Sir James Modyford, 1st Baronet

Sir James Modyford, 1st Baronet (1618–1673) was an English merchant, colonial agent, and deputy-governor of Jamaica.

Life
James Modyford, younger brother of Sir Thomas Modyford, was, as a youth, at Constantinople in the service of the Turkey Company. Afterwards he appears to have been settled at Chelsea as a merchant, and under the Commonwealth was employed in Ireland, presumably through the interest of his cousin George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle. On 18 October 1660 he was appointed "clerk of the first-fruits in Ireland", was knighted about the same time, and on 18 February 1660–1 was created a baronet in consideration of his having "liberally and generously provided and sustained thirty men for three years for the care and defence of Ireland". In 1663 he was named as one of the Royal African Company. In that year he was in Jamaica, and sent home a survey and description of the island. In 1664, on the appointment of his brother as governor of Jamaica, he returned to England, and for the next two or three years was employed as agent for the colony. On 30 June 1666 he was recommended by the Duke of Albemarle for the embassy at Constantinople, as one "who was bred up in the country, knows the language, and was formerly desired by the Turkey Company for the employment". The recommendation was unsuccessful, and on 10 November following he was appointed lieutenant-governor of the island of Providence, or Santa Catalina, then newly recovered by a party of buccaneers. Having been detained for eleven weeks at Barbados, "through the ignorance rather than the malice of Lord Willoughby", he did not reach Jamaica till 15 July 1667, when he found that Santa Catalina had been recaptured by the Spaniards. He was then appointed by his brother lieutenant-general, deputy-governor, and chief judge of the admiralty court at Jamaica. His commissions appear to have lapsed with the supersession of Sir Thomas in June 1671, but he remained at Jamaica about his private business, and died there in January 1672–3.

Family
Modyford married Elizabeth, daughter and heiress of Sir Nicholas Stanning of Maristow, Devonshire, and by her had issue a son, Thomas, who succeeded to the baronetcy, but died a minor in 1678, when the title became extinct. He left also two daughters, Grace and Mary. Elizabeth, Lady Modyford, died 30 March 1724 at the age of ninety-four, and was buried in the church of Bickleigh, Devonshire.