Robert Fairweather

Resident planting attorney and slave-owner, of St Mary Jamaica and probably the same man as the Robert Fairweather acting in an unknown capacity in two awards in St Thomas-in-the-East Jamaica. Higman described him as 'minor partner' of the largest attorney William Miller (q.v.).

1. Born 29/04/1784 and baptised 06/05/1784 in Stracathro, Angus, Scotland, son of Alexander Fairweather and his wife Helen Guthrie in Hillside, Stracathro. Three of his siblings were George (baptised 1778), Jean (baptised 1777) and Elizabeth/Betty (baptised 1782), who all received bequests from Robert Fairweather in 1843 (see below).

2. John, Robert and Ann Fairweather were baptised in St Mary, 10/04/1811. Alexander, William and Catherine Fairweather, "free quadroon children", baptised in St Ann, 18/08/1819. No parents' names were given for these baptisms. Alexander is probably the Alexander Fairweather referred to in the will of William Heslop (q.v.) who married Heslop's "reputed" daughter Eleanor.

3. Held a number of public offices for example: Custos Rotulorum, St Mary, 1839; churchwarden, St Mary, 1839; Member of Assembly for St Mary, 1839. Rose in the militia ranks from Ensign (1809) to Colonel (1842).

4. Will of Robert Fairweather planter of St Mary Middlesex [Jamaica] [made in 1827] proved 11/03/1844. After legacies of £50 each to four relatives in Scotland (brother George, sisters Elizabeth and Jean, cousin Margaret Fairweather in Arbroath), he left his residual estate to his six natural "quadroon" children (John, Robert, Ann, Alexander, Catherine and William) and their mother, his "good" housekeeper Catherine Allen.

B.W. Higman ,Plantation Jamaica p. 85.

1. GROS OPR Births 320 10 85 Stracathro.

2. Familysearch.org, Jamaica Church of England Parish Register Transcripts, 1664-1880 [database online]; PROB 11/2052/294.

3. Jamaica Almanacs.

4. PROB 11/1994/362.

We are grateful to David Barker for his assistance with compiling this entry.