Sir William Tufton, 1st Baronet (1589 – May 1631) was the British

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 ...

between 21 December 1629 and 16 July 1630.

Career

William Tufton was born in 1589, in Mote,

Hothfield Hothfield is a village and civil parish in the Ashford Borough of Kent, England and is 3 miles north-west of Ashford on the A20. It is completely split in two by Hothfield Common. Geography In the north west is Hothfield Common, 58 hectares (1 ...

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 Justice of the Common Pleas was a puisne judicial position within the Court of Common Pleas of England and Wales, under the Chief Justice. The Common Pleas was the primary court of common law within England and Wales, dealing with "common" pleas ...

. His elder brother, Humphrey was created a baronet in his own right.Geni: William Tufton, of Vintners
/ref> In 1629, the

Earl of Carlisle Earl of Carlisle is a title that has been created three times in the Peerage of England. History The first creation came in 1322, when Andrew Harclay, 1st Baron Harclay, was made Earl of Carlisle. He had already been summoned to Parliamen ...

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 estima ...

, 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 Robert Wheatley (born 17 January 1962) is a former Australian football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form ...

. 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 Greenwich ( , ,) is a town in south-east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is situated east-southeast of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the 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