Henry Cort

		Henry Cort Inventor - Creator of puddled iron - Father of iron trade
		This page is part of a website based on the life and achievements of eighteenth-century inventor Henry Cort. The creator and owner of the site was Eric Alexander who passed away. The site is now hosted by Hans Weebers Please contact me with any comments or queries.

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History of Adam Jellicoe

We deduce the date of Adam Jellicoe's birth from the record of his funeral in September 1789, when he is reckoned to be 63 years old.

His father is said to be another Adam Jellicoe, died 1725. The elder Adam's will, held at the PRO, describes him as a leather seller. This matches information from Leathersellers Company archives.

Our records show that Adam Jellecoe, son of Abell Jellecoe, a Citizen and Weaver of London, was bound apprentice to Joseph Hamlin, Citizen and Leatherseller, for seven years from 29th April 1697. He took up his freedom by servitude on 12th July 1704 and was voted onto the Livery on 5th July 1711. Adam does not appear to have made any further progress through the ranks of the Company.

From letter of Leathersellers' Company archivist to Eric Alexander, 7 January 2004.

The will, made 21 September 1724 and proved some 15 months later, makes no mention of any children. If the younger Adam is born after September 1725, he doesn't see much of his father.

Indeed, it's possible that Adam is adopted by the elder Adam's widow as a way of raising money. Elsewhere we consider the possibility that Cort is the illegitimate offspring from a rich family: the same may be true of Adam.

His career at the Navy Office can be traced through their books of "promiscuous bills" (PRO, ADM18), which give a starting date in October 1744, when he is about 18: his own recollections suggest he has started earlier. He is evidently working in London, at a salary of £40 per annum. In April 1746 this is doubled, and his duties are increased: rather than being a mere bookkeeper, he is entrusted with money to take to the bank.

Towards the end of 1748 he accepts a pay cut - back to £40. But now he is involved in ships' payouts, taking him to Portsmouth and other naval ports. The perks ("emoluments" and "defalcations" are words which occur in the records) that this new work entails must more than compensate for the reduction in salary.

On 13 February 1755 he marries Elizabeth Chitty at St Olave Jewry, London. No record has yet been found of the baptism of any children during the next two years, but at least one birth may be inferred from later records.

A sudden crisis in July 1757 sends him to Portsmouth to fill the vacancy left by Wyndham Deverell, and his salary returns to £80 per annum. George Marsh's comments on these events may provide a clue how Jellicoe builds a fortune from this point.

After residing about two years and a half at Portsmouth as happy as possible with my family, and with constant great labour and attention, I had very much increased my income and should have obtained a considerable fortune if I had been permitted to remain there, Mr Deverel the Treasurers first Clerk being a man of such low spirits he could not do much business, Sir Richard Temple Bart the second clerk, did not attend to it, and Roderick Richardes a Welsh Magistrate was the clerk from the Ticket Office, who was an idle man, so that I had almost the whole private business of the Port, and my commissions amounted to a great sum every month. On one particular date, it was £30.1.0 I got thereby. To finish the business of the day, with the day required very close application, insomuch that I was up early and late to do so. A vacancy in the Comptroller Office occasioned a remove of the clerks, and tho' it was not my turn to be placed in the Pay Office in Broad Street, London, yet I was ordered to remove to London which I did do accordingly this day (10October 1757) tho' very much against my will for the reasons before mentioned, but not before poor Deverel shot himself.

From George Marsh's diary, 10 October 1757.

To Adam Jellicoe One of the Clks to yr Treasurer of his Majs Navy for attending the Payomt of Wages for his Salary for 23rd June 1757 to 10th July follg being 24 Days at £40 pr Annum £2.9.6 And from 10th July 1757 (in a Vacancy occasioned by Mr Wyndham Deverell's Death) to the 24th Septembr follg being 73 days at £80 pr Annum £15.1.0

From Michaelmas 1757 entries for "promiscuous" Navy bills (ADM18/105).

Seven further Jellicoe children are baptised at High Street Presbyterian Chapel, Portsmouth, between 1758 and 1771: first being Earl Jellicoe's great-grandfather Samuel on 4 September 1758.

At this point there is no evidence of a connection with Cort, but we may assume that Cort's employer Thomas Bell has a long-standing arrangement by which Adam collects and passes on money on behalf of Bell's clients. With many ships being paid off in Portsmouth or Spithead, this is a useful contact for an agent in London. Evidently the arrangement continues after Cort has taken over the agency.

Mr Adam Jellicoe had been for many years, whilst Pay clerk at Portsmouth, the Agent of Mr Cort for receiving Money there, due to Officers for whom he was concerned, and thereupon, there had been Money connections between them from the 1st Jan 1761.

From 1790 memorandum.

Some time in 1767 he takes out a mortgage to buy a "country seat", Shedfield House, from one of the Missing family. It remains his property until his death in 1789, when mortgagee James Bennett takes it over.

Towards the end of 1776 Adam returns to London as chief clerk to the Paymaster, so his period in Hampshire overlaps with Cort's by less than a year. He is in London when Cort takes on Samuel as partner, and when Crawshay starts to take an interest in Cort's processes. Since Crawshay is also in London, Adam sometimes acts as a go-between. Some time around 1786 he is appointed to the newly created post of Deputy Paymaster.

His wealth when he dies amounts to more than £50,000 and includes two properties in Hampshire and one in London. His eldest daughter Sarah is married to four-times Portsmouth Mayor William Carter. Some of this wealth and influence has probably come through his marriage to Elizabeth Chitty.

A useful source of Chitty family information is the chancery file Chitty v Parker, which arises from the will of Elizabeth's cousin Mary Chitty.

I give and devise to my two Executors I now name and hope will accept upon the Trust being my last request to them Mr Adam Jellicoe of Portsmouth and Mr Joseph Chitty Junior now of London to each of them I give one hundred pounds for their Trouble.

From will of Mary Chitty

The will causes problems because of the time lapse between its making (December 1762) and the testator's death (August 1791). During this interval several beneficiaries and one executor, Adam Jellicoe, pass away. It is as easy for the remaining executor, Elizabeth's brother Joseph, to let the Law adjudicate on disposal of Mary's estate as to attempt the disposal himself and risk objections being raised.

Officially Joseph files a complaint against a number of potential beneficiaries, including Elizabeth Jellicoe. Besides quoting Mary's will in its entirety, the complaint gives a helpful account of the family (recently supplemented from Mike Chitty's website).

We learn that Elizabeth's father Jacob and Mary's father Abraham are two of five brothers. There are plenty of signs of wealth in the family.

Jacob is a merchant in Ironmonger Lane.

Abraham is a wine cooper in Lemon Street, Whitechapel, with properties in London and elsewhere.

Uncle Josiah is a grocer, appointed wine taster to Queen Anne in 1710. He owns numerous properties in London, and a manor at Chadwell Heath. His will leaves £500 to Elizabeth.

Uncle Joseph is a brewer near Crutched Friars, with an estate in Surrey. But in 1749 he is bankrupted after falling foul of the authorities over the duty on a consignment of imported raisins. He is rescued by brothers Josiah and Thomas, who supports him for the rest of his life.

Thomas, the youngest, achieves most. A master salter, he becomes London alderman in 1750, Sheriff in 1753-54. Director of the Bank of England between 1755 and 1762. Knighted in 1759, he becomes Lord Mayor the same year and lays the foundation stone for Blackfriars Bridge.

In his March 1762 will he disposes of at least five estates, and several other properties. £20,000 is to be divided amongst his grandchildren. A codicil leaves £200 to a fund for the widows and children of dissenting ministers. The will is proved the following December.

Clearly Adam Jellicoe's wife is likely to be the source of some of his wealth. But it is hardly probable her family will consider him a suitable match unless he brings his own fortune into the marriage. Elizabeth's brother Joseph names Adam as his executor, as does her cousin Mary. Clearly they approve of the match.

We can infer that much of Adam Jellicoe's wealth is accumulated before his marriage: there remains a question mark over its source.

Related pages

Death of Adam Jellicoe

Dundas and Trotter

Navy office personnel

Refutation of allegations of conspiracies against Cort

Life of Henry Cort

The pages on this site are copied from the original site of Eric Alexander (henrycort.net) with his allowance.
Eric passed away abt 2012
If you use/copy information from this site, please include a link to the page where you found the information.