Sir George Douglas Bart.

Profile & Legacies Summary

1754 - 1821

Biography

Sir George Douglas of Springwood Park Roxburgh, MP for Roxburghshire 1784-1806, and absentee owner of 219 enslaved people on an estate on Antigua as yet not definitively identified but probably the estate known in 1787 as Douglas & Ravenscroft, whom in 1817 he had leased to Robert Farquhar (q.v.); in 1821 244 enslaved people who had been purchased from Sir George Douglas were registered by Robert Briggs as attorney to Robert Farquhar, and thereafter appear to have been attached to Cades Bay.

Grandson of George Douglas of Friershaw or Friarshaw, and son of Sir James Douglas bart., naval commander and MP for Orkney and Shetland 1754-1768. In the will of Henry Douglas planter of Antigua, proved 26/06/1753, Henry Douglas identified his brothers as George Douglas of Friershaw Advocate and James Douglas of London merchant. Sir George Douglas' interest in slave-property in Antigua flowed from this great-uncle Henry Douglas, through Sir James Douglas' cousin Mary McNamara (formerly King, nee Douglas), the daughter of Henry Douglas. One of her estates was described as 'Ravenscroft' in indentures of 1758 and 1763.

Sources

T71/245 pp. 651-655, Robert Briggs attorney to Robert Farquhar Esq., lessee of Sir George Douglas prop.; T71/246 pp. 77-87 shows the sale and purchase by Robert Farquhar from Sir George Douglas; D.G. Henry/R.G. Thorne, 'Douglas, Sir George', http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1790-1820/member/douglas-sir-george-1754-1821 [accessed February 7th 2015].

PROB 11/802/410; Vere Langford Oliver, History of Antigua Vol. I pp. 210-212.

Further Information

Absentee?

British/Irish

Spouse

Lady Elizabeth Boyle

Children

John James

Associated Estates (3)

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] - 1821 [LA] → Other

Cades Bay [ Antigua ]

In 1817, Robert Farquhar was shown as the owner of 166 enslaved people and the lessee of a further 219 enslaved people from Sir George Douglas bart.; by 1821, he had purchased the enslaved people from Sir George Douglas bart. These entries have been inferred to relate to the estate appearing in the compensation records as 'Cades Bay.' Sir George Douglas is reported by Vere Langford Oliver to have inherited 'the Antiguan estate of Mrs McNamara.' Mrs McNamara was his father's cousin, and the daughter of Henry Douglas of Antigua: one of her estates was called Ravenscroft in 1758-1763.

1778 [EA] - 1787 [LA] → Tenant-in-tail or Remainderman

Douglas & Ravenscroft [ Antigua | St Mary | Old Road ]

1787 [EA] - 1821 [LA] → Owner

Douglas & Ravenscroft [ Antigua | St Mary | Old Road ]