William Mathew Burt
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William Mathew Burt (c. 1725 – 27 January 1781) was a British politician and colonial administrator. He owned properties on Saint Kitts and Nevis and served as governor of the British Leeward Islands from 1776 until his death in 1781. He was also member of parliament for Great Marlow from 1761 to 1768.
Burt was born into "an old West Indian family".[1] He was the son of William Pym Burt, chief justice of St. Kitts, and Louisa Mathew, daughter of Sir William Mathew.[2] His great-grandfather arrived in Nevis in 1670 and the family moved to Saint Kitts in about 1725; he would inherit estates on both islands.[1]
Burt served on the Council of Saint Kitts from 1748 to 1755.[1]
England
In the early 1750s, Burt moved to England. During the Seven Years' War, he was consulted by the British government prior to the invasion of Martinique in 1759 and accompanied the subsequent expedition to Guadeloupe. He was elected to parliament at the 1761 British general election and spoke primarily on trade matters or West Indian policy. A Whig, Burt supported George Grenville's administration and was in favour of the Stamp Act 1765. He was "badly defeated" at the 1768 election.[1]