Alexander Kenneth Mackenzie

Born 1769, merchant and slave-dealer in St Vincent c. 1784-1794. Returning to England with his wife, he was imprisoned by the French: his first wife died in captivity at Port L'Orient, 1795. Operated as merchant in London; emigrated to New South Wales, Australia c. 1822 and became secretary and cashier of the Bank of New South Wales and founder of the Bathhurst Bank c. 1834. He named the estate he established in NSW 'Dochcairn', after his father's house in Ross-shire. He has an entry in the Australian Dictionary of Biography as 'banker and landowner'.

1. Administration of the will of Alexander Kenneth Mackenzie [formerly of Cornhill but late] of Parramatta, NSW proved 20/06/1848.

2. Alexander Kenneth Mackenzie was categorised inconsistently as both planter and merchant in the Exchequer loans of the 1790s, when he received £2000. His fragment of autobiography paints him as a merchant rather than planter.

Memoirs of Alexander Kenneth Mackenzie Esq., Dochcairn, Bathhurst, NSW (1837). This text is in the State Library of New South Wales MLDOC 2528, but has been posted online - in it he comments of his time on St Vincent 'I was foolish enough however to be led by them [his peers] into the trafficking of buying and selling Negro slaves, by which means we had always the command of a great deal of money.'; 'McKenzie, Alexander Kenneth (1769–1838)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/mckenzie-alexander-kenneth-2407/text3185, published first in hardcopy 1967, accessed online 9 October 2015.

1. PROB 11/2076/359.

2. Nicholas Draper, 'The British state and slavery: George Baillie, merchant of London and St Vincent, and the Exchequer loans of the 1790s', Economic History Society 2015 www.ehs.org.uk/dotAsset/de55e1a1-c7f6-450b-9a1a-831601ae46d9.docx [accessed 09/10/2015].