William Hayman, was a merchant, slave trader and Mayor of Bristol in the 17th Century. Hayman was Mayor of Bristol in 1684. In 1684, Hayman was involved in an abortive attempt to supply slaves illegally to a Somerset squire, William Helyar, with a plantation in Nevis. Slaves were transported but for an unknown reason were sold to other owners. Hayman undertook this trade with his nephews Anthony and William Swymmer, and another merchant . Solomon, "a black belonging to William Hayman", was baptised in St Augustine's Church in Bristol in 1631; it is not clear if this the same Hayman.