Nathaniel Wells was born in Saint Kitts to his parents William and Juggy Wells in 1779. William was from a wealthy family from Cardiff and Juggy his enslaved worker. On the birth of his son, William released Nathaniel and his mother and set them free.
When Nathaniel was 15 years old, he inherited his father’s entire estate, including the sugar plantations and enslaved workers in Saint Kitts. In 1802, Nathaniel spent most of his money to buy Piercefield House and moved to Wales with his new wife, Harriet Este.
Nathaniel became a churchwarden, magistrate (a type of judge), Britain’s first black sheriff and a lieutenant in the Gloucestershire and Monmouth Yeomanry, a Justice of the Peace and member of the Chepstow Hunt.
Piercefield House required a lot of restoration and repairs. Nathaniel used up all his wealth and he tried to sell the estate for decades but without any success.
In 1833, the British government paid Nathaniel £1,400 9s 7d in compensation for freeing his 86 enslaved workers on the sugar plantations.
Nathaniel died at the age of 72 after a short illness.