On 5 October 1835, under the terms of the Slavery Abolition Act 1833, Codrington was awarded government compensation of £2,588 6s 6d for the 190 slaves he had owned at the Rooms plantation on Antigua, and who had been freed under the terms of the act.

Codrington died in London on 28 April 1851. He left two sons, both of whom achieved distinction in the British armed forces. Sir William Codrington