John Dallas

The devisees in trust of John Dallas, including Eliza Baillie Dallas, claimed the compensation for the Harvey Vale and Breteche estates in Grenada. John Dallas was possibly the same man as the John Dallas shown as attorney for several estates in Grenada in 1823.

1. Elizabeth Baillie McIntosh married John Dallas of Carriacou in Tain, Scotland, in 1826 (her father was minister for Tain). Death of John Dallas of Breteche Estate, Carriacou, and member of House of Assembly announced in England in February 1832.

2. Although the ODNB says of the journalist Eneas Sweetland Dallas that he was the 'elder son of John Dallas of Jamaica, a physician and planter of Scottish parentage, and his wife, Elizabeth Baillie, daughter of the Revd Angus McIntosh of Tain, and sister of the Revd Caldor McIntosh, [and] was born in Jamaica', it appears possible that he was in fact the son of John and Eliza Bailie Dallas of Grenada. The ODNB entry shows him having been brought to England [sic] at the age of 4 ('and educated at Edinburgh University'), which would have coincided with the death of John Dallas of Grenada. In the 1851 and 1861 censuses, Eneas Dallas is shown as born 'West Indies' rather than specifically 'Jamaica'; Eliza B. Dallas by 1861 was shown living at 15 Bath Street Duddingston Midlothian as a lodger aged 55 born Tain Rosshire 'fundholder', together with Anne Dallas aged 25 [sic] born West Indies (in 1871 Anne Dallas aged 40 was living 'cousin' with Marjory L. Dallas and Sarah Dallas at 4 Middleby St, Edinburgh).

1. mail from Andrew Marshall 06/09/2017 sourced to Caledonian Mercury 09/02/1826 p. 3; Times 04/02/1832 p. 4.

2. G. C. Boase, ‘Dallas, Eneas Sweetland (1828–1879)’, rev. Roger T. Stearn, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/7034, accessed 31 Jan 2014]; 1851 census online (where he is indexed as Enear Dallas and his birthplace is mistranscribed as Suffolk because of a misalignment in the underlying original record); 1861 census online; 1861 and 1871 Scotland censuses online.

We are grateful to Andrew Marshall for his assistance with compiling this entry.