Thomas King (slave trader)

He probably met his future business partners Anthony Calvert (1735–1809) and William Camden at this time when he was master on ships owned by them.

[1] King's early career was at sea in a variety of vessels involved in the slave trade in the Caribbean and West Africa.

In 1766 he went to Africa as second mate on the Royal Charlotte which was transporting the African company's stores to Cape Coast Castle.

[3] It was probably during this period that he met his future business partners Anthony Calvert (1735–1809) and William Camden when he was master on ships owned by them.

[5] In 1771, while he was master of the Surrey (or Surry), owned by Anthony Calvert, he was involved in an incident that saw him charged with the murder of a sailor, John Warren, for which he stood trial at the Old Bailey in 1776.

[8] Ships of the firm made 77 voyages carrying slaves between the 1780s and the early 1800s and transported over 22,000 enslaved persons from West Africa, 65% of whom disembarked in Jamaica, 12% in the Guianas, 14% in other parts of the Caribbean and the remainder elsewhere; the firm's activities also included supplying British dockyards and overseas garrisons, whaling, transporting convicts, and trading in commodities from the East Indies.

[15][16] Contemporaries of Thomas King among the elder brothers around 1810 included the Duke of Marlborough, two Lords, four Earls, and two Viscounts.