James Campbell the eldest of St James

Apparently resident slave-owner in Jamaica, although dying in England in 1766. He owned Duan Vale and Gibraltar Penn.

1. James Campbell was listed in the Jamaican Quit Rent books for 1754 as the owner of 2027 acres of land in St James.

2. Will of James Campbell of St James, Cornwall Jamaica proved 03/04/1766. He requested that he be buried at St Mary Rotherhithe should he die in that parish. He entailed in trust [his trustee was his son-in-law Angus Campbell of Spanishtown] 900 acres of land he had recently purchased of Doctor Graham adjoining Gibraltar estate and a further parcel patented to John Boyd for the use of his son John Campbell for life, and his heirs, failing whom to his [the testator's] son James Campbell [the elder]. He left Duanvale [sic] and Gibraltar Penn in trust [with a larger group of trustees including John Campbell of Orange Bay in Hanover], to fund among other things the progressive purchase in groups of 20 new 'slaves' for John Campbell on the land devised above, until there were 100 enslaved people on the estate: once the estate had produced 50 hogshead of sugar in one year, £2000 was to be raised on it for his son James Campbell the elder. He left annuities of £10 p.a. to his three sisters; £30 p.a. currency to his mother-in-law Eleanor Compton, and £100 p.a. currency to his daughters [apparently three] including Margaret, whom he left unbaptised.

3. James Campbell of St James, Esquire. Estate probated in Jamaica in 1768. Slave-ownership at probate: 183 of whom 109 were listed as male and 74 as female. 31 were listed as boys, girls or children. Total value of estate at probate: £12803.11 Jamaican currency of which £9680 currency was the value of enslaved people. Estate valuation included £0 currency cash, £300 currency debts and £33 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 11/917/261.

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