Sir William Beeston papers, 1698-1724.

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Summary

Abstract:
This collection contains a portion of Sir William Beeston's journal as well as correspondence and receipts relating to his Jamaica estate.
Extent:
2 Linear Feet (1 box)
Language:
Materials are in English.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. Sir William Beeston papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Background

Scope and content:

This collection contains Sir William Beeston's correspondence and a journal segment from his second tenure as Governor of Jamaica. The correspondence from April 1702 discusses the management of his estate after Beeston was recalled as governor and includes instructions for the management of his enslaved workers. The first four items on an inventory of property he is leaving in Jamaica are property receipts for enslaved workers, one who is identified as Maria. The inventory also includes a line discharging a woman and her child, presumably a manumission of an enslaved woman and child.

The journal, dating from September 1698 to June 1699 with the days of the week noted using astrological signs, covers the first expedition of Scottish colonists in the Gulf of Darien who attempted to establish the colony New Caledonia, and the initial English and Spanish response. Beeston includes mention of Richard Long, captain of the ship Rupert Prize as well as Vice-Admiral John Benbow, naval commander of the West Indies. Also in the journal are entries about outfitting vessels against pirates as well as the search for the pirate William Burke. When writing about ships carrying enslaved persons, Beeston uses the term "ye Assiento" to refer to the trade of enslaved persons with the Spanish.

There is also correspondence from George Bennett and Mary Rule to Jane Modyford Long, Sir William Beeston's daughter, discussing the estate and a list of items to be sent from England to Jamaica. Lastly, there are receipts from 1721-1724 for the Jamaica estate.

Biographical / historical:

Sir William Beeston was born in 1636 and went to Jamaica in 1660 during one of the first waves of British colonists. He was elected to the colony's House of Assembly in 1664. Throughout the 1660s and 1670s, he participated in naval campaigns against pirates in the Caribbean as well as Spanish and French privateers, and, in 1675, he was appointed commissioner of the admiralty along with Sir Henry Morgan. In 1690, while Charles Howard, the Earl of Carlisle, was Governor of Jamaica, Beeston was arrested and deported due to his opposition to the Jamaican government being assimilated by the crown. Beeston received a knighthood in 1692 and returned to Jamaica as Governor and Chief Factor for the Royal African Company in 1693. While Governor, in 1699, he helped prevent the establishment of a Scottish colony at the Darien gap. On January 21, 1702, Beeston was recalled as Governor, and he left for England in April 1702.

Acquisition information:
Purchased from Donald Lippincott, November 2024.
Processing information:

Processed at time of accessioning by Kahlee Leingang in January 2025.

Arrangement:

Arranged chronologically.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more information.

Terms of access:

The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. Sir William Beeston papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Location of this collection:
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108, US
Contact:
(626) 405-2191
reference@huntington.org
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