Hon. William Gordon of St Thomas-in-the-East

Resident slave-owner on Jamaica, deduced to be the son of John Gordon 10th of Hallhead.

1. Will of William Gordon of St Thomas-in-the-East Jamaica [made in 1738] proved 08/07/1740. In the will he identified his mother as 'Mary Gordon (alias Ross)...commonly known by the name... Lady Hallhead', and his brother as Robert Gordon now or late of Hereford. He left £3000 currency to his son Robert (whose date of birth he gave as 29/12/1737) at 21; and £3000 currency to his son Thomas (whose date of birth he gave as 30/01/1730); he left the remainder of his estate to his sons Charles and William. Among his executors was Alexander McFarlane, who registered the enslaved people on Hall Head 1740-1743.

2. William Gordon's son Sir William Gordon was MP for Portsmouth 1777-1783.

3. William Gordon of St Thomas-in-the-East, Esquire. Estate probated in Jamaica in 1739. Slave-ownership at probate: 431 of whom 259 were listed as male and 172 as female. 93 were listed as boys, girls or children. Total value of estate at probate: £21,155.36 Jamaican currency of which £12,307 currency was the value of enslaved people. Estate valuation included £0 currency cash, £2,708.84 currency debts and £767.59 currency plate.

4. Estate of the Honourable William Gordon Esq. deceased under the care and direction of Samuel Spencer Esq. and Alexander McFarlane up to August 1742 then under the care and direction of Alexander McFarlane solely to the 31st December 1742. Account filed by Alexander McFarlane of the parish of Kingston merchant one of the executors of the said Honourable William Gordon deceased. Sugar, neat, rum and hire of enslaved people.

5. Owner of 3108 acres of land in St Thomas-in-the-East (assumed to be Hon. William Gordon of St Thomas-in-the-East; this may refer to his son William junior rather than this William Gordon.

6. The will of William Gordon was proved in Jamaica in 1738.

1. PROB 11/703/355.

2. http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1754-1790/member/gordon-sir-william-1726-98

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

4. Accounts Produce, Jamaica Archives 1B/11/4/2 pp. 62-63.

5. '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.

6. Vere Langford Oliver, Caribbeana being miscellaneous papers relating to the history, genealogy, topography, and antiquities of the British West Indies (6 vols., London, Mitchell, Hughes and Clarke, 1910-1919) vol. 2 p. 120.