UCL

Bentley

Barbados | Christ Church

Estate Details

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Associated People (6)

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
1758 [EA] - 1772 [LA] → Owner
Francis Ford of Lears
1773 [EA] - 1795 [LA] → Owner
Sir Francis Ford 1st Bart.
1795 [EA] - 1804 [LA] → Owner
Edward Archer Applewhaite I
1804 [EA] - 1804 [LA] → Executor
Thomas Applewhaite senior
1804 [EA] - 1804 [LA] → Executor
Thomas Applewhaite junior
1820 [EA] - 1853 [LA] → Owner
John Chase Eversley

Associated Claims (1)

Barbados 3159 (Bentley)
£4,109 2S 9D

Notes

In 1654 Robert Hooper sold to his friend Martin Bentley ½ of a 200 acre plantation in St. Philip. The plantation had been bought previously by Hooper from Hugh Powell. There were 35 white servants and 66 enslaved.

In 1660, Robert Hooper sold to Martin Bentley for £500, ½ of 300 acre plantation owned jointly by Hooper & Bentley. Bentley given a choice of land and took the eastern half.

By 1680 Martin (late Sir Martin) Bentley owned 245 acres in Christ Church, 72 in St. Philip.

In 1721 ownership passed to John Bentley, son and heir of Sir Martin Bentley.

In 1738 Nathaniel Haggatt, a Master-in-Chancery in the Chancery Suit Hon Henry Peers v Mary Haselton sold to William Duke for £11,000 the plantation formerly the property of John Bentley deceased: 280 acres in St. Philip, Christ Church and St.George; and 92 enslaved. William Duke at once sold the estate to Hon. Henry Peers for the same sum.

In 1742 the Hon. Henry Peers of St. George deceased by a codicil to his will (1737) bequeathed his property equally and jointly to 1) His daughter, Elizabeth Lyte, wife of Hon. John Lyte, 2) His daughter, Arabella Frere, wife of Tobias Frere, 3) His grandson, Peers Alleyne, son of his daughter Mary Alleyne, wife of Thomas Alleyne. The Hon Henry Peers bequeathed 5 plantations: (1) Martins Castle, (2) Buttalls, (3) Providence, (4) Hunt’s, (5) Bentley Hall. Thesetates lay in St. Peter, St. George and Christ Church.

1747: Peers Alleyne of St. Peter mortgages to John Sober & Walter Coddell as executors of Lawrence Trent deceased £3,322, 3 plantations: (1) Rock Hall, St. Peter, (2) Four Hills, St. Peter, (3) Bentley. 280 acres and 124 enslaved.
Peers Alleyne died childless & bequeathed his properties to his brother, Thomas Alleyne.

By 1758 ownership had passed to Francis Ford.

Sources

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

Estate Information (12)

What is this?

1758
[Number of enslaved people] 121(Tot) 49(F) 72(M)  
 

Figures from a list of whites and blacks in (probably) Christ Church, c.1758. The list identified Francis Ford as the owner. The exact date of the list is not given; but internal evidence places it in or soon after 1758. The figures were given as 3 whites, and blacks as: men: 54; women: 32; boys: 18; girls: 17. [It is not clear why only 3 whites were given nor if the figure for blacks was comprehensive.]

 
Barbados Archives: RB9/3/4 List of whites, blacks Unidentified parish (Christ Church?) After 1758
1785
[Size] 290  
 

'By a marriage settlement', Francis Ford (later Sir Francis Ford, 1st bart.) owned Bentley’s. It had been bought by Francis Ford’s grandfather from Thomas Alleyne. [In fact it appears that the estate passed to Francis Ford (later Sir Francis Ford, 1st bart.) under the will of his father Francis Ford II (d. 1772.)]

 
Barbados Department of Archives. Hughes-Queree Index of Plantations.
1795
[Number of enslaved people] 123(Tot)  
[Size] 275  
 

In 1795 Hon. Sir Francis Ford bart of St. Michael sold Bentley’s to Edward Applewhaite of St. Michael for £17,000.

 
Barbados Department of Archives. Hughes-Queree Index of Plantations.
1803
 

By the Will of Edward Applewhaite – Bentley's to be sold and the proceeds invested. Thomas, the son, was to share in rum and sugar.

 
Barbados Department of Archives. Hughes-Queree Index of Plantations.
1804
[Number of enslaved people] 173(Tot) 88(F) 85(M)  
[Name] Bentley’s and the Castle  
[Size] 276  
 

Inventory of Edward Archer Applewhaite, deceased, Bentley's. Christ Church. Dated 22 September 1804.
Executors: Thomas Applewhaite and Thomas Applewhaite jun.
The estate lay in Christ Church, St George and St Philip. Extent: 275 acres, 2 rood, 38 perch.
Total enslaved: Men: 36, Women: 56, Boys: 49, Girls: 32. (3 of the women were lepers.)

Total enslaved and estate value:
Enslaved: £10,160 0 0d.
Land, buildings etc. £20, 680 6 3d.
Animals (horses, cattle, sheep and goats, hogs) + rum £1,947 0 0d.
13 acres of land at the Castle £4,500 0 0d.
Other property (furniture, tableware etc.): £1,301 0 0d. Total value of estate: £38,558 6 9¾d.

 
Barbados Department of Archives. Inventories.
1815
 

By the Will of Thomas Applewhaite his grand sons-in-law James Bovell & John Chase Eversley were granted all monies and securities on account of their partnership with him (John Eversley married Eleanor Applewhaite July 8, 1814).

 
Barbados Department of Archives. Hughes-Queree Index of Plantations.
1817
[Number of enslaved people] 166(Tot) 84(F) 82(M)  
[Name] [No name given]  
 

Return of John C. Eversley, his own property. This probably refers to Bentley's.

 
T71/521 103-107
1823
[Number of enslaved people] 178(Tot)  
[Name] [no name given]  
 

Return of John C. Eversley, his own property. Previously 163 enslaved.

 
T71/529 695-6
1826
[Number of enslaved people] 188(Tot)  
[Name] [No name given]  
 

Return of J. C. Eversley, owner. Although no estate name is given in the 1826 Return, the numbers of enslaved suggest that this must be the Bentley estate. Previously returned: 178 enslaved.

 
T71/536 68-9
1829
[Number of enslaved people] 200(Tot)  
[Name] [No name given]  
 

Return of J. C. Eversley, owner. Although no estate name is given in the 1829 Return, the numbers of enslaved suggest that this must be the Bentley estate.

 
T71/544 77-8
1832
[Number of enslaved people] 201(Tot)  
 

Return of J. C. Eversley, owner. Although no estate name is given in the 1832 Return, the numbers of enslaved suggest that this must be the Bentley estate and that it is related to the claim, Barbados 3159.
The Eversley family continued to own Bentley's until 1908.

 
T71/549 64-5 Barbados Department of Archives. Hughes-Queree Index of Plantations.
1913
[Name] Bentley  
[Size] 308  
 

Listed in Christ Church, property of Skeete.

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