Hugh Forbes

Slave-owner in St Vincent of an as yet unidentified estate and lessee of a Lot in Tobago that became the King Peter estate.

1. The will of Hugh Forbes of the island of St Vincent [but now of Store Street Bedford Square] was proved 09/01/1796 [having been made in 1793]. He ratified his marriage settlement dated 19/10/1788 on Montserrat with his wife late Mary Gordon spinster under which he settled £1700 (£2125 in the event of a child) currency on her to fund an annuity of £170 at 8 per cent. He had since his marriage become possessed of a sugar estate on St Vincent and the lease of one-third of a cotton estate on Tobago identified as Lot no. 34 in St David parish, which ran for nine years from 1793. He instructed the lease be sold and left an annuity of £250 p.a. to his wife to be increased to £400 p.a. once his estate in St Vincent had cleared its debt in lieu of dower or it seems the annuity under the marriage settlement. He left his wife named enslaved people 'viz. Susey, Patty, Manchester and Barrington negroes and also Betty, Lyddy, George and Charles mulattoes being the children of my mulattoe woman Charlotte now deceased.' In addition to several smaller legacies he further left: to his sister-in-law Harriet Gordon [a minor] an enslaved woman Ritta and a lump sum of £600 sterling at 21 or on marriage provided the mortgage debt on his estate had been paid off, the interest on which was to be topped up to yield annuity of £60 p.a. until she was aged 17 years; to his four nieces and nephews £200 sterling each, again subject to the repayment of the mortgage; and his mother Jean an annuity of £100 p.a; his brother Donald Forbes £2000 subject to the repayment of the mortgage; and £200 to his sister-in-law Betsey Gordon. He identified his mortgagees as Messrs [Thomas and Samuel] Boddington and Mr [Thomas] Bettesworth, whom he also made executors alongside others, requesting that they look favourably upon the annuities to the female dependents even if the mortgage had not been repaid. His residuary heirs were his [unspecified] children.

2. "Hugh Forbes was the eldest of three sons of Donald or Daniel Forbes, Sheriff Substitute of Sutherland and tenant of Ribigill, near Tongue. The other sons were Donald/Daniel and Duncan, a planter in Granada, who died in 1791 [PROB 11/1224 fo375 written 24 Dec 1789] leaving half his estate to his eldest brother Hugh Forbes of the Island of Tobago and half to be divided between his brother Donald Forbes and his cousin Jean Mackay, daughter of his uncle George Mackay of Bighouse. This brother Donald (aka Daniel) was Major Donald Forbes, who succeeded their father as tacksman of Ribigill and resided in Ribigill House from around 1789 until about 1810. He assisted the Reay Factor of that time to turn Ribigill into a large farm, clearing a number of tenants from the area. A codicil of 10 November 1791 states that Duncan had joined his brother Hugh in purchase of an estate in St Vincent. There is an interesting part of Duncan's will 'recommending to my brothers, cousin and uncle to educate their children as much in England as possible so that at the outset of their lives they may possess every possible advantage that a liberal education and accomplished manner can give’. Duncan's will begins with the request that If he dies in the West Indies his body is to be interred ‘in the same grave with my dear and beloved boy Mr Alexander Summers of this Island who died the 7th instant in the 20th year of his age who I brought up with the affection of a parent to a child from infancy and who was as much my happiness and delight whilst he lived as his death is now the source of my greatest sorrow and affliction.’ Marble tombstone to be erected with suitable inscription."

1. PROB 11/1270/92.

2. Email from David Alston, 16/07/2018 sourced to PROB 11/1224 fo375 Will of Duncan Forbes of the Island of Grenada.

We are grateful to David Alston for his assistance with compiling this entry.