William Gale of St James Jamaica and St George Hanover Square

William Gale was listed in the Jamaican Quit Rent books for 1754 as the owner of 600 acres of land in St James. Another William Gale, presumably a different person, was listed as the owner of 300 acres of land in St James and 4 acres of land in Vere, total 304 acres.

Will of William Gale of the parish of St James County of Cornwall Jamaica now residing in the parish of St George Hanover Square proved 11/12/1784. In his will he left in trust, to be disposed of, (a) unsettled or uncultivated lands in Jamaica, (viz. his moiety of 300 acres at Lambs Spring St Elizabeth patented by his late father John Gale, and the moiety or half share in two other runs of 300 acres at Burnt Savannah in St Elizabeth (the other half of all three belonging to the widow of his brother Jonathan Gale), and the moiety in three other runs of 300 acres at Burnt Savannah run), and (b) property in Philadelphia, late of Joseph Dickinson deceased: the proceeds, he said, were to be laid out 'in the purchase of slaves and other purposes for the improvement and support of my sugar plantation.', which he later in the will identified as York. He provided for his nephew David Lewis, then in transit to the East Indies, and left his estate in Jamaica in trust (his trustees included his 'kinsman' Edward Morant and Henry Dawkins of Standlinch) until 1796, charging them to complete the building of new works and improvements to the old so that the estate had two sets of works, and to maintain as near as possible 700 slaves: the estate, subject to an annuity of £200 p.a. to John Morant, son of Edward Morant, was to pass to Edward Gregory Morant, the youngest son of Edward Morant. He had a leasehold in Grafton Street, which he ordered to be sold.

'A List of landholders in the Island of Jamaica together with the number of acres each person possessed taken from the quit rent books in the year 1754', TNA CO 142/31 transcribed at http://www.jamaicanfamilysearch.com/Samples2/1754lead.htm.

PROB 11/1124/189.