Nicholas Lawes

Sir Nicholas Lawes
Born 1652
Died 18 June 1731 (aged 78-79)
Jamaica
Nationality English
Occupation Governor of Jamaica 1718 - 1722

Sir Nicholas Lawes (1652 – 18 June 1731) (sometimes "'Laws'" in contemporary documents) was Governor of Jamaica from 1718 to 1722.

Early life

Nicholas Lawes was born in 1652 to Nicholas and Amy Lawes.

Knighthood

He was a British knight.

Governor of Jamaica

He was Chief Justice of Jamaica from 1698 to 1703 and Governor from 1718 to 1722.[1]

In his capacity as Governor during the Golden Age of Piracy he tried many pirates, among them "Calico Jack" Rackham, Anne Bonny, Mary Read, Robert Deal, & Charles Vane. He signed an arrangement with Jeremy, king of the Miskito, to bring some of his followers over to Jamaica to hunt down runaway slaves in 1720.[2]

Family

Lawes married five widows in succession. No children survived from the first three marriages.[3]

James and Temple Lawes were the sons of his fourth wife Susannah Temple whom he married in 1698.[3][4] She had previously been married to Samuel Bernard.[3] Her father, Thomas Temple, is said to have given Lawes his Temple Hall, Jamaica estate as a dowry.[4]

Lawes later married Elizabeth Lawley (1690-1725). Their youngest surviving daughter, Judith Maria Lawes, married Simon Luttrell, 1st Earl of Carhampton and so became both wife and mother of the Earls of Carhampton.[3]

Coffee and printing

At Temple Hall Lawes experimented with a variety of crops and introduced the very lucrative coffee growing into the island in 1721 according to some sources[4][5] or 1728 according to others.[6]

He is also credited with setting up the first printing press in Jamaica.[3]

Death

He died 18 June 1731 in Jamaica.

References

  1. ↑ Historic Jamaica : With fifty-two illustrations.
  2. ↑ Michael Olien, "The Miskito Kings and the Line of Succession," Journal of Anthropological Research 39 (1983),
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Powers, Anne (17 March 2012). "The Queen of Hell in Portman Square". A Parcel of Ribbons. Retrieved 5 December 2012.
  4. 1 2 3 Sibley, Inez Knibb (1978). Dictionary of Place Names in Jamaica. Kingston, Jamaica: Institute of Jamaica. p. 196.
  5. ↑ "Jamaican History 2 / 1692-1782 / Foundation of Kingston to the Battle of the Saints". Gleaner Company. Retrieved 13 August 2012.
  6. ↑ "Kingston & St. Andrew Economy". Jamaica Information Service. Retrieved 5 December 2012.
Government offices
Preceded by
Peter Heywood		 Governor of Jamaica
1718–1722 		Succeeded by
The Duke of Portland


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