Thomas Castles

Slave-owner on Grenada, dead by 1817. Given as Thomas Castle as well as Thomas Castles. Thomas Castles was the Foreman of the Grand Jury at the treason trials in Grenada in 1796 after Fedon's Rebellion, but was shown as having left the island for England 20/07/1796.

1. In the will of Thomas Castles late Major of HM's Foot of Alnwick [made in 1810] proved 10/06/1812, a codicil dated 11/06/1811 stated 'the estate of Mount Rodney in Grenada is to be sold after my decease by a settlement made by the late Lieut. Castles of the 34th Regiment after paying all debts the remainder is to be equally divided share and share alike between my sisters Jane Scott, Elizabeth Curry, Dorothy Castles, Sarah Wilson and my niece Eliz. Embleton.'

2. Lt Thomas Castle [sic] of 34th Foot was killed at Albuera 16/05/1811. It is not clear which if either of these two Thomas Castles was the jury foreman, or what the relationship between the two as far as Mount Rodney was concerned.

Dr Laurence Brown, Digitising the Endangered Archives of Grenada (2009), http://eap.bl.uk/downloads/eap295_2_6_1_transcription.pdf [accessed 05/06/2017].

1. PROB 11/1534/159.

2. http://www.napoleonguide.com/medical_ukofficers2.htm [accessed 05/06/2017]. John Castles, a surgeon, had been on Grenada between 1766 and 1788 (except one year) and bought uncultivated land and enslaved people 'from Africa', Abridgement of the Minutes of the Evidence: Taken Before a Committee of the Whole House..to Consider the Slave Trade (1790) Vol. II part 2 pp. 80 et seq.