Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Is this how Edward Gray of Harringay House made his fortune?
A few days ago, quite by chance, I came across a project being conducted by University College London and was somewhat taken aback to find the following entry in the database
UCL Legacies of British Slave-ownership
I did a bit more research and discovered a number of references to Gray, Whitworth and Gilbee and their connection to the slave trade.
Manuscript Sources for the History of the West Indies 1776
A Picturesque Tour of the Island of Jamaica
Register of British and Foreign Shipping
And also entries in the Slave Registries from 1817 until about 1832
The partnership was dissolved in 1829 but Gray still continued his involvement until he was compensated in 1835.
Tags for Forum Posts: harringay house
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Bethany Burrow Atherton on
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I'm willing to have a go. I've had to do this type of thing before. Be warned, though, I may be some time....
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Permalink Reply by Hugh on
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That would be great. Thanks Bethany. You're able to download my pdfs okay?
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Yes, got it thanks.
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I've got through transcribing the first four pages of the document, most of which is a Codicil written because Edward had bequeathed something to his granddaughter Caroline, but she predeceased him. Some of you will already know, I'm sure, but John Scandrett Harford (I think the Jr., as he is described as Edward's nephew) and Abraham Harford Gray Hattersby, another nephew, though the lineage isn't specified in the will, were named as Trustees of Edward's estate (along with Sir Francis Mackenzie, a baronet living in Scotland, who was the husband of Edward's granddaughter Caroline). JS Harford Sr built Blaise Castle (in Gloucs, but now subsumed by Bristol), which is still there and is now a museum, apparently. Abraham also lived in Bristol, so the potential slavery connections are not limited to just JS Harford. I'll report back if anything else interesting crops up, and in any event when I've finished.
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Well done Bethany. Angela and I e-collaborated to work up a family tree a few years back including all the names you mention. Would it be helpful for you to see that?
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Yes, that would help me to know that I'm right with some of the transcriptions - the names are the hardest thing because there's no contextual indication of what it should say.
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This is as far as I got. You'll need to zoom in some to read it. I'd forgotten quite how many bits and pieces I gathered whilst doing it. So this is the bones. There's flesh behind the bones - which is probably the more interesting part.
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Gray Family Tree 3.xls.pdf, 547 KB
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Here's my link to the National Archives for the will and related docs.
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The Walker side of the family ended up as the Taylor Walker brewers, btw. The family history is an interesting one of merchants doing well, making money, climbing socially and in some cases marrying into minor aristocracy.
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Thanks!
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See the comment just added here by someone who seems to be a descendant of one of Gray's slaves.
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Permalink Reply by Yvonne Field on
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Hello Angela, How do I get access to the Slave Registries? As I think you are already aware through correspondence last week, my maternal grandmother was Adelaide Gray. She was born in Portland, Jamaica near where Edward Gray had his plantation. My mother came to England from Jamaica in the 1950s and I now live in Tottenham. I wrote this article and cited Edward Gray, my family connections to his household and his fortune. 4.5 thousand pounds back then is apparently over 5m pounds today, which doesn't seem to be a pittance to me.
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