Trans. Bristol & Gloucestershire Archaeological Society 130 (2012), 215–224

John Elbridge (1672–1739): A Bristol Philanthropist

By JOSEPH BETTEY

John Elbridge deserves much more recognition than he has hitherto received for his charitable work in Bristol. The neglect of his memory is no doubt partly due to the more numerous and lavish charities provided by his near contemporary Edward Colston (1636–1721). It also reflects the fact that Elbridge was an intensely private person; he was unmarried and few personal papers or details of his personality survive. During the first part of the 19th century Richard Smith, who had succeeded his father, also Richard Smith, as senior surgeon at Bristol Infirmary, compiled 14 large volumes of biographical memoirs, press-cuttings, letters, bills and notes relating to the Infirmary. He included a brief account of John Elbridge’s charitable work, and paid tribute to the major part that he had played in the founding of the Infirmary in 1737. In spite of his efforts to find personal information about Elbridge, Smith was obliged to conclude:

‘His name appears to live only in the remembrance of the few, who likethe present writer, love to turn over the musty and forgotten rolls ofthose who have deserved well of their fellow Citizens. Consideringthe great and lasting benefit he bequeathed to his Native City, it is rathera matter of regret that so little is known respecting him.’1

John Elbridge was a member of a family prominent in the merchant community of Bristol during the 17th century, and he was related to many of the wealthy merchants engaged in the sugar industry which was so important in the commercial fortunes of the city.2 Following the political and religious upheavals of the Civil War, John Elbridge’s parents, Thomas and Elizabeth Elbridge, had gone to live in the American colonies. They eventually settled in Massachusetts, where several of their children were born, including John. In 1684 at the age of 12 John Elbridge with his sister Elizabeth, was sent to Bristol and he was apprenticed to a cousin, John Moore, and later to another cousin, Thomas Moore. Both men were burgesses and customs officials in Bristol. In 1708 John Elbridge succeeded his cousin Thomas Moore in the position of Deputy-Controller of Customs in Bristol. The titular head of the custom service was the Customer, but this was a sinecure office granted to royal servants or government supporters. The collection of customs in Bristol was, therefore, under the direction of the Deputy-Controller. Custom collection in the increasingly busy port of Bristol was a major task and involved a large staff, based at the Custom House in Queen’s Square which was newly built in 1711. The system was extremely complicated, based on a mass of legislation passed during the previous century. There was a good deal of smuggling, fraud and evasion, and efficient collection of customs required great care from the officials. The Office

1. B[ristol] R[ecord] O[ffice] 35893/36, Richard Smith’s, Biographical Memoirs, vol. I, p. 13.2. BRO 36772/3. The complex relationships of the various families and the sources of Elbridge’s wealth

have been carefully researched by Donald Jones, The Elbridge, Woolnough and Smyth families of Bristol in the 18th century, with special reference to the Spring Plantation, Jamaica (Bristol University M.Litt. thesis, 1971). See also Donald Jones, Bristol’s Sugar Trade and Refining Industry (Bristol Historical Association, 1996).

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of Deputy-Controller was of great importance and was correspondingly lucrative. The salary paid by the Crown was modest, but regular emoluments in the form of fees and allowances meant that the position of Deputy-Controller was well rewarded.3

In addition, Elbridge was to inherit wealth and property through his family connections with the Aldworth, Elbridge and Moore families, who were involved in voyages of exploration, and in the sugar trade. In particular it was the wealth of the merchant, Robert Aldworth (1561–1634), who was Mayor of Bristol in 1609, which established the prosperity of the Elbridge family. Robert Aldworth had no direct heir, and much of his estate came to the Elbridge family through the

3. E.E. Hoon, Organization of the English Customs System 1696–1786 (1968 edn.), pp. 12–14.

Fig. 1. John Elbridge in 1716, from a painting by Marcus Henry Holmes which was later hung in the Boardroom of the Infirmary BRO 35893/36/1 [photograph: Joseph Bettey].

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JOHN ELBRIDgE (1672–1739): A BRISTOL PHILANTHROPIST 217

marriage of giles Elbridge to Aldworth’s niece. This included a share of the profitable Spring Plantation in Jamaica. John Elbridge was also to acquire considerable property in Bristol and the surrounding area during his lifetime, so that by the time of his death in 1739 his estate was valued at almost £80,000.4

It was towards the end of his life that John Elbridge’s charitable works began. For some years he lived in King Street, but from 1727 he leased the mansion built on the site of the former Royal Fort from the Corporation, and a few years later he also leased from the Dean and Chapter of Bristol cathedral the plot of land known as Joachim’s or Jochim’s Close which was on the west side of St Michael’s Hill at the junction with the present Royal Fort Lane. Living in close proximity to the four acre close of pasture known as Joachim’s Close, Elbridge may well have already been in occupation of the site as a tenant of the previous leaseholder, Mrs Hannah Hickes. The 1738 lease granted to him by the Dean and Chapter gave him:

‘free Liberty to make and erect such other Structures and Buildingsupon the said Premises as he, the said John Elbridge, his Executors,Administrators or Assignes shall think fit’.5

Here he established a school for 24 poor girls beside ‘the highway leading from Bristol to Durdham Down.’ The site of the school was at the corner of Royal Fort Lane where it joins St Michael’s Hill. The schoolroom was presumably built immediately, since the school was started in accordance with Elbridge’s wishes, but ‘a handsome dwelling house’ for the master and mistress of the school was not built until 1747–8 at a cost of £287. Later leases of the site were granted by the Dean and Chapter of Bristol cathedral to Elbridge’s surviving relatives, Rebecca Woolnough of Bristol, widow, and Ann Hort of Cote in the parish of Westbury-on-Trym (1753); John Hugh Smyth of Ashton Court (1767); and finally to Thomas Tyndall, Esq. of the Royal Fort (1780). These leases include plans of the School with schoolroom, dwelling house and garden, the site measuring some 118 feet x 60 feet.6

Elbridge’s School

This was a remarkable and highly-unusual foundation, at a time when only girls of wealthy families received any education, and then generally of a very restricted nature. Elbridge endowed his school with the generous sum of £3,000. He also produced a detailed set of Rules and Orders laying down precise instructions for the conduct of his school.7 The 24 girls were to be chosen from the parishes of St Michael, St Peter and Westbury, and otherwise from any neighbouring parishes. They were to be instructed in the ‘Principles of the Christian Protestant Religion so far as would qualify them to be good Christians and useful Servants of an exemplary Industry, and Virtuous Life and Conversation’. The girls were to be clothed and provided with books, pens, ink, paper, firing and candles. They were to be taught to read, knit, spin, sew and to do simple arithmetic to a standard ‘proper for those who are intended to be servants’. There was to be a Master who was paid £20 per annum, and a Mistress who was paid £15 per annum. Several feoffees or trustees were appointed to oversee the school, drawn from the most prominent members of Bristol society and led by Dr Samuel Creswicke, Dean of Bristol cathedral. The government

4. BRO AC/WO 10/ 14–18, Elbridge’s will and probate inventory, 1731.5. BRO DC/E/40/25, lease of Joachim’s Close 1739. For full details see Roger H. Leech, The St Michael’s

Hill Precinct of the University of Bristol (Bristol Record Society, 52, 2000), pp. 44–7.6. Plans of Elbridge’s school are included in leases of the site granted by the Dean and Chapter of Bristol

Cathedral, BRO DC/E/3/4; DC/E/40/25.7. BRO 28049/25, regulations for Ordering Elbridge’s School.

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of the school was entrusted to the rector and churchwardens of St Michael’s church, who were to appoint the Master and Mistress, select the girls and ensure their satisfactory conduct and instruction. The Master and Mistress were to be members of the Church of England, ‘of Sober Lives and Conversation’ and to have ‘a good genius for Teaching’. The school hours were to be 7:00am to 11:00am and 1:00pm to 5:00pm in the summer, and 8:00am to 11:00am and 1:00pm to 4:00pm in the winter. There was to be a week-long holiday at Christmas, Easter and Whitsun and a holiday on all ‘Shut-Shop Days’ and every Saturday afternoon.

There were to be prayers in the schoolroom every morning and afternoon, and the teachers were exhorted to take ‘particular Care of the Manners and Behaviour of the Children and will use all proper Methods to discourage the beginnings of Vice and Immorality’. The girls were to attend St Michael’s church and to behave reverently while they were there. The girls had to be poor and ‘such as are real Objects of Charity’. They were not admitted before the age of six, and were not to continue in the school more than seven years. They must be ‘neat clean and wholesome’ and not suffering from ‘any offensive or infectious Distemper or not clean, sweet and free from Vermin’. girls who misbehaved were to be ‘chastised discretionally’ and persistent offenders were to be expelled.8

This forward-looking and enterprising venture proved to be very successful. The school came to be known as the ‘Blue School’ from the dress of the girls and continued throughout the 18th and early 19th centuries. In 1831 the Charity Commissioners reported that 24 girls were being educated ‘so as to fit them for the business of servants’. The post of schoolmaster had been discontinued and the salary of the mistress had been increased to £25.9

8. ibid..9. J.T. Manchee, The Bristol Charities (1831), pp. 225–7.

Fig. 2. Plan of Elbridge’s School c.1747, BRO DC/E/3/4, surveys and plans of Bristol Cathedral Estates [photograph: John Bettey].

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The Bristol Infirmary

John Elbridge’s second benevolence to his fellow citizens in Bristol was in connection with the establishment of an Infirmary in 1737. This was one of the earliest of such charitable foundations in the country. Innumerable almshouses and so-called ‘hospitals’ had existed for many centuries, but their purpose was to help the aged, to assist the infirm and to alleviate the suffering of the sick and injured. The new Infirmary was intended to use all modern methods of treating the sick in the hope of curing their affliction or healing their injury. Only in London had such an institution been established to provide free treatment for all. Richard Smith summed up the innovation represented by the Infirmary

‘This City claims the honor of putting to the rest of England the example of this species of universal charity supported by the voluntary contributions of its own community’.10

At a public meeting held in 1736 some eminent and charitably-disposed Bristolians resolved to establish a hospital for the poor, supported by voluntary subscriptions. They were greatly concerned that in a prosperous city with wide trading connections, and in the midst of great wealth ‘many sick persons languish and die miserably for want of necessaries ... for want of accommodation and proper medicines’. They resolved to remedy this situation and to alleviate the scandalous ‘misery of our poor neighbours’. A Committee was appointed and 78 persons promised to give regular subscriptions. Subscriptions were two guineas a year or 20 guineas for life membership. In return they were given the right to recommend patients for treatment at the hospital. Access to the Infirmary was restricted to residents of Bristol, and to mariners or casualties in the city. A site was chosen in Maudlin Lane near St James’s church. Building work proceeded rapidly, and the first patients, 17 men and 17 women, were admitted in Dec. 1737.

A leading part in the early negotiations was taken by Dr Samuel Creswicke (Dean of Bristol 1730–39). He was a member of a Bristol family and took a close interest in the project, serving as chairman of the Committee. Other prominent members of the Committee included the Mayor, John Blackwell; the wealthy merchant Paul Fisher; the Recorder of Bristol, Sir Michael Foster; the attorney gilbert Cobb; and the Quaker merchants Nehemiah and Richard Champion. An inspired choice as the first physician for the new hospital was the energetic Cornishman, John Bonython. He was a son of an ancient Cornish family which had been long established at Bonython in the parish of Cury on the Lizard. He had been educated at Eton and studied medicine at King’s College, Cambridge, where he was awarded the degree of M.D. and obtained a fellowship. In 1736 he came to Bristol where his sister lived. She was married to gilbert Cobb who was an attorney and Chapter Clerk at Bristol cathedral (1705–44). In Bristol Bonython married Elizabeth, the daughter of Richard Lane, a merchant who was twice Mayor of Bristol. They lived in a house close to the Red Lodge in Park Row. Being in affluent circumstances, John Bonython did not depend on private practice for his income, and in May 1737 he was appointed as physician to the newly-established Infirmary. For the rest of his life he devoted himself tirelessly to the welfare of patients at the Infirmary and it was largely due to his dedication that the project was a success. Bonython was involved in fund-raising and all the early arrangements for the Infirmary, and was assiduous in attendance at meetings of the Committee. It is clear from the early minutes of the Committee that he devoted much of his time to ensuring the rapid progress of the establishment. John Bonython died in 1761, aged 67, and many years later, in 1926, a brass memorial plaque to his memory was

10. Richard Smith, op.cit., Bristol was not quite the first provincial town to establish a free hospital. The Winchester Infirmary opened in 1736.

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placed in the chancel of the church of St Michael on the Mount Without.11

It was Bonython who persuaded his friend and neighbour, John Elbridge, to undertake the

office of Treasurer of the Infirmary. Much of the information concerning Elbridge’s work for the Infirmary comes from the notes collected by Richard Smith, to which reference has already been made. In spite of his efforts Smith could find little detail about Elbridge’s private life or personality. Even his enquiries from Elbridge’s great-niece, the elderly Lady Elizabeth Smyth of Ashton Court (d. 1825) produced little information. It is clear however, that Elbridge threw himself enthusiastically into his work for the Infirmary. At the second meeting of the Committee held on 4 Feb. 1737 Elbridge was elected Treasurer, and on 4 March he was appointed with Bonython and others to look for a suitable site and buildings for the Infirmary. By the end of Feb. they had selected a property which was described as ‘a Loft, Warehouse, Cellar and other buildings and Waste ground situate in Maudlin Lane in St James’s Parish’. This was purchased by the Committee and Elbridge immediately began the task of preparing the buildings for the accommodation of patients. His energy and efficiency were recognized by the Committee, and at the meeting on 1 April 1737 it was:

‘Agreed by every Body that the thanks of this Society be returned to Mr Elbridge for his extraordinary care in carrying on the Building for Bristol Infirmary, and he is hereby desired to go on with the same as he shall judge most proper for the use and conveniency of this undertaking, and that this general Vote be inserted in the proper Books of this Society’12

Under the direction of John Elbridge, and with the active involvement of Dr Bonython, work on preparing the ward proceeded rapidly. By Aug. 1737 detailed arrangements for receiving patients were being made by the Committee. The first patients were admitted in December 1737 and during the first year 194 in-patients were treated and 232 out-patients. Of this total of 426 patients, 241 were recorded as ‘cured’. His work as Treasurer and in the rapid preparation of the building to receive patients was not the end of Elbridge’s contribution to the success of the project. During the year 1738 he personally met all the costs of building a new ward and for an adjacent Apothecary’s shop. In addition, he paid for all the beds, equipment and other furnishings. The work was completed by Dec. 1738 and the Committee minutes for 12 Dec. record that ‘Mr Elbridge was pleased to declare that the new ward was ready furnish’d, and might be made use of, for which his benefaction he received the thanks of the Society’. The new addition to the Infirmary was known as the ‘Elbridge Ward’, and in recording their profound gratitude to him for this gift, the Committee estimated that it must have cost at least £1,500. Elbridge’s major contribution to the early success of the Infirmary was recognised by the commissioning of a portrait which was hung in the Committee room. The inscription accompanying the portrait paid tribute to Elbridge’s work as Treasurer, to his ‘constant and unwearied attention’ to the establishment and early running of the Infirmary and to his remarkable generosity which had ensured the success of the project. Thanks to Elbridge’s efforts the Infirmary was firmly established and began the task of caring for the sick and injured which has since proved to be of incalculable benefit to Bristol.13

11. A full account of the early history of the Infirmary is given in g. Munro Smith, A History of the Bristol Royal Infirmary (1917). See also C. Bruce Perry, The Voluntary Medical Institutions of Bristol (Bristol Historical Association, 1984). Details of John Bonython’s career are given by Richard Smith, op.cit., vol. I, pp. 8–11. See also J. and J.A. Venn (eds.), Alumni Cantabrigienses, pt. I (1922), p. 178. The prefix ‘Royal’ was granted to the Infirmary by Queen Victoria in 1850.

12. BRO 3589/1, Minute Book 1736–72.13. ibid..

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The Committee minutes for 6 January 1739 include the following rather convoluted tribute to his work:

‘That this Society think themselves in gratitude obliged to return their publick and unanimous thanks to John Elbridge Esqr for his goodness in singly undertaking the management of building this Infirmary, for his constant and Indefatigable Application in prosecuting that design, by which means it came in so short a time, to that neat perfection, which all who have seen it as well as ourselves do and can not but admire, and moreover for his generous benefaction to it in paying at his Sole expence, for all the Materials, workmanship, linnen and Furniture of the house, and fitting up and providing medicines for the Apothecary’s shop, for this and his early care, by which means only, we think this great affair could have been carried on, and brought to this perfection, we think ourselves obliged to have this record enter’d in our publick books, as a monument of our gratitude, and a means of conveying to our latest Successors, which we hope now, will be to latest ages, this great instance and example of his generosity, and benevolence to mankind’.

It was agreed that because of Elbridge’s generosity, the master or mistress of the school which he had founded ‘has for ever the right of sending any scholar when sick or wounded for advice etc. By giving her a note signed ‘Elbridge’ when she is to be admitted if needful immediately without waiting for the regular forms or taking-in days’. Richard Smith in his scrap book and notes concerning the Infirmary records that this privilege was still being used in the early 19th century, and he included two letters requesting admission for pupils, one of 1820, the other of 1825. In a letter addressed to ‘Mr R Smith, Surgeon, Bristol Infirmary’ dated 1 April 1820, Susannah Nash, mistress of Elbridge’s school wrote

‘Sir, Please admit Eliza Beck, who is a Pupil in the school founded by the late John Elbridge Esqr., an outpatient to the Infirmary’.

Likewise, in a letter of 27 June 1825 the headmistress requested that ‘Ann Russell who is a Pupil duly elected in the Blue School founded in Fort Road, Bristol, by the late John Elbridge Esqr. be admitted to the Infirmary’. In his scrapbooks Richard Smith also recorded that on 28 March 1778 a ‘grandson’ of John Elbridge applied for admission to the Infirmary as a pauper. His name was george Elbridge Rook, who was no doubt a relative of John Elbridge, though hardly his grandson, since John Elbridge was unmarried. george Elbridge Rook was apprenticed to a cooper in Bristol and had badly injured his ankle with an adze. Richard Smith was obliged to amputate his leg, an operation which was successful since he records that he treated the man for some other complaint several years later.14

John Elbridge did not long live to see the success of the Infirmary to which he had contributed so much. He died on 22 Feb. 1739 and was buried beside the ornate tomb of the Aldworth family in St Peter’s church. A simple inscription was added to the tomb merely recording the date of his death and his burial. His will is dated 20 Feb. 1739. It was unsigned and only contains his mark with a note explaining that ‘by reason of weakness in his Hands [he] could not write his Name’.15 He left £3,000 to endow the charity school which he had founded, and £5,000 to the Bristol Infirmary, in addition to all the money he had already spent on it. The largest legacies

14. BRO AC/WO 10/14, Elbridge’s will, 1739. C.E. Boucher, ‘St Peter’s Church, Bristol’, Trans. BGAS, 32, (1909), pp. 293–4.

15. BRO AC/WO 10/14, Elbridge’s will, 1739; AC/WO 10/4, Thomas Moore’s will, 1724.

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were left to his nephew, Thomas Elbridge, and his niece Rebecca Woolnough. Each received £10,000, and in addition Rebecca Woolnough was left the lease of the mansion at the Royal Fort. Thomas Elbridge was left the fine house called Cote at Westbury-on-Trym which John Elbridge had inherited from his kinsman, Thomas Moore in 1724.16 Thomas Elbridge (1711–43) was the son of John Elbridge’s brother Thomas (1673–1737) who was a mariner. Rebecca Woolnough was the daughter of John Elbridge’s brother Aldworth (d. 1703). In 1737 Rebecca married Henry Woolnough (1702–46), a highly-successful Bristol attorney, and member of a family which owned land in gloucestershire, Somerset, Wiltshire and at Immingham in Lincolnshire. Large sums were left to his relatives in New England, including the Sanders family who were the descendants of his sister Elizabeth, and another relative, Aaron Deall of Boston and his wife Rebecca. Each of these families received £8,000. John Elbridge’s friend, Henry Bodman of Bristol, received a legacy of £2,000 and a house in King Street, together with the sum of £5,000 on trust for some unspecified charity. Numerous smaller sums were left to friends, including £500 to Samuel Creswicke, Dean of Bristol who, like Henry Bodman, was an executor of the will, and £500 to Samuel Creswicke’s wife. Provision was made for several widows and for payments to servants. All the residue of the estate was to be divided between Thomas Elbridge and Rebecca Woolnough.17

The inventories of the Royal Fort mansion and Cote House illustrate John Elbridge’s great wealth and lavish life-style. The Royal Fort was richly furnished and contained many rooms, including a hall, parlour, library, green room, red room, green tapestry room, red tapestry room, with chambers and numerous servants’ bedrooms above. His possessions, which were apparently of high quality, seem to have been under-valued in the inventories. The furniture, clothing, wine and many books were valued at £309 2s. 8d., which must have been a serious underestimate. The silver plate, candlesticks, coffee pots, salvers, watches and rings were valued at £222 1s. 6d., and the house contained cash totalling £1,562 7s. 6d.. The inventory of the house at Cote, which was described as ‘over the Downe’, lists five garrets, four bedrooms, a hall, parlour, great parlour, little parlour, servants’ hall, kitchens and cellars. There was a large quantity of pewter, many apparently undistinguished pictures, a great deal of kitchen equipment, but no clothing, so presumably John Elbridge did not live there. The total contents were valued at £317 8s. 10d.. A list entitled ‘A Copy of Mr Elbridge’s Calculation of his Estate in June 1738’ shows a total of £77, 969 3s. 4d.. Another rough and undated list shows legacies of £59,313 and a residue of £19,519, giving a total wealth of £78,632.18 From the evidence of the numerous books in his extensive library, Elbridge was a cultivated and well-read man. There were many religious and devotional books, as well as volumes on law, medicine, history and literature.19 As well as Bibles and Prayer Books, his library included William Sherlock’s On Death, Jeremy Taylor’s Holy Living, Bishop Thomas Ken’s Meditations, Thomas Browne’s Works, Pascall’s Thoughts on Religion, and Dr Manton’s Christ’s Temptations.

It is likely that it was his religious convictions which led Elbridge to devote the final years of his life to charitable works, and to spending part of his wealth on helping the less fortunate. His life-style is indicated by the variety of drinks in his cellar at the Royal Fort. Like the other items, the value of the various beverages seems to be grossly under-estimated. The drinks listed were:

16. ibid..17. BRO AC/WO 10/16, 18, 19, inventories of Elbridge’s possessions 1739. The family and marriage

connections of Elbridge’s numerous relatives have been thoroughly investigated by Donald Jones – as listed in note 2 above.

18. ibid..19. ibid..

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1 Hogshead and 4 Kilderkins of beer and 1 hogshead of Cider 18s-0d 1 Bottle of Usquebaugh 3s-0d 8 pints French brandy 8s-0d 19 bottles of Arrack £2- 8s-0d 16 bottles of Rum Brandy 14s-0d 40 pints of Cherry Rum £1-11s-6d 1 Butt of Mountain £17- 0s-0d 1 Pipe of Red Port £18- 0s-0d 3 dozen pints of Sherry £1- 0s-0d 29 bottles of White Port £1-10s-0d 89 bottles of Brunswick £1- 5s-0d 122 quarts of Rum £1- 5s-0d 25 Pints of Madeira £1- 0s-0d20

The total valuation of the well-stocked cellar was therefore assessed at only £47 2s. 6d..Elbridge’s death was followed by lengthy and bitter legal disputes among his relatives, led

especially by the Bristol lawyer, Henry Woolnough. The situation was further complicated by the large number of sums owing to Elbridge on mortgages and loans which he had granted, several of which were heavily in arrears. In Dec. 1740 Henry Woolnough wrote to the executors of Elbridge’s estate (John Scrope Esq. and the Very Revd. Samuel Creswicke D.D.) to urge them to action:

‘whereas great Part of the Estate of John Elbridge Esq. Deceased is entirely depending on Personal or other Precarious Securities, and there being also a very considerable arrear of Interest remaining due to his Estate on real Security, Wee therefore Desire and do hereby Direct the Executors in Trust of his said Will to call in forthwith all Moneys owing to the Estate on Personal or other precarious securities and also all arrears of Interest due to his Estate on Real Securities. Henry Woolnough’.

A draft of this letter includes on the back a list of 19 debtors owing a total of £14,620 17s. 6d.. This included mortgages of £4,500 and £7,000, and several other large sums, as well as debtors owing only a few hundred pounds.21

This was followed by other similar letters from Henry Woolnough, and by actions in the Court of Chancery objecting to the legacies left to Henry Bodman, and to Elbridges relatives in America, to the legacy of £3,000 to the charity school, and to the sale by the executors of part of the estate in order to meet the heavy expenses incurred in carrying out Elbridge’s wishes and in defending their conduct in the Court of Chancery.22 The instructions contained in Elbridge’s will were not finally fulfilled for several years after his death, and only after considerable litigation. For example, the payments to Elbridge’s relatives in New England were not completed until Aug. 1744, and included interest at 4% per annum earned during the interim.23

The early death of Henry Woolnough in 1746, only nine years after his marriage, left his widow, Rebecca, to manage the extensive property and wealth, including her share in the Spring Plantation in Jamaica, which she had been left by her uncle, John Elbridge. She proved to be a competent business woman and an efficient administrator, safeguarding the interests of her only

20. ibid..21. BRO AC/WO 10/20, letter from Henry Woolnough, 9 Dec. 1740.22. BRO AC/WO 10/11; AC/WO 11/1, 2, 5, legal disputes over Elbridge’s legacies; AC/WO 10/15,

calculation of Elbridge’s estates and of the sums owing to him 1759–44.23. Ibid..

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child, Elizabeth. In 1757 Elizabeth Woolnough married John Hugh Smyth, son of Jarrit Smyth, the Bristol attorney who had acquired most of the Ashton Court estate through his wife, who was the sister of Sir John Smyth. Sir John had died without issue in 1741, heavily in debt to his lawyer, Jarrit Smith, who assumed the name of Smyth when he acquired the estate. The marriage of John Hugh Smyth and Elizabeth W oolnough brought her inheritance of £40,000 to secure the future of the Smyth dynasty at Ashton Court.24

It seems a great shame that Elbridge’s generous legacies should have led to so much litigation and acrimony among his heirs. This does not however, detract from his charitable work for Bristol, both in his school and the Infirmary. His crucial contribution to the successful establishment of the Infirmary was summed up by the Bristol surgeon and historian, William Barrett, in his History and Antiquities of Bristol, published in 1789. Barrett had spent his whole medical career in Bristol and would have been familiar with the early history of the Infirmary. He wrote that the viability of the untried scheme of maintaining the hospital by voluntary subscriptions was by no means certain, and that:

‘...there would have been great reason of doubting its success, had not Mr Elbridge, comptroller of the customs here, undertaken it almost under his single direction and at his own expence.’25

24. BRO 36074/10, marriage agreement between Elizabeth Woolnough and John Hugh Smyth 1757.25. William Barrett, History and Antiquities of Bristol (1789), p. 403.

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