Sarah Church

Sarah Church, reputed daughter of Mr Henry Church by Elizabeth Lloyd. Born 23 /02/1779 and baptised 24/04/1782 in St Elizabeth, Jamaica. Her baptism record states "freed", indicating her mother was enslaved at the time of Sarah's birth.

Sarah had at least ten children with Thomas Weir Tayler, owner of Auchenbeddie estate in Manchester: William Mortimer (born 1805), Henry Church (1806), Elizabeth Mortimer (1808), Margaret Weir (1810), George Chapman (1811), Helen Wilson (1814, father's will gives her as Eleanor), Ann Maitland (1816), Sarah (1819, father's will gives her as Sarah Church) and Mary Loyd (1820).

At some point between June 1817 and June 1820, Sarah Church bought six enslaved people from Thomas Weir Tayler, who had been in possession of them as guardian and trustee of Elizabeth Tayler and Margaret Tayler. Sarah registered the enslaved people as co-owner with her children William Mortimer Tayler, Henry Church Tayler, Elizabeth Mortimer Tayler, Margaret Weir Tayler, George Tayler, Helen Tayler, Ann Maitland Tayler and Sarah Tayler. She signed the register herself. By 1832, four more boys had been born and Sarah Church registered ownership of ten enslaved people as owner and guardian.

See estate information for http://www.ucl.ac.uk/lbs/estate/view/19695.

Familysearch.org, Jamaica Church of England Parish Register Transcripts, 1664-1880 [database online].

Details from the parish records and slave registers are available at http://www.jamaicanfamilysearch.com/Members/r/Reht.htm.

We are grateful to Misha Ewen for her assistance with compiling this entry.