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Renfrewshire’s Slave Legacy
Renfrewshire Local History Forum
In past issues, we have seen how some of Renfrewshire’s leading
landowners were awarded large sums in 1834 for the loss of
Africans on their sugar plantations. This was the result of a
series of connections dating back to the 1640s, when ships from
the lower Clyde sailed to Nevis and St Kitts. From the 1660s,
pioneers such as William Colhoun had become sugar planters.
Their influence brought out young men such as William McDowall
and James Milliken as overseers. These men became successful
planters and came home from the Caribbean in the 1720s and
purchased Renfrewshire estates. They became ‘fixers’, among
fellow landowners, demonstrating the vast wealth possible from
owning sugar plantations. They arranged lucrative marriages and
positions for sons and daughters on sugar plantations.
Other leading Renfrewshire families who received slave
compensation in 1834 included the Stewarts of Blackhall and
Ardgowan. The Stewarts owned large tracts of the county from
Inverkip to Mearns. Through the influence of established planters
such as the McDowalls, by the 1740s the Stewarts had acquired the
‘Roxburgh’ sugar plantation on Tobago. Most of the slave-owning
families were linked through marriage. In 1786 the Stewart heir,
married Fanny Colhoun, the widow of Sir James Maxwell of Nether
Pollok, daughter of the McDowall’s slave overseer. Later, Sir Michael
(Shaw-)Stewart married the daughter of Robert Farquhar, heir of
the Harvey of Castle Semple sugar fortune.
Sugar success spread quickly across Renfrewshire. In Cathcart
Parish, the ‘Sugar Campbells’, the seventh largest plantation owners
in Britain, purchased what became Linn Park from the McDowalls.
In 1843 they were awarded compensation for the loss of 1,062
Africans. In Neilston Parish, John Wallace of Kelly & Neilstonside
was a planter in Jamaica. In Kilmacolm, the Porterfields of Duchal
shared in the sugar plantations of the Cunninghams of Craigends.
In Inchinnan Parish, William Alexander of Southbar had plantations
on Antigua, Grenada and St. Vincent. In 1834 he was awarded £21,181
for the loss of 850 Africans. In Mearns, apart from the Stewarts of
Blackhall, the Allasons of Greenbank engaged in slave trading and
the Hutchesons of Southfield were awarded compensation for the
loss of Africans on their Jamaican plantation.
Overall, despite the popular
association of Liverpool and Bristol,
with slavery, the Glasgow area
received more compensation for
losing slaves than Liverpool. Because
many planters purchased estates
around Glasgow, this had a very large
effect on Renfrewshire. The leading
Renfrewshire landowners covered
in this series owned thousands of
Africans. Most owned plantations
for generations. Due to over-work,
violence, disease and replacement, the
number of Africans passing through
their hands amounted to several times
this number.
Photo: Linn Bridge In conclusion, there are few parts of
Renfrewshire where the farmland
wasn’t improved through the labour of enslaved Africans, who
were personally owned by the landed elite. (Readers can search
the slave compensation records for themselves at www.ucl.as.uk.)
© 2019 Stuart Nisbet, Renfrewshire Local History Forum
Renfrewshire Local History Forum holds its next Archaeology
meeting in Room D137/139, McLean Building, UWS, Paisley (entrance
in Storie Street, beside the Hugh Smiley Building) at 7.30pm on
Thursday 14th November. Our speaker is Heather James, Calluna
Archaeology. Her topic is The Clan MacFarlane Arrocher Project:
Three Rare Late Medieval Buildings on Loch Lomond.
Johnstone History Society
November 2019
Why Simple Mirror Wills Can be Risky
Many couples make mirror wills which leave everything to each
other, assuming their estate will benefit their partner for life and
then pass to their children or grandchildren after that.
Sadly, that’s not always what happens. Mirror Wills are simply
identical Wills which couples make, leaving everything to each
other.
But what many don’t anticipate is that, if the survivor needs
care in later life, the Local Authority is likely to take most of the
assets they have worked hard to build up together.
The Community Care and Health (Scotland) Act 2002, gives
Local Authorities the power to use people’s finances and assets
towards the cost of their social care.
If a person’s total assets (including the value of their home)
amount to more than £28,000 in Scotland, the Local Authority
will expect them to pay care fees in full.
On average, it costs £614 a week for a care home and £775 for
nursing care, so their life savings can quickly deplete.
Once assets fall to the £28,000 limit, the Local Authority will
contribute part of the cost of care, but people will be expected
to continue paying until their assets are reduced to £17,000. At
this point, the Local Authority will take over the payments.
If you leave all your estate to your partner, both your and their
share of the assets can be used for care fees. And most people
are also shocked to hear that, rather than their children or
grandchildren inheriting, their estate could go to their child’s exspouse,
debt collectors or somebody else’s grandchildren.
There is a simple solution — not to leave everything to each
other in the first place but to leave half of your property to your
children on the first death, using a Protective Property Trust Will.
This means a surviving spouse or partner can stay in the family
home until their death, after which your children, grandchildren
or whoever you choose will inherit your share of the property.
This half-share is safe and will pass on to your choice of
beneficiaries, regardless of whether your partner remarries or
goes into care after your death.
It requires that you hold your home equally between you rather
than jointly with survivorship. This will mean you each own
50% of the property, and can leave your share to whoever you
choose. By specifying that your share will go to your children
and/or grandchildren on your partner’s death, your partner can
remain in the property until they die but will not actually own
that share. It cannot therefore be taken by the Local Authority
for their care fees or be passed on to someone other than who
you have chosen. Couples should consider holding property as
“common property” and updating their Wills to include this type
of planning.
Next meeting: November 13th - 7.30pm, Masonic Hall, Collier Street.
Our speaker this month is Liz McIntyre Allan her subject being
“Love Letters from a Desert Rat “. This talk will be very interesting
as Liz will be talking about a member of her own family taken from
300 letters stored at the back of a wardrobe. We hope to have a
good attendance of members and any visitors will be made most
welcome. The October meeting was fairly well attended considering
it was a very wet night. Bruce Keith was a very knowledgeable and
entertaining speaker and the evening was enjoyed by all.
The Museum is open Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 10.30am till 4pm.
If you have never been in please pay us a visit and have a browse or if you have
been before come back as our displays do change from time to time. We also
have on sale many books and publications which can also be purchased online
at johnstonehistory.org any purchases can be paid for via PayPal.
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