Jamaica St Andrew 254 (Rose Mount)

Parliamentary Papers p. 44.

Parliamentary Papers gives date as 30/11/1836, presumably in error.

T71/865: claim from William Hughes, of St Andrew, as owner-in-fee.

T71/1594: p. 70: letter, dated 03/06/1837, to Mrs Ann Gibbons, 5 Richards Buildings, Shoe Lane, stating that it is too late 'under the circumstances, it is not in the power of the Commission to afford you any relief'.

T71/1607: Memorial, dated 01/06/1837, from Ann Gibbons, of Ardagh near Newport, in the county of Mayo, stating: 'That your  Honourable Board's Mem(orialis)t has travelled with her daughter under an expense the badness of her circumstances can ill afford from the Western provinces of Ireland to lay the claims of her sick husband Peter Gibbons before HM's first Minister Lord Viscount Melbourne who with his usual humanity and justice which has so uniformly marked his administration has directed Memt by letter to lay her case before your Hon board'. Peter Gibbons's uncle was the original proprietor of Rosemount estate; he died in 1800, leaving £500 (now thirteen hundred pounds with interest) to his nephew Peter; his widow Rosetta remarried to Wm. Hughes, whom she made joint executor of the will; Wm. Hughes did not pay the legacy despite repeated applications from Peter Gibbons, 'Hughes well knowing that poor Gibbons was not in circumstances to go to Law'; Peter Gibbons commenced proceedings but, 'for want of pecuniary means', stopped. Wm. Hughes and his wife are now both dead and without issue, intestate. Shortly after their deaths, a gentleman in Jamica sent a power of attorney to Peter Gibbons to enable him to take possession of Rosemount estate, but Peter Gibbons refused to sign a power of attorney until the claim should be laid before you: 'That so convinced was the Marquis of Sligo of the justice of the Memt's claim that altho on the immediate eve of departure from this country when Memt arrived in london and consequently engaged in preparing for the journey he signed the memorial to Lord Melbourne..being himself fully convinced of the truth of her Story and of the injury which had been done to her self her inform husband and Large and unprotected female family...in addition to the extreme ill health of Memt's Husband thro which she a delicate and friendless woman has been obliged to journey to this Metroplis her extreme poverty is such that she is scarcely able to procure the necessarys of life or pay for the obscure lodging at which she is forced to sojourn much less to obtain the aid of legal advice to assist her..Memt flings herself for redress and commiseration on your Honble Board'. Memorial, dated 16/10/1837, from Francis Walters, of Castlebar, County Mayo, stating that Wm. Hughes is the nephew of Hughes. A woman named Anne Gibbons (the widow of Peter Gibbons) and her daughter Sabina are in London for four months, claiming compensation. Peter Gibbons was the rightful heir, but with his death his children became rightful heirs; Anne Gibbons cannot claim thier right, 'as if she got it she would soon spend it foolishly as she already had done with £500 that was got from Jamaica and left her children ever since in poverty by means of her extravagance'; 'as soon as she heard of said Hughes and his Wife being dead, she (said Anne Gibbons, the most unnatural of women) caused Sabina her daughter and Memt wife to rob him of  a large sum of money and took her off to England leaving two other daughters behind in poverty'; 'Memt. further states to your Hon Board that it was on account of said property that he married the daughter of said PG and hopes your Hon Board will protect him and give him his proportion of said compensation money..being one-third.'.

T71/137 p. 274: 127 enslaved persons registered in 1832 by Wm. Hughes, as owner.