Slaves in Wills
Will of Edith Haslehurst (reference: PR/NW E Haslehurst Nottm 1 May 1784)
Slaves are often mentioned in the wills of their owners. A number of wills survive at Nottinghamshire Archives which mention slaves, including the will of John Walton, who lived in Virginia, and John Tinker, the governor of Bahama.
This is the will of Edith Haslehurst of Nottingham, who lived towards the end of her life in West Retford in north Nottinghamshire. Her will, proved on 1 May 1784, refers to a sugar plantation which she owned in the parish of St James in Jamaica. The estate comprised 87 acres. She leaves all her 'Negro and other slaves' to her son, William.
This document underlines the fact that slaves were viewed as property, rather than people, and could be inherited by an individual's descendents.
Find out more...
- Larger version of the will: see the will in more detail here [PDF 5025KB]
- Transcript: read the will here [PDF 20KB]
- Probate: find out how a will was 'proved' and what that means
- John Tinker: find out more about his will here
- Terminology: find out what some of the more unusual words in the will mean
- The Slave Trade: find out more about the history of the slave trade here
- Further information: explore other web sites and online resources
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