John Gregory

John Gregory (1688 - 1764) was a Jamaican-born colonial administrator and military officer in the eighteenth century British colony of Jamaica who acted as Governor of Jamaica three times, was appointed President of the Legislative Council of Jamaica, Chief Justice of Jamaica twice, and became Commander-In-Chief of Jamaica during the First Maroon War.

John Gregory came into the world in 1668 in Spanish Town, St. Catherine, Jamaica, the offspring of Matthew Gregory and his wife Jane Archer.

As a window into Gregory's character, Charles Leslie describes him in 1740 as a man "who always acted with that firmness and prudence which became one in such an eminent station; his character is to be strictly honest, and severely just; no motives could ever persuade him to forgive the crimes of convicts, nor could the solicitations or prayers of the most considerable, induce him to deviate fromthe known laws and rules of justice."

In 1733-35, Gregory was appointed Chief Justice of Jamaica. He became a member of the Legislative Council of Jamaica in 1717, and as a long-time and respected member, John Gregory rose to the position of President from 1735 to 1751, illustrating his enduring commitment to governance. Notably, Gregory assumed the role of Acting Governor of Jamaica on three occasions.In 1735, he temporarily held the position following the death of John Ayscough. Subsequently, in 1736-1738, he assumed responsibilities after the passing of Henry Cunningham. In 1737, the Stamford Mercury published a letter addressed to John Gregory from the merchants of Kingston, referring to him as ”The Honourable John Gregory, President of the Council and Commander-in-Chief in and over his Majesty's island of Jamaica.”In 1738 he was again appointed Chief Justice of Jamaica. His last stint as Governor occurred in 1748 when Edward Trelawney embarked on an expedition to St. Domingue and Cuba from February 14 to April 1.In a letter from John Gregory to Thomas Pownall, dated 17th July 1759, he expressed a desire to acquaint the board that he had no intention of returning to the island of Jamaica and recommended a gentleman by the name of 'William Lewis' to be of the Council in his stead.Gregory spent his later years residing in his residence on Conduit Street, St George Hanover Square, London, until his passing in 1764.

The Gregories hailed from the hamlet of Hordley in Wootton, West Oxfordshire, where they had called 'Hordley House' home since the mid-15th century.John's brother, Dr. Matthew Gregory, a prominent slaveowner and a politician, named his estate in St. Thomas, Jamaica "Hordley" in homage to their ancestral home.This estate was subsequently inherited by Matthew Gregory Lewis, the great-grandson of John's aforementioned brother, who vividly recounted his experiences as the estate owner in his book titled "Journal of a West India Proprietor.” John's grandfather, Thomas Gregory, great-grandfather, Francis Gregory, and great-great-grandfather John Gregory, were all members of the prestigious Gray's Inn. While of a wealthy background, he wasn't of immediate aristocratic stock like many of his contemporaries. However, John's great-grandfather, Francis Gregory was himself a great-grandson of The Right Honourable John Mordaunt, 1st Baron Mordaunt, ancestor of the Earls of Peterborough, and his wife Elizabeth de Vere, of the famous House of de Vere. Francis's wife and John's great-grandmother, Elisabeth Bennet, was the daughter of Sir John Bennet, ancestor of the Earls of Tankerville, and his wife Anne Weekes. Other notable figures in his family include his granduncles, Francis Gregory D.D, who was Chaplain to the King, Henry Gregory, Rector of Middleton Stoney and who was the father of Elizabeth Gregory, the wife of Sir John Pratt and mother of Lady Grace Pratt, wife of John Fortescue Aland, 1st Baron Fortescue of Credan. And also his great-granduncle, Sir John Bennet of Dawley, Harlington, Middlesex, a son of Sir John Bennet aforementioned, whose two sons were John Bennet, 1st Baron Ossulston, also a student of Grays Inn, as seemed to be a family tradition within the Gregory Family, and Henry Bennet, 1st Earl of Arlington. His grand-aunt, Elizabeth Bennet, married The Right Honourable Sir Robert Carr, 3rd Baronet. And John Gregory's great-great granduncle Sir Thomas Bennett was Lord Mayor of London. It isn't known whether John Gregory's grandfather was in contact with this family of his, but if so, then it's plausible to assume that his aristocratic cousins and other more distant family members certainly contributed to the family's prominence and social standing at the time.