UCL

Searles [Searles and Dayrells]

Barbados | Christ Church

Estate Details

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Associated People (7)

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
- 1784 [LA] → Owner
Tobias Frere I of Shute Devon
1801 [EA] - 1801 [LA] → Previous owner
Tobias Frere I of Shute Devon
1801 [EA] - 1815 [LA] → Owner
William Prescod
1815 [EA] - 1815 [LA] → Executor
William Hinds Prescod
1815 [EA] - 1815 [LA] → Executor
John Gay Goding
1817 [EA] - 1834 [LA] → Owner
William Hinds Prescod
1823 [EA] - 1834 [LA] → Attorney
John Gay Goding

Associated Claims (2)

Barbados 3225 (Searles)
£6,936 11S 11D
Barbados 3223 (Dayrells)
£1,978 16S 8D

Notes

A number of the returns refer to Searles and Dayrells together: see each estate for further details.

The name of the plantation derives from its original founding by John Searle in the C17th: the first record of Searle appears to be in 1674 with Hughes-Queree identifying John Searle as owning 365 acres in Christ Church in 1680. By 1683, the widow of John Searle, Ann Searle of Finchley, Middlesex, England, sold the plantation to Tobias Frere. Thereafter, the Frere family owned it until 1801 when it was sold to William Prescod. Some further details are:

1683: Ann Searle of Finchley, Middlesex, England, widow of John Searle, deceased, sells to Tobias Frere of Barbados, son of Col. John Frere, a plantation in Christ Church and store house at Oistin’s Town, 400 acres, Christ Church for £12,215, 186 slaves averaging £15 for adults, 14 white servants averaging £8 each. Excluded from sale is a Madagascar Negro man named John Eaton.

1736: Hon. John Frere by his will (1721), bequeathed “Searle’s” plantation to his son Tobias Frere and the remainder of his property to his son Hon. John Frere of St. George.

1738: Marriage Settlement. Tobias Frere of Christ Church married Arabella Peers, daughter of Hon. Henry Peers of St. George. Tobias Frere’s plantation called Searle’s, 383 acres, Christ Church, 235 slaves Many of the slaves listed as having hyphenated names the 2nd of which is Ball. Hon. Guy Ball, deceased (1721), had owned Ball’s plantation nearby. Guy Ball was heavily in debt at his death and some of his property was levied on, perhaps these slaves were bought from Ball’s plantation

1739: William Whitaker of St. Michael, merchant, sells to James Maynard of St. Michael who at once sells to Tobias Frere of Christ Church for the same price of £583, 31 acres, Christ Church

1742: Tobias Frere, formerly of Christ Church, but now of London, England, marrying Amelia Burrell of England. Frere’s plantation in Christ Church called Searle’s

1801: the heirs of Tobias Frere sold the property to William Prescod.

For 1801-1834 see Evolutions.

The estate stayed with the Prescod family until 1848, was then owned by the Rev. W. P. Hinds, 1850-54 and was then acquired by T. G. Briggs. It then became, in 1865-66 part of Briggs, Dayrells & Searles and possession remained with the Briggs family and company until at least 1970.

Sources

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

Estate Information (8)

What is this?

1801
[Size] 545  
 

1801: English Chancery Court sale. Searle’s plantation and smaller adjoining plantation, 545 acres, Christ Church, property of heirs of Tobias Frere, deceased sold to William Prescod for £30,000.

 
Barbados Department of Archives. Hughes-Queree Index of Plantations.
1815
[Number of enslaved people] 390(Tot) 221(F) 169(M)  
[Name] Searles, Territts, Dayrells  
[Size] 680  
 

Inventory of William Prescod, deceased, for Searles, Territts, Dayrells, Christ Church. Dated: 1815.
Executors: William Hinds Prescod, John Gay Goding

The valuation was for Searle’s including Territts and Dayrells.

Enslaved: while the listing was for all, totals for the two estates of Searles and Dayrells were given:

Searles: Men: 67; Women: 89; Boys: 67; Girls: 80. Total: 303.
Dayrells: Men: 14; Women: 28; Boys: 21; Girls: 24. Total: 87.

Value of the enslaved:
Searles: 303 enslaved: £26,615 0 0d.
Dayrells: 87 enslaved: £6,515 0 0d.

Enslaved (all): total value: £33,130 0 0d.

Total value of the estate: £81,640 10 0d.

 
Barbados Department of Archives. Inventories.
1817
[Number of enslaved people] 412(Tot) 235(F) 177(M)  
 

Return of John Gay Goding, Attorney, the property of William Hinds Prescod. NB: The 1817 return was for Searles and Dayrells together. Among the enslaved, 121 were described as '1st gang labourers' (83 female,38 male); 40 were '2nd gang labourers' (18 F, 22 M). There were also 91 grass gatherers (52 F, 39 M). There were also 73 children (40 F, 33 M). Unusually, the return also noted 2 blind women (aged 37 and 48) and 1 female leper (aged 35).

 
T71/521 206-16
1823
[Number of enslaved people] 443(Tot)  
[Name] Searles and Dayrells  
 

Return of John Gay Goding, Attorney, the property of William Hinds Prescod. NB: The 1823 return was for Searles and Dayrells together. Previously 424 enslaved. (All changes accounted for by 48 births and 29 deaths.)

 
T71/529 743-44
1826
[Number of enslaved people] 453(Tot)  
[Name] Searle's and Dayrell's  
 

Return of John Gay Goding, Attorney, the property of William Hinds Prescod. NB: The 1826 return was for Searles and Dayrells together. Previously 443 enslaved.

 
T71/536 133-35
1829
[Number of enslaved people] 443(Tot)  
 

Return of John Gay Goding, Attorney, the property of William Hinds Prescod. NB: The 1829 return was for Searles and Dayrells together.

 
T71/544 148-50
1832
[Number of enslaved people] 427(Tot)  
 

Return of John Gay Goding, Attorney, the property of William Hinds Prescod.
NB: The 1832 return was for Searles and Dayrells together. (The compensation awards were for Searles, 330 and Dayrells, 94 = combined total of 424.)

 
T71/549 188-90
1913
[Name] Searles and Dayrells  
[Size] 654  
 

Listed in Christ Church, property of Briggs.

 
Barbados 1913 list from the Hughes-Quere indexes transcribed at https://creolelinks.com/1913-barbados-plantation-owners-names.html.