William Manning was Governor of the Bank from 1810–1812, having previously served as a Director from 1790–1831. Manning’s parents came from slave-owning families in St Kitts and St Croix and Manning inherited the St Croix plantations. Alongside enslavement, his father was a West India merchant and William followed in his footsteps, forming the City firm Manning and Anderdon. Through his firm, Manning provided finance for slave owners and became a slave owner himself with connections to over twenty estates across the Caribbean. His involvement with these plantations varied, owning some personally and others in partnership with his firm. They often acted as mortgage holders on plantations that later came into their possession when the loan could no longer be repaid.