William Adlam

1758 - 1844

Claimant or beneficiary

Biography

Resident planter, having arrived in Jamaica in 1773 as a young man. Owner-in-fee of Upper and Lower Warminster estates, St Elizabeth, Jamaica; unsuccessful counterclaimant as assignee for the compensation for ownership of enslaved persons on Essex Valley estate in St Elizabeth.

  1. Ann Adlam, reputed daughter of William Adlam by Rebecca Rawlings, a "free mulatto", was baptised at St Elizabeth 09/07/1789 (birthdate left blank). William Adlum [sic] and Mary Margaret Barwell, widow, both of St Elizabeth, were married at Vere, 20/02/1796.

  2. The will of William Adlam of St Elizabeth in the county of Cornwall Island of Jamaica was proved 29/07/1844. This makes no mention of real property - possibly this had already been disposed of in trust. It leaves small annuities to three reputed children and their mother. The residuary personal estate is left to his nephew William Adlam O'Halloran (q.v.) and nephew's wife (also Adlam's reputed daughter) Ellen (q.v.). The baptisms of Mary Anne Adlam (aged about 26 years and blind) and William Adlam (aged about 15) in St Elizabeth in 1809 give their parents as William Adlam Esquire and Mary Taylor a "free quadroon". This William Adlam junior, late of St Elizabeth, carpenter, was a prisoner for debt in Montego Bay gaol in 1817.

  3. William Adlam appears to have been absent from Jamaica in 1820 when his enslaved people were registered by James Daly as attorney.

  4. William Adlam Esquire of Warminster was buried 18/03/1844 aged 86 at Holy Cross churchyard, St. Elizabeth, Jamaica.

  5. Memorial inscription at St Denys, Warminster England: "To the memory of William Adlam O'Halloran, Esq., who, after a long continued residence on his estates of Warminster and Essex Valley, in the island of Jamaica, departed this life at St. Mary Church, near Torquay, in 1846, aged 42. Also of Ellen Harper, his relict, daughter of William Adlam, Esq., of Warminster, Jamaica. She died in London in 1867, aged 50. William Augustus, son of the above, died in British Africa, August 1871." This reference to 'long continued residence' and the absence of any reference to real estate in the will of William Adlam reinforces the apparent transfer of the estates by William Adlam to William Adlam O'Halloran in vivo, between the time of compensation and William Adlam's death in 1844.


Sources

T71/870 St Elizabeth claim nos. 9 and 10; William Adlam of Warminster, arrived in Jamaica 22/03/1773: death notice Colonial Magazine and East India Review, Volume 2 (1844) p. 126.

  1. Familysearch.org, Jamaica Vere unindexed, Baptisms, marriages, burials 1694-1825, Vol. 1; Edward Robinson, born April 1807, reputed son of John Robinson esq by Ann Adlam, a free quadroon, was baptised at Black River 8/5/1807.

  2. PROB 11/2001. Familysearch.org, Jamaica Church of England Parish Register Transcripts, 1664-1880 [database online]; Royal Gazette (Jamaica) 04/10/1817.

  3. See estate evolutions for Upper and Lower Warminster.

  4. http://www.jamaicanfamilysearch.com/Members/Rab-alle.htm [accessed 06/02/2015] sourced to B0056 St. Elizabeth Parish Register III & IV, 1835-1859, IV, p. 487 #9.

  5. http://www.dannyhowell.net/1970/08/church-and-churchyard-memorials-at-st.html [accessed 13/01/2015]; http://www.dannyhowell.net/search?q=o%27halloran&submit=search [accessed 15/09/2015]. The death notice for William Adam O'Halloran reads: 'March 7 [1846] At Adlamville Lodge, Torquay [Death of] William Adam O'Halloran esq., sole proprietor of Upper and Lower Warminster and Essex Valley estates in the parish of St Elizabeth, Warminster', Gentleman's Magazine Vol. XXV N.S. (Jan-June 1846) p. 442.

We are grateful to Neil Barrow and Paul Hitchings for their help with compiling this entry.


Further Information

Spouse
Mary Margaret Barwell
Children
[With Mary Taylor] Mary, William, Thomas
Will

PROB 11/2001/135 - precis

William Adlam of the parish of St Elizabeth, Jamaica.

All my personal estate to George Gibbs and Robert Bright of Bristol, merchants, upon trusts hereafter declared.

First to pay all debts and funeral expenses.

To my three reputed mestee children Mary Adlam, William Adlam and Thomas Adlam and to Mary Taylor their mother and to Hannah Burton my faithful servant and James Farcy son of Hannah Burton the following annuities:

Mary Adlam £24 Jamaican currency p.a. William Adlam £18 Jamaican currency p.a. Thomas Adlam £18 Jamaican currency p.a. Mary Taylor £24 Jamaican currency p.a. Hannah Burton £12 Jamaican currency p.a. James Farcey £12 Jamaican currency p.a.

Subject to these trusts to transfer all my personal estate to my nephew and reputed daughter William Adlam O'Halloran and Ellen his wife as tenants in common.

George Gibbs and Robert Bright to be executors and Charles Newman of the parish of Manchester, Jamaica, also to be executor (in the event of his death then his brother William Newman of the same parish).

Signed 17/10/1842.

Proved in London 29/07/1844 by Henry Hymen Cohen, one of the attornies of Charles Newman Esquire.

Occupation
Planter

Associated Claims (2)

£516 17s 1d
Unsuccessful claimant
£5,846 10s 10d
Awardee (Owner-in-fee)

Associated Estates (8)

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
1817 [EA] - → Attorney
1820 [EA] - → Trustee and Executor
1809 [EA] - 1811 [LA] → Owner
1817 [EA] - 1826 [LA] → Joint owner
1829 [EA] - 1834 [LA] → Owner
1820 [EA] - → Attorney
1820 [EA] - → Attorney
1817 [EA] - → Attorney

Relationships (5)

Husband → Wife
Father-in-law → Son-in-law
Uncle → Nephew
Father → Daughter
Executor → Testator