Michael White I

Profile & Legacies Summary

???? - 1785

Biography

Father of Michael White II (q.v.) but see the note on Mary White of Baker Street (q.v.) about possible confusions in the family genealogy shown by Vere Langford Oliver.

The will of Michael White was proved 04/03/1785. The will gives no indication of where he was based but is indexed as Putney: support for this is given by the presence in the will as trustee of Alexander Willock of Putney Park, removed in a subsequent codicil. Under the will he left his estates in St Vincent, Dominica and Montserrat in trust to support legacies of £3000 to each of his five (unnamed) daughters and three younger sons (Michael jun., Robert and John), and an annuity of £600 p.a. to his widow Mary supplemented once his debts had been paid by a further £900 [whether per annum is unclear], with the residuary legatee his son William. His minor bequests included his relative Penelope Tomlinson.

Sources

Vere Langford Oliver History of Antigua Vol. III 'White Family', pp. 223-227 at p. 225; Neave & Willett were mortgagees of Michael White I of Montserrat now residing in Holles Street Cavendish Square under indentures of 28/02/1777 and 01/03/1777 for land and named enslaved people on St Vincent to secure White's debt to them of £12,876 6s. Deed Book 1776-1777, British Library, EAP688/1/1/27, https://eap.bl.uk/archive-file/EAP688-1-1-27 p. 265 et seq. Several of the older enslaved people on Bellisle in the 1817 Slave Register had the same somewhat distinctive names in captivity as enslaved people in the 1777 deeds, including Omas aged 64 in 1817, 'superannuated'; Angelique, aged 42 in 1817, 'sick nurse and midwife' who had been a girl ('Angelic') in 1777; Gritta, 42 in 1817, Labourer, who had been a girl in 1777; and Serjeant, aged 50 in 1817 'Labourer' who had been a boy in the 1777 list, along with more common names in captivity (including e.g. Margaret aged 65 in 1817), and while this is not definitive LBS has inferred the estate in 1777 to have been Belleisle.

PROB 11/1128/17.

Further Information

Absentee?

Transatlantic?

Spouse

Mary Tomlinson

Children

William; Michael; Elizabeth; Alice; Robert; John; 3 other daughters

Associated Estates (2)

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

1751 [EA] - 1751 [LA] → Owner

Basses or Brodericks, possibly given as White's [ Montserrat ]

Title: Indenture Description: Made between Robert Webb of New Bond St. in the parish of St. George, Hanover Sq., Middlesex Esq, eldest son and heir of Bethiah Webb, deceased, one of the three daughters of William Gerish of the City of London, deceased, Esq, David Stone of Mark Lane, London, Esq. and Mary his wife and Henrietta Douglas of Berwick St. Soho, Middlesex, widow, also coheirs of William Gerish (1) Samuel Greatheed of Grays Clift, Warwick Esq., Samuel Turner of London, merchant and John White late of the island of St. Christopher and late also of Chichester resident in Bedford St, in the parish of St. Paul, Covent Garden, Middlesex, Esq. (2) whereby, after reciting a deed poll dated 4 Dec. 1751 at Antigua by Michael White of Antigua (owner of certain plantations in the island of Montserat known as Broderick and Basses containing 300 acres in the parish of St. Anthony valued at £4,896 and subject to a mortgage to Nathaniel French and also of a plantation lying in the parish of St. Peter in the North Division of the said island containing 135 acres, of two other plantations situate in the parish of St. George called Whites (160 acres) and of Barry's Plantation (120 acres) and of a parcel of land in the parish of St. Patrick containing 80 acres together with 84 negro slaves mortgaged in fee to Henry Bramker of the island of St. Christopher Esq., for the payment of £2000) - appointing (2) as his lawful attornies. By the present deed (1) release to (2) - for 10s. - the plantation called Brodericks or Springs in the parish of St. Anthony containing 200 acres (the estate of the said Michael White conveyed to William Gerish in trust for William White) to be held for ever absolutely discharged of any trusts. Signatures: Robert Webb, D. Stone, Mary Stone, Henrietta Douglas and seals. Witnesses: Fra. Eyre, J. Selfe.

Date: 2 May 1752

1766 [SY] - 1785 [EY] → Owner

Belleisle [ St Vincent ]

The 'White' who originally purchased the bulk of the land on St Vincent that came to form the Belle Isle estate was almost certainly Michael White I, who was identified as the deceased owner of Belle Isle in the will of Samuel Greatheed, who said that he was owed considerable sums from the estate of Michael White as the result of suretyships entered into by his [Greatheed's] father.