George Douglas of Chilston Park

George Douglas of Chilston Park, slave-owner in Tobago and Grenada, who left property to his adopted daughter Margaret and her husband James Douglas Stoddart Douglas (q.v.), to George Douglas Stoddart (q.v.) and to his nephew and niece Alexander and Elizabeth Houstoun Douglas. He left £160,000 at death. His fortune passed to the Akers-Douglas family, later Viscounts Chilston. He was the son of the London merchant Alexander Douglas who purchased the Baads estate in Midlothian in 1787.

1. Will of George Douglas of Chilston Park proved 12/07/1833. He left £50,000 in 3 per cent consolidated annuities to 'Mrs Margaret Stoddart wife of James Douglas Stoddart now residing with me' and his estate at Chilston to Margaret Stoddart for life, with remainder to James Douglas Stoddart for life, then to his nephew Rev. Alexander Houstoun and his niece Elizabeth Houstoun for their lives, then to his cousin Aretas Akers son of Aretas Akers for life. He left his estates and 'negroes' in Grenada to James Douglas Stoddart and in Tobago to James Douglas Stoddart's brother George Stoddart. His residual estate went to Margaret Stoddart for life and then half went to Rev. Alexander Houstoun and half to Aretas Akers.

2. Will of Alexander Douglas of Baads, Mid Lothian and of Finsbury Square merchant proved 27/10/1797. Under the will, he left to his son George his estate of Miraubeou [sic] in Grenada (subject to his wife's annuity of £450 p.a.), his estate in Tobago called Calder Hall, and 400 acres at Bloody Bay in Tobago. To his son Robert he left his share in the leased Lamberts or Middle Island estate on St Kitts and £7000, to his daughter Isabella Houstoun he left £4000 and to his sister Isabella the wife of Sir James Douglas HM Consul at Naples he left an annuity of £200 p.a. He left £50,000 in trust, £10,000 to be laid out on land in England and £40,000 in Scotland. The estate of Baads was left in entail.

W.D. Rubinstein, Who were the rich? A biographical directory of British wealth-holders Vol. 1 1809-1839 pp. 372-373, reference 1833/13, which gives him as a merchant of Finsbury Square. Alexander Houstoun Douglas is in Rubinstein's later volumes as 1852/71 and Louisa Houstoun Douglas is 1868/23.

1. PROB 11/1818/366.

2. PROB 11/1297/194.