| Administrative History | John Shand purchased The Burn along with Arnhall in 1814. The Shands inherited the Jamaica properties of Kellitts, Mamee Gully and Belmont, and on arriving in Jamaica in 1818 William appears to have purchased other properties. After representing the parish of St. John in the Jamaican Assembly (1), the Honourable John Shand died in 1825 leaving a considerable fortune (2), including £5,000 each to the ten children born to his 'housekeeper' in Jamaica, a slave called Frances Brown (3). William was associated by marriage with the Ramsay family of Straloch, and sought refuge at Straloch in 1835 after being chased by creditors.
References -
1 The Jamaica Almanac for the Year 1817 (Kingston: Aikman, [1816?] ), p. 29.
2 Roy Bridges, 'Papers relating to the Life and Career of William Shand' (unpublished paper, University of Aberdeen, 2000).
3 John A. Henderson, Aberdeenshire Epitaphs and Inscriptions (Aberdeen; 1907), p. 4.
See also Narrative and Correspondence relative to the Trust Estates of John Shand, William Shand, and the Hon. Simon Taylor (Aberdeen: n.pub, 1844) |
| Description | The collection consists of correspondence, accounts, legal documents, slave and livestock lists. The documents relate mostly to estates in Jamaica owned by the Shand family, but a small number of records concern The Burn and Fettercairn, with some personal correspondence regarding William Shand. The slave lists are detailed and precise, often giving not only a slave's name, age and occupation, but also their colour, origin, and cause of death. |
| Publication Note | Roy Bridges, 'Papers relating to the Life and Career of William Shand' (unpublished paper, University of Aberdeen, 2000).
Narrative and Correspondence relative to the Trust Estates of John Shand, William Shand, and the Hon. Simon Taylor (Aberdeen: n.pub, 1844) |