Sir John Alleyne, 1st Baronet

Sir John Gay Alleyne, 1st Baronet (28 April 1724 – 1801) was a baronet and Barbadian politician.

Alleyne descended from the first settlers on Barbados and was born at St James as second son of John Alleyne and his wife Mary Terrill, daughter of William Terrill. On 19 October 1746 at St James Church, Barbados, he married firstly Christian, fourth daughter of Joseph Dottin and had by her a son. After her death in 1782, Alleyne remarried his forty years younger cousin Jane, daughter of Abel Alleyne on 29 June 1786. By his second wife he had two more sons as well as five daughters.

In 1757, Alleyne was elected for the Parish of St. Andrew to the Parliament of Barbados, a seat he held for the next forty years, with only a break in 1771. Already after a decade in the Parliament, he became Speaker of the House of Assembly of Barbados, serving until 1770 and after another two years was reappointed until 1779 Alleyne was created a baronet, of Four Hills, in the Island of Barbados on 6 April 1769.

Alleyne's wife died in 1800 and he survived her until the following year. Both older sons having predeceased him, he was succeeded in the baronetcy by his third son Reynold.

In 1770, Alleyne financially laid the groundwork for establishing the Alleyne School, though it was actually without schoolhouse until 1784.Mount Gay Distilleries Ltd., makers of the world's oldest known rum brand still in existence, was renamed from its earlier name of Mount Gilboa Plantation/Distillery. Upon Alleyne's death, his close friend John Sober who had employed him as manager of the company, changed the name of the company in honour of him.

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