Thomas Beach

1715 - 1774


Biography

From Wiltshire, born in 1715. Attorney General of Jamaica from 1751. Married Helen Hynes of Halse Hall, Clarendon, 10/12/1754. Eight children, of whom three survived infancy: Thomas (1755-), Jannett (1759-), John Hynes (1765-). The children inherited Halse Hall on the death of their grandmother Jannet in 1775.

Thomas Beach contributed £50 to the University of Pennsylvania following Dr John Morgan's fundraising tour of the West Indies in 1772-1773.

Thomas Beach of Clarendon, Esquire. Estate probated in Jamaica in 1776. Slave-ownership at probate: 564 of whom 306 were listed as male and 258 as female. 192 were listed as boys, girls or children. Total value of estate at probate: £53937.1 Jamaican currency of which £41046.75 currency was the value of enslaved people. Estate valuation included £0 currency cash, £5152.11 currency debts and £300 currency plate.

The will of Thomas Beach, Chief Justice of Jamaica, was proved in Jamaica, 10/11/1774.


Sources

Lawrence J. Chubb, 'Sir Henry Thomas De la Beche' in Stephen K. Donovan (ed.), Jamaican Rock Stars, 1823-1971: The Geologists who Explored Jamaica (Boulder, CO, 2008) pp. 9-13.

C. S. Graubard, 'Documenting the University of Pennsylvania's Connection to Slavery (2018) via archives.upenn.edu [accessed 16/01/2019].

Trevor Burnard, Database of Jamaican inventories, 1674-1784.

LOS 42.

We are grateful to Paul Hitchings and Daniel Livesay for their assistance with compiling this entry.


Further Information

Spouse
Helen Hynes
Children
Thomas, Janet, John Hynes, Rose Sadler

Associated Estates (1)

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
1775 [EA] - 1776 [LA] → Previous owner

Legacies Summary

Cultural (1)

Benefactor
University of Pennsylvania...... 
notes →
C. S. Graubard, 'Documenting the University of Pennsylvania's Connection to Slavery (2018) via archives.upenn.edu [accessed...

Relationships (4)

Father → Son
Grandfather → Grandson
Son-in-law → Mother-in-law
Other relatives
Notes →
Thomas was married to Francis's step-daughter Helen...

Inventories (1)