Hugh Fraser Leslie

Wealthy Scottish landowner, owner of several coffee plantations in Jamaica, also active in Jamaican society in the 1830s and 1840s but back living in Scotland from 1851.

1. Hugh Fraser Lesly [sic] was born 17/07/1802 and baptised 31/07/1802 in Old Machar, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, son of Hugh Leslie and Anne Agnes. Hugh Leslie and Anne Agnes Lamond has married at Old Machar, 02/08/1788. They had at least 13 children baptised in Old Machar, 1791-1808.

2. Hugh Fraser Leslie was a vestryman in Port Royal, Jamaica in 1839.

3. Leslie gave evidence to a special committee of the Jamaica Assembly in 1847: "... in that year, 1847, he was in possession of several coffee and sugar plantations, including several in the Yallahs region: Sherwood Forest, Arntully, Eccleston, Brook Lodge, and Belle Claire. In addition, Leslie was also in possession of Petersfield, Newfield, Munts, Grove, and Leith, all coffee plantations, and Delve, a sugar estate. He reported that prior to emancipation, a total of 1268 workers were attached to these plantations. By 1847, there were fewer than 400.”

4. Living in Powis House, Aberdeen, in the censuses of 1851, 1861 and 1871 (in 1851 with two of his sisters, Isabella and Helen), occupation given as Landed Proprietor, born in Old Machar. Died at Powis House, 12/06/1873 age 70. The names of his parents are confirmed from his death certificate; the informant of death was his sister Isabella Jessie Leslie. He died intestate, with personal estate in Britain of £10,695 12s 10d. His heirs were his sisters Isabella, Esther, Christian and Helen.

1. www.familysearch.org batch no. C11906-5.

2. http://www.abdn.ac.uk/oldtownhouse/downloads/history.pdf [accessed 01/03/2013]. The Powis Gates in some sources are attributed to John Leslie, e.g. in http://www.abdn.ac.uk/slavery/8p1.htm [accessed 26/09/2013].

3. Jamaica Almanac (1839).

4. James A. Delle, An Archaeology of Social Space: Analyzing Coffee Plantations in Jamaica's Blue Mountains (New York, Plenum Press, 1998) pp. 171-172.

5. 1851, 1861 and 1871 censuses online. General Register Office for Scotland Deaths 1873 168/2 471. SC1/36/73 Aberdeen Sheriff Court.

We are grateful to Edward Fowler for his assistance in compiling this entry.