WILLIAM SHIELL (1785 - 1853)
By Richard C. Shiell and
Dorothy Anderson, Melbourne, Australia.
Revised version March 2005. For reader comment please contact the first author on hairman@mira.net
Introduction
There were a number of males by the name of
William Shiell on Montserrat at various times. In fact, for two decades, three
individuals of this name shared the same 39 square miles that constituted the
tiny island of Montserrat in the Leeward Islands of the Caribbean.
William, the subject of this paper, fathered
three boys named William. He himself was one of the 7 children of Queely
Shiell, the largest land and slave owner on Montserrat [1] and he rose to become President of Council
on Montserrat. At his prime William was a man of great importance on the island
and he even served as Administrator for two periods in the 1840s. He is
variously listed as William G. Shiell by one authority [2]
and William P.
Shiell by another [3] but we
have located no evidence that he used or possessed a middle name and in all
documents the authors have sighted he signed his name just “William Shiell”. Certainly
his brother John registered only one name when he enrolled at Lincoln’s Inn in
London in 1808[4] but their other brother
James Phipps made constant use of his illustrious middle name.[5]
As we have noted above, William sired three
sons who received the name William. The
first recorded son was born in 1823 to Mary McNamara who may have been his
mistress for a time. This child was possibly brought up by his mother and the
McNamaras, a seafaring family. He grew to adulthood on Montserrat and is noted
in charge of several small vessels trading from Montserrat. He gained his
masters certificate in Britain in 1853 just prior to his departure for
Australia.[6]
In June 1826, according to historian Dr
Griffin, William, who was by now on the Legislative Council of Montserrat,
married Mary Cabey Semper , the daughter of another major landowner Dudley
Semper.[7]
A son was born in August of that same year, 1826, and named William. Apparently this
young man did not survive beyond his early 20’s because William senior was said
by Dr Griffin to have named another son William in 1850. It was claimed by the
same authority that this infant son died aged 5 months.
Dr Griffin also listed other sons to William
and his wife Mary. Henry was born in 1827, John Ross 1834, James Phipps 1836,
Queely 1837 as well as the second William in 1850. There must have been
daughters as well, for in a letter to Lord Stanley in May 1842 William claimed
to have eight children so this would leave room for three living daughters at
that time.[8] Writing to
Lord Grey in April 1850, an impoverished and despondent William Shiell claimed
now to have seven children so presumably the smallpox and cholera epidemics of
the late 1840s had taken their toll on the lives of one or more of his children
by that time.[9] One
death was certainly that of the oldest boy, William, for whom his father had
been trying to obtain an army commission since 1842. [10]
The tragic loss of this young man would have been a reason to reuse the name
for his last born son in 1850.
William was already in financial difficulty
in the late 1830s as a result of the declining revenues from the sugar
plantations. This was a direct consequence of the Emancipation of slaves in
1834 and the reluctance of the blacks to perform hard manual labor once freed.[11]
At any rate the going rate of pay on Montserrat, 5 pence per day, was small
incentive to work hard for a former master, especially when even this meager
reward was frequently weeks or months delayed.
The British Government, through their
regional Governors, tried to get the various former slave colonies to improve
the daily rate and reliability of pay and, in return, they were encouraged to
collect rental on land leased to the former slaves. This was strongly resisted
by most of the Colonial Councils and elected Assemblies on a variety of
reasons. Some of these reasons had merit but mostly it was sheer conservatism
on the part of the plantation owners who could not see any possibility of getting
extra work out of the island‘s laborers.
In practice, the more enterprising laborers
simply migrated to islands where the pay rate was higher (e.g. 9 pence per day
on Trinidad) and where opportunities were far greater for an industrious man
while the lazy and less enterprising individuals remained behind
on Montserrat. This emigration was actually
encouraged for a time by a bounty paid to ship owners to transfer workers from
Montserrat to Trinidad and British Guyana.
A
severe earthquake in 1843 caused extensive damage to houses and sugar mills. To
pay for the cost of repairs, the sugar producers obtained loans from the
British government and were saddled with large interest payments that further
reduced the value of their Estates.
Administrator Baynes took 12 month’s leave of
absence from August 1846 and William, by virtue of his position as President of
the Legislative Council, once again became the Interim Administrator of
Montserrat.[12]
William’s brother, John Shiell was the Chief Justice of Antigua and although it
is not known if the brothers were close, they certainly shared the same social
strata and had a profound common interest as the likely beneficiaries of their
father’s numerous estates on Montserrat. Both were under the authority of the
Leeward Islands governor, Mr Higginson, who resided on Antigua.
During this brief time in power William
appears to have encouraged the estate proprietors on the Montserrat Assembly to
refuse to ratify a British Government Bill for a cattle tax, on the grounds
that it was illegal. He was further accused by Baynes of some interference with
the Treasury to his own advantage.[13]
William himself seems to have taken 6 months leave upon the return
of Administrator Baynes in 1847 and was recorded as being in England for at
least part of this period. His brother
John died in September 1847 that may have been just before William’s departure
or shortly afterwards.
It is tempting to think that William may have
gone to England in a last ditch attempt to gain favor with his aging and once
wealthy father.[14]
Unfortunately,
Queely had a stroke and some days later, on 27th November 1847, he died. It is very likely that William was in London
at the time.
During this period the sugar producers of the
West Indies received another blow when , following the repeal of the Corn Laws,
the tariff imposed on sugar from other
regions was also lifted. This meant that people in Britain could buy cane or
beet-sugar from Europe or elsewhere at competitive prices.[15]
The death of Queely and the realization that
he was to inherit only debt-laden properties must have been a bitter blow to
William. Furthermore, a Codicil to Queely’s Will in early 1847 stipulated that
the surviving sons provide a large annuity of £500 for life to his daughter
Eleanor.[16] He
had been staring into the face of bankruptcy for some years and there now
seemed no way out of his financial problems.
Back in Montserrat by the early part of 1848,
William continued to attract censure from Administrator Baynes for the
inefficient management of his estates and the non-payment of his labourers. His
April 1850 Report to Governor Higginson describes him as “ possibly the evil genius of the
colony”.[17]
There were other accusations of impropriety against him as well, such as of not
paying the taxes due on a property under his care and then buying this
properties cheaply at the resulting forfeiture sale. (His defense was that he
was buying it back cheaply for the former owner.)
On top of all this, smallpox (1849) and then
cholera (1851) epidemics caused great distress and a further decline in
workforce numbers and morale on Montserrat.[18]
William was ruined and in late 1850 he was
forced to resign from Council on grounds of insolvency.[19] His father’s
old estates were confiscated [20]
and sold very cheaply [21]
and it is said that William and his wife Mary both died in 1853.[22]
There has been no record of their deaths located in Montserrat so it is likely
that after his financial ruin, William and Mary and the younger members of
their family may have gone elsewhere to live.
We were able to find only four further
mentions of this branch of the Shiell family in the Montserrat records. Dr
Griffin claimed that a young Queely later served on the Assembly but we have
not yet been able to confirm this and he may have been wrong. Henry Shiell, who
was probably the 1827 son of William, is mentioned as the leasee of the
Bransby’s Estate in 1852 [23]
and a Henry M. Shiell is noted as dying in 1869 at aged 42.[24]
These two Henrys were probably the same person. Rosetta, the wife of a Henry Shiell, received a
pension of 1 pound per month after his death [25] and died in
1886.
The Shiell name continued on Montserrat until recent times but the present bearers, who are very dark-skinned, have no idea of their ancestry prior to the early 20th century.[26] It is possible however, that they are descendants of John N. Shiell, a colored provision farmer, who may himself have been the natural son of Queely’s second son John.[27].
Known Historic References to William Shiell
1808. Appointed to Council of Montserrat.[28]
1808. William is Judge of Court of Chancery
and Grand Session (no salary).[29]
1808. William is appointed Adjutant General
of Militia.[30] This was the time of the 2nd
war involving Britain and the USA and
the area was on a war footing.[31]
1809. William mentioned as being on the Council. The President is Hon. Joseph Herbert.[32]
1810-1820. William is Postmaster at Plymouth,
Montserrat.[33]
1815, June 17th. William signs a
document as “acting Comptroller of Customs.[34]
1819. Colonel Shiell supported Attorney
General R Musgrave against F.Gore Willock.[35]
1823, January 8th. Mary McNamara gives birth to a son called
William. William Shiell, a planter, is
said to be the father.[36]
1822-25. William is still on Council. (Mary
McNamara, his presumed mistress, is recorded as paying taxes, so she was
obviously a small property owner or business woman in her own right).[37]
1826, June. William marries Mary Cabey
Semper, daughter of Dudley Semper. James Phipps Shiell was a witness according
to Montserrat historian Dr Griffin.[38]
1826, August. A son William is born to William and Mary (nee Semper).[39]
(Dr Griffin)
1827. A second son, Henry, is born to William and Mary.[40]
1834 . William Shiell is elected President of
Council.[41]
1835, August. William Shiell is suspended from Council over a legal matter.[42]
1836. William Shiell is back as President of
Council.[43]
1836. William Shiell and John Cannonier
jointly awarded £1693 in an amended award for slave compensation.[44]
1839-43. William is still President of
Council.
March 1840. Administrator Hamilton died and
William assumed the office of Administrator
”by virtue of his
office of President of the Council” - no annual salary but he is
given fees of £94. He is allowed a house and 10 days leave but took neither of
these.[45]
1840. Letter from William Shiell to Lord John
Rupert soliciting a job - presumably that of Administrator of the Government.[46]
1840, August 12th. William requests leave for one week to go to
Nevis on business- this was granted.[47]
1841. William is President Administering the Government of the Island
until August 1841.[48] Career administrator Edward Dacre Baynes was
eventually appointed, much to the annoyance of William.[49]
1841, June. William unsuccessfully solicits an army commission for his oldest legitimate son William.[50]
1842. May 7th Letter from William Shiell to
Lord Stanley, Principal Secretary of State for the Colonies.
William again solicits an army commission for his oldest legitimate
son, William, ” I am the father of 8 children, 3 receiving education in England and
3 upon the point of being sent there for a similar purpose”...” eldest son
William, now in his 16th year ”. [51]
1842. November. Riot in Plymouth, Montserrat.[52]
1843, Feb 8th- worst earthquake in Montserrat’s recorded history with great destruction and 6-8 deaths.[53]
1843, April. William again solicits a
commission for his son.[54]
1845. William still President of Council
!846, Aug 8th. Severe drought on Montserrat. President
Baynes on leave, so William is re-appointed Administrator of the Government
with a salary £250 for the period.[55]
1847 Aug 12th. William applies for 6 months leave of
absence.[56]
1847, September. William’s brother John dies
in Antigua. He was a Barrister at Law and the Chief Justice of the Island of
Antigua.[57]
1847,
November 27th . Queely Shiell dies in London.[58] The final Codicil to his Will of January
1847 leaves his debt-laden properties to his sons John (who had died 2 months
earlier) and William.[59]
1847, December. William is still President of Council and Baynes is back as Administrator.[60]
1847. A report by Administrator Baynes
criticizes the earthquake loan from the British Government to the Planters of
Montserrat. “…injurious
to the general interests of the island.
Of the whole amount of £20,000, £15,000 was lent to 5 individuals……..
The entire revenue of the country is answerable under the Act for the defaults
made by these individuals one, who received £6000, has not paid a single
sixpence and another who received £5000 has paid interest for one year only
although the time fixed for the payment for the third year is near at hand….” Property
values are down to half their listed value and William Shiell, no friend of
Baynes, is presumed to be one of these unnamed individuals.[61]
1847. William Shiell was listed as the manager of 16 sugar
estates and a number of stock estates.[62]
These
included 7 belonging to his father Queely valued at £44,700 and 5 belonging to
the “Heirs
of Dudley Semper”, valued at £27,500.[63]
These prices were quite unrealistic as the properties all carried heavy debts
and were virtually un-saleable. He
personally owned only one small stock estate (Morris’s) valued at £1000.
1848, William is censured by Baynes, (along
with some other attorneys) for inefficient management of estates and frequent
non-payment of wages to plantation laborers (which were 1 shilling local
currency per day).[64]
1849, December 4th. Letters from Mrs Therese
Kennedy, heiress of Sir Michael Cole and widow of Captain Kennedy, “…friend of
Mr Edmund Semper and Colonel Shiell….”
regarding the sale of her 350 acres for only £20 after late payment of £2 tax (W. Shiell the executor, who usually paid this tax for her, was laid up after a severe fall from his horse at the time).[65]
1850, March 13th. Dispatches-“Smallpox
prevailing to an appalling extent on Montserrat”.[66] October 31st. A report by
Administrator Baynes mentioned the double infliction of unusual drought and a
loathsome disease which prostrated in illness more than three fourths of our
population. [67]
1850, April 9th. Letter from
President Baynes to the Governor in Chief Mr Higginson complaining of William
Shiell……. “This man is possibly the evil genius of the colony, not only has he
by bad management ruined himself but he drags down the Island by him. It would
be hazardous under any circumstances to allow him ever again to administer the
government……”
In another letter he says
“…Mr. Shiell, who as storekeeper and
trader in this town was at the time largely engaged on mercantile and other
concerns…” [68]
1850, April 27 William Shiell writes to Rt.
Hon. Earl Grey, Principal Secretary of State for the Colonies seeking the job
of Provost Marshall.[69]
1850, May 17th. Correspondence of Mr. Richard Goodall, who
was appointed Master of Chancery, regarding bankruptcy and other charges
against William Shiell.[70]
1850, July 1st. Letter from B. Howes (a Public Servant in
England) to Mr. Higginson regarding the propriety of removing Mr.W. Shiell
from Council. “…. There are imputations too, affecting the conduct and character
of Mr. Shiell, which if established
against him, we suggest the propriety
of removing him from the seat which he holds in the Council of Montserrat,
and it is further alleged that he is
bankrupt, which under ordinary circumstances ought itself to be
disqualification. Lord Grey requests in particular to be furnished with your
opinion on this subject”.[71]
1850, July 9. W. Shiell applies again for the
job of Provost Marshall, also as Clerk of Court and Secretary of the Island.[72]
1850, 24th July. Further letter from Howes regarding William
Shiell. “…that Mr. Shiell, a Member of Council, is distinctly accused of
having, in his capacity of receiver in Chancery, neglected to pay taxes on
properties in his charge until they were put up for sale by the Provost
Marshall, and of having then bought the properties himself in his private
capacity for almost nominal prices. His only explanation is that he did not
intend to buy them for himself, but for the benefit of the parties for whom he
was acting in trust as Receiver - but he does not deny that the deeds were such
as to convey the property absolutely to himself. Neither is it denied that his
accounts received were not ordered as they ought to have been” [73]
In defense, William, in a letter dated 22 July 1850, claimed to have
been unable to pay the taxes on time because he was “dangerously ill at the time and confined to my bed.”
[74]
1850, Aug 12th. W. Shiell informs of the
death of Mr. Hamilton, the Provost Marshall (and the son of a former
President). He again requests the job as his replacement.[75]
???see above, July 9th
1850, Aug. 20th. A British Colonial Office official’s
attaches the following comments to Shiell’s letter of July 9th “But this is the person whose
conduct or misconduct rather as Receiver in Chancery in Montserrat has formed
the subject of a recent correspondence with Mr Higginson 20 Aug 1850”
1850, August 27th. Last date with
William Shiell in attendance as Council President.[76]
William Shiell resigns from Council on the
grounds of insolvency but there are further allegations against him.[77]
Other dates are given for his resignation elsewhere.[78]
1850, September 14, October 28 & 30.
Letters and complaints against Baynes and Dobridge.[79]
1850, Oct 31st. President Baynes reports on the 1849/50
smallpox epidemic, “the loathsome disease
which prostrated in illness three-fourths of our population” also
in the same letter ‘“the Asssembly
elections- a watershed with 6 whites and 6 coloreds being elected” [80]
1850, Nov 14th. Letter from William Shiell to Lord Grey
referring to a document listing Shiell properties seized and sold. “..My Estates which have been thus confiscated enabled
the proprietor, my late Father, to educate a large Family, of seven children.
The income from these properties amounted to more than £5000 per annum,
sterling, after deducting the expenses”.[81]He also
complains of the inappropriateness of appointing Mr Baynes, “a stranger who is totally
unconnected in the Island”, as President.
1851, January 28th. A 28-page letter from Governor Mackintosh to Earl Grey containing charges against
President Baynes, mentions William Shiell’s resignation or retirement in different places and asks that the
vacancy be not filled “because of
the difficulty under its present distressed circumstances in furnishing a
sufficient number of adequate candidates” [82].
1851, Feb 10th . President Baynes in a letter mentions “the street in the Strand between Messrs Sheill’s (sic) and Semper’s
stores”.[83]
1852. The Montserrat Council and Legislative
Assembly are amalgamated into a new Legislative assembly of 12 members (4 appointed and 8 elected by the
freeholders of the island for 3 year terms (2 from each of the 4 Parishes).
1852, August. The Montserrat Customs House
was closed.[84]
1852. Tuitt’s Estate, 200 acres, the property
of William Shiell was sold to Thomas Greer for £317 subject to repayment of the
£1050 loan form the British Government for repairs subsequent to the 1843
earthquake.[85]
1853. William Shiell senior dies - his wife
Mary dies the same year.[86]
1853, August. Henry Shiell, son of William’s brother James Phipps Shiell
arrives in Australia. After some years as a rural Clerk of Petty Sessions and
then Police Magistrate in New South Wales, he settled in Sydney as the city
Coroner.[87]
1853, December, William Shiell, illegitimate
son of ex-President William arrives in Australia as 2nd mate of the
brig “Gazelle”.[88]
1854. President Baynes is dismissed.
1869 February 1st. Henry M. Shiell died on Montserrat, aged 42.[89]
1886, Sept 30, Rosetta Shiell, wife of William’s
1827 son Henry, died aged 52.[90]
1889, January 30th. Henry Shiell, son of
James Phipps Shiell dies in Sydney Australia.[91]
1896, October 23rd. Mary Ann
Shiell, daughter of James Phipps Shiell, dies at “Warialda”, Australia.[92]
1899. William Shiell, the illegitimate son of
President William and Mary McNamara dies at Homebush, Victoria, Australia aged
76. He now has over 300 descendents in
Australia.[93]
APPENDICES
Appendix I. First Letter from
Dr Norman Griffin to Dr Richard Shiell
25th August1974
Richmond
Hill, Montserrat, West Indies.
Dear Dr
Shiell,
I was
interested in reading your letter asking for information about your Montserrat
family published in the “Montserrat Mirror” of 16th instant. It
happens that William G. Shiell, who seems to have been the first on the scene
came out from Ireland at much the same time as my great-grandfather, John
Griffin who was born in Hutchin, Hertfordshire, England, in 1784 and married in
Montserrat in 1815.
William
G. Shiell, was born in 1784 and married in Montserrat in 1826 to Mary Caby
Semper, daughter of Michael Joseph Semper.
This was in June 1826 and in August (2 months after) a son was born and
named William. We have no further
record of this son and it could be that he was your great-grandfather who
arrived in Australia as Mate on the brig Gazelle in 1853; maybe he ran away to
sea from school either in Montserrat or in England.
Of the
other children of Wm G. Shiell we have few records. Several seem to have died
as children; the family lived at The Grove or at Richmond ( these two estates
probably even then run as one). Another son Henry was born in 1827; John Ross
was born in 1834, James Phipps in 1836, Queely in 1837, and the last, born in
1850, was also given the name of William but died at 5 months.
When
Queely was born William G Shiell was President of the Council of Montserrat; in 1848 he owned one estate called
Morris’ in the South of Montserrat (small and unimportant in comparison with
many others), but was Attorney for about 10 others including a number shown on
a list of Montserrat estates as owned by Queely Shiell; he was also Executor,
Lessee or Receiver in Chancery of another 14 estates. Presumably as President
of the Council he had to divest himself of some of his properties, giving his
son the titles. Wm. G. Shiell died in 1853 as did his wife Mary.
In
1849, Henry Shiell, Bachelor, married Mary Ann Wilcox, and we have reasons to
believe that he emigrated to Australia but have no idea as to whether he was in
touch with any of your family. In 1851, Thomas Masters Howes (of Yorkshire
England) who had come out from England in 1835 married a Mary Ann Shiell
(relationship not defined) and in 1879,
2 years after her husband died, she went out to Australia with her 2
daughters, one of whom married a McMaster whose son Shiell McMaster became a
landowner and sheep farmer in New South Wales. It is thought that Mary Ann was some
relation of Henry’s and went out to him in Australia.
Sorry
that this Aerogramme does not leave room for more. There is a long story about
another family named Shiel (with one l) starting with one Matthew Dowdye Shiel
who came out from Ireland and claimed descent from ancient kings of that
country. If you are interested I will write again.
Norman
Griffin M.D. (Mc Gill 1922)
Appendix II, Second Letter from
Dr Norman Griffin to Dr Richard Shiell
29th
October 1974.
Richmond
Hill, Montserrat,
West Indies.
Dear Dr
Shiell,
Thanks
for your letter of 17th September received on 25th. I
agree generally with some of your deductions from information available and in
particular about the likelihood that your William Shiell may have been the son
of the original William before his marriage to Mary Cabey Semper. Sorry I
cannot check on the 1823 dates as all records of the births before 1829 have
been lost.
As
regards the economic conditions of Montserrat in the 1840-1860 period, the
effects of emancipation of slavery which took place in 1834 was becoming felt
and the labour situation was difficult. Many estates were sold for indebtedness
or changed hands to newcomers at a fraction of the value a which they were
rated a few years earlier.
It
seems that Queely Shiell was the only
one of the original William who like his father was interested in agriculture;
he followed his father as a Member of Council and in charge of the Richmond and
Grove Estates. It is suggested that the
other brothers followed some other
calling, either in business or in Government, though we have no records to
confirm this assumption. Certainly none of them produced a family in
Montserrat.
The
family history would not be complete
without the story of the
Shiels (spelt with one “ l “) written
up by Charlesworth Ross six years ago in the Caribbean Quarterly, a publication
of the Extra Mural Department of the University of the West Indies. It begins with Matthew Dowdye Shiel who
claimed descent from the ancient Kings of Ireland and was living in Montserrat
in 1865 and trading between Montserrat and the neighboring islands. He had had
8 daughters before producing a son named Matthew Phipps Shiel born shortly
before that date. This son went to live
in England where he became a novelist and got to know many celebrities such as
Robert Louis Stephenson and Wilde; he was quite a linguist and once had a job
as interpreter to the International Congress of Hygiene and Demography.
Charlesworth
Ross, himself a West Indian, whom I know very well went to visit him in his
later years when he was living in an Alms House near Horsham on a Civil List
Pension, and had a very interesting conversation with him. He afterwards wrote
up his story describing him as the first West Indian Novelist. He discovered that
his Grandmother was one of the Shiel sisters. Of his other sisters we know
little, except that the last surviving one was still alive in 1935 and living
in St. Kitts with a niece. She was in looks much as you describe other Shiell
descendants in Australia. It may well be that Matthew Dowdye Shiel was an
illegitimate son of the original William Shiell in Montserrat.
I hope this is of interest to you
Sincerely, Norman Griffin.
Appendix III…. Petition from William Shiell to Lord Stanley, Secretary of
State for the Colonies, stating his credentials and seeking assistance in
procuring an Army Commission for his oldest son.
Montserrat
7 May 1842
To the
Right Honorable Lord Stanley
Her
Majesty’s Principal Secretary of State for the Colonies
The
Humble Memorial of William Shiell
President of Her Majesty’s Council for the Island of Montserrat
Humbly Sheweth,
That your Memorialist was appointed
a Member of Her Majesty’s Council, in the year 1808 and has continued to act in
that capacity ever since, being a period of thirty two years, that he succeeded
in the month of March 1840, upon the death of Mr President Hamilton, to the
local government of the Colony, which he administered until the Month of August
1841, without deriving any Emolument from the Crown, or the Colony, to the
satisfaction of those who were placed in authority over him, and with advantage
to the general Interests of all classes of Her Majesty’s Subjects in the
Island.
That he was superseded in the government of the Colony by Mr Edward
Dacres Baynes, the Provost Marshal of Dominica, by Mandamus under Her Majesty’s Royal Sign Manual, and
that he receives from the Crown five hundred Pounds per annum, as the Officer
Administering the government of the said Colony.
That your Memorialist always anxious
to support the dignity of the Station, to which he had been involuntarily
called to fill, entertained at his own private expense, all public
functionaries who visited the island in their Official Capacities, during the
period that he administered the government of the Colony.
That your Memorialist is the Father
of Eight children, three of them receiving their Education in England, and
three upon the point of being sent there
for as similar purpose, that he is desirous, having served her Majesty’s
Royal Predecessors, and Her most Gracious Majesty, with the strictest fidelity,
in his said capacity as a Member of Her Majesty’s Council, And as President
administering the Government of the Colony, during his term of office, to
obtain a Commission, in the Army for his Eldest Son William Shiell, now in his
Sixteenth Year, but that he is prevented from purchasing the same, from a
variety of concurring causes not necessary to be enumerated here, without doing
a manifest Injury to the Interests and claims of his other children.
That your Memorialist therefore most
humbly solicits your Lordship to take the premises into your consideration, by
using your intercession in his behalf and recommending him in the proper
quarter, as one not undeserving of the Royal favor, with the view of procuring
for his said Son William Shiell a Commission in Her Majesty’s Army, in any
Regiment of the line, which may be deemed by those in Authority, most fitting
and expedient to appoint him.
And your Memorialist as in duty bound,
will ever pray.
Wm. Shiel
Appendix IV.
From William Shiell- Report of the Montserrat Blue Book for
the year 1846
Mr Baynes in his Report of the Blue Book for the year 1845
has so fully and amply enlarged upon every subject connected with the general statistics
of the colony, that it would only be a repetition and waste of words if I were
to attempt to write anything in addition to that able and valuable document, to
which I must only pray a reference for the general and very useful information
it conveys.
The metayer or metae system, adverted to by Mr Baynes in his
Report, has made considerable progress since he left the government of the
colony; many of the proprietory body, not having capital or funds to cultivate
at their own expense their estates, have been compelled to resort to this
system, allowing the labourers in some instances one-half of the produce made,
in others one-third; and there are at this moment not less than twelve estates
in this island in actual operation under this system of cultivation, so that
there is every reasonable probability there will be an increase in the staple
export of the island to what it has been for several preceding years, in
consequence of those estates that were abandoned being brought again under
cultivation.
The sensible remarks noticed by Mr Baynes on the subject of emigration need scarcely be
adverted to by me, were it not for the circumstances that since he has left the
colony Her Majesty’s enlightened Government have done away with the payment of
all bounties on the removal of labourers from one colony to another, and which has conferred the greatest boon on
the island.
The facilities afforded to emigration to the insalubrious
climate of Trinidad and British Guiana since the 1st of August,
1838, from having two vessels continually employed from this port in conveying away its labourers, would in a
short time have denuded this little colony of its adult population, had it not
been for the timely interference of Her Majesty’s benevolent Government in putting
a stop to so nefarious a traffic.
Being largely connected with the landed interest of the
colony, I have much satisfaction in reporting, that since the prohibition matters have assumed a more healthy
state, the labourers more settled in their habits, and apparently contented with being located on their respective
estates. The population of the island
for the year ending 31st December, 1846, is 3336 males, 4029
females, total 7365; of which 3742 are employed in agriculture. Births 223,
marriages 45; deaths 119’manifesting an evident increase in its
population.
…………..notes on imports and exports…………………..
Notwithstanding the island is and has been for months
visited with a severe drought, to the
extent of retarding considerably the ensuing crop, there is every reason for
congratulation in the apparent rising prosperity of the colony; and should it
be vouchsafed, under Divine permission, to fructify the parched and arid lands
with an abundance of refreshing showers, we may still indulge in the pleasing
expectation that the ensuing year may prove prosperous, and compensate the
proprietor of the soil for all his trouble and expense.
Wm. Shiell, President.
Appendix V.
Dispatch from Governor Higginson to Earl Grey
Government House, Antigua
June 7, 1847
My
Lord,
I have
the honour to forward the Blue Book of Montserrat for 1846 together with the
Report accompanying it, from the President administering the Government.
I have
so lately addressed your Lordship in regard to the condition of this island that
it seems unnecessary for me on the present occasion to trouble your Lordship on
the subject, further than to remark
that Mr President Shiell appears to take a more favourable view of its
prospects than I was lead to form during my recent visit, and which I earnestly
trust may be justified by the result.
The President’s long experience and intimate acquaintance with the past
and present state of Montserrat afford him the means of arriving at, probably,
a more correct estimate of its capabilities than my limited knowledge enabled
me to do. His expectations seem to be founded, in a degree, upon the successful
working of the metayer system of cultivation, which is now being more
frequently adopted; and we may reasonably anticipate that if by that or any other
method the numerous estates now lying abandoned can be reclaimed, and more
general advantage can be taken of the undoubted resources of the colony,
considerable progress will be made in restoring this once flourishing and still
beautiful island to its former wealth and prosperity.
I have,
& etc
J.M.
Higginson
Appendix VI
Final Codicil from the typed transcription of Queely Shiell’s
Last Will and Testament ( For the entire transcript of this long
and detailed Will please see biography of Queely Shiell by the same authors)
This is the third Codicil to the last Will and Testament of
me Queely Shiell formerly of the Island of Montserrat in the West Indies but
now of Clarges St. in the County of Middlesex Esquire which Will bears date the
twenty ninth day of April one thousand eight hundred and forty four whereas I
have by the second Codicil to my said Will and which bears date the twenty
second day of November one thousand eight hundred and forty five given to my
granddaughters Eleanor Allan and Louisa Allan an annuity of three hundred
pounds for their lives and the life of the survivor charged on my West India
Estates to take effect after the decease of their mother Eleanor Allan and it
is my intention that my said granddaughters shall have an annuity of four
hundred pounds instead of the said annuity of three hundred pounds Now therefore I do revoke the said annuity
of three hundred pounds bequeathed by my said second Codicil And I give to my said granddaughters and to
the survivor of them in lieu thereof during their and her lives and life an
annuity of four hundred pounds to take effect only in case my said
granddaughters or either of them shall be living at the decease of my daughter
Eleanor Allan and to be charged and chargeable and which I do hereby
accordingly charge upon and against my West India Estates and to be payable and
paid at such and the same times and to be recoverable together with a
proportionate part up to the day of the decease of the survivor of my said
granddaughters in such and the same manner as the said annuity of three hundred
pounds was intended to be under the provisions and powers in that behalf
contained in my said second Codicil all of which provisions and powers it is my
intention shall be applicable and incident to the annuity hereby bequeathed and
intended to be substituted as if the same powers and provisions were herein
repeated And in addition to such
personal estate in Great Britain which I shall die possessed of and which by my
said second Codicil I have bequeathed to my said daughter Eleanor Allan as
therein mentioned I give and bequeath to her all and every sum and sums of
money charged upon or due or owing to me or to which I am entitled from
Gerrald’s Estate and Trants Estate respectively in the Island of Montserrat and
the securities for the same respectively
And I devise to my said daughter Eleanor Allan her heirs executors
administrators and assigns all such estate right title and interest which I am
in any manner entitled to by way of mortgage or otherwise in the same several
estates or either of them in respect of the monies owing to me therefrom And I also give to my said daughter all and
every sums and sum due and owing to me from John Kirwan now or late of the said
Island of Montserrat Esquire on his xxxxxxx[bono?] and Warrant of Attorney
Indguient or otherwise howsoever And
whereas under and by virtue of my second Codicil and this present Codicil my
two sons will become entitled as tenants in common in fee simple to all my
plantations and lands with the buildings works machinery cattle live and other
dead stock upon or belonging thereto in the said Island of Montserratt or
elsewhere in the West Indies subject and charged with the annuity of five
hundred pounds bequeathed by my said second Codicil to my said daughter Eleanor
Allan and with the said contingent annuity of four hundred pounds hereby
bequeathed as aforesaid Now my Will is
and I do hereby direct and declare that the property to which my said Sons
shall so become entitled shall likewise by subject and liable to all and every or any debts or debt
sums and sum of money whatsoever due or owing by me therefrom at the time of my
decease and to all liabilities (if any) incurred by me or on my behalf in
respect thereof or any part thereof or otherwise in the said Island of
Montserratt in the West Indies in exoneration and discharge of my personal
Estate in Great Britain and of such other specific personal estate as I have
hereby bequeathed it being my intention that the benefits intended for my said
daughter shall be freed of all my West India debts and liabilities whatsoever
and save so far as the same is hereby altered I confirm my said Second Codicil
in all other respects In witness
whereof I the said Queely Shiell the Testator have to this Third Codicil to my
last Will and Testament set my hand and seal this first day of January in the
year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and forty seven - Queely Shiell - xxxxx -
Signed sealed published acknowledged and declared by the said Queely Shiell the
Testator as and for a third Codicil to his last Will and Testament in the
presence of us we being present together at the same time who at his request in
his presence and in the presence of each other have hereunto subscribed our
names as witnesses - Matt Hale Ely Place Solr - Clifton Nielson - Wm Shuckburgh
Garlick Clerks to Messrs Hale Boys & Austin Ely Place Solicitors
Proved at London with three Codicils the 18th
December 1847 before the Worshipful William Galvert Gurtsis Doctor of Laws and
Surrogate by the Oath of John Hopton Forbes Esquire one of the Executors for
Great Britain to whom Administration was granted having been first sworn only
to administer power reserved of making the like grant to Sir Samuel Scott
Baronet the other Executor for Great Britain when he shall apply for the same.
Appendix VII
Letter from Edward D. Baynes President, to the Governor in Chief of the Leeward Islands( Mr I.M Higginson Esquire) dated 9th
April 1850
Government House
Montserrat 9th April 1850
Confidential
Sir,
Circumstances
have occurred since I addressed Your Excellency my confidential despatch of the
28thultimo that render it, I think advisable that I should
communicate again with Your Excellency on the subject. An overwhelming number of executions have been recorded against Mr
Shiell the President of the Council, and the Marshal has in consequence levied
on the stock of every property belonging to,
or rented by him in the island. The result will be, that as he is, under
one designation, or another, proprietor, lessee, attorney, Receiver, or
Executor, in possession of 17 out of the 35 Sugar Estates in the island that
what from the want of cattle and want of means half of the growing crops will
not be taken off and the cane in all probability will be left to perish on the
ground. At the mean time the labourers remain unpaid and have such large sums
due to them while there is not the remotest chance of their ever obtaining even
their half of the sugar belonging to the negroes on the properties marked on
the metayer system has been seized. It is to be feared with this example of bad
faith before their eyes, the labourers on the other properties conducted on
this plan will throw up the work on their hands.
This
man is possibly the evil genius of the colony, not only has he by bad
management ruined himself but he drags down the island by him. It would be hazardous under any
circumstances to allow him ever again
to administer the government.
I stated in my last that he interfered too
much with the Treasury. I have since
learned that during my absence he was not only in the habit of forcing the
Treasurer to pay the Treasury paper in his hands before all other demands but
even in preference to the prior lien prescribed by law such as the amounts
allotted for the maintenance of the poor on one of which occasions Mr Burns a
Member of the Board of Guardians resigned his seat.
When I
returned here in August 1847 I found that the people refused to pay the cattle
tax then due, Mr Shiell the Administrator of the Government in conjunction with
Mr Armstrong and others having spread about a report that the tax was illegal.
Under the resistance manifested against this impost when Your Excellency was in
the island. Mr Shiell had actually
encouraged it the people to oppose it by suffering his name to be included in
the levy warrant, for every estate under his charge.
Before
he left Montserrat in August 1847 and whilst still in the Administration of the
Government he drew on his father the late Mr Queely Shiell for £419-13-7 to pay
the interest on the loan from Government. Being in London when the Bill
arrived, he went to Messrs Kensington of Mincing Lane who had it possession,
and there accepted the bill which he himself had drawn as his father’s attorney
in Montserrat, which he was, alleging that he was also his father’s attorney in
England, which he was not. I
send a copy of the original bill which is in my possession. It was of course
protested and returned unpaid. I
however compelled him to pay the Commissioners on his return.
I wish
specially to observe that in communicating these facts, they are by no means to
be received in the light of charges now brought against Mr Shiell, but
as given simply in order to afford Your
Excellency the fullest information on Your Excellency’s question as to the
expediency of Mr Shiell being again allowed to administer the Government.
I may
however remark in conclusion that setting aside the additional and immediate
blow, the country is likely to receive from the failure of Mr Shiell and the
too probable destruction in consequence of half the crop spared by the drought
his removal and that of Mr Trott who is in similar circumstances from the list
of proprietors both of them so long the drawback and the deadweight of the
colony and the inveterate opposers of everything in the shape of improvement will
be the most fortunate event than can befall the country supposing their large
and valuable estates pass into the hands of parties possessed of capital to
carry on the cultivation on a wiser system and more liberal scale.
I have
the honor to be
Edward D.
Baynes
President
Appendix VIII
Letter from William Shiell to Rt Hon. Earl Grey, Principal
Sec. of State for the Colonies -
dated April 27 1850 (CO 7 97)
My
Lord,
The
perfidious conduct of a Friend has reduced my Wife and Self with seven children
to a state of beggary, and an Estate in this Island which has been in my Family
for a period of one hundred and fifty years wrested from us forever- But why
make this appeal to your Lordship, but to incite your sympathy and compassion
in my behalf- I am now, My Lord, sixty five years of age at too advanced a
period of life to visit other climes to repair my shattered fortunes- I have
been upwards of forty years a Member of her Majesty’s Council in this Island
and have administered the Govt of the Colony upon two successive occasions and
think with all submission and deference, I am entitled to some little
consideration -The Provost Marshall of this Island is in a precarious state of
life, and not expected to live many days, and if your Lordship should deem me
worthy to succeed him in the event of his death I most humbly crave your
Lordships nomination to the appointment. It will be the means of preserving my
wife and children from starvation. Lord Glenelg appointed the present
Gentleman, Mr Hamilton to the situation, who was the son of my predecessor Mr
President Hamilton.
I am
the honor to be,
My
Lord,
Your Lordship’s
Most
Dutiful and Humble Servt,
Wm. Shiell
Appendix IX.
Excerpts from a printed document or leaflet from around late
1850 which, although unsigned, almost certainly originated from the pen of William Shiell.
William paid to have this item inserted in
every newspaper from British Guiana to Jamaica. The purpose of this is made
clear in the final sentence. “This enumeration of Property specified, and which
has been sacrificed for one fortieth part of its value, is only brought under
the notice of the Public to shew the manner in which property is confiscated in
this island, when sold and brought under the hammer of a Marshal’s Sale.”
MONTSERRAT
………………….
Lately sold
in this Island, by Marshal’s Sale, the following under-mentioned Sugar and
Cotton Estates, including Stock of every description, with a variety of
Furniture, Silver and Plated articles, &c.,&c., three Houses
in the Town of Plymouth , with Plantation Stores attached, and Lumber Yards to
two of them, Twenty hogsheads of Sugar,
and Three puncheons Molasses, the whole of which did not exceed the amount, or
realize more than twelve hundred pounds sterling.
Six Sugar
Estates comprising by estimation, 1000 acres of cane, pasture and provision
land, with two Wind Mills and two Horse Mills, in complete repair, three sets
of Works, all recently repaired, with Clarifyer and Coppers in them,
sufficiently capable of boiling off annually, 400 heavy hogsheads Sugar, with
large Still, Condenser, and Worm attached to one of them, also a Dwelling
House, containing large dining room and drawing Rooms, five bed Chambers, with
a Marble Gallery around the house with Out offices attached, all recently
repaired, and a large Garden contiguous.
Four of these Sugar Estates, gave
the late Proprietor, when Sugar was
very high, £20,000 sterling in one year, and for several consecutive
years, upwards of £5000 per annum after deducting expenses.
Two Cotton and
Provision Estates, situated at the South part of the Island, containing upwards
of 600 acres of Land, with fifty Mules, one hundred and fifty head of Cattle,
forty Asses, several Horses, and a flock of Sheep, with Furniture, Silver and
Plated articles, an extensive and valuable Library, a four wheel Carriage and Gig with Harness complete to the former,
twenty hogsheads of Sugar, three puncheons Molasses, the whole of which did not
sell for more than £1200 Sterling. This enumeration of Property specified, and
which has been sacrificed for one fortieth part of its value, is only brought
under the notice of the Public to shew the manner in which property is
confiscated in this island, when sold and brought under the hammer of a
Marshal’s Sale.
Appendix X
Details of Properties Managed by William Shiell and nominal
value in 1841 (very optimistic prices even at that time, and things became much
worse in the years ahead)
As Owner
MORRIS’S
£1,000
As manager for his father Queely
TUITE’S/BETHEL & HARRIS £20,000
As Receiver in Chancery and manager for the
“Heirs of Dudley Semper”
STREATHAM’S & RILEY’S £7,000
HERMITAGE
£10,000
GERMAN BAY
£3,500
WEEKS
£6,000
EDMUND SEMPER COVE (stock) £1,000
As Executor
GERALDS
£7,000
TRANTS and LOCUST VALLEY £7,900
As Attorney
NEEDSMUST £8,000 (owned by Mrs Ann Jeffers)
As Lessee
DUBERRY’S
£1,500
SPRING & REID’S HILL £10,000
OLD ROAD
£7,000
SIR PATRICK BLAKES £2,000
AMERSHAM
£8,000
Others
BRANSBURY”S £7,000
DELVIN (Owned by Mrs
John Shiell and daughters)
After the death of his father Queely, William
was in 1847 listed as the Resident Proprietor of the following
properties previously owned by his father-
BALAAMS
FRYES
GROVE & RICHMOND
Appendix XI
Extract from a letter from William Shiell to Lord John Rupert
dated 12th March 1840
……….“Having
been upwards of thirty years a member of Her Majesty’s Council in this Island I
venture with all humility respectfully, to solicit your Lordship’s sanction and
confirmation that I should succeed that Gentleman in the Local Government of
the Colony and to which my long service as the Senior Member of the Board may
entitle me to have some claim”……
[1]
see
separate biography by the above authors on the website http://www.alangullette.com/lit/shiel/family/Shiell_Queely.htm
[2]
The
author exchanged two letters with Montserrat amateur historian Dr Norman
Griffin in 1974. (See Appendix I & II). He provided much material on
William Shiell and his family. Some of this material has been independently
verified but appeared he may have been writing from memory and several errors
have already been detected. This
material will be a challenge for later researchers.
[3]
. In 1979, Mr
A. Reynolds Morse, a wealthy American industrialist and ardent fan of the writings of M.P. Shiel, published a book
entitled “The
Quest for M.P. Shiel’s Realm of Redonda”. In this book he quotes
from an interview with elderly, amateur Montserrat author and historian Dolores
Somerville. She said that William
Phipps Shiell married Mary Cabey Semper in 1823 (rather than 1826 as we
believe). Mrs Somerville did not say where she obtained her information.
[4]
When
admitted to Lincoln’s Inn London on 22
October 1808 he is recorded as John Shiell, Gent, aged 20, son of Queily Shiell of
Montserrat . (Lincoln’s Inn Archives)
[5]
. The Phipps families were prominent in the
West Indies, and were to be found in
abundance on St Kitts. In 1746, six Phipps brothers( including a James Phipps )
and their nephew, comprised half of the Assembly of St Kitts. Good genealogical
material has been published on people of that name in the book Carobbeana and elsewhere,
[6]
Marriage
certificate of William Shiell Jn. to Hannah Burkinshaw at Homebush, Victoria,
Australia dated 1st November 1860. The couple
had 8 children and leave many descendants including the present authors who are
two of their great-grandchildren. ( see Montserrat
to Melbourne- The Story of a Shiell Family in Australia by Dorothy
Anderson and Richard Shiell - Packenham Press 1984).
[7]
Dr
Griffin said that Mary’s father was Michael Joseph Semper. He was incorrect, as
from the Wills of both Micheal and Dudley Semper it is clear that Michael had
no children, and Mary was one of the many children of Dudley Semper. There was
considerable antipathy between William Shiell senior and Dudley Semper dating from as early as 1816
so it is likely that this union was without her father’s approval and she may
have had to wait until she was 21. She was
at an advanced stage of pregnancy and her son was born 4 months after the
wedding. Dudley made careful provision
in his Will that, on his death none of his Estate would fall into the hands of
William Shiell or Mary’s children by William. (thanks to
Claudia Semper, a descendent of Dudley Semper for a copy of the Wills of both
Dudley and Michael Joseph Semper).
[8]
see
Appendix III.
[9]
see
Appendix IV.
[10]
This
letter is transcribed in Appendix III. A note from Governor Fitzroy accompanied
this letter and on the back of this letter a civil servant has written…
“I
believe that to obtain a Commission in the Army without purchase is
almost as difficult as to obtain a Peerage, except in the case of successful
students at Sandhurst. Neither can I think that the claims of Mr Shiell could
be put for a moment in comparison with those of Military Officers of high rank,
who after spending long years in the Army are unable to obtain this advantage
for their sons.”
[11]
. Various methods were
tried to attempt to induce the former slaves to continue in manual labour
including an apprenticeship scheme and a later system, whereby the workers shared up to half the crop with the
proprietor ( the “metayer” system). This system did not work well as the former
slaves had always grown their own food on rent-free allotments and had little
requirement for money.
[12]
see
Appendix IV - source CO7 97
[13]
see
Dispatch to Lord Grey by Governor Higginson -Appendix VII ( source CO7 98).
[14] . Montserrat’s slaves had been emancipated in 1834 and all the owners were compensated by the British Government with amounts depending on the value of each slave. Queely Shiell had been the largest landowner on Montserrat and in 1841 seven years after emancipation of his slaves, the value of Queely’s 5 remaining sugar plantations was still listed optimistically at £44,500. In addition he had 2 stock estates (£400) and 3 properties in Plymouth (L1,150) making him still the largest property owner on Montserrat. See biography of Queely Shiell by the present authors Richard Shiell and Dorothy Anderson at the website http://www.alangullette.com/lit/shiel/family/Shiell_Queely.htm
[15]
The
Montserrat sugar producers were notably inefficient. They were unwilling, as
well as financially unable, to modernize the cultivation and processing
necessary to produce cheaper sugar. For instance, cultivation was by old
fashioned iron hoes. There was no attempt to use the new German steel hoes. There were few horse-drawn ploughs and no
steam powered sugar mills on the Island at all until after 1835.
[16]
see
appendix VI
[17]
see
Appendix VII - source CO7 98
[18]
BPP, H of
C 1851, Vol 34
[19]
CO 7 98
[20]
T. Savage
English typescript, page 204
[21]
see
Appendices VIII, IX and X
[22]
Dr Norman
Griffin
[23]
T. Savage
English typescript, page 205
[24]
Montserrat
monument inscription
[25]
Old
Montserrat Treasury Cash Books
[26]
see Montserrat
to Melbourne- The Story of a Shiell Family in Australia by Dorothy
Anderson and Richard Shiell – (Packenham Press 1984)
[27]
see
separate biography of John Shiell by the above authors on the website http://www.alangullette.com/lit/shiel/family/Shiell_John.htm
[28]
CO 178
18 and
Blue Book 1848
[29] CO 178 1 and Blue Book 1829
[30]
CO
152 91
[31]
William
still held this position along with the
honorary title of “Colonel “ some 40 years later although “the Militia of this Colony was abolished
many years since but Officers were permitted to retain their ranks in event
of it being found necessary to raise a Volunteer Corps” (CO 178 19)
[32] C0 177 17
[33] CO 10 6
[34]
CUST 34
503. The Comptroller at the time was his father, Queely Shiell, who was
evidently on leave.
[35]
CO 7 26
[36]
1860
Australian marriage certificate of William jn. Although
there is only circumstantial evidence linking Colonel William Shiell and the
infant, no other planter called William Shiell has been found on the small
island of Montserrat.
[37]
CO 177 21
[38]
Personal
communication from Dr Norman Griffin1974- (see Appendix I)
[39]
Personal
communication from Montserrat historian, Dr Norman Griffin, 1974- (see Appendix
I)
[40] Ibid.
[41] CO 177 22
[42] CO 177 22
[43]
CO 177 22
and H of C 1843, Vol.33
[44]
BPP H of
C 1838 V 15
[45]
CO 178 10
[46]
CO 7 63
[47]
CO 7 63
[48]
CO 177 2
[49]
CO 7 98
[50] CO 393 6
[51]
CO 7 72- see also Appendix III
[52] CO 7 73
[53]
H of C
1843, V33
[54]
CO 393
6
[55]
H of C
1847 V37 and CO 177 25
[56]
It is
interesting to speculate on whether this visit to London was a result of his
dispute with Baynes or to visit his aged and possibly ailing father Queely
Shiell?
[57] CO 178 17 and CO 7 88
[58] Death
certificate
[59] See Appendix VI. From the meager income of these debt-laden
properties all his debts must be paid and a specified sum of £500 must be paid
annually to Queely’s widowed daughter Mrs Eleanor Allan.
[60] CO 177 25
[61]
Blue Book
for Montserrat
[62] H of C 1848, V45
[63]
These heirs
probably did not include William’s wife Mary as Dudley had specifically barred
her from receiving any benefits from his will when she married William. William
was Lessee of another 5 estates valued at £28,500 and Executor for another 3
properties valued at £23,200.
[64]
Blue Book
for Montserrat.
[65] CO 7 97
[66] CO 393
[67] CO 177 26
[68]
CO 7 98.
It is presumed to refer to William Shiell but could have been Matthew Dowdy
Shiell who was also a trader by this time. A store was not mentioned in the
forced sale of William’s assets in late 1850. In another letter from Baynes on
10th Feb 1851 he mentions “the street in the Strand between Messrs Sheill’s
(sic) and Semper’s stores”
[69] CO 7 97 (see Appendix VIII)
[70] Open shelf register, Kew PRO
[71] CO 393 9
[72]
CO 7
97 (See Colonial Office comment
on August 20th below)
[73] CO 393 9
[74] CO 7 97
[75]
CO 7 97
[76]
CO 177 26
[77]
CO 7 97
[78] CO 393
8 gives the date September 1850, while
CO 714 4 ???? lists 28th
January 1851.
[79]
CO 7 97
[80] CO 177 26
[81]
CO 7 97
[82]
CO 7 98.
There were less than 100 white adult, land owning males on Montserrat by this
time and even fewer with the interest or educational ability to fill all the
legislative positions available.
[83]
2 in No
18 BPP, H of C, A & P, 1851, Vol 34. It is unclear whether this is William
Shiell’s store or that of Matthew Dowdy Shiell? The latter was a trader and
storekeeper by the 1860s and possibly even much earlier. The store was not
listed amongst the properties confiscated from William and forcibly sold after
his bankruptcy.
[84]
CO 7 101
[85] Typescript
by T. Savage English, page 205. By this stage William had inherited all his father’s
numerous estates but even after they were sold off for 1/40th of
their former valuation they did not bring enough to prevent William’s
bankruptcy.
[86]
Dr.
Norman Griffin, personal communication 1974.
[87]
See biography of Henry Shiell (1827-1889) by
Richard Shiell and Dorothy Anderson on the website http://www.alangullette.com/lit/shiel/family/Shiell_Henry.htm
[88]
William
jr. married in Victoria, Australia and leaves many descendants including the
present authors who are two of his great-grandchildren. ( see Montserrat
to Melbourne- The Story of a Shiell Family in Australia by Dorothy
Anderson and Richard Shiell - Packenham Press 1984) and also website http://www.alangullette.com/lit/shiel/family/Shiell_William.htm
[89]
Monument
inscription on Montserrat. It is not known for sure if this Henry was the 1827
son of William Shiell mentioned by Dr Griffin but the birth date makes this
highly likely. As he stayed on in Montserrat after the death of his father it
is possible that his wife Rosetta was a colored woman and the couple had a poor
future off the island. We have no record or knowledge of any children from this
couple.
[90]
Rosetta
had received a pension of £1 per month since the death of her husband in 1869
(Old Treasury Cash Books, Montserrat).
[91] See Henry Shiell at http://www.alangullette.com/lit/shiel/family/Shiell_Henry.htm
[92]
See Mary
Ann Shiell at http://www.alangullette.com/lit/shiel/family/Shiell_Mary_Ann.htm
[93]
See “Montserrat to Melbourne” by Dorothy
Anderson and Richard Shiell, Pakenham Press 1984 and William Shiell at http://www.alangullette.com/lit/shiel/family/Shiell_William.htm
Copyright © 2005 By Richard Shiell and Dorothy Anderson.
Used with permission of the
authors.