William Dorrill

Profile & Legacies Summary

???? - 11^th Dec 1754

Biography

Owner of Salt River, Bowen's (later renamed Paradise) and Egypt estates. Father of Thomas and Mary (Molly) Dorrill, his natural children by "free coloured" Elizabeth Anderson. Died 11/12/1754.

William Dorrill was listed in the Jamaican Quit Rent books for 1754 as the owner of 2787 acres of land in Westmoreland.

William Dorrill of Westmoreland, Esquire. Estate probated in Jamaica in 1755. Slave-ownership at probate: 442 of whom 272 were listed as male and 170 as female. 0 were listed as boys, girls or children. Total value of estate at probate: £30871.25 Jamaican currency of which £18416.5 currency was the value of enslaved people. Estate valuation included £62.9 currency cash, £4743.44 currency debts and £165.76 currency plate.

Sources

Douglas Hall, In miserable slavery: Thomas Thistlewood in Jamaica, 1750-1786 (Mona, Jamaica, 1999) pp. 13, 23-24, 64-65.

'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.

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

Further Information

Children

[illeg. with Elizabeth Anderson] Thomas, Mary

Will

Bequeathed Salt River Estate to his nephew Christopher Senior and his three sons Gilbert Senior, William Dorrill senior, and Thomas Keith Yeeles Senior, and his niece Mary Williams, wife of Joseph Williams.

To Elizabeth Anderson the house on Egypt estate with the outbuildings and garden and 10 acres of land from Egypt, 3 enslaved people and £60 currency per annum for life "provided nevertheless that if the said Elizabeth Anderson shall at anytime after my decease Intermarry or behave immodestly then my will is that the aforementioned bequests shall be null and void..."

All remainder to natural children Thomas and Mary (children of Elizabeth Anderson) - this included Paradise estate, Egypt estate.

Source: Douglas Hall, In miserable slavery: Thomas Thistlewood in Jamaica, 1750-1786 (Mona, Jamaica, 1999) pp. 23-24.

Associated Estates (3)

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