The Cazeneuve Family Part V
According to John Cazeneuve's death notice in the Kentish Gazette on 5 August 1791, he was 'for many years a [wine?] and brandy merchant of this town [Chatham], but had retired from business'. He was 64 years old. His baptism date was 29 September 1726, so he must have been nearly 65 at his death. In his will, John described himself as a gentleman. John Cazeneuve had at least £7,000 invested at 4% in Consolidated Bank Annuities, issue of 6 April 1780. Consols, as they were known, were Bank of England stock, a means of managing the National Debt. Subscribers or investors lent their money to the government and received an annual return or annuity. Consols were popular with cautious investors, as they received a safe and guaranteed return of between 3% and 5% on their invested capital, depending on when they invested. These interest rates were low; much greater returns could be obtained on other investements such as canal stock, but canals were also much riskier investments. J...