UCL

Montpelier (and Stapletons, also known as Clark's)

Nevis | St John Figtree

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
- 1829 [LA] → Not known
Sir Thomas Stapleton 6th Bart., 22nd Baron Le Despencer

The son of Sir Thomas Stapleton 6th bart. claimed under Nevis no. 16 for some of the enslaved people on Montpellier as his father's executor. This estate must have been the estate referred to by J.R.V. Johnston as the estate in St John Figtree leased by Sir Thomas Stapleton bart. in 1750: Johnston thereafter lost track of the estate and assumed it had been continuously leased, not being able to find Sir Thomas Stapleton 6th bart in the compensation lists. It appears to have been Stapleton's, coupled with Montpelier in the Slave Registers.

1750 [EA] - → Owner
Sir Thomas Stapleton 5th Bart.

An unnamed estate in St John Figtree was leased by Sir Thomas Stapleton 5th bart in 1750 to Thomas Ottley for 14 years. The compensation records for Nevis no. 16 suggest it was probably Stapletons which was coupled with Montpellier in the Slave Registers.

1772 [EA] - → Owner
John Richardson Herbert
1817 [EA] - 1819 [LA] → Owner
Martha Williams Hamilton (née Herbert)
1822 [EA] - 1831 [LA] → Previous owner
Martha Williams Hamilton (née Herbert)
1822 [EA] - 1825 [LA] → Executor
Magnus Morton Herbert
1828 [EA] - 1834 [LA] → Receiver
James Davoren
1828 [EA] - 1828 [LA] → Other
F J Galpine
1831 [EA] - 1831 [LA] → Other
Charles Clifton Caines
1834 [EA] - 1834 [LA] → Other
William Henry Rawlins

Associated Claims (2)

Nevis 15 (Mont Pellier)
£2,737 12S 11D
Nevis 16 (Mont Pellier)
£666 15S 4D

Notes

The estate is now a luxury hotel.

There is detailed history of the estate by David Small, 'Montpelier Estate St John Figtree Nevis: Contrasting Legacies on a Sugar Plantation' at the website established by Christine Eickelmann and David Small, http://eis.bris.ac.uk/~emceee/montpelierhistory.pdf [accessed 31/01/2018]

Sources

http://www.montpeliernevis.com/ [sourced 20/10/2015]

Estate Information (8)

What is this?

1772
[Name] Clarke's  
[Size] 50  
 

The history of Montpelier compiled by David Small shows that in 1772 John Richardson Herbert bought 50 acres from Joseph Clarke, and in 1776 added 58 acres of Stapleton's to 'form the heart of the estate known as Montpelier.'

 
https://seis.bristol.ac.uk/~emceee/montpelierhistory.pdf p.23
1817
[Number of enslaved people] 185(Tot) 103(F) 82(M)  
[Name] Clark's or Montpelier and Stapletons  
 

Return of Mrs. Martha Williams, owner; returned by A. H. [sp?] Hamilton

 
T71/364 150-153
1822
[Number of enslaved people] 184(Tot)  
[Name] Clarkes or Montpelier and Stapletons  
 

Return of Magnus Morton, owner; "in the lawful possession of Martha Williams Hamilton deceased but now of Magnus Morton"

 
T71/365 46-49
1825
[Number of enslaved people] 180(Tot)  
[Name] Clarkes or Montpelier and Stapletons  
 

Return of Mrs Martha W Hamilton deceased and Magnus Morton, owners; returned by Magnus Morton as executor

 
T71/366 125
1828
[Number of enslaved people] 179(Tot)  
[Name] Clarkes or Montpelier  
 

Return of Mrs Martha W Hamilton deceased,, owner, in the possession of James Davoren Esq. as receiver; returned by F J Galpine

 
T71/367 32-34
1831
[Number of enslaved people] 162(Tot) 83(F) 79(M)  
[Name] Montpelier  
 

Return of Mrs Martha Williams Hamilton, owner; returned by Charles Clifton Caines

 
T71/368 147-148
1834
[Number of enslaved people] 162(Tot)  
[Name] Montpelier  
 

Return of James Davoren as Receiver in Chancery; returned by W H Rawlins

 
T71/369 101-102
1836
[Size] 130  
[Stock] horses, mules, horned cattle, sheep  
 

"All that plantation or estate, called Montpellier situate, lying and being in the parish of Saint John, Figtree, in the island of Nevis ... containing about 79 acres 3 r 21 p of cane land ... and about 50 acres of pasture land, together with a spacious dwelling house and out house…, requiring repair, with windmill and boiling house in complete repair, curing house requiring repair, 5 horses, 13 mules, 8 horned cattle, 12 sheep, plantation utensils, and the unexpired terms of apprenticeship of 80 male praedials, 83 female praedials, 17 boy praedials, 19 girl praedials, 18 male non-praedials, 22 female non-praedials, 1 boy non-praedial, and 1 girl non-praedial"

 
The London Gazette, Tuesday 11 Oct 1836 pp. 1770-1771