Isaac Gale 'Sugar Planter'

Son of Col. Jonathan Gale of Fullerswood Jamaica.

1. Isaac Gale was listed in the Jamaican Quit Rent books for 1754 as the owner of 3946 acres of land in St Mary, 1700 acres in Westmoreland and 6192 acres in St Elizabeth, total 11838 acres. Isaac and John Gale were listed in the Jamaican Quit Rent books for 1754 as the owners of 180 acres of land in St Catherine.

2. Will of Isaac Gale [late of the parish of Westmoreland Jamaica] sugar planter but now of the parish of St Bridgett [sic] London proved 17/09/1754. Under the will he ordered his trustees (Roger Drake, Beeston Long and his 'cousin' [in fact his first cousin once removed] William Gale of Jamaica) to sell (1) his real estate at Lambs Valley and Lambs Spring [possibly bare land] in Westmoreland 'which was given me by my late father Jonathan Gale and (2) all the cattle on his San Pedro Pen and all the sheep on his pen at Ballard's Valley, the pens having been given to him by his brother Henry [presumably with limitations on Isaac Gale's ability to sell the land itself, such as a life-interest]. He left £500 to Samuel Vickers junior as a token of his gratitude to Samuel Vickers for the 'many repeated civilities and favours' to him during 'my great misfortunes and unhappy confinement' with the income supporting his education until he reached 21: should the son not reach 21, then his father would receive £250 and the other £250 would go to paying the debts of those in debtors prisons in London with debts of less than £5 apiece. He left his brother Francis of Jamaica 'my negro woman Clarinda' and a presumably satirical one guinea; and a still more satirical one shilling to his sister Eleanor Phillips. He also bequeathed the silver he had left in Jamaica for safekeeping with his brother-in-law Robert Phillips to Mrs Vickers, and left other items and £100 to Samuel Vickers senior. He endowed an annual sermon to be given on 14th December each year at St Andrew Holborn with £100, to yield 15 shillings p.a. for the sermon and 5s for coal for the poor of the parish. He was he said entitled to the effects of John Bartheler of Jamaica who had been partner with his [the testator's] cousin John Gale and he granted his executor William Gale half the money due of William [the son of Isaac Gales' cousin John] if William produced the books of the partnership and settled the debts amicably. The remainder of his estate was to be divided between St Barts., St Luke, St Thomas and the Foundling Hospitals equally.

3. This is probably also the Isaac Gale of St Elizabeth, Esquire whose estate probated in Jamaica in 1758. Slave-ownership at probate: 283 of whom 149 were listed as male and 134 as female. 62 were listed as boys, girls or children. Total value of estate at probate: £34927.58 Jamaican currency of which £12264 currency was the value of enslaved people. Estate valuation included £0 currency cash, £15000 currency debts and £0 currency plate.

1. '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.

2. PROB 11/810/441.

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