Sir John Boyd, 1st Baronet
Encyclopedia
Sir John Boyd, 1st Baronet Boyd (29 December 1718, St Kitts, Leeward Islands
- 24 January 1800, Danson Hill) was a sugar merchant and vice-chairman of the British East India Company
. He built Danson House
, and was the first English owner of the Piranesi Vase
.
He was the only child to Augustus Boyd (1679–1765), a northern Irish merchant who owned several sugar estates on the islands and later moved to London
to set up trade links there with the plantations. John went into this family business, but not before he had read theology
and classics
at Christ Church, Oxford
and taken a Grand Tour
of the continent.
Settling in Lewisham
and marrying his first wife, Mary Bumpstead, in the early 1740s, he purchased the 200 acre (0.809372 km²) lease at Danson in 1753, followed by the site he intended for Danson House in 1762. Elected director of the East India Company in April 1753, he served on the Company's court until 1764, and backed the peace made by Britain in 1763 at the end of the Seven Years' War
.
Having given birth to four children, Mary died in 1763, and John remarried to Catherine Chapone in 1766 (with whom he had three more children). Having inherited his father's estate in the meantime, he began work on the house and, in 1772, 1775 and 1776, took tours of Spain
, France
and Belgium
to collect art to fill it.
Made a baronet
in 1775, his plantations were beginning to fail and the final blow was the capture of St Kitts by the French in 1779. This and the death of two of his children in 1772 and 1779 turned him into a recluse, rarely leaving Danson and never entering London society. Even after being able to repay his debts through a loan from Paul Benfield (one of Boyd's clerks who had made his fortune in India), he did not leave Danson until his death there in 1800. His son John
(1715–1815) auctioned off his father's large collection of paintings and drawings, demolished the imposing wings at Danson containing kitchens and stables, and built the house's present stable block, before selling the estate in 1807.
Leeward Islands
The Leeward Islands are a group of islands in the West Indies. They are the northern islands of the Lesser Antilles chain. As a group they start east of Puerto Rico and reach southward to Dominica. They are situated where the northeastern Caribbean Sea meets the western Atlantic Ocean...
- 24 January 1800, Danson Hill) was a sugar merchant and vice-chairman of the British East India Company
British East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
. He built Danson House
Danson House
Danson House is a Georgian mansion at the centre of Danson Park, to the west of Bexleyheath in the London Borough of Bexley, south-east London.-18th Century:...
, and was the first English owner of the Piranesi Vase
Piranesi Vase
The Piranesi Vase or Boyd Vase is a reconstructed colossal ancient Roman marble calyx krater on three legs and a triangular base, with a relief around the sides of the vase. It is 107 inches tall and 28 inches in diameter...
.
He was the only child to Augustus Boyd (1679–1765), a northern Irish merchant who owned several sugar estates on the islands and later moved to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to set up trade links there with the plantations. John went into this family business, but not before he had read theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
and classics
Classics
Classics is the branch of the Humanities comprising the languages, literature, philosophy, history, art, archaeology and other culture of the ancient Mediterranean world ; especially Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome during Classical Antiquity Classics (sometimes encompassing Classical Studies or...
at Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church or house of Christ, and thus sometimes known as The House), is one of the largest constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England...
and taken a Grand Tour
Grand Tour
The Grand Tour was the traditional trip of Europe undertaken by mainly upper-class European young men of means. The custom flourished from about 1660 until the advent of large-scale rail transit in the 1840s, and was associated with a standard itinerary. It served as an educational rite of passage...
of the continent.
Settling in Lewisham
Lewisham
Lewisham is a district in South London, England, located in the London Borough of Lewisham. It is situated south-east of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.-History:...
and marrying his first wife, Mary Bumpstead, in the early 1740s, he purchased the 200 acre (0.809372 km²) lease at Danson in 1753, followed by the site he intended for Danson House in 1762. Elected director of the East India Company in April 1753, he served on the Company's court until 1764, and backed the peace made by Britain in 1763 at the end of the Seven Years' War
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War was a global military war between 1756 and 1763, involving most of the great powers of the time and affecting Europe, North America, Central America, the West African coast, India, and the Philippines...
.
Having given birth to four children, Mary died in 1763, and John remarried to Catherine Chapone in 1766 (with whom he had three more children). Having inherited his father's estate in the meantime, he began work on the house and, in 1772, 1775 and 1776, took tours of Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
to collect art to fill it.
Made a baronet
Baronet
A baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess , is the holder of a hereditary baronetcy awarded by the British Crown...
in 1775, his plantations were beginning to fail and the final blow was the capture of St Kitts by the French in 1779. This and the death of two of his children in 1772 and 1779 turned him into a recluse, rarely leaving Danson and never entering London society. Even after being able to repay his debts through a loan from Paul Benfield (one of Boyd's clerks who had made his fortune in India), he did not leave Danson until his death there in 1800. His son John
Sir John Boyd, 2nd Baronet
Sir John Boyd, 2nd Baronet was the son of John Boyd, 1st Baronet Boyd, and his first wife Mary Bumpstead.On his father's death in 1800, John inherited the whole estate and his father's title...
(1715–1815) auctioned off his father's large collection of paintings and drawings, demolished the imposing wings at Danson containing kitchens and stables, and built the house's present stable block, before selling the estate in 1807.