty Darwin (1843 ��1927), ed ...

Greenhalgh in 1784 at St Mary's Church, Manchester. Elizabeth was the daughter and co-heir of Robert Greenhalgh of Bolton-le-Moors (the other co-heir was her sister Mary, who married William Hibbert's brother Samuel). They had eight children (three sons, five daughters). In 1797 he purchased land from the

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands. The city l ...

family and built the country estate

Hare Hill Hare Hill Hall is a country house and a garden in the parish of Over Alderley, Cheshire, England. The house and grounds are privately owned, and the separate nearby garden is in the care of the National Trust. House The house was built in about ...

. On his death in 1844 the house passed to his eldest son William Tetlow Hibbert, who had joined the merchant house and went on to a successful commercial career of his own, including as a director of the

Royal Exchange Assurance Corporation The Royal Exchange Assurance, founded in 1720, was a British insurance company. It took its name from the location of its offices at the Royal Exchange, London. Origins The Royal Exchange Assurance emerged from a joint stock insurance enterpr ...

from 1851–1867. By 1825, Hibbert's occupation was listed as "merchant", at W. & S. Hibbert, of 1 Billiter Court,

City of London The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London fr ...

. Under the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833 and the later Slave Compensation Act, British slave-owners were paid compensation for the loss of slave labour. The Legacies of British Slave-ownership database shows thirteen claims with which Hibbert was involved, often as a mortgage holder with other family members. He and his brother George were compensated for the emancipation of over 1000 slaves. Hibbert lived at Crescent Grove,

Clapham Clapham () is a suburb in south west London, England, lying mostly within the London Borough of Lambeth, but with some areas (most notably Clapham Common) extending into the neighbouring London Borough of Wandsworth. History Early history T ...

from 1810 until his death on 4 August 1844 and was buried in the churchyard at

St Paul's Church, Clapham St Paul's Church is a Church of England parish church in Clapham, London. There has been a church on the site since the 12th century. The current building was completed in 1815 and is Grade II* listed. In the grounds, which hold the Green Flag Awa ...

Legacy

His estate was valued at more than £100,000, a legacy of his slave-ownership. Two of his daughters, Sarah and Mary Anne, commissioned an

almshouse An almshouse (also known as a bede-house, poorhouse, or hospital) was charitable housing provided to people in a particular community, especially during the medieval era. They were often targeted at the poor of a locality, at those from certain ...

on Wandsworth Road, Clapham in his memory. The eight Hibbert Almshouses were built in 1859 to provide accommodation for older women from the parish of Clapham. The building has an inscription which reads; ‘These houses for eight aged women were erected by Sarah Hibbert and Mary Ann Hibbert in grateful remembrance of their father William Hibbert Esq. long an inhabitant of Clapham anno domini 1859.’ The Almshouses were designed by

Edward I'Anson Edward I'Anson (25 July 1812 – 30 January 1888) was an English architect who was president of both the Royal Institute of British Architects and the Surveyors' Institution. He was a leading designer of commercial buildings in the City of Londo ...

and are Grade II listed; they are considered to "have ensured that William's memory has been enshrined in the local area although it is unlikely that many people are now aware of his involvement with slavery".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hibbert, William 1759 births 1844 deaths Merchants from the British West Indies British slave owners Planters from the British West Indies Businesspeople from Manchester