Antigua and the Antiguans Volume II Part 28

"Then Hubert Pember, of the said island, Esq., and William Martin, of the town of St. John's, vintner, personally came and appeared before me, and made oath on the Holy Evangelists of Almighty G.o.d, that they were present, and did see his late Excellency Daniel Parke, Esq., late Capt. Gen. and Governor-in-Chief of the Leeward Islands, sign, seal, publish, and declare the within instrument of writing, as and for his last Will and Testament, and were subscribing witnesses to the same, and that the said Daniel Parke was then of perfect mind, memory, and understanding, to the best of their judgment and knowledge.

"Sworn before me the day and year above written,

"Walter Hamilton. "Robt. Pember.

"Wm. Martin."

[85] Wife of Edward Chester, Esq.

No. 13.

ACCOUNT OF THE MACKINNON FAMILY.

This Dr. Mackinnon (mentioned page 81, vol. 1,) was the second son of Lacklin More Mac'kinnon, chieftain of the powerful Highland clan of the Mac'Kinnons. He was the founder of the Mackinnon family in Antigua; and as his estates in that island are still in the hands of his representative, Wm. Alex.

Mackinnon, Esq., a short account of that gentleman's lineal descent, from the celebrated Dr. Mackinnon, may not prove superfluous.

Genealogy.

Dr. Daniel Mackinnon, of d.i.c.kenson's Bay, Antigua, member of the legislature in that island, representing the town of St. John's in the a.s.sembly convened 22 May, 1710, and one of the most influential men of his day, m. Alice, dau. of William Thomas, Esq. of Antigua, and ancestor of the present Sir George Thomas, Bart., by whom he had issue, i. William, of whom hereafter.

ii. Charles, m. the dau. of -- Cunningham, Esq., of St.

Christopher's, by whom he had issue.

iii. Elizabeth, m. at St. John's, Antigua, 28 April, 1708, 1st, Francis Carlisle, Esq. of Antigua, the second of the name in that island, by whom she had a dau., Alice, who m. Ralph Payne, Esq. of St. Christopher's, (nephew of Sir Charles Payne, created a baronet in 1737,) and who, on her decease, m. 2ndly, Margaret Galway, and by her had Admiral John Payne, and Gen. Sir William Payne, who m. Lady Harriet Quin, dau. of the Earl of Dunraven, and who, in 1814, took the name of Galway. He was succeeded by his son, the present Baronet in 1831.) But by Alice Carlisle, the first wife of the aforesaid Ralph Payne, he had Sir Ralph Payne, K.B., late Lord Lavington, of whom a more ample detail will be found in another place (vide page 136, and Appendix No. 15.) Elizabeth (the dau. of Dr. Daniel Mackinnon above mentioned) m. 2ndly, at a very advanced age, John Gray, of Antigua, Esq.

i. William Mackinnon, son and heir, succeeded his father, Daniel Mackinnon, born in 1697, died 8 Oct. 1767, and was buried in Abbey Church, Bath, where there is a monument erected to his memory, m. Charity, second dau. of William Yeamans, of Mill Hill, Antigua, by whom he left issue, i. William, son and heir, of whom hereafter.

ii. Elizabeth, m. Thomas Fraser, Esq., M.D., of Antigua, by whom she had, 1. William-Mackinnon Fraser, of London and of Bath; 2. Jane, m. to Charles Grant, Esq., chairman of the Hon. East India Company, by whom she had the present Lord Glenelg; 3. Charity, m. to William Chambers, Esq. M.D., by whom she was the mother of the celebrated physician of the same name now living. To revert to the son,

i. William Mackinnon, (the son of William, by his wife, Charity Yeamans,) who m. Dorothy, the dau. of Henry Vernon, Esq., of an ancient family of that name, in Staffords.h.i.+re, and had issue, i. William, of whom presently.

ii. Daniel, Esq., barrister-at-law, who m. Rachel, dau. of Thomas Eliot, Esq., and had issue.

iii. Henry, major-general in the army, who was slain at Badajos, Spain, by the explosion of a mine, leaving, by Catharine, his wife, dau. of Sir John Call, Bart., (since re-married to A. R. Prior, Esq.,) 1. George, a colonel in the army, and of the Coldstream Regt. of Guards, and 2. Donald, captain in - Regt. of Infantry.

i. William, the eldest son, m. Harriott, the dau. of Francis Ffrye, of Bermudian Valley, Antigua, Esq., by whom he had, i. William-Alexander, now a most able and useful M.P., representing Lymington, in Hamps.h.i.+re, m. to Emma, dau. of Joseph Palmer, Esq.

ii. Daniel, colonel in the Coldstream regt. of Guards.

iii. Harriott, the wife of the Rev. Dr. Molesworth, rector of Rochdale, in Lancas.h.i.+re.

No. 14.

PAPERS RELATIVE TO THE NEGRO INSURRECTION OF 1736.

"_His Excellency and Council to the Gentlemen of the a.s.sembly,_

"Gentlemen-

"I think fit to lay before you a remonstrance I have received from the justices who have examined into the intended insurrection of the negroes. I could not forbear remarking to this board the grateful sense I have of this great service, and have found here every member as moved as myself. I cannot doubt but the a.s.sembly will give a _public testimony_ of their satisfaction and acknowledgment to the gentlemen, from whose wisdom, public zeal, and indefatigable care, we found a crime of the deepest die, and of universal danger, and the public safety secured by the most criminal having been brought to justice.

"By command,

"De la Court Walsh, &c."

"_Members of the a.s.sembly to his Excellency._

"We are extremely sensible of the zeal and integrity with which the magistrates have acted, in endeavouring to discover and punish the princ.i.p.al offenders in the insurrection intended by the slaves of this island, as well as of the prudence and temper with which they have proceeded in this matter; and, therefore, we shall not be wanting on our part, to testify our acknowledgment for the same, by appointing some members of our house to return these our thanks upon that account.

"Thos. Kerby, Speaker."

The following relates to the execution of "Frank," one of the conspirators of the Ravine:-

"Gentlemen-

"I sent you a report of the justices of the conspiracies, dated 15th instant, upon which I observed to you, that the execution of the negro "Frank," belonging to E. Chester, Esq., had been suspended from Friday the 17th, to this 20th of December, upon some information and application to the justices; which, having been considered fully by them, he is, accordingly, this day to suffer the aforesaid sentence of death, by being burnt in Otto's Pasture.

"By command, &c.

"Council Chamber, 20th Dec. 1736."

In the thirtieth chapter of this work, will be found another letter from a white inhabitant of Antigua, to a friend in England, giving a fuller account of the mode of execution practised upon some of the unfortunate actors in this melancholy affair. The military strength of Antigua at this period consisted of "Monk's Hill," mounted with thirty guns; a fort, known as "Great Fort," at the entrance of St. John's Harbour, mounted with fourteen guns; and seven other batteries, with twenty-six pieces of cannon.

No. 15.

GENEALOGY OF THE THOMAS FAMILY.

The family of Sir George Thomas is certainly of Welsh extraction, and, by tradition, came from Glamorgans.h.i.+re, and still possess considerable property in Antigua. The first of the name in the island was

William Thomas, of Bristol, Esq., who afterwards emigrating to Antigua, became a member of the legislature of that island, and in such capacity signed the "Remonstrance," drawn up in the case of Col. Philip Warner, in 1676. He married, at St. Augustine's, Bristol, 2 Nov. 1665, Lydia Tomlinson, by whom he had issue two sons and two daus.-viz., i. William, son and heir, member of her majesty's council in Antigua, died in or about 1717, leaving his nephew, George Thomas, his heir.