Hugh Fraser Leslie

1803 - 12th Jun 1873

Claimant or beneficiary

Biography

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.


Sources

  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.


Further Information

Absentee?
Transatlantic?
Children
d.s.p.
Will

Hugh Fraser Leslie died intestate. His sisters Isabella Jane Leslie and Helen Leslie were his executors dative. His inventory was registered at Aberdeen Sheriff Court by Isabella and mentions his other two sisters Esther Leslie and Christian Leslie as his other next of kin (SC1/36/73 Aberdeen Sheriff Court).

Total value of personal estate in the United Kingdom £10,695 12s 10d.

Including: Household contents £505 16s 8d; Balance due by the British Linen Company on Account Current plus interest £2173 19s 5d; 100 shares in the Colonial Bank @ £60 per share plus dividend £6225; £500 in 5pc preference stock of the Great Eastern Railway 1863 valued at £502 6s 4d; 100 original shares of the Bank of Queensland on which no value can be put; 50 shares of St Thomas Dock Company Limited on which no value can be put; 100 shares of the Panama New Zealand and Royal Mail Company and also 100 new shares of the same company on which no value can be put.

The remaining valuation is largely for rents due, feu duties and grass rents.

Wealth at death
£10,695 12S 10D
Occupation
Landowner

Associated Claims (5)

£2,638 4s 4d
Awardee (Mortgagee-in-possession)
£97 1s 3d
Awardee
£189 15s 11d
Awardee (Trustee)
£1,365 3s 7d
Awardee (Owner-in-fee)
£1,975 10s 11d
Awardee (Executor or executrix)

Associated Estates (5)

The dates listed below have different categories as denoted by the letters in the brackets following each date. Here is a key to explain those letter codes:

  • SD - Association Start Date
  • SY - Association Start Year
  • EA - Earliest Known Association
  • ED - Association End Date
  • EY - Association End Year
  • LA - Latest Known Association
1834 [EA] - 1839 [LA] → Owner
1839 [EA] - → Not known
1823 [EA] - 1834 [LA] → Attorney
1834 [EA] - → Executor
1829 [EA] - 1832 [LA] → Owner

Legacies Summary

Physical (1)

Gate
Powis Gates [Built] 
description →
Originally the gates to Powis House, now the gates to Aberdeen University halls of residence. Includes a bust of three black enslaved people 'commemorating the family's link with the grant of freedom...
notes →
http://www.abdn.ac.uk/oldtownhouse/downloads/history.pdf [accessed 01/03/2013]. The Powis Gates in some sources are attributed...

Relationships (3)

Son → Mother
Son → Father
Executor → Testator

Addresses (2)

Old Machar, Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, North-east Scotland, Scotland
Powis House, Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, North-east Scotland, Scotland