John Willett Adye (1745–1815), in later life John Willett Willett, was a British politician.

Life

He was the second son of Stephen Adye of

St Kitts Saint Kitts, officially Saint Christopher, is an island in the West Indies. The west side of the island borders the Caribbean Sea, and the eastern coast faces the Atlantic Ocean. Saint Kitts and the neighbouring island of Nevis constitute one ...

and his wife Clara Payne, born 1 January 1745. He was adopted while still young by Ralph Willett, a first cousin of his mother. After education at

Lincoln's Inn The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn, commonly known as Lincoln's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for Barrister, barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister ...

, he took to the gentlemanly life of a collector, following the example of his adoptive father Willett. Willett died in 1795. Adye was his principal heir, to plantations in

, and under a condition of the will took Willett as his surname. The following year he was elected as Member of Parliament for

New Romney New Romney is a market town in Kent, England, on the edge of Romney Marsh, an area of flat, rich agricultural land reclaimed from the sea after the harbour began to silt up. New Romney, one of the original Cinque Ports, was once a sea port, w ...

. A supporter of

William Pitt the younger William Pitt (28 May 1759 – 23 January 1806) was a British statesman who served as the last prime minister of Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain from 1783 until the Acts of Union 1800, and then first Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, p ...

, he did not stand in the

1806 United Kingdom general election The 1806 United Kingdom general election was the second general election after the Acts of Union 1800, held from 29 October 1806 to 17 December 1806, to elect members of the House of Commons, the lower house of Parliament. The general electio ...

after Pitt's death. In later life Willett had financial troubles, and during 1813 sold collections from Merley House. He died on 26 September 1815. He was a Fellow of the

Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...

and of the

Society of Antiquaries of London The Society of Antiquaries of London (SAL) is a learned society of historians and archaeologists in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1707, received its royal charter in 1751 and is a Charitable organization, registered charity. It is based ...

. A monument to him was placed in the church of

Canford Magna Canford Magna is a village in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole district, in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. The village is situated just south of the River Stour and lies between the towns of Wimborne Minster and Poole. The vi ...

Family

Adye married: # In 1780, Catherine Brouncker (died 1798), daughter of Henry Brouncker of

; and # In 1805, Frances Wilson. Sons of the first marriage included the eldest, John Willett Willett Jr., (1784–1839), declared a lunatic, and Henry Ralph Willett, a barrister, to whom the estate passed.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Adye, John Willett 1745 births 1815 deaths Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies Fellows of the Royal Society Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London British MPs 1796–1800 UK MPs 1801–1802 UK MPs 1802–1806 British slave owners