Name from:
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NYJD-BXV

Date of birth and date and place of death from “Horneman Family History 1605 to 2006” CD, Chapter 4.0.

The following from Julie Bourke in an email dated 10/04/17:
Henry Devis, as well as being a merchant, was also a Prize Agent. He would go to Jamaica, Port Royal, which at that time the Port was very important to England. He would take over the captured ships, crew, cargo, head money, (slaves) pay some money to the crew, who captured the vessel, also money to the Admiralty and keep some himself!!, often the captured vessel went back in to service for the English admiralty. I did start a doc of the ships he took over, sometimes in fierce battles, which I must finish. Port Royal would be rife with disease, and often ships crews would be wiped out through disease etc. Henry Devis died on a voyage back to England from Port Royal. Family rumour was that he owned a sugar planation on Jamaica and he had a fight with his manager and the manager arranged for the ships cook to poison him. The other rumour was that he was Governor of Jamaica. Through research I found he did not own any plantations, nor was he a Governor, probably died of a disease picked up at Port Royal. Also when he was about 19 20 yrs he was taken a prisoner of France, he wrote this experience down in his red book. He was set free with an exchange of prisoners. In the red book is also where he wrote down the ships he dealt with as a prize agent. Think on ancestry there is something about the time and place where he was taken prisoner.
[Julie is the great-great-granddaughter of Emma Frances Devis b. 1814]

Notice from a 13-pager document compiled by, and received from, Julie Bourke on 27 April 2017:
The Morning Chronicle Wednesday 6 May 1818
LAYTON ESSEX – Very valuable Freehold and Copyhold Estates, Land –tax redeemed five miles from London, bounded in part by the Lea-bridge-road, Layton, Higli-street, and Capworth-street, consists of Gentlemen’s VILLAS, with offices, pleasure grounds and gardens, nursery-grounds, and several closes of most excellent meadowland, containing 35 acres, or thereabouts, with two frontages, very eligible to build on; part let to yearly tenants, and the remainder on lease, and now in the occupation of Messrs Hullett, Smith, Pocock, Devis, Dowsett, Rayner, Walker and Meal, at ground and other rents, producing upwards of 344L per annum, and, as the leases expire, the rental will be greatly increased. The estates may be viewed by leave of the tenants 11 days preceeding the sale, when particulars may be had of Mr Daniel Burrell, land-surveyor, 7 Wormwood Street at Lloyds Coffee House; at the place of sale and of Mr Burrell 5 Throgmorton-street, where a map or plan of the estate may be seen.

Notice from the 13-pager document
The Morning chronicle Monday 13 July 1818
LOW LAYTON ESSEX - Leasehold Residence, Chaise-house, Stabling, Garden, and four acres of Meadow Land - By Mr Adamson, at the mart, on Friday, the 31st instant, at 12, unless in the meantime disposed of by private contract. A NEAT retired COTTAGE RESIDENCE, situate on the West side of the High-street, Low Layton, Essex, about six miles from the Royal Exchange, late the residence of Mr Henry Devis Esq., containing five bed chambers, drawing room, and suitable domestic offices of every description. The detached offices comprise a chaise-house, two stall stable, hay-loft over, dairy, and other useful out offices, a good garden, fully cropped; a lawn; gravel walks, and ornamental shrubs, fine grapevines, and a fore-court; held for an expired term of about eight years at a low rent. The Land, which comprises four acres, is fine old meadow, and is held from year to year, lies contiguous to the house – Private particulars may be had on the premises; at the Eagle; Snaresbrook; Green Man, Layton; at the Mart; and of Mr Adamson 58 Fenchurch Street.

Notice from the 13-pager document
The Morning Chronicle Thursday 10 June 1819
Bishopgate-street – valuable Freehold Estates – By WINSTANLEY and SONS, at the Mart, on Thursday, July 13, at twelve, in FIVE Lots. VERY VALUABLE and IMPORTANT FREEHOLD ESTATES, consisting of the principal part of that commodious and Flourishing Establishment THE CITY OF LONDON TAVERN, which has been fitted up within a few years by the present lessees at an expense of several thousand pounds; Three very substantial Mercantile Residences, Nos, 13,15, and 16 in the occupations of Messrs Campbell, Bowden and Co., Messrs Mollo, Pead and Co., and Messrs Willis and Devis; also an extensive range of buildings, Nos 10,11,12 and 14 let on lease to Mr Rogers, but in the occupation of Messrs Carpenter & Co; Patten, Watson, Butler, and others. The present rental amounts to One Thousand Four Hundred and Twelve Pounds per annum, and will be capable of very considerable increase upon the expiration of the present Leases – to be viewed 14 days preceeding the sale with permission of the respective tenants, by cards only, and which, with printed particulars, may be had of Messrs Dunn and Cressland Solicitors, Old Bond Street and of Winstanley & Sons.

Notice from a 13-pager document compiled by, and received from, Julie Bourke on 27 April 2017:
The Morning Chronicle, also in The Times Tuesday 11 May 1824
DIED
On the 26th March on the ship Wallace from Jamacia, Henry Devis Esq., of the firm John Willis & Co deservedly respected and deeply regretted by his afflicted family and friends.

Notice from the 13-pager document
The Morning Chronicle Saturday 16 April 1825
SALE BY AUCTION
Genteel household furniture. Fifty dozen curious French Wines, Pony chaise and Harness, a Tandem harness, a Green House about 20 feet long, Green House Plants, etc., Stoke Newington – By MR ADAMSON on Monday next, April 18 at eleven, on the premises, nearly opposite the New church, Stoke Newington Road, by direction of the Administratrix of the late Henry Devis Esq., THE REMAINING EXCELLENT HOUSEHOLD FURNITURE winged library, bookcase, sideboard, drawing room suite, rosewood, card, Pembroke, and loo tables, piano-forte, a guitar, paintings, fine proof prints, small library of books, a noble chimney, glass mirrors, Grecian lamp. Lustres, a patent water closet, 50 dozen of curious French wines, of the first quality, selected and imported by the late proprietor, china and glass, plated articles, 400 green house plants, brewing utensils, etc., - To be viewed, and catalogues had on the premises; and of Mr Adamson, 11, Biltster-square.

The “Devis Family Tree” kindly shared by Julie Bourke (nee McColl) received in the post on 3 May 2017 (researched by Linda Burge and Julie Bourke) has date of death as 26 November 1824?

The Tree states: lived Leyton Essex [East London], townhouse 16 Bishopgate also within Stoke Newington [North London].

The Tree says: Henry Devis (b.1778) was a prisoner in France, became friendly with William Pitt, also a prisoner. William Pitt’s best friend was John Gamble. When Henry Devis was chosen to return to England for an exchange of prisoners, William Pitt told him to get in touch with his friend John Gamble. Henry Devis and John became friends, and John Gamble married Henry’s sister Elizabeth in 1803.

Date of birth confirmed, “Henry Devis born Sep 10 1778” from Image 3 of the Devis Family Bible sent by Derek Dillon in an email dated 16 March 2018. Derek had copied the Bible pages, while visiting some cousins in England circa 1988. The Bible had been passed down through the Devis, Gibson and Dillon families. Derek is the x3-great grandson of Hannah Barlow (b.1759) and her second husband, David Gibson. (Hannah Barlow remarried after the death of first husband Henry Devis b.1750).

Date of baptism of “10 September 1778” from Linda Burge in an email dated 28 May 2020. Linda in the same email writes that Henry’s day of birth is 7th September 1778.
Linda is the x2-great granddaughter of Emma Frances Devis b. 1814.

Earlier above, Julie Bourke wrote of a family rumour on Henry Devis’ cause of death, in that he owned a sugar planation on Jamaica and had a fight with his manager and the manager arranged for the ships cook to poison him.
A message from Margaret Sweeney dated 5 September 2020 lends a different theory for Henry’s death:
“In January of 1824 John Willis the employer of Henry Devis died, in his will he leaves an ‘interest’ in the business to Henry Devis along with another previous business partner. I would presume that Henry Devis made the trip to Jamaica to stake his claim. I also found out that John Willlis had at least two brothers at his time of death, one was a director for the Bank of England (heavily involved with the slave trade at that time) and the other brother was resident in Jamaica (Possibly a plantation owner?”.
“Now given the story that Julie Bourke told me about someone paying to have Henry Devis poisoned, my theory is that it was the brother in Jamaica who instigated it. Just a theory, I have no proof”.
Margaret is the x3-great granddaughter of Sidney Bell Devis (b.1816). Brian of nzolivers.com is a x3-great grandson of Emma Frances Devis (b.1814), sister of Sidney Bell Devis.