Archibald Gloster

Archibald Gloster was shown as the owner of Providence estate in Trinidad in 1813. Gloster was variously Attorney General for Trinidad c. 1805; Chief Justice of Grenada 1809–1812; Chief Justice of Dominica c.1812-c.1825.

1. Will of Archibald Gloster proved 11/11/1825 [made 21/04/1824]. The will is headed 'Dominica'. He left personal articles to his son Henry, 'I am sorry I have little else to leave but he is young and has the means of making a large fortune. The negro Sam is forever his property.' He left named enslaved people to his daughter Eliza: 'the Cabse [?] woman Russel and her children[,] Pamela washerwoman and her child Lucretia only and their issue and I give her also Old Penny to take care of her and receive her services. The negro girl Sarah is already hers forever.' 'Considering the unhappy state of the Providence estate and the total frustration of my views and hopes thereon reflecting the unhappy condition of the health of Mr Thompson Mrs Gloster's brother who is not enabled as he was desirous to do of providing for his sister and niece Kate Gloster' Archibald Gloster left the residue of his estate to his wife Sarah and daughter Kate, and put them in the protection of Jeremy Gloster. His executors were his wife Sarah, his daughter Mrs Russel Brown and Frederick Garraway merchant.

2. Commenting on a (secret) proposal, devised in 1803, to introduce Chinese indentured labour into Trinidad, Archibald Gloster wrote: 'I think it one of the best schemes possible; and if followed up with larger importation, and with women, that it will give this colony a strength far beyond what other colonies possess. It will be a barrier between us and the Negroes with whom they do not associate; & consequently to whom they will always offer formidable opposition. The substituting of their labour instead of Negro labour is out of the question, as to the common business of the plantation. They are not habituated to it, nor will they take to it in the same way, nor can we force them by the same methods; but their industrious habits, and constitutional strength, will I think greatly aid the planters. They will cut and weed cane. They will attend about our mills. They will act as mechanics.'

3. By an agreement of 14/01/1804, Archibald Gloster of Trinidad agreed to sell 3 pieces of land in Kingstown on St Vincent to Alexander Cruikshank for £2000 sterling.

1. PROB 11/1705/202.

2. Cited in Lisa Lowe, The intimacies of four continents (Durham, NC, Duke University Press, 2015), pp. 30-31. For the scheme, proposed in a Secret Memorandum from the British Colonial Office to the Chairman of the Court of Directors of the East India Company (1803), see Lowe, pp. 21-4.

3. Deed Book 1804, British Library, EAP688/1/1/18, https://eap.bl.uk/archive-file/EAP688-1-1-18 pp. 1-2.