Zachary Bayly (1721-1769) was an English-born Jamaican planter and politician.
Early life In the 1730s, Zachary Bayly was a young boy when his family relocated with him to the Colony of Jamaica. In 1759, his brother Nathaniel Bayly moved to England, and the two brothers conducted a trans-Atlantic family business, using their slaves on their Jamaican estates to create large profits, and using their political contacts to protect their investments.Vincent Brown, Tacky's Revolt: The Story of an Atlantic Slave War(Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 2020), p. 54.
Slave owner Bayly was the owner of Bayly's Vale, Brimmer Hall, Nonsuch, Trinity, Tryall and Unity plantations as well 3,000 acres in cattle pens."The Letters of Simon Taylor of Jamaica to Chaloner Arcedekne, 1765-1775" edited by Betty Wood et al in Zachary Bayly. Legacies of British Slave-ownership, UCL. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
In addition to being a sugar planter, Bayly was also a successful sugar merchant. He also served as a planting attorney for several absentee owners, managing several thousand more slaves for other estates. He was one of the 10 wealthiest Jamaicans in the eighteenth century.Vincent Brown, Tacky's Revolt: The Story of an Atlantic Slave War(Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 2020), p. 53.
Tacky's Revolt In 1760, when Tacky's War broke out, slaves rose up in revolt on Bayly's estates at Trinity.Vincent Brown, Tacky's Revolt: The Story of an Atlantic Slave War(Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 2020), p. 54.
Death and estate Bayly owned over 2,000 slaves at the time of his death in 1769. His estate was valued at over £114,000 when he died.Zachary Bayly. Legacies of British Slave-ownership, UCL. Retrieved 14 May 2019.Vincent Brown, Tacky's Revolt: The Story of an Atlantic Slave War(Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 2020), p. 53.
Family He was the brother of Nathaniel Bayly, both being uncles of the politician Bryan Edwards.
References