UCL

White River

Barbados | St Philip

Estate Details

Associated People (10)

The dates listed below have different categories as denoted by the letters in the brackets following each date. Here is a key to explain those letter codes:

  • SD - Association Start Date
  • SY - Association Start Year
  • EA - Earliest Known Association
  • ED - Association End Date
  • EY - Association End Year
  • LA - Latest Known Association
- 1760 [EY] → Owner
William Whittaker or Whitaker of Bromley Kent

The path to ownership for William Whittaker is not yet clear. The estate had belonged to three generations of MP for Cambridgeshire, the self-made founder and slave-owner John Bromley I (1652-1707), John Bromley II (1682-1718) and Henry Bromley, Lord Montfort (1705-1755), who killed himself after squandering his fortune.

- 1707 [EY] → Owner
John Bromley I of White River St Philip's Barbados and Horsheath Hall Cambs.
- 1797 [LA] → Other
Christopher Barrow

See 1797 evolution notes. Barrow's acquisition of part of White River probably earlier than this, although he would have been a very young man at that time.

1707 [EA] - 1718 [LA] → Owner
John Bromley II

Possibly tenant for life rather than owner

1718 [EA] - 1755 [LA] → Owner
Henry Bromley
1792 [EA] - 1796 [LA] → Other
David Parris the elder
1817 [EA] - 1817 [LA] → Owner
Nathaniel Roach
1823 [EA] - 1826 [LA] → Executrix
Harriett Palmer Roach then Miller (née Killikelly)
1829 [EA] - 1829 [LA] → Executor
Thomas Boxill

Probably this Thomas Boxill; but see biog notes on him.

1832 [EA] - 1832 [LA] → Administrator
Joseph Richard Mahon Miller

Miller's wife, Harriott P. Roach, had previously been married to Nathaniel Roach.

Associated Claims (1)

Barbados 2946 (White River)
£969 0S 5D

Notes

Between 1674 and 1740 the first owner of what became the White River plantation was William Fortescue. In 1688 he sold 205 acres and the 86 enslaved people on it to John Bromley. His descendant, Henry Bromley, appears to have been the owner in 1740.

Sources

Barbados Department of Archives. Hughes-Queree Index of Plantations.

Estate Information (9)

What is this?

1760
 

By his will of 1760, William Wittaker of Bromley, Kent, England, Absentee (the Bromley heir) left White River in trust to heirs named.

 
Barbados Department of Archives. Hughes-Queree Index of Plantations.
1789
[Size] 206  
 

The heirs of physically divided the plantation of 206 acres into 3 parts.

 
Barbados Department of Archives. Hughes-Queree Index of Plantations.
1792
 

David Parris bought a portion - 67 acres - of White River for £1,500.

 
Barbados Department of Archives. Hughes-Queree Index of Plantations.
1797
 

By 1797 James Nurse of St. Michael, planter, sold to Christopher Barrow of St. Philip (Edgecombe), 53 acres of White River for £3,500. Thus the original White River broken by this point into 3: (1) White River, 70 acres, owned by Nathaniel Roach; (2) Carrington, 67 acres, owned by David Parris; (3) Edgecumbe, 53 acres, owned by Christopher Barrow.

1817
[Number of enslaved people] 58(Tot) 28(F) 30(M)  
 

Return of Nathaniel Roach, his own property.

 
T71/521 494-5
1823
[Number of enslaved people] 53(Tot)  
 

Return of Harriott Roach, Executrix, the property of the estate of Nathaniel Roach. Previously 49 enslaved.

 
T71/530 160
1826
[Number of enslaved people] 59(Tot)  
 

Return of Harriett P. Roach, Executrix, the property of Nathaniel Roach, deceased.

 
T71/536 320
1829
[Number of enslaved people] 60(Tot)  
 

Return of Thomas Boxill, capacity not specified, the property of Nathaniel Roach.

 
T71/544 325
1832
[Number of enslaved people] 52(Tot)  
 

Return of Joseph R. M. Miller, Administrator, the property of the estate of Nathaniel Roach.
Previous return: 60. Increase = 7 births; decrease 1 death + 14 "Laid of dower to Harriott P. Miller formerly Harriott P. Roach". Net = 52.

 
T71/549 316