The Dawkins family in Jamaica and England, 1664-1833
This thesis focuses on the Jamaican and English history of the Dawkinsâ and explores the relationship between their slave-owning activities and their subsequent entrance into the metropoleâs landed ranks. It demonstrates how one particular family were able to establish themselves as wealthy sugar planters on one side of the Atlantic, whilst its later generations migrated to England and drew upon the West Indian fortune to transform themselves into members of elite county society during the eighteenth- and early-nineteenth-centuries. Central to this thesis is an analysis of the Dawkinsâ Jamaican plantation papers and their English estate records. It traces their colonial land building activities from the earliest days of their settlement on the island, during the mid-seventeenth-century, in an effort to understand how the foundations of their wealth were established by the first two generations of the family. By the middle of the eighteenth-century they had amassed a fortune large enough to allow the third generation to become absentees. The scene shifts from Jamaica to England where the family, headed by Henry Dawkins II, focussed on becoming part of Britainâs provincial elite after migrating to the
Dawkins, J. S.
The Dawkins family in Jamaica and England, 1664-1833. This thesis focuses on the Jamaican and English history of the Dawkinsâ and explores the relationship between their slave-owning activities and their subsequent entrance into the metropoleâs landed ranks. It demonstrates how one particular family were able to establish themselves as wealthy sugar planters on one side of the Atlantic, whilst its later generations migrated to England and drew upon the West Indian fortune to transform themselves into members of elite county society during the eighteenth- and early-nineteenth-centuries. Central to this thesis is an analysis of the Dawkinsâ Jamaican plantation papers and their English estate records. It traces their colonial land building activities from the earliest days of their settlement on the island, during the mid-seventeenth-century, in an effort to understand how the foundations of their wealth were established by the first two generations of the family. By the middle of the eighteenth-century they had amassed a fortune large enough to allow the third generation to become absentees. The scene shifts from Jamaica to England where the family, headed by Henry Dawkins II, focussed on becoming part of Britainâs provincial elite after migrating to the
family jamaica england focus jamaican english history explore_relationship slave activity subsequent entrance metropole land rank demonstrate one_particular family able_establish wealthy planter one_side atlantic whilst late generation migrate england draw_upon west_indian fortune transform member elite county society eighteenth early_nineteenth centuries central analysis jamaican plantation paper english estate record trace colonial land building_activity earliest day settlement island mid seventeenth_century effort foundation wealth establish first_two generation family middle eighteenth_century fortune large enough allow third generation become absentee scene shift jamaica england family head henry focus become_part britain provincial elite