Register of Deeds 1729-1762

Introduction: This is the third volume in the series Register of Leases and Deeds. These were the official ledgers for recording legal instruments relating to property at St Helena. It enrolled copies or abstracts of leases and deeds of conveyance, stating the parties, dates, descriptions of land or houses, terms and consideration. These entries served as public notice and evidence of title.

Source: Images of the original records can be viewed on the British Library’s website: https://eap.bl.uk/archive-file/EAP1364-1-7-14.

Text Transcription This transcription was produced by AI from handwritten document images held on the British Library's website, at about thirty pages per hour. Given the limitations described below, the text should be regarded as unreliable and used only as a search-and-find shortcut: once a relevant section has been located, it must always be checked against the source image via the hyperlinked Film Numbers listed in the main transcription table below.

Three specific problems affected the work. First, AI tends to prioritise meaning and readability at the expense of fidelity to the original, with a strong disposition to normalise spellings, expand abbreviations, and adjust grammar. It is particularly weak with unfamiliar surnames, and scrawled signatures often resist accurate transcription entirely. Transcriptions by eye of documents spanning four centuries have also shown that a single surname could be written in a wide variety of ways: the Crowie family name appears under six different spellings, and the Isaacs family name under sixteen. Searches for surnames are therefore hindered both by genuine variations in the originals and by mistranscriptions introduced by AI, and for this reason are best run phonetically. Second, the AI struggled with the late secretary hand, the script commonly used from the sixteenth to the eighteenth centuries, in which the letter S appears in a form closely resembling a trailing L. Third, occasional passages in these volumes are written in a hand so obscure or poorly formed as to be difficult to read even by eye, sometimes compounded by heavy ink bleed-through from the reverse side or by the loss of sections of pages.

To mitigate these difficulties, a strict protocol was applied to each image, requiring the AI to rely solely on clearly visible ink strokes and to flag any uncertain reading, thereby reducing the risk of inferred or invented text. Two conventions are used. [...] marks text that could not be read with confidence; this may represent a single unreadable word, a full sentence, or occasionally an entire paragraph. Square brackets around letters or words indicate a conjectural reading supplied by the transcriber: brackets around a whole word, for example [Bazett], mean the entire word was unclear and a probable reading has been supplied, while brackets around individual letters within an otherwise readable word, for example B[a]z[e]tt, mean only those specific letters were unclear in the source and the unbracketed letters were legibly present.

Modern Summary and Analysis Each section of text was submitted for AI analysis in order to explain the archaic language in clear, modern UK English. These are not direct sentence by sentence replacements, but explanatory interpretations intended to clarify meaning while preserving the substance of the original. Where a specific individual is named within a section of the original text, that person will generally also be identified within the explanatory interpretation. However, where the original consists largely of lists of names, these are not usually repeated in the explanatory text.

Each text modern summary is followed by two forms of AI-generated analysis. The first, an Interpretations section, draws on wider information located on the internet to provide additional commentary on the material. The second, a Speculations section, offers one or more possible reflections on what the document might further suggest. The value of these notes ranges from the profound to the trivial or self-evident; time did not permit deletion of the latter.

Referencing Text Locations: A dual numbering system has been adopted, combining the British Library film number with the manuscript’s original page number. These are presented in the format: British Library Film No. / Document Page No.

Content: This volume includes several land boundary sketches. Due to the faint appearance of these sketches on darkened pages, the contrast has been increased to improve visibility. To keep the overall file size manageable, these images are provided at a limited resolution and cannot be scaled without quality loss. For much higher quality versions, please access the original film images on the British Library website.

Pagination: The volume carries two page-numbering systems: an inconsistent set in the top left corners and a consistent set in the bottom left corners. The latter has been followed. This pagination is unconventional, however, with a sequence appearing only on the verso (left-hand) page, while the recto pages remain unmarked. Each leaf therefore carries the same number on both sides. To avoid ambiguity, the two sides have been distinguished, albeit with some reluctance, by adding the suffix 'V' for the verso and 'R' for the recto (for example, 1V and 1R, 2V and 2R, 3V and 3R).

Page 3 is the first visible page number on film No. 9. The numbering is therefore presumed to begin on film No. 5. The sequence contains no inconsistencies and runs unbroken to the end of the volume.

Dates: During the period covered by this volume, England and its colonies followed the Old-Style Julian calendar, under which the legal new year began on 25 March (Lady Day). The earliest date recorded in this volume is 14 March 1729 and the latest date is September 1760.

The period spanned by this volume includes the administrations of Edward Byfield (1727-1731), Isaac Pyke (1731-1738), John Goodwin (1738-1740), Duke Crispe (1740-1741), Robert Jenkins (1741-1742), Thomas Lambert (1742-1742), George Gabriel Powell (1742-1744), David Dunbar (1744-1747) and Charles Hutchinson (1747-1764)

AI Generated Summary

Introduction

The forty-four years from 1718 to 1762 are visible on St Helena almost entirely through the paper of its land register. Nearly every entry is a conveyance, an assignment, a receipt, a mortgage or a Company grant, and the island appears as a place where property changed hands with unusual frequency for so small a colony. The earliest entry is a town conveyance of 13 August 1718 and the latest a West Division sale of 26 April 1762, though the weight of the material falls after 1730. [Film No. 8, 127, 253]

This is a partial view, and its limits should be stated at the outset. A register of conveyances records the moment property changed hands, so it lights up the propertied minority with unusual clarity while leaving almost everyone else in shadow. Soldiers, sailors, slaves and the landless poor appear only when they cross the path of a transaction. The record also breaks off constantly, with the recurring note that the remainder of a deed cannot be read, so many transactions survive only in their opening clauses. Its silences should be read as a feature of the record rather than a description of the population. [Film No. 8-56, 157-206]

What remains is nonetheless a dense picture of a settlement in which land, credit and family were bound tightly together, and in which a very small circle of men supplied the buyers, the sellers, the trustees, the attorneys, the councillors and the witnesses. Over the whole period the island moves from a society of scattered smallholdings to one of concentrated estates, and the register documents that movement with considerable precision. [Film No. 8-257]

Governance and Administration

The United Company of Merchants of England Trading to the East Indies held St Helena as Lords Proprietors, and its authority ran through every form of tenure. Land passed by two distinct channels. The Company itself could seal a confirmation under its common seal, as it did for John Bazett on 10 October 1738 and for Benjamin Pledger on 14 January 1738. Alternatively the Governor and Council could grant in the Company's name, as they did for Bazett on 17 October 1738 and for Thomas Greentree on 23 September 1740. [Film No. 15, 17, 26, 51, 52]

Every grant carried the same condition, that the holder and his heirs bear true faith and allegiance to King George II (1727-1760) and to the Company, and obey the island's laws, in return for a yearly rent of 1 shilling an acre payable at Michaelmas. The formula recurs in the grants to Francis Wrangham senior in August 1742, to George Gabriel Powell in August 1742 and February 1743, to Samuel Doveton in September 1742 and to Samuel Junge in August 1743. The Company was thus landlord and sovereign at once, and the loyalty clause bound the planter to the Crown through the Company rather than directly. This reflected its position after the disorders of the previous century, when the island had twice been lost and recovered. [Film No. 75, 76, 79, 80, 84, 89, 90, 91]

Company consent also governed the resale of leasehold ground. Under the framework of 1711 no leaseholder could part with his interest without the Council's leave, and the register shows the rule enforced through recorded consultations for half a century. Richard Goodwin obtained leave on 13 November 1738; Joseph Desfountain on 1 September 1741; James Vaughan on 22 December 1740 and 28 April 1741; Jonathan Doveton on 17 April 1744; John Goodwin cited a single consultation of 1 October 1745 to cover four transfers to Richard Gurling; Robert Wright relied on leave of 3 June 1747; Samuel Doveton on 21 June 1748; Francis Mowatt on 31 May 1756; Gabriel Steward on 19 June 1758; and Isaac Knipe on 19 October 1761. [Film No. 32, 34, 36, 65, 68, 71, 108, 119, 120, 121, 141, 156, 205, 225, 250]

The interval between permission and sealing is instructive and varied greatly. Mowatt waited three weeks, which shows parties applying first and acting afterwards rather than seeking approval retrospectively. Steward sealed the day after leave was granted, Knipe nearly two months later, and one Doveton assignment a full year after. Permission evidently did not lapse quickly, and a single grant of leave could stand behind dealings separated by more than two years. A single consultation of 24 July 1739 authorised two separate assignments, which suggests the Council handled approvals in batches rather than reconvening for each. [Film No. 34, 205, 225, 250, 254, 255]

Whether this consent amounted to control or merely to registration is worth asking. The readiness with which leave was granted points to the latter, though the requirement gave the Company continuing supervision over who occupied its ground and gave the buyer his protection as much as it enforced the seller's compliance. A transfer made without consent could not bind the Company at all. [Film No. 36, 65, 101]

Authority was not always exercised by the Council in full. Several transfers of 1747 cite leave granted by the Governor alone, on 20 April, 12 May and 22 April, and a Doveton assignment of 1759 does the same where every comparable entry names both. Whether this marks a devolution of routine consent or looser recording cannot be determined from conveyances, since the register preserves the citation rather than the deliberation. The distinction matters, because a governor granting leave singly held real discretion over who might hold Company ground. [Film No. 142, 145, 150, 254]

The Council also acted as a court of record for leases held on lives, a tenure that tied the Company's rent to the survival of named individuals. On 25 May 1747 Samuel Doveton came before it with a lease running on the lives of John, Samuel and Mary Doveton, certified that Mary was dead, and asked that his daughter Margaret be admitted in her place. The Council allowed the substitution on payment of half a year's rent of £4 0s 0d, entering the order in a consultation of 23 June 1747 signed by Charles Hutchinson, John Clark and Robert Wright. This is the clearest glimpse of the Company acting as landlord rather than sovereign, drawing a fee at each renewal and keeping a lease alive across generations. [Film No. 142]

A third administrative function was the winding up of intestate estates. When Richard Gurling died without a will, the Governor and Council sold his ten freehold acres called Vaughans to John Clark on 21 October 1754 for £164 15s 0d with the interest in two leases over twelve adjoining acres. The Council sold Samuel Falconer's James Valley house to John Adamson for £291 0s 0d on 2 May 1757. In each case it could warrant title only so far as the Company's grant of authority allowed, a narrower assurance than an owner would give, and the deeds and writings were handed over with the ground because a purchaser from an intestate estate had no seller who could later explain the descent. [Film No. 194, 195, 246, 247]

The men who executed these instruments formed a very small circle, and the same names recur as governors, councillors, witnesses and purchasers. John Goodwin served as Governor and signed the grants of November 1738; Duke Crispe, John Bazett and George Gabriel Powell recur as signatories across the same years, all four witnessing the Greentree grant of September 1740 and the Isaac Leech confirmation of 11 October 1740. Powell is styled fourth of Council in July 1740, second of Council in June 1742 and Governor by August 1742. C. Dixon signs repeatedly as secretary, with John Godfrey and later R. Wright alongside. [Film No. 24, 25, 52, 68, 73, 74, 76, 77, 85, 91]

The same men who administered the Company's land were its principal private purchasers, and the register offers no mechanism by which that overlap was managed. Whether it was seen as a conflict at all is doubtful, since Company servants were expected to hold land and the interests of governance and property were not thought separable. Two cases nonetheless stand out. John Clark signed the Vaughans sale as a member of the Council that sold to him. John Adamson signed the Council's sale of Falconer's house while standing as purchaser, then passed it three months later to the surgeon Robert Barclay for exactly what he had paid, with Clark among the signatories. The reading offered, that Adamson's brief ownership simply carried the house between two surgeons, is plausible but does not dispose of the fact that the island's second officer bought from a body on which he sat. [Film No. 194, 195, 246, 247]

Tenure

The island's ground was divided between freehold held outright and leasehold held of the Company at rent, and the two were carefully kept apart in law even where they passed together in one bargain. Freehold went to a buyer and his heirs for good; leasehold carried only the years remaining and stayed subject to the Company's rent. The distinction mattered greatly in law and rather less in practice, since a lease carried a renewal right at the holder's discretion on its original terms, which made it a durable and tradable interest rather than a short tenancy. [Film No. 107, 119, 120]

The quit rents recorded in the John Brown lease of 31 May 1740 set the two burdens plainly at 5 shillings for every acre of leasehold and 1 shilling for every acre of freehold. Leasehold thus cost more annually but demanded no capital, which helps explain why leaseholds still changed hands at substantial prices. Tenure also varied by vintage. Ninety-nine year grants predating the 1711 framework still had decades to run in the 1750s: the lease of 18 April 1704 behind five acres Richard Beale bought for £91 0s 0d in July 1757 left some forty-six years unexpired. A lease of 17 February 1743 to George Gabriel Powell ran on three named lives at one shilling and sixpence an acre, the reduced rate the Company charged where ground was reserved for timber. [Film No. 37, 45, 217, 255]

Gumwood leases carried heavy obligations, binding the holder to fence within a fixed period, to raise young gumwood, to plant furze along the fences and to seek consent before any further transfer, with a double duty on any part left unenclosed. Gabriel Isaacke took his eight Lemon Valley acres in April 1757 burdened with all of them, having bought them at the public sale of Giles Smith's effects. A purchase at auction did not by itself transfer a Company leasehold, which is why the Council had afterwards to record the assignment. [Film No. 216]

Values

Land values varied enormously, and the variation is the most informative feature of the whole register. Open upland taken directly from the Company went cheaply, as when John Bazett paid £30 0s 0d for twenty-one acres at Woody Ridge on 26 November 1738, near £1 8s 0d the acre, or when a fresh grant of Chapel Valley waste went to Powell at £1 an acre in 1743. Improved ground commanded very different sums. Isaac Wood sold ten acres to John Burling for £95 0s 0d in July 1735, and John Goodwin sold ten developed acres to George Gabriel Powell for £250 0s 0d in June 1740, a rate of £25 the acre. [Film No. 20, 25, 46, 91]

The gap is explained by what stood on the ground. Deeds reciting houses, plantations, fences and watercourses carry high prices; bare acreage does not. Edward Bagley's thirty-nine leasehold acres fetched £20 0s 0d while James Harding's thirty-one acres with houses and plantations fetched £122 0s 0d, both assigned in September 1739. Joseph Bates sold John Swindles a mere 3 acres of Sandy Bay leasehold for £147 0s 0d in May 1741, a sum the acreage cannot explain. At the other extreme James Vaughan's 9 bare leasehold acres fetched £10 0s 0d, and Onesiphorus Beale paid £8 0s 0d for the ten acres called the Purslain Beds in June 1756, sixteen shillings an acre for ground hemmed by Company waste on three sides and named for a herb of poor stony soil. The register prices labour and cultivation rather than soil. [Film No. 34, 66, 68, 211]

A settled market rate for improved land is discernible by the mid 1750s. Bare West Division freehold had been reckoned at £10 the acre in the great Powell schedule of 1739. By 1754 improved ground in the same division stood near £17 10s 0d, the rate John Goodwin paid Richard Goodwin on 3 September 1754 and almost exactly that at which Francis Wrangham junior sold forty-three acres to his father on 29 April 1756. The upper range then rose further: Henry Bazett paid about £23 an acre for Sandy Bay freehold in June 1758, Benjamin Mason £19 an acre for Bisley in October 1761, Richard Bagley £21 5s 0d an acre from Jonathan Doveton, and John Bland £30 an acre for cabbage tree land in July 1758. The moister high country commanded far more than the dry gumwood slopes. [Film No. 43, 192, 205, 224, 240, 248, 251]

The extremes are more revealing still. Francis Mowatt paid Thomas Greentree £131 0s 0d for two acres and four fifths on 30 August 1753, near £47 the acre, having six days earlier paid about £8 15s 0d the acre for eight acres from the same executors. The difference lay in two things, that the smaller parcel adjoined his own dwelling and that it carried a standing yam crop passing with the land. Yams were the island's staple provision, grown for households and for supplying ships in the road, and a crop already in the ground represented months of labour and a harvest close at hand. Naming the crop separately shows it understood as a distinct element of value. [Film No. 201, 202]

Boundaries and bynames

Land was described by its neighbours rather than by survey, and the resulting boundary clauses form an informal map of the island's districts, naming Lemon Valley, Peak Gut, the Main Ridge, the Horse Pasture, Sandy Bay, Sharks Valley, Fisher Valley, Deep Valley and Diana's Peak. Parcels were often measured to remarkable precision, as with two acres, one quarter and one fifth of a quarter under the Main Ridge, or forty-seven acres, one quarter and four fifths of a quarter in the West Division. Such fractions indicate ground carved from larger holdings where remainders had to square against fixed neighbouring bounds. Where a grant lay wholly within Company land, as Bazett's Woody Ridge did, an annexed plan supplied what written bounds could not. [Film No. 108, 116, 128, 129, 130, 135, 137, 147, 151, 152]

The recurring boundary against the Company's waste marks the outer edge of settlement. Joseph Powell's thirty acres at the Horse Pasture ran against his own leasehold on two sides and the waste on the other two; John Worrall's five acres in the West Division reached the waste on the north. Together these show a settled core of enclosed valleys pressing outward against unclaimed ground, with the Company as both neighbour and ultimate landlord, and they confirm that cultivation had not filled the island. [Film No. 135, 154, 156]

Ground was identified by byname rather than by survey, and these names preserved the memory of holders long gone. Pleasant Valley held a parcel called Coales; Fisher Valley one called Easthope; the East Division carried Bates, the Flatts, Coalers and Woody Ridge; the West Division had Bagleys, Riches and Lemon Valley Head; James Valley's upper end held the Nursery Bed, named for raising young plants. Later entries add Bisley, Taylors, Sickle, French's Gutt, Seales and the Purslain Beds. Several are traceable across decades: Taylors connects to Samuel Tayler, confirmed in Fryer Valley gumwood in February 1726, and survived thirty-five years into Greentree hands, while Bagleys returned to a man of that name when Richard Bagley bought the fourteen acres in April 1762. [Film No. 121, 124, 144, 148, 158, 161, 167, 173, 183, 184, 186, 248, 252, 253, 256]

One parcel drifted in name within three years, from Beale's House Pasture in the 1751 deed to the Old House Pasture in 1754, which shows a local memory fading in real time. The persistence of such names indicates a landscape mapped by recollection rather than by instrument, and on an island where surveys were rough they were often more reliable than acreage. [Film No. 183, 184]

Consolidation

Consolidation drove much of this activity from the beginning. John Burling assembled a block in the East Division by buying parcels adjoining ground he already held, taking ten acres from Isaac Wood in 1735 and about five acres called the Flatts from Matthew Mudge on 24 June 1738. Samuel Doveton pursued the same course, buying eleven acres and a half freehold from Orlando Bagley senior on 30 September 1731 to close a gap between leasehold parcels he occupied, then three acres in Powells Valley in May 1735. Benjamin Pledger obtained Company confirmation of two odd fractions in January 1738, each adjoining his existing holding. [Film No. 11, 20, 21, 26, 88]

The logic is uniform enough to serve as an economic rule: a plot enclosed by one man's land was worth more to him than to any stranger, and correspondingly little to anyone else. Richard Mason bought the James Valley house standing directly beside his own in July 1741. James Greentree bought 2 acres at the head of Lemon Valley bounded on three sides by his family's land, and ten acres more from Joseph Powell in June 1744 on the same footing. Thomas Greentree bought 6 acres wrapped on three sides by his holding. William Young's sliver of an acre and a half, wrapped by Richard Goodwin's land on two sides, fetched £20 0s 0d in September 1747, a high rate explained by its use in completing a block rather than by its size. [Film No. 64, 95, 106, 116, 155]

The same pattern holds to the end. John Clark sold ten acres to Matthew Purling on 18 October 1754 at £11 the acre, ground bounded by Purling on three sides and part of the fourth. William Seale and John Hayes sold ten acres to Lieutenant John Black in May 1752 that Purling's land ringed on three sides. Samuel Doveton bought twenty-four acres in 1742 hemmed by Doveton ground and fifty acres and three-quarters in May 1744 running against his own; John Goodwin bought twenty-four acres in May 1744 bordering his own on the north. Elisha Isaacke sold a wedge of half an acre and a tenth to Samuel Doveton in 1758 for £4 0s 0d, its watercourses named separately because water rather than acreage was the scarce commodity. [Film No. 79, 92, 94, 159, 172, 195, 215]

This slow accumulation gave way in 1747 to transactions of a wholly different order. On 25 May John Goodwin sold Samuel Doveton two parcels totalling about ninety-five acres with two dwelling houses for £1,520 0s 0d. Ten days earlier James Powell had sold Francis Wrangham three parcels of about seventy-two acres with houses and outbuildings for £3,075 0s 0d. These sums stand far above anything else recorded and mark a decisive concentration of West Division land. What the material cannot explain is where such capital came from. Prices of this magnitude in a small island economy suggest Company salaries, private trade or credit from London, none of which the register records. [Film No. 136, 137, 138]

Doveton's accumulation was completed by leasehold transfers at nominal prices. John Goodwin moved one acre and further ground to him for £1 0s 0d each on 25 May 1747, and the five acres called Taylor's for the same token sum on 20 May. These are correctly read as steps in a larger settlement rather than genuine sales, the real consideration having passed in the principal conveyance. The same device appears in 1745, when John Goodwin passed twelve acres to Richard Goodwin for £1 0s 0d to complete an earlier bargain of £380 0s 0d. Doveton did not hold the estate long undivided: in August 1748 he sold forty-one and a half acres of East Division freehold to Matthew Purling for £600 0s 0d with twenty acres of leasehold for £60 0s 0d. [Film No. 109, 110, 139, 145, 156]

Town Property in James Valley

Urban property forms a distinct strand, concentrated in James Valley and particularly in Southwark Street. Town plots were measured to the foot where rural ones were reckoned in acres, and the measurements reveal how cramped the settlement was. John Goodwin's town plot of November 1738 included half the party wall of Frances Carne's house and half the walls of two neighbouring backyards. The house John Goodwin junior sold to Thomas Greentree in June 1739 was measured against the chimney corner of Josiah Charlesworth Powell's house. Thomas French sold John Goodwin a piece fourteen feet and a half square for twenty shillings in July 1754, ground on which Goodwin had already built a stable, the payment regularising the position afterwards rather than before. [Film No. 13, 23, 25, 30, 222]

More often houses were fixed by their neighbours alone, since the street was too tightly built to define by open bounds. Sarah Sutton's house of 1726 stood between the dwellings of the widow Martha Robinson and the carpenter Charles Bayley junior; Martin Harper's sale of 1746 lay between the houses of Richard Tinsley and William Burnham. Occasionally dimensions were given, as with Richard Gurling's house of about fifty-seven feet at the front and fifty in depth, or a house of sixty-five feet and a half at the back and fourteen feet and three quarters at the front. Sometimes bounds were settled by reference to how a known former holder had enjoyed the ground, which was surer than any list of parts where yards and encroachments had gathered over decades. [Film No. 100, 117, 118, 125, 212]

Rights of light, water and watercourse were spelled out because they mattered where buildings pressed together, a right of light protecting a window from being shut off by a neighbour's construction and the water rights securing supply and drainage down a narrow valley. Shared structures made precise description essential, and the register shows parties returning to certify bounds afresh, as John and Naomi Bradley did on 5 March 1733. [Film No. 13, 100]

Town values varied widely and give some sense of social gradation. A house sold for £13 0s 0d in 1746 and another for £20 0s 0d in 1744, while Samuel Doveton's James Valley house fetched £150 0s 0d in April 1745 and a dwelling assembled from three shares £170 0s 0d. Through the 1740s and 1750s prices ranged from £45 0s 0d for a house Joseph Bates sold Ebenezer Leech in May 1742 to £200 0s 0d for substantial dwellings, with £60 0s 0d, £75 0s 0d, £80 0s 0d and £87 3s 0d recorded between. A single town house could cost as much as twenty acres of good country ground, which measures how scarce building land was. [Film No. 68, 72, 81, 93, 100, 104, 110, 113, 125, 127, 241]

The top of the range rose sharply at the end of the period. Robert Barclay took £200 0s 0d from Charles Steward in August 1757 and John Adamson paid £291 0s 0d in sterling for Falconer's house, but far above these stands the £800 0s 0d Matthew Bazett paid John Goodwin on 16 July 1757, four times the previous ceiling. The description reaches unusually wide, catching anything ever used with the house or reckoned part of it even where no name attached, which was worth paying for where a valuable town property had gathered sheds, yards and passages across decades. A companion instrument for five shillings carried the leasehold portion, since the two tenures had to pass by different means. [Film No. 218, 220, 221, 246]

One boundary marks a change. When John Legg sold Mary Burnham her house in September 1759, its southern limit was the Company's barracks. Earlier descriptions had fixed town plots by neighbouring householders alone. The barracks standing as a landmark reflects the growth of the garrison during the Seven Years War, when the Company reinforced a station on the sea route to India at a time of conflict with France. The register's concentration on Southwark Street reflects where property was bought and sold, not necessarily where most people lived, and the town's poorer quarters are correspondingly invisible. [Film No. 118, 241]

Economy, Credit and Currency

The island ran on credit far more than on coin, and the register documents the mechanisms with unusual clarity. Staged payment was routine. Joseph Whaley junior sold to his brother Simon in July 1733 for £10 0s 0d down and the balance deferred, with three separate receipts endorsed on the deed as instalments arrived, the last on 15 September 1733. Interest appears explicitly in the sale of a James Valley house by Samuel Doveton and John Desfountain to Orlando Bagley senior on 31 December 1739, where £38 0s 0d of the £80 0s 0d price was deferred to the end of 1740 at 8 per cent. Recording each part-payment on the face of the instrument gave both parties a running account and secured the seller's claim without recourse to any court. [Film No. 14, 37, 38]

Most conveyances state that the full sum was in hand before sealing, which conceals whatever credit lay behind them. One entry lifts the veil. On 15 July 1747 Nathan Sample bound himself to pay Matthew Mudge £100 0s 0d within twelve months with interest if late, forfeiting the house and land where he lived on default. The sum matches exactly what Sample had paid Mudge for Fisher Valley acres days before. This is convincingly read as a security arrangement dressed as a plain promise to pay, and it raises the possibility that other apparently cash transactions rested on similar unrecorded credit. [Film No. 151, 153]

Mortgages were transacted as conditional bills of sale, the standard early modern device, and the form recurs across the whole period. The arrangement of 30 June 1740 between Governor John Goodwin and George Gabriel Powell appears first as a lease of a James Valley house for £700 0s 0d sterling, but the following clause reveals security for a loan repayable at £750 0s 0d with 5 per cent interest, void on payment. The stated redemption date of April 1841 is a century out and must be a copying error for 1741. The device gave the lender the property itself rather than a personal promise, a far stronger security than a bond. [Film No. 47, 48]

The same form served through the 1740s and 1750s. Martin Harper mortgaged twenty-one acres and a half to Francis Wrangham for £100 0s 0d in March 1743 at 6 per cent; Joshua Johnson conveyed twenty acres at Fryer Valley and a James Valley house to Wrangham in June 1744 for £235 0s 0d, redeemable with 6 per cent interest running from 24 June; Samuel Doveton left £40 0s 0d of a £60 0s 0d house price owing at 6 per cent in November 1742. Fixing repayment to 24 June, one of the English quarter days, shows the metropolitan calendar of obligation reaching a South Atlantic island. Mortgage debts could travel: Francis Wrangham junior assigned Harper's debt and its security to Francis Steward junior of Greenwich in Surrey on 26 June 1744, so that an island planter's obligation became an asset held in England. [Film No. 81, 99, 101, 102, 103]

The most elaborate such arrangement is the mortgage of 15 August 1753. Francis Mowatt granted twenty-seven acres and four fifths in Sandy Bay to Thomas Greentree as trustee for the orphan Helena Ryder, for ninety-nine years at a peppercorn rent. The form was a lease, the substance a loan of £300 0s 0d at 8 per cent, void if Mowatt repaid on 15 August 1757. Mowatt retained the rents and profits meanwhile, which confirms the arrangement as a mortgage. An orphan's inheritance was thus put to work as lending capital while her interest was secured against land. Whether 8 per cent on a child's estate represented prudent management or an uncomfortably high rate demanded of a neighbour is not something the deed allows one to judge. [Film No. 179, 180]

Credit also reached the island through the Company's shipping. Gabriel Isaacke bound himself to Captain George Mead of the Denham on 1 November 1756 in the penal sum of £200 0s 0d against a real debt of £100 0s 0d, repayable in four quarterly instalments. The doubled figure was a penalty enforceable without proof of loss. The instalments fell on 11 January, 11 April, 11 July and 11 October, set eleven days after the customary quarter days, which kept them clear of the dates when rents and Company dues fell in. A commander in the road was one of the few sources of ready coin. The security Mead took was a right to enter and collect rather than a conveyance, letting his attorney act while he was at sea. In the event the scheme was never kept, and John Adamson receipted the whole £100 0s 0d on 22 August 1758 with £9 2s 0d interest at 5 per cent. [Film No. 209, 210, 232]

Interest rates fell across the period, from the 8 per cent of 1739 and 1753 to the 6 per cent common in the 1740s and the 5 per cent of the later 1750s, reflecting the reduction of the legal maximum in England in 1714 and the island following the metropolitan standard. Garrison pay was itself a source of lending. In July 1753 John Leech borrowed £50 0s 0d from Augustine Balls, a foot soldier, conveying his James Valley house subject to a defeasance clause; he did not pay, and the house passed absolutely. That a common soldier could lend such a sum indicates the direction in which cash flowed, since garrison pay arrived reliably from the Company while a planter's income depended on harvests and shipping. [Film No. 180, 181, 198, 232]

The sequel is one of the more instructive entries. Balls died having willed £200 0s 0d to a son and daughter in England, if they were living and could be found, and left the residue to John Clark, whom he named sole executor. The qualification about the children suggests a man who had lost contact with his family across the distance. Clark paid the legacy, took the residue, then bought out Leech's remaining right to redeem for £60 0s 0d, of which £50 0s 0d was the debt already owed to him. Only £10 0s 0d of new money changed hands, and it purchased an unchallengeable title in place of one still exposed to a claim in equity. The islanders were alert to the distinction between legal ownership and a clean title. [Film No. 199, 200]

The largest transaction of the whole period shows how sums beyond the reach of island coinage were settled. On 13 September 1739 George Gabriel Powell sold Governor John Goodwin an entire estate for £5,539 6s 4d. The schedule breaks the price down and is the single most revealing document in the register. Sixty-nine acres of freehold were valued at £690 0s 0d, the estate late belonging to John Long at £250 0s 0d, two dwelling houses at £160 0s 0d together, seven slaves at £139 0s 0d, thirty goats at £15 0s 0d, cattle at £22 0s 0d, yams and suckers at £32 0s 0d, and debts from ten named islanders at £124 6s 2¾d. Land was a minority of the price, and the transaction was the purchase of a working enterprise rather than of ground. [Film No. 38, 42, 43]

Payment was made almost entirely in bills of exchange drawn on the East India Company and payable in London, with only £39 6s 4d in cash. Several bills were made out not to Powell but to John Goodwin junior, Charles Steward and Francis Wrangham senior, and a further £200 0s 0d was advanced to Richard Goodwin on Powell's account. The purchase money therefore discharged a web of existing obligations in the same act. The same practice recurs in June 1742, when Margaret Goodwin paid £200 0s 0d of a £300 0s 0d price in bills payable to Charles Steward rather than to the seller. The scarcity of coin made settlement through the Company's metropolitan credit not merely convenient but necessary. [Film No. 43, 44, 74]

Sums were reckoned in current money of the island, and the occasional use of lawful money of Great Britain marks a transaction as substantial against the metropolitan standard. Sterling appears in the £110 0s 0d James Valley house sale of August 1756, the £270 0s 0d Thomas Greentree paid for French's Gutt, and the £291 0s 0d Adamson paid the Council. The largest island-currency transaction of the 1750s was the £1,158 0s 0d John Purling, a merchant of the City of London, received from his brother Matthew in March 1751 for a hundred and ten acres and a half of freehold, sixty-two acres and a half of leasehold, houses, two dwellings at the Fort in Chapel Valley, and his whole share of the personal estate of their father, mother and brother, marking the complete transfer of one branch's inheritance to the branch resident on the island. [Film No. 169, 170, 212, 213, 217, 246]

The Company was itself a debtor. On 30 September 1731 the Governor and Council certified that £1,600 0s 0d was due to Captain Thomas Cason on the island's books at Letter L, folio 49, carrying interest under directions sent in a general letter by the ship Drake. Such certificates gave a creditor a documented and interest-bearing claim, the paper credit on which much island business turned, and the reckoning against a numbered paragraph of a general letter shows the close control London kept over island accounts. [Film No. 73]

Slavery and Coerced Labour

Slavery is largely invisible in the register until the Powell schedule of 1739 forces it into view. There five men are named as Caesar, Augustus, London, Mercis and Pompey, valued together at £125 0s 0d, and one woman named Christiana at £14 0s 0d. They are listed between household goods and thirty goats. The classical names given to four of the five men were a common convention of the Atlantic and Indian Ocean systems alike, and signal a naming practice imposed by owners rather than any information about origin. Christiana's valuation at little more than a tenth of the men's collective price is not readily explained and may reflect age, health or the market's preference for male field labour. [Film No. 43]

Slaves passed by the same instruments as livestock and standing crops. Joseph Bates settled on his daughter Margaret on 20 October 1741 four black men named January, Pompey, Marlborough and Ibby and two black women named Hannah and Amy, together with the yams and suckers standing on his ground, human beings passing in the same sentence as growing crops. Bates chose a gift in his lifetime rather than a bequest, which put the transfer beyond later challenge. Francis Mowatt sold Francis Wrangham senior twenty-seven acres and four fifths in June 1756 together with a slave man named London, a house and 50,000 yams and suckers, and the same ground, man and crop passed again to William Wrangham in 1758 as an advance on his inheritance. Gabriel Isaacke pledged his two slave men Phillip and Somsour to Captain Mead alongside his cattle, covenanting not to sell any of them until the debt was cleared. [Film No. 73, 207, 210, 236]

The silence elsewhere is itself evidence. Powell's estate cannot have been the only holding worked by slaves, yet conveyance after conveyance recites houses, fences, watercourses and plantations without naming the people who built and tended them. Deeds conveyed goods and chattels in general terms, and slaves passed under that heading without further mention. One whole stretch of the register, covering 1718 to 1748, contains no reference to slavery at all despite its being fundamental to the island's agricultural economy. This reflects a documentary form built around title to land, into which human property entered only when an estate was itemised, and the reticence should not be read as absence. [Film No. 42, 43, 66, 71, 74, 107-156]

The most revealing entry in the whole period is the subscription of 15 July 1758. William Seale, an ageing planter, laid his family's condition before Lucius O'Bryen, commander of His Majesty's ship Colchester, and other gentlemen, who raised £34 12s 1½d among themselves. They did not give Seale the money. They directed it to Thomas Greentree to buy a Black slave man named Lewis for the use of Seale and his children, with twenty shillings for Lewis's clothing and £13 12s 1½d held back to buy a second slave when opportunity offered. Should Lewis outlive his master he was to be sold and the proceeds divided among Seale's surviving children. [Film No. 239]

The arrangement deserves to be stated plainly. Charitable relief for a distressed English family took the form of purchasing a human being as an income-producing asset, with a further person to be bought later on the same terms. Among the subscribers was Eyre Coote, then a young officer in the King's service and shortly to become prominent in the Company's Indian campaigns. That naval and army officers passing through during the Seven Years War organised such a fund privately, and asked that a copy be entered in the public register so the arrangement should be widely known, shows how unremarkable it seemed to those who made it. The register records the subscribers' names and Lewis's, and nothing else about him. [Film No. 239]

A different kind of bound labour is recorded in more detail. On 17 July 1739 the chapel wardens Joshua Johnson and Richard Goodwin, acting as overseers of the poor with the Governor's consent, apprenticed Thomas Tendon, a poor child, to William Seale until the age of twenty-one. The indenture followed English parish practice closely and its terms were exacting on the master. Seale was to teach the child reading, writing and accounts as far as the rule of three, provide meat, drink, apparel, lodging and washing, keep the island indemnified against any charge, and give the boy two full suits of new clothes at the end of the term. The instrument served the parish more than the child, since its purpose was to transfer the cost of maintenance onto a master who gained the labour in return, though the schooling requirement suggests the overseers wanted a permanent settlement rather than temporary relief. [Film No. 27, 28]

Free service appears once. Richard Thomas Dennis contracted on 8 September 1742 to serve George Gabriel Powell faithfully for four years, having received a sum in advance, and to be paid as the rest of Powell's people were. He set his mark rather than a signature. This was a term of paid service entered into by a grown man, not the property relationship of the Bates deed, but the reference to the rest of his people confirms that the Governor maintained a substantial body of workers on his ground. [Film No. 89]

Family, Inheritance and Trusts

The single most fully documented episode of the early period is John Bazett's reassembly of his late father Matthew Bazett's estate. Matthew had died leaving ground at Woody Ridge, Chapel Valley and the head of Deep Valley divided into eighths among his children, and shares had passed by marriage and death into the Worrall, French, Purling, Whaley and Leech families. John bought them back one at a time. His sister Martha and her husband William Worrall sold their eighth of Woody Ridge in January 1738; Thomas Bazett sold his eighth of Chapel Valley the same month; Simon and Margaret Whaley sold theirs on 13 January 1738 for £25 0s 0d and Sarah Bazett hers on 16 January for the same sum; the Purling executors Duke Crispe and Matthew Purling sold a further eighth on that day. On 12 June 1739 Thomas Bazett, William Worrall, and John French with his wife Mary each sold matching eighths of the Deep Valley ground before overlapping witnesses. John Leech sold his for £28 0s 0d. [Film No. 53, 54, 55, 56, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 80]

The consistency of the pricing is striking and suggests a single valuation applied across all the shares, with only small adjustments between households. Yet the receipts complicate the picture. The Deep Valley deeds name £27 10s 0d, while the receipts acknowledge £52 12s 0d to William Worrall, £52 6s 0d to Thomas Bazett and £52 6s 0d to John French. The near match between the larger sums suggests each settlement folded in the earlier Woody Ridge or Chapel Valley share, so that one payment closed the whole reckoning with each heir. That is a reasonable inference, but the deeds do not say so, and the discrepancy could equally reflect debts, dowries or arrears settled at the same sitting, or an understatement of the true price. The register shows its limits here: it records what was conveyed, not what was negotiated. [Film No. 53, 54, 55, 56, 58, 59]

Two further steps show how thorough the reassembly was. Elizabeth Purling, a widow and herself a Bazett daughter, added her own confirmation to the sale her husband's executors had made, closing a gap that a conveyance by executors alone might have left. John Bazett also bought back the share that had reached the Purling children through Bridget Bazett, tracing a fraction that had already crossed into another family. Either way the pattern shows a man methodically converting a fragmented inheritance into land he held outright through negotiated purchase rather than the formal partition that might have divided the estate physically. [Film No. 59, 60]

Much of the material turns on the management of property after death, and this is where island legal practice appears most clearly. Executors sold to settle estates, as when Matthew Pinching disposed of twenty-three acres at Deep Valley for £100 0s 0d under a consultation of 30 April 1741. The Jonathan Doveton estate produced the most intricate sequence. His will divided a James Valley house equally among three daughters. On 15 April 1745 Lieutenant James Scott, married to one daughter, bought a third share from Richard Goodwin and his wife Sarah for £56 13s 4d, took a third from the executors acting for the minor Ann Doveton for the same sum, and sold the reassembled whole to Samuel Doveton for £170 0s 0d. Three shares priced separately square closely with the whole, and the shared date shows a single coordinated settlement. [Film No. 108, 111, 112, 113, 114]

Trusts for orphans appear throughout. Thomas Greentree and Richard Beale bought eight acres of Sandy Bay ground for £77 0s 0d in May 1745 for Margaret Ryder, and the remaining two acres passed to Greentree for the children of James Ryder in July 1746. In November 1746 John Goodwin and Francis Wrangham took a parcel under the Main Ridge as trustees for the orphans of Charles Steward. In 1748 Richard Gurling sold Sandy Bay land, held in right of his wife, into trust for Sarah, Mary and Helena Ryder. On 18 June 1748 Matthew Purling sold ground to himself, Samuel Doveton, Richard Beale and Matthew Bazett as executors of John Bazett, in trust for the dead man's children, and the executors of Samuel Doveton sold nine acres and a quarter with a house and yam plantation to John Desfountain for the benefit of Doveton's orphans. [Film No. 123, 124, 129, 148, 149, 157, 182]

The estates of the dead also served as boundary markers, with the orphans of John Alexander, John Bazett, Charles Steward, John Young, Simon Whaley, Joseph Harding, Thomas Anderson, Joseph Eastings and Edmund Doveton all named as neighbouring holders. This density of orphaned estates is striking and shows land held intact for minors rather than sold off. It suggests high adult mortality in a small population, a pattern consistent with what is known of tropical island garrisons, though the register offers no direct evidence of cause. [Film No. 75, 84, 87, 92, 122, 123, 126, 138, 143, 156]

The Council appointed trustees where none existed. Benjamin Pledger sold a James Valley house for £75 0s 0d in January 1740 as a trustee named by the Governor and Council for the heirs of Joseph Hayes, a planter who had died without a will. Three guardians of the orphan Elizabeth Scott needed leave before selling her James Valley house to Robert Ballard for £50 0s 0d in December 1761, the island's government standing in place of the consent a child could not give. When Matthew Purling and Richard Beale sold sixty acres out of the late John Bazett's estate in October 1758, they expressly covered claims from that man's orphans. [Film No. 100, 242, 243, 249]

The fullest maintenance arrangement is the Griffith settlement of 22 December 1741, drawn in duplicate so each side held a sealed copy. John Swindles, having married Mary, widow of Daniel Griffith, undertook to maintain the orphans Owen, Helena, Elizabeth and Mary Griffith in food and clothing until each reached twenty-one or married, to educate them as children on the island were usually educated, and to instruct them in religion. He bound himself to pay each £20 0s 0d at twenty-one or marriage, and £20 0s 0d for any child sent to England, a dead child's share going to the survivors. In return he kept the whole of Griffith's property and a further inheritance due to his wife through the Greentree line. [Film No. 69, 70]

The bargain deserves scrutiny. It was framed as provision for children, and the executor Thomas Greentree evidently negotiated real safeguards. Yet the stepfather acquired an entire estate in exchange for four portions of £20 0s 0d and the cost of keep, and the deed records no valuation of Griffith's property. The clause funding a child sent to England is nonetheless notable, showing island families looking back to the mother country for a child's advancement, with the money following the child rather than staying with the stepfather. [Film No. 70]

Property also moved through marriage and death without any sale. The James Valley house John Bland sold John Clark in June 1756 had reached James Hicks because he married Richard Tinsley's widow and survived her, the chain running from the executors of Thomas Harper to Matthew Mudge, to Tinsley, to his widow, to Hicks, to Bland and to Clark within a decade. Bland gave the widest possible warranty against every person, which sits awkwardly beside so tangled a history and may say more about the buyer's anxiety than the seller's confidence. [Film No. 203, 204]

Defective titles

Settling a dead man's estate exposed weaknesses that buyers worked hard to close, and the clearest case is the Fryer Valley sale of 8 April 1758. Andrew Blinman had bought a house and fifteen acres and a half from the Bazett family for £50 0s 0d, paid the money and taken no document. He died; his widow married Robert Ballard, who needed written title. The widow Elizabeth Gurling and two adult sons executed a fresh conveyance, taking five shillings each so every party had participated, while Thomas Bazett separately receipted the original £50 0s 0d, supplying the proof Blinman had never obtained. [Film No. 229, 230, 231]

Two younger sons, John and George Bazett, were minors and could not consent. The adults purported to act for them and undertook to produce them at full age to release whatever claim they held, at Ballard's cost. Binding themselves jointly and separately let Ballard pursue any one seller for the whole. Every provision points to a purchaser buying into a situation full of latent difficulty: a property sold verbally to a dead man, claimed through a widow's remarriage, conveyed for absent minors, resting on a chain running back to a holder whose name the register no longer preserves. Such regularisations recur, from the ground John George Newman had built on before the Dufton executors formalised it in 1708 to the stable Goodwin erected before buying its footprint in 1754. [Film No. 222, 229, 230, 231]

Women, Property and Legal Capacity

Married women appear in the earlier register chiefly as a title risk to be neutralised. Frances Carne joined Richard Goodwin as co-grantor in March 1730; Naomi Bradley sealed alongside her husband in November 1733; Mary Long sealed the Chapel Valley gumwood conveyance in October 1738; Sarah Powell joined her husband in the Lemon Valley conveyance of 1744. In each case the wife's participation extinguished any dower claim that might later trouble the buyer. The great Powell sale of 1739 made this explicit by warranting the estate free of every jointure, dower, use, will, gift, grant and lease. [Film No. 8, 13, 15, 29, 40, 48, 116]

Women appear in their own right more often than the formal law of coverture might suggest, though usually as widows. Elizabeth Greentree held leasehold in Lemon Valley and Elizabeth Nicholes acted as executrix of her husband in June 1740. Sarah Sutton, a widow, sold a James Valley house in her own name in 1726 with a full covenant to defend the title; Elizabeth Manlove bought a house in Southwark Street for £20 0s 0d; Sarah Rowland held a neighbouring town house. Margaret Goodwin, a widow, bought thirty acres for £300 0s 0d in June 1742. Frances Wrangham is named as a gentlewoman holding a West Division boundary, Susanna Greentree as a bounding holder at Lemon Valley, and Ann, daughter of Joshua Johnson, as a neighbour in the West Division. [Film No. 40, 74, 92, 97, 98, 106, 117, 118, 127]

Later entries show the same pattern continuing. Mary Burnham, a widow, bought for £87 3s 0d in September 1759 the James Valley house she already occupied as a tenant, and held country ground at Sharks Valley in her own name. Elizabeth Kennedy acted as a guardian of the orphan Elizabeth Scott while holding the ground on the property's southern boundary. Mary Seale's life interest in half of the parcel called Seales delayed a transaction for years and split its price in two. Rebecca Doveton witnessed a sealing in March 1756, one of very few women to attest, following Anne Coles in 1696 and Margaret Cosgrave in 1704. [Film No. 241, 244, 249, 252]

The most striking instance of legal capacity is Martha Scott, who transferred a leasehold to Samuel Doveton for £60 0s 0d in June 1747 acting as lawful attorney for her husband, Lieutenant James Scott. This is described in the notes as following the island's long practice of wives acting as attorneys for their husbands, a claim that outruns the evidence, which contains no other example, and should be treated as an assertion rather than a demonstrated pattern. Married women also held property by inheritance, as Sarah Goodwin did in her share of her father's house, though her husband joined in its sale, and land brought into a marriage passed under the husband's control. [Film No. 114, 115, 140, 148]

Two later settlements show the lengths required to protect a woman's property against that rule. Francis Wrangham the elder had bound himself to pay Margaret, wife of his son Francis the younger, £30 0s 0d yearly for her own separate use in place of dower. In September 1756 the son conveyed a Chapel Valley house with thirty-eight acres and a James Valley dwelling to his father to secure that annuity, so the payment became a charge on identified property rather than a personal promise. The phrase for her own separate use carried real weight, placing the money beyond her husband's reach. Dower's value depended on what land a husband still held at death; a fixed annuity could not be diminished by his selling in the meantime and began at once. A marginal note records the whole arrangement void, Margaret Wrangham being dead. [Film No. 213, 214, 215]

The same anxiety produced the settlement of 8 August 1758 between Edward Whitmore, captain lieutenant in the King's Royal Regiment of Artillery, and Elizabeth Buchanan, widow of Captain Andrew Buchanan. Before the marriage, £1,000 0s 0d of her money was vested in two London trustees, James Traile, an apothecary, and Jane Nevill, a spinster, with express power to stop either spouse touching the principal while Elizabeth drew the interest for life. An unmarried woman could hold property and act as trustee where a married woman could not, which is why Jane Nevill's status is recorded. [Film No. 226]

That settlement ran down three generations. Frances Jane Buchanan, the daughter of the first marriage, took the capital at fifteen but only with her mother's consent, guarding against a young husband pressing her to hand it over. A separate £500 0s 0d provided for Elizabeth Hyde, the widow's own mother. Whitmore's interest came last in every chain. The closing provision then reverses everything: all Elizabeth's remaining property, including lands and government securities, became her husband's absolutely on the wedding day. The elaborate trusts exist precisely because that rule would otherwise have swept up all she owned. [Film No. 227, 228]

This settlement belongs to England rather than to St Helena. Its trustees were in London, its funds lay on a London bond, and its mention of government securities marks a form of wealth absent from the island's earlier records, which turned on land, houses, slaves, cattle, yams and store credit. The clerk left blank the space for the London witnesses, so the register preserves a document caught midway through execution. Its presence reflects the movement of royal officers through the Company's stations during the war. [Film No. 227, 228]

Fiduciary Conflict and Self-Dealing

The most significant analytical thread in the middle of the period concerns men who bought from estates they administered. On 19 August 1754 Francis Wrangham senior, John Goodwin and Francis Wrangham junior, acting as attorneys for the absent Gabriel Steward, sold twenty-one and a half acres at Lemon Valley Head to John Goodwin for £603 0s 0d, fourteen acres at Bagleys to John Clark for £252 15s 0d, and four acres at Bagleys to Francis Wrangham senior for £67 10s 0d. Two of the three attorneys thus purchased from the estate they were charged with selling, and each sealed as vendor on the deed by which he took the land. [Film No. 185, 186, 187, 188]

The analysis attached treats the arrangement as protected by procedure rather than by commerce, since no purchase could go through without the other two attorneys sealing it, and the double role was recorded openly rather than concealed behind a nominee. That reading is defensible but generous. A joint attorney has an obvious interest in permitting his colleague's purchase if he expects the same latitude in return, and three sales on a single day suggest exactly such an understanding. The observation that the circle able to raise £603 0s 0d was very small has genuine force on an island of this size, but it explains the difficulty rather than resolving it. Whether Gabriel Steward received a fair price cannot be established. [Film No. 185, 187]

Similar overlaps recur across the whole period. Matthew Bazett sealed as executor of Joseph Desfountain in the 1751 sale of Beale's House Pasture while farming two of the parcel's four boundaries, and bought a twenty-acre Fisher Valley parcel from the same estate in July 1750. Francis Wrangham stood as both executor of Charles Steward and buyer of the estate's James Valley house for £220 0s 0d in March 1751, guarding the purchase by obtaining the express consent of the heir Gabriel Steward. Richard Beale sold as executor of Elizabeth Ryder while holding the northern boundary of the parcel. In May and August 1747 Matthew and John Purling transferred ground to executors of the dead John Bazett, Matthew Purling standing on both sides of the bargain. [Film No. 149, 150, 152, 167, 177, 178, 183, 202]

The same concern arises when Francis Wrangham, one of three attorneys selling for the absent London merchant John Searle, bought the land himself for £234 0s 0d in November 1746. The notes observe that he stood on both sides but stop short of asking whether the absent principal was well served. On an island where the circle of substantial planters and the circle of trusted executors were largely identical, such overlaps were probably unavoidable, but their frequency should temper any assumption that recorded prices were arrived at competitively. [Film No. 131, 152]

A related practice is the intermediary who took nothing. Duke Crispe bought twenty-five acres called Robinson's Land from Martin Harper on 13 November 1734 for £200 0s 0d and sold it to John Burling two days later at exactly the same price. Joshua Johnson bought Thomas Mostyn's James Valley ground in October 1742 for £100 0s 0d and sold it back to the Governor and Council for the Company's use at the identical sum. John Bland bought twenty acres for £600 0s 0d in July 1758 and passed them on for £602 0s 0d two days later. John Adamson held Falconer's house for three months at no gain. Each marks a man standing between the true parties rather than dealing on his own account, though the register never states the arrangement. [Film No. 18, 19, 82, 83, 240, 241, 247]

Trade, Shipping and the Wider Company World

St Helena appears throughout as one node in a network reaching to India, Sumatra and London, and the mechanism is the power of attorney. In 1740 John Bazett and Francis Wrangham sold thirty acres at Great Bottom to Joshua Johnson acting for Thomas Mostyn, then resident at Angingo on the Malabar Coast, and in October 1742 they sold a second Mostyn parcel in James Valley for £100 0s 0d. Richard Goodwin, acting for Joseph Coles of Sumatra, sold three parcels totalling twenty-eight acres to William Coles, also of Sumatra, for £250 0s 0d in February 1742, and acted for the heirs of the dead James Bassett under a letter of attorney dated 4 December 1734. [Film No. 49, 82, 87, 97, 98]

The pattern continues. Thomas Manning Taylor, posted at Bencoolen on the west coast of Sumatra, held a James Valley house and sold it through Thomas French under written authority to William Turner, a gunner's mate. Gabriel Steward, whose West Division estate three attorneys disposed of in 1754, was a mariner of the City of London. John Searle, a merchant of London, held island freehold managed by three local attorneys under a power dated 6 December 1746. A Company servant could hold, improve and dispose of St Helena property across thousands of miles without ever returning to it, and a deed executed by an attorney was only as good as the authority behind it, which is why deeds recite the date of the letter of attorney. [Film No. 131, 132, 185, 190, 191]

Men in Company service also dealt in person during the brief calls of their ships. Gabriel Steward, second mate of the Sandwich, acting under his brother's written authority, sold thirty and a quarter acres of Sandy Bay freehold to Lieutenant Henry Bazett for £700 0s 0d on 6 June 1758, then cleared the whole leasehold in seven separate instruments to Bazett and Richard Bagley on seventeen and 20 June. Each assignment carried the same £5 0s 0d whether it covered one acre or nineteen, so the payment was a formality attending the instrument rather than a price. The concentration of business into a fortnight reflects the sailing of the Sandwich. William Robinson and Thomas Underwood of the Egmont took twenty acres of cabbage tree land through Bland in July 1758 on the same logic. [Film No. 224, 225, 233, 234, 235, 240, 241]

The island's function as a provisioning station surfaces indirectly through its agriculture rather than through any record of shipping. Yams appear as an item of value in their own right, passing with the land in the Doveton orphans' sale, in the Mowatt purchase of 1753 and in the Mowatt mortgage to the Ryder trust, and 50,000 yams and suckers passed with the Wrangham ground in 1756. Gumwood appears in the Giles Smith transfer to John Goodwin, the native timber the Company watched closely and whose leases bound the holder to preserve or raise the trees. Land was valued for what it produced for passing shipping as much as for its extent. [Film No. 164, 179, 182, 201, 207, 236]

War and the Wider World

Every deed is dated by regnal year, and one entry gives the full royal style claiming Great Britain, France and Ireland. The reign changes within the material, King George II having died in October 1760, and the sale of Bisley on 12 October 1761 is the first document dated by his grandson's years. Beyond this the wider world intrudes remarkably little. [Film No. 132, 248]

The years 1744 to 1748 coincide with the War of the Austrian Succession, when British and French forces contested position in the Indian Ocean and the Company's shipping was at risk. The register makes no direct reference to any of it, and no entry mentions fortification, privateering or wartime shortage. The absence is itself informative. It suggests either that the war touched the island's property market lightly, or more probably that a register of conveyances was simply not the place where such matters were recorded. Any account of St Helena's wartime experience must be sought elsewhere. [Film No. 107-156]

The Seven Years War is more visible, though still only at the edges. Edward Whitmore's rank in the King's Royal Regiment of Artillery marks him as a royal officer rather than a Company servant, a distinction sharpened as regular troops were drawn to garrisons across the Company's stations. Lucius O'Bryen of the Colchester and Eyre Coote appear among the subscribers of July 1758. Most concretely, the Company's barracks appear as the southern boundary of a James Valley house in September 1759, where earlier descriptions had used neighbouring householders alone. That single boundary clause is the war's clearest trace in the island's property record. [Film No. 226, 239, 241]

Judiciary and Legal Practice

There are no court proceedings anywhere in this material, but legal practice pervades it. Every conveyance carries a warranty by which the seller and his heirs bound themselves to defend the buyer's quiet possession, and the persistence of the formula points to real anxiety about title in a society where much land had passed informally. The strength of the warranty varied with the seller's position. An owner selling his own property gave the widest form, standing behind the title against all persons, as Robert Barclay did in August 1757. Men acting for others gave narrower promises reaching only claims through themselves, as the executors of Joseph Desfountain did in 1751 and the attorneys of Gabriel Steward in 1754. Later documents insert the word lawfully, confining the promise to claims with some legal foundation. [Film No. 219, 224, 237]

Several deeds show parties taking extra precautions. Richard Crosby, who conveyed seven acres in Fryer Valley by his mark on 14 March 1730, returned on 27 March to acknowledge the whole deed a second time before witnesses. Signing by mark left an instrument more open to later challenge, and a fresh acknowledgement closed off doubt that the grantor had understood the terms. John Bland undertook in August 1756 to give any further assurance needed within seven years, provided it did not require him to travel off the island, a form rarely seen elsewhere that reflects both the period within which a defect would ordinarily surface and what a buyer could realistically enforce against a man who had sailed. [Film No. 9, 213]

Attesting neighbours served a practical purpose in a town of shared walls. Richard Bagley witnessed Barclay's sale while holding the house that formed its northern boundary, and Francis Wrangham junior attested his father's sale while holding the land on the northern boundary of the parcel conveyed. A neighbour present at the signing was poorly placed to raise a boundary claim afterwards. Family members appear regularly among witnesses, the Wranghams, Bagleys, Beales and Bazetts attending each other's deeds without any suggestion of irregularity. [Film No. 219, 221, 223, 245]

English legal formality was maintained as far as circumstances allowed but not always fully. Deed after deed carries a note that no stamped paper was to be had on the island. English law required legal instruments to be written on paper bearing a revenue stamp, and a remote station could not keep a supply, so the clerks recorded the want on the face of each document to protect it from later challenge. The note appears from the 1740s through to 1762 with a frequency suggesting a shortage lasting years rather than an occasional lapse. Whether the practice would have survived challenge in an English court is another question. [Film No. 109, 124, 126, 129, 144, 171, 172, 178, 181, 196, 204, 207]

Trusts and powers of attorney show sophisticated instruments in use from early in the period. When Joseph Bates sold the twenty-one and a half acres called Bush Farm in July 1738, the buyers were four trustees holding for the widow Elizabeth Burling and the three sons of the deceased John Burling, with the widow taking the use of half during her life. In May 1740 the executors of John Young leased Prior's Estate to John Brown for the benefit of Young's orphans, choosing a rental income over a capital sale so the estate would return intact. Nominal payments of five shillings or twenty shillings mark family arrangements and formalities rather than bargains throughout. [Film No. 22, 45, 214, 221, 254]

Personalities

John Bazett, gentleman and third of Council, was the most persistent accumulator of the 1730s. He took James Valley town plots in October 1738, twenty-one acres at Woody Ridge in November 1738, and a narrow twelve-foot strip from John Goodwin junior in March 1738, all while quietly reassembling his father's estate share by share. His holdings survived him: Matthew Purling and Richard Beale settled his affairs in 1758, selling sixty acres in Deep Valley and other ground to a Matthew Bazett of the following generation, so the family holding endured two deaths and a division intact. [Film No. 15, 25, 27, 53, 54, 55, 56, 242, 243]

John Goodwin rose from gentleman to Governor within the span of the register. He bought consolidated Goodwin ground in March 1730, took a Company grant of a James Valley plot with a brick chamber and brew house in November 1738, and made the great £5,539 6s 4d purchase in September 1739. Brick was scarce, so the chamber marks a house of standing. Within a year he had sold ten developed acres back to Powell for £250 0s 0d and mortgaged a town house to him for £750 0s 0d. He died owing the Company money, and the Governor and Council broke up his estate to recover it. [Film No. 8, 23, 38, 46, 47, 48, 75]

That break-up is the most revealing sequence of the early 1740s. Francis Wrangham senior took thirty-two acres and a half for £204 0s 7½d in August 1742, Samuel Doveton twenty-four acres for £295 0s 0d in September, and George Gabriel Powell sixteen acres for £205 0s 0d and then sixty-nine acres of West Division freehold for £835 0s 0d. Those sixty-nine acres were the very ground, named parcel by parcel with the same bynames including Longs, that Powell had sold Goodwin in 1739. The estate had gone full circle within three years, and Powell, by then Governor himself, bought back under his own Council's authority the land he had parted with, at near £12 an acre against the £10 of the 1739 schedule. [Film No. 75, 76, 79, 80, 84, 85]

Powell then redistributed. On 31 August 1742 he sold sixteen acres to John Goodwin, planter, for £204 10s 0d, almost exactly what he had paid the Company the same day, and passed twenty-eight acres of leasehold to the same man for a token ten shillings, while Goodwin sold him 3 acres called the Pound adjoining his dwelling house for £21 0s 0d. Read one way these deeds show Powell restoring land to the Goodwin family while ensuring the Company was paid. Read less charitably, they show a Governor using his office to control who acquired a substantial estate. Both readings fit the evidence, and that a sitting Governor acquired the bulk of his predecessor's forfeited estate is a fact the register states without comment. [Film No. 77, 78, 79, 84]

George Gabriel Powell dominates the whole middle of the period. He appears as fourth of Council in 1740, second in 1742 and Governor by that August, selling his great estate in 1739, buying much of it back, taking Company grants of waste at £1 an acre, keeping a body of contracted servants, and holding a lives-based lease whose fractions were still being divided among smaller men two decades later. That he retained the capacity to lend Goodwin £750 0s 0d in 1740 suggests the 1739 sale liquidated an estate rather than relieved a distress. [Film No. 42, 43, 47, 48, 68, 74, 76, 78, 84, 89, 91, 255]

Samuel Doveton is the most acquisitive figure of the later 1740s, buying freehold and leasehold alike, securing a fresh life on his lease for his daughter Margaret, and appearing as witness, executor and boundary holder throughout. The Doveton name runs from a Jonathan confirmed in fifty and a quarter acres in 1711 and expanded to a hundred and forty acres under Halley's Mount in 1713, through Samuel's accumulations of the 1730s and 1740s, to the Jonas, James, Jonathan and younger Samuel Dovetons of the middle century, two of whom acted in concert to move fractions of several leases into Thomas Greentree's hands in 1759. [Film No. 113, 136, 140, 142, 251, 255, 256]

Matthew Purling emerges as the principal East Division holder, his land ringing parcel after parcel in the deeds of others. He bought a substantial Doveton holding with its house in June 1748, received his London brother's entire inheritance in 1751, and continued acquiring enclosed fields through the mid 1750s. Francis Wrangham senior performs the same role in the West Division, buying the Powell estate for £3,075 0s 0d in 1747, forty-three acres from his own son the secretary for £750 10s 0d in April 1756, and two further parcels from Francis Mowatt within eight weeks, spending well over £1,200 0s 0d in two months. Mowatt, who had been buying from the Ryder estates three years earlier, appears clearing his holdings rather than settling on them. [Film No. 138, 157, 170, 195, 205, 206, 207, 211]

Members of the garrison appear regularly as purchasers, and their acquisitions show military service as a route into landed property. James Scott, lieutenant of the island, bought house shares in 1745; Thomas Easthope bought nineteen acres near the Main Ridge for £250 0s 0d in July 1746; Nathan Sample, gunner's mate, bought twenty-five acres at Fisher Valley for £100 0s 0d in 1747. Ordinary soldiers bought town houses, Daniel Bush for £60 0s 0d and John Collins for £45 0s 0d. Lieutenants John Black and Thomas Kirkpatrick bought substantial country ground in the early 1750s. These purchases confirm the garrison as a source of settlers with capital rather than a transient body. [Film No. 111, 117, 118, 126, 151, 172, 173]

Company salaries put money into other hands outside the planting families, and surgeons are conspicuous. Samuel Falconer bought a house in 1751 and died intestate before 1757; John Ingles paid £160 0s 0d in 1754; Robert Barclay sold his own dwelling for £200 0s 0d in August 1757 and bought Falconer's eight days later, so he was moving house rather than leaving the island as the first sale had implied. John Robinson, master mason, and John Bland, carpenter, joiner and later master mason, dealt constantly in town property, Bland moving houses and land between others where his margin was £2 0s 0d. [Film No. 190, 208, 212, 218, 240, 241, 244, 246, 247]

Others emerge more quietly. Joseph Bates dealt actively in town houses while giving slaves to his daughter. Joshua Johnson accumulated parcels across town and country and mortgaged them when he needed money. Richard Bagley accumulated steadily to the end of the period, taking four leasehold parcels from Steward, two from Isaac Knipe, and twenty-four acres from John Clark in a single sitting in April 1762. Robert Wright witnessed an extraordinary number of instruments and signed the Council order of 1747, marking him as a man at the centre of the island's legal business. Joseph Powell appears chiefly as a seller, disposing of ground at Lemon Valley, the Main Ridge, the Horse Pasture and Sandy Bay between 1744 and 1747, though whether this reflects retrenchment or financial pressure cannot be told from conveyances alone. [Film No. 73, 93, 99, 116, 126, 135, 137, 142, 148, 154, 233, 250, 252, 253]

Two men deserve notice for what they reveal about literacy. Ebenezer Leech, who signed by mark, sold Deep Valley leasehold to Henry Multon in 1734 and twenty-five acres to Orlando Bagley in 1740, then bought a town house. Stephen Luffkin likewise signed with a mark. Gabriel Isaacke pledged his James Valley house, his Lemon Valley land, his cattle and two men in a document he could not read, the attesting witnesses serving partly to establish that its terms had been made known to him; while the debt stood he took on eight further acres in Lemon Valley, adding to holdings already tied to the loan, and cleared the whole sum in 1758. Several of these men could not write their names, which is worth remembering when reading deeds drawn in polished legal English. [Film No. 61, 67, 69, 72, 129, 209, 210, 216, 232]

One Parcel Followed: Bates

One holding can be followed through five owners in a few years, and it illustrates how East Division ground circulated. The twenty-one acres called Bates passed from Matthew Purling to John Desfountain in November 1748 for £210 0s 0d, from John to Samuel Desfountain in May 1750 for £220 0s 0d, from Samuel Desfountain to Samuel Knipe in December 1752 for £220 0s 0d, and from Knipe to Lieutenant Thomas Kirkpatrick on the same December date for £220 0s 0d. The price held constant across three of the four transfers, and the boundary description stayed unchanged throughout, fixed by the dead Dovetons' land called Coalers and Purling's ground called the Flatts. The stability of both price and bounds shows a small circle of connected holders trading a parcel whose value was settled and understood. [Film No. 173, 174, 175, 176, 177]

Reliability and Limitations of the Evidence

The register is candid about many of its own imperfections, which is a point in its favour. Clerks noted the absence of stamped paper, preserved a false start where a copy had been abandoned after a few lines and begun again below without striking it through, recorded that the day of the month was missing from an original bill of sale rather than supplying a date, and explained why an assignment had been written separately because the lease paper had decayed too far to endorse or because no room was left on it. Marginal notes record when an arrangement had become void, as when Margaret Wrangham died. [Film No. 105, 207, 215, 225, 233, 238, 256]

Errors are nonetheless present and matter. Regnal years are given wrongly more than once, as when March 1758 is called the twenty-second year of King George II rather than the thirty-first. The redemption date of the 1740 Goodwin mortgage is given as April 1841, a century out and almost certainly a slip for 1741. The price of the Mowatt purchase appears as £340 10s 0d in one entry and £549 10s 0d in another, though property, seller, date, slave and crop match exactly. A transfer recites 4 September 1759 in its body but was sealed in September 1760. The Doveton executors' sale is dated 28 May 1760 where the accompanying leave was granted 28 May 1750 and the surrounding entries fall in the early 1750s. In each case the calendar date and the sealing are the safer guide. [Film No. 48, 162, 182, 215, 236, 237, 254, 257]

Other internal problems deserve note. The Bradley conveyance of fifteen acres in Prosperous Bay Valley describes the parcel as eight rods by eight rods, a square covering a small fraction of an acre; the acreage and dimensions cannot both be correct. The deed is sealed on 20 November 1733 and certified on 5 March 1733, an order that only makes sense under Old Style dating where the year began in March. Two consecutive entries duplicate the same pair of Desfountain leasehold transfers word for word, and the Isaac Leech sale of ten acres at High Hill is entered twice with identical parties, date, sum and witnesses. Such contradictions are as likely clerical as substantive, since the register was copied and recopied. [Film No. 13, 57, 63, 163, 175]

One entry contains an explicit correction stating that buyer and seller had been reversed in an earlier account of the same transaction. Such a note is unusual and useful, since it shows the material being checked rather than simply transcribed. It is also a caution: where no correction was made, an error of the same kind would pass unnoticed. Delays in registration compound the problem, an acre sold in September 1751 not being entered until April 1758, leaving the buyer exposed for nearly seven years. [Film No. 213, 223]

There is nothing on crime or punishment, almost nothing on religion or education beyond an apprenticeship indenture, no court proceeding, no military action, and no description of the provisioning of shipping that gave the island its strategic value. Ships appear only when their officers buy, sell or lend. These are not gaps in the island's history but gaps in this particular class of record, and the omission of slavery in particular means the register describes an economy while concealing the people who sustained it. [Film No. 8-257]

Conclusion

Across the forty-four years covered here, St Helena appears as a small, intensively held and steadily consolidating landed society whose institutions had matured well beyond the improvised arrangements of its first decades. In the 1720s the register records modest town conveyances and scattered country parcels. Through the 1730s the pace quickens, with families such as the Goodwins, Dovetons, Bazetts, Purlings, Greentrees, Beales, Bagleys and Wranghams buying out neighbours and closing gaps. The climax comes in 1747, when two sales of unprecedented size transfer great blocks of the West Division to Samuel Doveton and Francis Wrangham, and the pattern continues to 1762 with parcels moving in ever fewer hands. [Film No. 8, 116, 117, 127, 128, 137, 138, 155, 253]

The Company remains present at every turn, as landlord granting leave, as neighbour holding waste, as administrator of intestate estates, and as the authority whose consultations gave every leasehold transfer its validity. The island's landholders used the full apparatus of English conveyancing, including warranties, trusts, mortgages, apprenticeship indentures, marriage settlements and powers of attorney, all applied competently in a settlement of a few hundred people. Credit ran through everything, at 8 per cent in the 1730s and 1750s, at 6 per cent in the 1740s, and at 5 per cent by the end, binding families to each other and occasionally to creditors in England. [Film No. 108, 142, 156, 179, 209, 226, 232]

The wider world enters chiefly through people in motion. Company servants at Angingo, Bencoolen and Sumatra held island ground through agents; ships' officers bought and sold during brief calls; a commander of the Denham lent at interest; London trustees held a widow's capital; and royal officers of the Seven Years War subscribed to buy a man. Two European wars pass almost without trace, and the Company's barracks appearing as a James Valley boundary in 1759 is the most concrete mark either left on the record. [Film No. 82, 190, 209, 224, 226, 239, 241]

The society revealed is legally sophisticated, closely intermarried and increasingly unequal, and the same small circle of men supplied its governors, its buyers, its executors, its attorneys and its witnesses without any apparent sense that these roles conflicted. The register records this process with considerable precision while remaining almost entirely silent on the labour that sustained it. Beyond the names Caesar, Augustus, London, Mercis, Pompey, Christiana, January, Marlborough, Ibby, Hannah, Amy, Asher, Phillip, Somsour and Lewis, nothing is preserved of the enslaved people whose work produced the yams, plantations and fences that gave the land its value. That silence is the record's defining limitation, and any account drawn from it must hold both facts together. [Film No. 8-257]

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Modern Summary with Analysis

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EAP 1364 St Helena

Document Name and Date Register of wills 1729-1762

Photographer Aidan Plato

Date photographed 8th June 2022

Additional comments

2

Book cover

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REGISTER OF DEEDS

1729-1762

Ref. E. I. C. 7/20

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[Loss along the upper edge and the entire lower portion of the right-hand side of the page, affecting the ends of the lower block of lines and the foot of the page.]

Know all Men by these Presents that We Frances Cope & Richard Goodman

of the Island St Helena for and in Consideration of the Sum of Forty two Pounds

of current Money to Us in hand Paid at & before the Insealing & delivery hereof by

John Goodman Gent likewise of the Said Island the Receipt of which We do hereby

Acknowledge & our selves to be therewith fully paid Satisfied & Contented Have

Bargained Sold & delivered & by these Presents do for Our Selves & each of Our

Ex[ecuto]rs Adm[i]rs & Assigns Bargain Sell Assign & Deliver unto him the Said John Good[man]

his heirs Ex[ecuto]rs Adm[i]rs or Assigns All & Singular that Piece or Parcell of Free Land conta[ining]

Six Acres adjoyning to the Lands now or late in the Possession of the Said John Goodm[an]

with all & Singular the Rights Comodities & Appurtinances thereon Standing being

or belonging To have & to hold all & Singular the Said hereby Bargained

Premises with all & every the Appurtenances thereunto belonging or Appertaining unto

him the Said John Goodman his Heirs or Assigns forever without any Lett Trouble

Hindrance or Molestation by or from Us or by or from either of Our heirs Ex[ecuto]rs Adm[i]rs

or Assigns or from any other Persons or Persons whatsoever & do for Our Selves and

Each & every of our heirs Ex[ecuto]rs Adm[i]rs & Assigns Warrant to defend keep harmless

& Indemnify him the Said John Goodman & his heirs in the peaceable & quiet

Possession of the abovementioned Premises & every Part thereof against all manner

of Persons whatsoever Claiming or to Claim any Right or Title to the Said Six Acres

of Land or any Part thereof In Witness Whereof We have hereunto Set Our

hands & Seals this 14 day of March Annoq Domini 1729.

Signed Sealed & Delivered Frances F C Cope

in the Presence of Mark

Fran[ci]s Wrangham

Tho[ma]s Greentre Rich[ar]d Goodman

Know all Men by these presents that I Richard Goodman of the Island

St Helena Planter for & in Consideration of the Sum of Thirty five Pounds of

good & Current Money to me in hand Paid at & before the Insealing & Delivery

hereof by worthy John Goodman Gent the Receipt of which I do hereby

Acknowledge & my Self to be therewith fully paid Satisfied & Contented

HAVE Bargained Sold Assigned & delivered & by these Presents do for my

Self my heirs Ex[ecuto]rs Adm[i]rs & Assigns Bargain Sell Assign & Deliver

aforesaid & Firstly unto John Goodman his Heirs Ex[ecuto]rs Adm[i]rs or Assigns

or Parcell of Free Land containing Three Acres adjoyning to the Said Land

late in the Possession of Richard Cop[e] of the Said Island

Rights Profits & Comodities thereon Standing be[ing]

and to hold All & Singular the Said her[eby]

[...] Money the Appurten[ances] thereunto belo[nging]

[...] Brother [...]

Frances Carne and Richard Goodwin, both of St Helena, sold to John Goodwin gentleman six acres of their land against a payment of £42 0s 0d in current money, acknowledged as received in full at the sealing. The parcel adjoined ground already held by John Goodwin, and passed with all its rights, profits and appurtenances. The two grantors bound themselves and each of their heirs, executors, administrators and assigns to hand the land to John Goodwin and his heirs and assigns for ever, free of any trouble, hindrance or interference from themselves or from any other party. They further undertook to defend his quiet possession of the six acres against every claim to any right or title in the land. Frances Carne set her mark and Richard Goodwin signed in his own hand, both sealing on 14 March 1730. The witnesses were Francis Wrangham and Thomas Greentree.

Richard Goodwin, planter, of St Helena, sold to his brother John Goodwin gentleman a further parcel of ten acres against a payment of £35 0s 0d in good and current money, acknowledged as received in full at the sealing. He conveyed the land for his heirs, executors, administrators and assigns to his brother and his assigns, the parcel lying next to ground late in the possession of a holder named Richard whose surname cannot be recovered. The land passed with its rights, profits and commodities, to hold with all its appurtenances. The remainder of the deed cannot be read.

Interpretations

The two deeds established Richard Goodwin and John Goodwin as brothers, since the second names John expressly as the brother of the grantor. This fixes both men within the Goodwin family alongside Frances Carne, the twice-widowed relict of Captain Thomas Goodwin and George Carne, who joined the first conveyance as co-grantor. Frances Carne signed by her F C mark throughout, matching her unlettered status recorded across the family settlement sequence from 19 November 1717 to 2 April 1718.

The pairing of a joint six-acre conveyance with a separate ten-acre conveyance on the same day points to a coordinated transfer of Goodwin family ground into John Goodwin's hands. This matches the pattern of Richard Goodwin's disposals held in right of his wife, such as the 40 acres in James Valley sold to Francis Wrangham and the 20 acres called Alexander's Land sold to James Ryder, both on separate days in November 1725. Each sale carried a penal or warranty structure defending the buyer against rival claims, the same protective mechanism that appears in the first deed here.

The figure of £42 0s 0d for six acres sits well above the ordinary upland rate of the island, which ran nearer 9 shillings to £1 10s 0d per acre in the earlier records. The higher sum probably reflected improved ground, a favourable position beside land John Goodwin already held, or the inclusion of standing crops and appurtenances within the single payment.

Speculations

The record shows the six-acre parcel conveyed jointly by Frances Carne and Richard Goodwin, where the simpler course would have been a single grantor conveying his own interest. The joint form was chosen because each held a distinct share in the ground, one through dower or widow's right and one in possession, and both interests had to be gathered into one instrument to give John Goodwin a clear and undivided title. The separate ten-acre deed from Richard Goodwin alone, sealed the same day, confirms that the two men kept their individual parcels distinct while directing both to the same family buyer, consolidating scattered Goodwin ground under the senior member rather than leaving it fragmented across the line.

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Peaceable and quiet Possession of the abovementioned Premises & every Part thereof

against all manner of Persons whatsoever Claiming or to Claim any Right or Title to

the Said Three Acres of Land or any part thereof In Witness whereof I have hereunto

set my hand & Seal this 14 day of March Annoq Domini 1729

Signed Sealed & Delivered Rich[ar]d Goodman

in the Presence of

Fran[ci]s Wrangham

Tho[ma]s Greentree

Know all Men by these Presents that I Richard Crosby of the Island

St Helena Planter for & in Consideration of the Sum of Sixty three Current Money

to me in hand Paid at & before the Insealing & Delivery hereof by John Goodman Gent

likewise of the Said Island the Receipt of which I do hereby Acknowledge & my Self

therewith to be fully Paid Satisfied & Contented HAVE Bargained Sold & Delivered

and by these presents do for my Self my heirs Ex[ecuto]rs Adm[i]rs & Assigns Bargain

Sell Assign & Deliver unto him the Said John Goodman his Heirs & Assigns all

that Piece or Parcell of Free Land containing Seven Acres lying & being in

Fryer Valley with all & Singular the Rights Profits Comodities & Appurtinances

thereunto belonging To Have & to Hold all & Singular the Said hereby

Bargained Premises with all & every the Appurtinances thereunto belonging

or Appertaining unto him the Said John Goodman his Heirs or Assigns

forever without any Lett trouble hindrance or Molestation by or from Me

or by or from any other Person or Persons whatsoever & I do hereby for my Self

my heirs Ex[ecuto]rs Adm[i]rs & Assigns Warrant to defend keep harmless & Indemnify

him the Said John Goodman & his heirs in the peaceable & quiet Possession of the

abovementioned Premises & every part thereof against all manner of Persons

whatsoever Claiming or to Claim any Right or Title to the Said Seven Acres of

Land or any part thereof In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand &

Seal this 14 day of March Annoq Domini 1729

Signed Sealed & Delivered Richard X Crosby

in the presence of Mark

Signd Doveton

John Bazett

St Helena 17 March 1730

for the full Contents of the within Mentioned Sum Witness my han[d]

Rich[ar]d Crosby

Mark

Richard Goodwin bound himself and his heirs to defend John Goodwin's quiet possession of the parcel against every claim to any right or title in the land. He set his hand and seal on 14 March 1730. The witnesses were Francis Wrangham and Thomas Greentree.

Richard Crosby, planter, of St Helena, sold to John Goodwin a parcel of seven acres of green land lying in Fryer Valley against a payment of £42 0s 0d in current money, acknowledged as received in full at the sealing. The land passed to John Goodwin, his heirs and assigns with all its rights, profits, commodities and appurtenances. Crosby undertook that he and each of his heirs, executors, administrators and assigns would give and deliver the land to the buyer, free of any trouble, hindrance or interference from himself or from any other party. He further bound himself and his heirs, executors, administrators and assigns to defend John Goodwin's peaceful possession of the seven acres against every claim to any right or title in the land. Richard Crosby set his mark and sealed on 14 March 1730. The witnesses were Jonas Doveton and John Bazett.

At St Helena on 27 March 1730 Richard Crosby confirmed before witness the full contents of the deed set out above, again setting his mark.

Interpretations

The seven-acre Fryer Valley conveyance completed the same coordinated transfer of ground into John Goodwin's hands that the Carne and Goodwin deeds began, all dated 14 March 1730 and all directed to the same buyer. Richard Crosby connects to the Crosby family of the earlier records, including Edward Crosby the deceased soldier who sold two acres at Little Horse Pasture to Thomas Goodwin on 19 March 1695, and John Crosby confirmed in ten acres in Plyers Valley on 4 August 1713.

The later act of 27 March 1730, in which Crosby confirmed the whole deed a second time by his mark, gave the conveyance added security. A grantor who signed by mark rather than in his own hand left the instrument more open to later challenge, and a formal acknowledgement before witness on a fresh date closed off any doubt that he had understood and assented to the terms.

Speculations

The record shows the Fryer Valley deed reinforced by a separate confirmation thirteen days after the sealing, where a single execution would ordinarily have sufficed. The second act was taken because Crosby conveyed by mark, and the parties wanted the transfer placed beyond dispute before the ground settled in Goodwin's hands. The choice to return and acknowledge the full contents anew, rather than rest on the original sealing, points to a deliberate effort to protect a purchase built from several parcels bought on one day from different Goodwin-connected sellers, each strengthening John Goodwin's consolidated holding against any future claim through an unlettered grantor.

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Know all Men by these Presents that I Giles Smith of the Island

St Helena Carpenter by Vertue of leave from the Worshipfull the Governour &

Council of the Said Island for & in Consideration of the Sum of Twelve Pounds Ten

Shillings of current money to me in hand paid Have Bargained Sold Assigned

& Delivered and do by these presents for my Self my heirs Ex[ecuto]rs Adm[i]rs & Assigns

bargain Sell Assign Set over & Deliver unto Samuel Doveton of the Said Island

Planter all my Right Title and Interest to & in all & Singular the within mentioned

Twenty Acres of Land with all & other the Rights to the Premises & all and every part

thereof To have and to hold all & Singular the Said parcell of Land with

all things thereon Standing and being or belonging Unto him the Said Samuel

Doveton & his heirs from the day of the date here of for & During all the Remainder

of the Term or Terms yet to come in the within Mentioned Lease & untill the same shall

be fully ended & Expired He the Said Samuel Doveton paying the Rent Reserved and

performing the other Conditions as therein were fully Expressed In Witness whereof

I have hereunto Set my hand & Seal this 30 day of December One Thousand

Seven Hundred & thirty

Giles Smith

Signed Sealed & Delivered

in the Presence of

Rich[ar]d Godwin

Walter Morris

Received this 30 day of December 1730 of Wm Samuel Doveton

the Sum of Twelve Pounds Ten Shillings in full Payment & Satisfaction for all my Right

Said Interest to & in the abovementioned Twenty Acres of Land Sold Said & all and

every the Rights Comodities & Appurtenances thereunto belonging or Appertaining

Witness my hand the day & Year aforesaid

Giles Smith

Witness

Rich[ar]d Godwin

Walter Morris

Know all Men by these Presents that I Giles Smith of the Said St Helena

Carpenter for & in Consideration of the Sum of Seventy Pounds of Current Money to

me in hand Paid at and before the Insealing and delivery hereof Have Given

Granted Bargained Sold Assigned and Delivered & to by these presents for my Self

my heirs Ex[ecuto]rs Adm[i]rs & Assigns Grant grant Bargain Sell Assign & Deliver

Sam[uel] Doveton of the Said Island Planter his heirs Ex[ecuto]rs Adm[i]rs or A[ssigns]

Singular that piece or Parcell of Land containing [...] Acres

adjoyning to & other the Lands of him the Said Sam[uel] [...]

Singular the Wood Water & all other the Rights [...]

thereunto belonging To have and to h[old]

[...] Bargained Premises & every part & thereof [...]

and his heirs forever And the Said [...]

[...] all things Covenant Grant & [...]

[...] heirs Ex[ecuto]rs Adm[i]rs & Assigns [...]

[...] and at all times here[after]

Giles Smith, carpenter, of St Helena, holding his authority from the Governor and Council of the island, sold to Samuel Doveton, planter, of St Helena, all his right, title and interest in twenty-one acres of land, against a payment of £12 0s 0d in current money, acknowledged as received in full at the sealing. The land passed to Samuel Doveton and his heirs with everything standing on it and belonging to it. The grant ran from the date of the deed for the whole remainder of the term still to come under the lease named in it, and would take effect once the lease itself came to an end. Samuel Doveton was to pay the rent due and to perform the other conditions set out in the lease. Giles Smith set his hand and seal on 30 December 1730. The witnesses were Richard Goodwin and Walter Morris.

On 30 December 1730 Giles Smith acknowledged receipt from Samuel Doveton of the £12 0s 0d in full payment for all his right and interest in the twenty-one acres, together with every right, commodity and appurtenance belonging to it. He set his hand to the receipt the same day, witnessed by Richard Goodwin and Walter Morris.

Giles Smith, carpenter, of St Helena, sold to Samuel Doveton, planter, of St Helena, a further parcel of land against a payment of £70 0s 0d in current money, acknowledged as received in full at the sealing. He conveyed the parcel for himself and his heirs, executors, administrators and assigns, with all its water, watercourses and other rights and appurtenances. The remainder of the deed cannot be read.

Interpretations

The first instrument was an assignment of leasehold rather than a sale of freehold, since Giles Smith passed only his remaining interest under a Company lease and bound Samuel Doveton to carry the rent and the covenants forward. This tracks the standard 1711 leasehold framework, under which the twenty-one-year term ran at a fixed rent with obligations to fence, plant and preserve timber, and disposal required the council's consent. The low figure of £12 0s 0d for twenty-one acres reflects that only the unexpired term changed hands, not the land itself.

The two Smith-to-Doveton deeds, sealed the same day and witnessed by the same men, moved both a leasehold interest and a freehold parcel from the carpenter to Samuel Doveton in a single coordinated step. Giles Smith held a settled standing on the island as a master craftsman, confirmed in ten acres of freehold and twenty acres of leasehold near the head of Pleasant Valley on 4 August 1713, and named as a life in the Arthur Bradley Seyloss Ground lease of 1719. The disposal to Samuel Doveton points to a withdrawal from part of his accumulated ground, consistent with his other sales of Chapel Valley houses to William Gaa recorded before 1730.

Speculations

The record shows Giles Smith's leasehold interest passing by a formal assignment with the rent and covenants expressly carried over, where an outright surrender back to the Company would have been the simpler route. That course was avoided because the unexpired term still held value, and assigning it to Samuel Doveton realised £12 0s 0d that a surrender would have forfeited. The decision to split the leasehold and the freehold into two separate deeds on the same day, rather than fold both into one conveyance, kept the two forms of title distinct so that the Company's continuing interest in the leased ground stayed clearly separate from the land Doveton took absolutely.

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bargained Premises forever as aforesaid without any Lett Trouble Hindrance or

Molestation by or from Me or by or from any other Person or Persons whatsoever &

against all & all Manner of Persons do hereby Warrant to Save & Defend him the said

Samuel Doveton his heirs or Assigns and against all & all manner of Claim Right or

Demand of in or Unto the Premises or any part thereof made or to be Made by any

Person or Persons whatsoever Warranting the Same to be free & clear of & from all

Said all Manner of Incumbrances whatsoever In Witness whereof I the Said Giles Smith

have hereunto Set my hand & Seale this 30th day of November in the Year of our Lord

One Thousand Seven Hundred Thirty One

Giles Smith

Signd Seald & Deliver[e]d

in the Presence of

Rich[ar]d Godwin

Walter Morris

Received of Mr Samuel Doveton the Sum of Seventy Pounds

in full Payment and Satisfaction for the parcell of Land Abovementioned Witness my

hand this 30th day of Nov[embe]r 1731.

Giles Smith

Witness

Rich[ar]d Godwin

Walter Morris

Know All Men by these Presents that I Orlando Bagley Sen[io]r of the Island

St Helena Planter for & in Consideration of the Sum of Sixty One Pounds Seventeen Shillings

and Six Pence of Current Money to me in hand Paid at & before the Insealing and

Delivery hereof HAVE Given Granted Bargained Sold Assigned & Delivered And do by

these Presents for my Self my heirs Execut[o]rs Administrators & Assigns Give Grant Bargain

Sell Assign & Deliver unto Samuel Doveton of the Said Island Planter his heirs Ex[ecuto]rs

Adm[i]rs or Assigns All & Singular that Piece or Parcell of Freehold Land containing Eleven

Acres & half butting & bounding North upon the Leasehold Land of John Bazek

South & West upon other the Lands of him the Said Orlando Bagley and East upon

the Leasehold Land of him the Said Samuel Doveton together with all & Singular

the Wood Water & all other the Rights Comodities & Appurtinances thereunto belo[nging]

To have and to hold all & Singular the Said hereby bargained Premis[es]

and every part and Parcell thereof unto him the Said Sam[uel] Doveton and his heirs

forever And I the Said Orlando Bagley do for my Self My heirs Ex[ecuto]rs Adm[i]rs & Assig[ns]

Covenant Promise & Agree to and with the Said Samuel Doveton his heirs Ex[ecuto]rs Adm[i]rs

[...] that he May & every of them shall & may from time to time And at all tim[es]

[...] Occupy Possess & Enjoy the Said hereby Bargained Premis[es]

[...] without any Lett Trouble Hindrance or Molestation by or

[...] any other Person or Persons whatsoever & against all a[nd]

[...] ly Warrant to Save and Defend him the Said Sam[uel]

[...] Manner of Claim Right or Demand of in or u[nto]

[...] [...] or to be made by any Person or Persons

[...] free & clear of & from all & all manner of

[...] Incum[brances]

Giles Smith bound himself to defend Samuel Doveton's possession of the parcel against every claim, right or demand made or to be made by any party, warranting the land free and clear of all encumbrances. He set his hand and seal on 30 November 1731. The witnesses were Richard Goodwin and Walter Morris.

On 30 November 1731 Giles Smith acknowledged receipt from Samuel Doveton of £70 0s 0d in full payment for the parcel of land set out above. He set his hand to the receipt the same day, witnessed by Richard Goodwin and Walter Morris.

Orlando Bagley senior, planter, of St Helena, sold to Samuel Doveton, planter, of St Helena, a parcel of freehold land of eleven acres and a half, against a payment of £61 17s 6d in current money, acknowledged as received in full at the sealing. He conveyed the land for himself and his heirs, executors, administrators and assigns, with all its water, watercourses and other rights, commodities and appurtenances, to hold to Samuel Doveton and his heirs for ever. The parcel was bounded north by the leasehold land of John Bazett, and south and west by other land of Orlando Bagley and by the leasehold land of Samuel Doveton himself. Orlando Bagley undertook for himself and his heirs, executors, administrators and assigns to defend Samuel Doveton's peaceful possession against every claim, right or demand made or to be made by any party, warranting the land free and clear of all encumbrances. The remainder of the deed cannot be read.

Interpretations

The Orlando Bagley conveyance was a sale of freehold, distinct from the leasehold assignment of the earlier Smith deed, since it passed the land itself to Samuel Doveton and his heirs for ever with no rent or term reserved. The boundaries fixed the parcel between land Orlando Bagley kept and leasehold ground already held by Samuel Doveton and by John Bazett, so the purchase rounded out a block Doveton was assembling in that quarter. This matches the pattern of the September 1731 leases, where Orlando Bagley senior and John Bazett held adjoining tenures below the Main Ridge alongside Samuel Doveton.

The price of £61 17s 6d for eleven acres and a half worked out near £5 7s 0d per acre, well above the ordinary upland rate and closer to the value of improved or well-placed ground. The precise, uneven sum points to a figure fixed by measurement or negotiation rather than a round bargain, perhaps reflecting standing crops, water rights or the value of a parcel that completed a neighbour's holding.

Speculations

The record shows Samuel Doveton buying land from Orlando Bagley that lay hard against ground he already held on lease, where he might instead have left the two forms of tenure separate. He took the freehold to consolidate a single working block under one hand, since the boundaries name his own leasehold on two sides and the purchase closed the gap between his scattered interests. The choice to acquire the fee rather than seek a further lease gave him land he owned outright at the centre of his holding, secured against the council's consent requirement that bound his leasehold parcels and free of the rent and covenants that ran with them.

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Incumbrances whatsoever In Witness I the Said Orlando Bagley hav[e]

hereunto set my hand & Seal this thirtieth day of September in the Year of Our

Lord One Thousand Seven Hundred thirty one

Orlando Bagley Senior

Signed Sealed & Delivered

in the Presence of

John Bagley Jun[io]r

Thom[a]s Bagley Sen[io]r

Received of Mr Sam[uel] Doveton the Sum of Sixty one Pounds

Seventeen Shillings & Six Pence in full Payment and Satisfaction for the Above

mentioned parcell of Land Witness my hand this 30th Sep[tembe]r 1731

Orlando Bagley Senior

Know All Men by these Presents that I John Long of the Island St Helena

Planter with the leave & Consent of the Governour & Council of the Said Island for & in

Consideration of the Sum One Hundred & thirteen Pounds two Shillings & Eight Pence

half Peny HAVE and by these Presents do for my Self my heirs Executors

Adm[i]rs & Assigns Sell Assign make over & Deliver unto John Goodwin likewise

of the Said Island Gent All my Right Title & Interest to & in the within

mentioned five Acres of Leasehold Land and to all things thereon Standing being

growing or belonging To have and to hold unto him the Said John Goodwin

and his Heirs for all the Remainder of the Term or time yet to come in the Said Lease

In Witness whereof I have hereunto Set my hand & Seal this 4 day of June

One Thousand Seven Hundred Thirty Two

Jo Long

Signed Sealed & Delivered

in the presence of

Geoge Young

Tho[ma]s Easthope

Rec[eive]d the full Contents of the above mentioned Sum

of One Hundred and thirteen Pounds two Shillings &

Eight Pence half Peny Witness my hand this 4th

day of July 1732

Jo Long

Know All Men by these Presents that I John Goodwin of the Isl[and St H]elena

Gent with the leave & Consent of the Gov[ernou]r & Council of the Said Isl[and]

Consideration of the Sum of One hundred & thirteen Pounds to me [...]

Doveton of the Said Island Planter HAVE and by these pre[sents]

heirs Ex[ecuto]rs Adm[i]rs & Assigns Sell Assign make over & [Deliver unto Samuel]

Doveton All my Right Title & Interest to & in the [...]

Leasehold Land and to all things thereon Standing [...]

have and to hold unto him the [...]

the Remainder of the Term or time yet to co[me]

John Goodwin do for my Self my [...]

Orlando Bagley senior warranted the parcel free of all encumbrances and set his hand and seal on 30 September 1731. The witnesses were John Bagley junior and Thomas Bagley senior.

On 30 September 1731 Orlando Bagley senior acknowledged receipt from Samuel Doveton of £61 17s 6d in full payment for the parcel of land set out above. He set his hand to the receipt the same day.

John Long, planter, of St Helena, holding his authority from the Governor and Council of the island, sold to John Goodwin gentleman, of St Helena, all his right, title and interest in five acres of leasehold land, against a payment of £113 2s 8½d in current money. He conveyed the interest for himself and his heirs, executors, administrators and assigns, with everything growing on the land and belonging to it. John Goodwin and his heirs were to hold the parcel for the whole remainder of the term still to come under the lease named in it. John Long set his hand and seal on 4 June 1732. The witnesses were Francis Junge and Thomas Easthope.

On 4 July 1732 John Long acknowledged receipt of the full sum of £113 2s 8½d for the land set out above, and set his hand to the receipt.

John Goodwin gentleman, of St Helena, holding his authority from the Governor and Council of the island, took the parcel from Samuel Doveton, planter, of St Helena, against a payment of £113 0s 0d. The conveyance passed to John Goodwin all the right, title and interest in the leasehold land, with everything standing on it, to hold for the whole remainder of the term still to come. The remainder of the deed cannot be read.

Interpretations

The John Long conveyance assigned only a leasehold interest, since it passed the unexpired term of a Company lease rather than the land itself and bound the buyer to the ground already held under that lease. The sum of £113 2s 8½d for five acres was far above any freehold rate on the island and cannot represent the bare value of the acreage. The figure probably folded in the value of standing crops, buildings or improvements on the ground, or discharged an accumulated debt or account tied to the parcel, since a raw five-acre leasehold would not command such a price.

The precise, fractional half-penny in the sum points to a figure carried down from a running account rather than a round bargain struck for the land alone. John Long appears across the records as a long-standing witness and accumulator who dealt in ground, slaves and mortgages into the 1730s, including a conditional sale of twenty acres of gumwood for £80 0s 0d in 1730 and the purchase of the slave Abigail from John Coulson for £30 0s 0d in 1733.

Speculations

The record shows John Long's leasehold interest assigned onward for a sum far larger than any acreage value, where a straightforward sale of five acres would have fetched only a few pounds. The high price was accepted because the transfer settled more than the land, most probably an account or the worth of what stood on the ground, and the fractional half-penny betrays a figure drawn from a reckoning rather than a negotiation over the acres. The choice to route the parcel through an assignment carrying the whole balance, rather than separate the land from the debt, folded a financial settlement into a single conveyance and gave John Goodwin the leasehold clear once the sum was paid.

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Presents the Said parcell of Lease Sold Land Unto him the Said Samuel Doveton

his Heirs & Assigns against all & every other Person or Persons whatsoever to

Warrant & Defend In Witness whereof I have hereunto Sett my hand & Seale

this 4 day July One Thousand Seven hundred thirty two

Signed Sealed & Delivered Jn[o] Goodwin

in the presence of

Thom[a]s Cason

John Doveton

Know All Men by these Presents that John Bradley & Naomi the Wife

of him the Said John Bradley of the Island St Helena Soldier for & in Consideration

of the Sum of Five Pounds to them in hand paid at & before the Insealing and

delivery of these presents HAVE Bargained Sold Assigned Selover & delivered

And by these Presents do Bargain Sell Assign Selover & deliver unto Benjamin

Pledger likewise of the Said Island Planter All that Piece or Parcell of Freehold

Land now in the Possession & belonging to them the Said John & Naomi Bradley

Containing Eight Poles in length & Six Rods in Breadth being part of Fifteen Acres

Lying in Progress Bay Valley together with all & Singular the Water Courses & all

other Rights & Comodities thereunto belonging To have & to hold the Said

Bargained Premises & every part thereof unto him the Said Benjamin Pledger

his Heirs & Assigns forever AND they the Said John Bradley and Naomi his

Wife for themselves & their Heirs the Said Bargained Premises unto him the Said

Benjamin Pledger his Heirs and Assigns against all and all manner of Persons

shall & will Warrant & forever Defend by these Presents In Witness whereof

the Parties to these presents have hereunto Set their hands & Seals this Twentieth

day of November in the Year of Our Lord One Thousand Seven Hundred

Thirty three

John Bradley

the Mark of

Signed Sealed & Delivered

in the presence of

Jn[o] Denning

Simon Wal[k]ey Naomi Bradley

Wm Wood

We the Undersubscribed John & Naomi Bradley do hereby Certify

[...] Land abovementioned Sold by Us Sold to Benj[ami]n Pledger doth

[...]rth & East upon the above Said Parcell of Fifteen Acres

[...] West & South upon other the Lands now in the Possession

[...] Benj[ami]n Pledger Witness Our hands this 6 day of March 1733

John Bradley

the Mark of

Naomi Bradley

John Goodwin took the parcel of leasehold land from Samuel Doveton, and bound himself and his heirs and assigns to defend it against every other party. He set his hand and seal on 4 July 1732. The witnesses were Thomas Cason and Jonas Doveton.

John Bradley, soldier, of St Helena, together with Naomi his wife, sold to Benjamin Pledger, planter, of the same island, a parcel of freehold land of fifteen acres, against a payment of £5 0s 0d in current money, acknowledged as received in full at the sealing. The parcel measured eight rods in length and eight rods in breadth, and lay in Prosperous Bay Valley, then in the possession of John and Naomi Bradley. It passed to Benjamin Pledger, his heirs and assigns for ever, with all its water, watercourses and other rights and commodities. John and Naomi Bradley bound themselves and their heirs and assigns to defend Benjamin Pledger's possession against every claim by any party. Both set their hands and seals on 20 November 1733, John Bradley signing in his own hand and Naomi Bradley by her mark. The witnesses were Mr Deening, Simon Whaley and William Wood.

On 5 March 1733 John and Naomi Bradley certified that the fifteen-acre parcel sold to Benjamin Pledger was bounded north and east by the fifteen-acre parcel set out above, and west and south by other land then in the possession of Benjamin Pledger. Both set their hands, John Bradley signing and Naomi Bradley by her mark.

Interpretations

The Bradley conveyance names Naomi Bradley as a joint grantor alongside her husband, so the wife sealed the deed in her own person rather than leaving her husband to act alone. This protected the buyer against any later claim of dower or wife's interest in the land, and it explains the second act of 5 March 1733, in which both spouses returned to fix the boundaries by a fresh certification. John Bradley connects to the wider Bradley family of the records, including Arthur Bradley and the soldier John Bradley who took small gumwood leases in Sandy Bay Valley across the 1720s.

The stated measurement of eight rods by eight rods cannot yield fifteen acres, since a rod is a linear measure of about five and a half yards and a square of that side would cover only a fraction of an acre. The figure of fifteen acres governs as the parcel actually conveyed, with the rod dimensions perhaps describing a smaller enclosed plot within it or carried imperfectly into the deed. The low price of £5 0s 0d for fifteen acres fits the exposed, marginal ground of Prosperous Bay Valley on the dry eastern side of the island, where land carried little value.

Speculations

The record shows John and Naomi Bradley returning on 5 March 1733 to certify the bounds of land they had already sold, where the original deed of 20 November 1733 might have been left to stand alone. The second act was taken because the parcel adjoined other ground already held by Benjamin Pledger on two sides, and the parties wanted the dividing line fixed beyond dispute before the holdings merged in his hands. The choice to record a separate boundary certification, rather than rely on the measurements in the deed, guarded against the confusion that a sale by an unlettered wife and an imperfect rod measurement might otherwise have left between the new parcel and Pledger's existing land.

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Know all Men by these Presents by these & Joseph Whaley of the Island St Helena

Soldier for & in Consideration of the Sum of Ten Pounds of Current Money of the

Said Island to me this day in hand paid by my Brother Simon Whaley of the

Said Island & for & in Consideration of the farther Sum of Twenty two Pounds

ten Shillings to be paid to me my heirs Ex[ecuto]rs Adm[i]rs or Assigns by him the Said

Simon Whaley his heirs or Assigns on or about the tenth day of July next

ensuing the Date hereof HAVE & by these Presents do for my Self my heirs Ex[ecuto]rs

Adm[i]rs & Assigns Sell Assign make over & deliver by these Presents unto him

the Said Simon Whaley & all & Singular the within mentioned Ten Acres of

Free Land Parcell with the Appurtinances To have & to hold unto him

the Said Simon Whaley his heirs or Assigns forever And I the Said Joseph

Whaley do for my Self my heirs Ex[ecuto]rs Adm[i]rs &c Assigns by these Presents

Warrant to Save Harmless & Defend him the Said Simon Whaley & his heirs

in the peaceable & quiet Possession of the within mentioned Ten Acres of

Land against all Persons whatsoever In Witness whereof I have hereunto

Set my hand & Seal this first day of July One Thousand Seven Hundred

thirty three

Joseph J Whaley jun[io]r

Signed Sealed & Delivered Mark

in the presence of

Jn[o] French

Sam[uel] Tisley

Island St Helena July 4 1733

Then received of Simon Whaley the Sum of Ten Pounds

of Current Money of the Said Island in part of Payment for the within

mentioned Premises I Say received by me

Joseph J Whaley jun[io]r

Mark

Received of Simon Whaley the Sum of Seven Pounds ten Shillings

Seven pence of Current Money of this Island In Witness whereof I have

hereunto Set my hand this 6th day of July 1733

Joseph J Whaley jun[io]r

Mark

September 15th 1733

Received of my Brother Simon Whaley the farther Sum of Fifteen

Pounds Six Shillings & three Pence which together with the former

Sum of Seventeen Pounds ten Shillings & nine pence paid to & [...] Said

by me at two different Payments I Acknowledge to be in full

[...] in Consideration for the full & entire Purchase of all my [...]

Interest to or in the within mentioned Parcell of [...]

Witness

Tho[ma]s Easthope

Jn[o] Harding

Wm Worrall

Margin Notes: Jos[eph] Whaley Brother to Simon Whaley for his part of a Piece of Free Land

Joseph Whaley junior, planter, of St Helena, sold to Simon Whaley, of the same island, a parcel of freehold land against a payment of £10 0s 0d in current money, paid on the day of the deed, together with a further sum of £27 12s 0d to be paid to Joseph Whaley, his heirs or assigns on or before the tenth day of July next. He conveyed the land for himself and his heirs, executors, administrators and assigns to Simon Whaley, his heirs and assigns for ever, with all its rights and appurtenances. Joseph Whaley bound himself and his heirs, executors, administrators and assigns to defend Simon Whaley's peaceful possession of the parcel against every claim by any party. He set his hand and seal on 4 July 1733, signing by his mark. The witnesses were John French and Samuel Tesley.

A margin note recorded that the parcel was Joseph Whaley's freehold, sold to Simon Whaley for part of the price of ten acres of freehold land.

At St Helena on 4 July 1733 Joseph Whaley junior acknowledged receipt from Simon Whaley of £10 0s 0d in current money of the island in part payment for the land set out above, signing by his mark.

Joseph Whaley junior further acknowledged receipt from Simon Whaley of £7 15s 6d in current money of the island, setting his hand to the receipt on 6 July 1733 by his mark.

On 15 September 1733 Joseph Whaley acknowledged receipt from his brother Simon Whaley of a further £15 6s 3d, which together with the earlier sum of £17 3s 9d paid to him in two separate payments, he acknowledged as full payment for the whole purchase of all his right and interest in the parcel of land set out above. The witnesses were Thomas Easthope, John Harding and William Worrall.

Interpretations

The sale was structured as a staged purchase, with £10 0s 0d paid at the sealing and the balance carried forward against a fixed future date rather than settled in one sum. The receipts endorsed on the deed track the payments as they came in, a running record that closed only when the final instalment discharged the whole price on 15 September 1733. This documentary economy, recording successive part-payments on the face of the original instrument, was the standard means of securing a seller against default while allowing a buyer to pay over time.

The deed confirms Joseph Whaley junior and Simon Whaley as brothers, since the final receipt names Simon expressly as the brother of the grantor. Both connect to the Whaley family of the records, including Joseph Whaley the sergeant who sold a James Valley house to John Young in 1722 and later took a building plot as esquire, and Simon Whaley the freeholder confirmed in Fishers Valley on 4 August 1713. Joseph Whaley junior signed by mark throughout, marking him as unlettered despite the family's rising standing.

Speculations

The record shows the full purchase price split across a down payment and a deferred balance tied to a named date, where an outright sale for a single sum would have been simpler. The staged arrangement was chosen because Simon Whaley could not or would not lay down the whole price at once, and Joseph Whaley secured the shortfall by keeping the receipts open on the deed until the last instalment fell due. The choice to record each part-payment separately on the instrument, rather than wait and acknowledge the whole at completion, gave both brothers a clear running account of what had been paid and what remained, protecting the seller's claim to the balance across more than two months of instalments.

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Know all Men by these Presents that I James Powell of the Island

St Helena Planter for and in Consideration of the Sum of Fifty

Pounds of Current Money to me in hand paid by Mr John Bazett

likewise of the Said Island, at & before the Insealing & delivery hereof

HAVE Bargained Sold Assigned Enfeoffed Set over & delivered & by

these Presents do Bargain Sell Assign Enfeoffe Set over & deliver

unto him the Said John Bazett his heirs Ex[ecuto]rs Adm[i]rs & Assigns

all that Piece or parcell of Freehold Land lying in James or Chappell

Valley upon which a Small House or Tenement was formerly Erected

by Lately in the Tenure or occupation of Ann Long deceased & also the

Three Fourths parts of the House or Tenement formerly belonging

to George Hodgkinson deceased which Said Small House or Tenement

together with the three fourth parts of the house formerly belonging to

George Hodgkinson & aforesaid do Joyntly contain or Makein Front

Forty Nine feet and one hundred & Nine feet in Depth & also in or through

the Said whole Depth Forty & Shall Contain Forty Nine feet in Breadth

Backwards or behind the Said Premises with all & other the Buildings

Gardens Backyards and all other the Appurtinances thereunto or the

heirs of them belonging or appertaining To have & to hold all the

Bargained Premisses & every part or parcell thereof unto him the Said

John Bazett his heirs Ex[ecuto]rs Adm[i]rs & Assigns for life & I the Said James

Powell for My Self & My heirs the Said Bargained Premises & every

part & parcell thereof unto him the Said John Bazett his heirs & Assigns

against all & all manner of Clergymen Shall & will warrant & for

ever Defend & Save harmless by these presents In Witness

whereof I have hereunto Set my hand & Seale this 22 day of June

One Thousand Seven hundred & Thirty Seven

Signed Sealed & Delivered James Powell

in the Presents of

Jn[o] Doveton

Jn[o] Johnson

Tho[ma]s Greentree

Received of Mr John Bazett the Sum of Fifty Pounds

Current Money of this Island in full Payment for all & the Piece

of Land and other the Premises abovementioned & in full for all

Witness my hand this 22 day of June 1737

James Powell

Witness

Jn[o] Doveton

Jn[o] Johnson

Tho[ma]s Greentree

The United Company of Merchants of England Trading to the East Indies, as Lords Proprietors of St Helena, confirmed to John Bazett gentleman, of the same island, a parcel of ground in James Valley measuring sixty-two feet in front and one hundred and one feet in depth. John Bazett had lately built and put up on it one dwelling house and other outhouses. The ground adjoined the house then in the possession of Elizabeth Greentree widow on the north, and on the south the yard or garden then in the possession of the heirs or executors of Gabriel Powell, deceased. The parcel passed with the dwelling house, the other buildings and outhouses lately built on it, and all its rights, commodities and appurtenances, to John Bazett, his heirs, executors, administrators and assigns for ever. The grant was made on condition that John Bazett, his heirs and assigns bear true faith and allegiance to King George, his heirs and successors, and to the Company and its successors, and obey all the laws and constitutions of the island. The Company set its common seal on 10 October 1738. The deed was sealed and delivered in the presence of John Goodwin junior and D. Crispe.

A margin note recorded that this was the deed to Mr Bazett of ground in James Valley.

Interpretations

The instrument was a Company confirmation of freehold rather than a private sale, since the Lords Proprietors themselves vested the ground in John Bazett and reserved no rent, only the standard conditions of allegiance and obedience. This is the same James Valley parcel John Bazett had purchased from James Powell by the deed of 22 June 1737, now regularised under the Company's own seal to give him a secure freehold title. The measurement given here, sixty-two feet in front and one hundred and one feet in depth, records a fresh survey of the plot on which he had lately built, distinct from the larger frontage stated in the earlier private conveyance.

The boundaries fix the plot within the built fabric of James Town, between Elizabeth Greentree's house to the north and the yard formerly Gabriel Powell's to the south. Elizabeth Greentree appears in the records as a widow holding Company leasehold in Lemon Valley by the grant of 14 September 1731, and Gabriel Powell as the substantial holder who died before this date, his James Valley dwelling and yard passing to his heirs. The allegiance condition, binding John Bazett and his heirs to King George and to the Company, was the standard tenurial formula by which the Company held every grant conditional on loyalty and obedience.

Speculations

The record shows John Bazett obtaining a Company confirmation of ground he had already bought from James Powell and built upon, where the private deed alone might have been left to stand as his title. He sought the confirmation because a purchase from a single unlettered grantor left the freehold open to challenge, and only a grant under the Company's common seal placed his ownership beyond dispute. The choice to have the plot freshly measured and its bounds fixed against the neighbouring Greentree and Powell holdings, rather than rely on the frontage recited in the 1737 sale, secured a clean and current record of exactly what he held before he committed further to building on the ground.

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Island St Helena.

The Lords Proprietors of this Island the Hon[ora]ble

the United Company of Merchants of England Trading to the East Indies

Do hereby Confirm unto John Bazett of the Said Island Gentleman

All that Piece or Parcele of Ground lying in James Valley containing

Sixty two feet in front & one hundred & one feet in Depth upon which he the

Said John Bazett hath lately Built & Erected one Dwelling House & other

Outhouses adjoyning on the North to the House in the Possession of

Elizabeth Greentree Widow & on the South to the Yard or Garden now in the

Possession of the Heirs or Executors of Gabriel Powell deceased To have

AND to hold all & Singular the Said Parcele of Land or Ground

together with the Said Dwelling House & all other the Buildings or Out

houses by him lately Built & Erected thereon with all & Singular the Rights

Comodities or Appurtenances to them or either of them belonging or

Appertaining unto him the Said John Bazett his heirs Executors

Administrators or all now Assigns for ever Upon Condition that

he the Said John Bazett his heirs & Assigns & every of them Shall & do

always bear true Faith & Allegiance to their Sovereign Lord King George

his heirs & Successours & to them the Said Honourable Company & their

Successours & Shall Obey all the Laws & Constitutions of the Said Island

In Witness whereof the Said Hon[ora]ble Company have to these Presents

Set their Common Seale this 10 day of October in the year of our Lord

One Thousand Seven hundred Thirty Eight

Sealed & Delivered L S

in the Presence of

Jn[o] Goodwin Gov[erno]r

D Crispe

Margin Notes: 6 Deed to Mr Bazett, Ground in James Valley

The United Company of Merchants of England Trading to the East Indies, as Lords Proprietors of St Helena, confirmed to John Bazett gentleman, of the same island, a parcel of ground in James Valley measuring sixty-two feet in front and one hundred and one feet in depth. John Bazett had lately built and put up on it one dwelling house and other outhouses. The ground adjoined the house then in the possession of Elizabeth Greentree widow on the north, and on the south the yard or garden then in the possession of the heirs or executors of Gabriel Powell, deceased. The parcel passed with the dwelling house, the other buildings and outhouses lately built on it, and all its rights, commodities and appurtenances, to John Bazett, his heirs, executors, administrators and assigns for ever. The grant was made on condition that John Bazett, his heirs and assigns bear true faith and allegiance to King George, his heirs and successors, and to the Company and its successors, and obey all the laws and constitutions of the island. The Company set its common seal on 10 October 1738. The deed was sealed and delivered in the presence of John Goodwin junior and D. Crispe.

A margin note recorded that this was the deed to Mr Bazett of ground in James Valley.

Interpretations

The instrument was a Company confirmation of freehold rather than a private sale, since the Lords Proprietors themselves vested the ground in John Bazett and reserved no rent, only the standard conditions of allegiance and obedience. This is the same James Valley parcel John Bazett had purchased from James Powell by the deed of 22 June 1737, now regularised under the Company's own seal to give him a secure freehold title. The measurement given here, sixty-two feet in front and one hundred and one feet in depth, records a fresh survey of the plot on which he had lately built, distinct from the larger frontage stated in the earlier private conveyance.

The boundaries fix the plot within the built fabric of James Town, between Elizabeth Greentree's house to the north and the yard formerly Gabriel Powell's to the south. Elizabeth Greentree appears in the records as a widow holding Company leasehold in Lemon Valley by the grant of 14 September 1731, and Gabriel Powell as the substantial holder who died before this date, his James Valley dwelling and yard passing to his heirs. The allegiance condition, binding John Bazett and his heirs to King George and to the Company, was the standard tenurial formula by which the Company held every grant conditional on loyalty and obedience.

Speculations

The record shows John Bazett obtaining a Company confirmation of ground he had already bought from James Powell and built upon, where the private deed alone might have been left to stand as his title. He sought the confirmation because a purchase from a single unlettered grantor left the freehold open to challenge, and only a grant under the Company's common seal placed his ownership beyond dispute. The choice to have the plot freshly measured and its bounds fixed against the neighbouring Greentree and Powell holdings, rather than rely on the frontage recited in the 1737 sale, secured a clean and current record of exactly what he held before he committed further to building on the ground.

17

7V

Know all Men by these Presents that We the Governour & Council

of the Island St Helena for & in behalfe & in the Name of the Hon[ora]ble

the United Company of Merchants of England Trading to the East

Indies for & in Consideration of the Sum of Fourty Shillings of Good

& Current Money of the Said Island HAVE Given Granted Bargained

Sold & Delivered & do by these Presents Give Grant Bargain Sell &

Deliver unto John Bazett of the Said Island Gentleman his heirs

Ex[ecuto]rs Adm[i]rs & Assigns All that Piece or Parcell of Ground lying

behind his House & yard in the Fort Valley containing Sixty two

feet in Breadth & Thirty Six feet in Depth from his Yard Wall with

all & Singular the Rights Privileges Comodities & Appurtinances

thereunto belonging or Appertaining To have AND to hold

the Said hereby Bargained Premises to him the Said John Bazett

his heirs Ex[ecuto]rs Adm[i]rs & Assigns forever to do & dispose thereof as

he they or either of them Shall thinke fit or Proper And We the

Governour & Council of the Island aforesaid for & in behalf & in the

Name of the Said Hon[ora]ble Company their heirs & Successours do

Covenant Promise & Agree to & with him the Said John Bazett

his heirs Ex[ecuto]rs Adm[i]rs & Assigns that he they & every of them Shall

peaceably & quietly Possess & Enjoy from henceforth & at all times

hereafter All & Every part & Parcell thereof together with all and

Singular the Rights Privileges Comodities & Appurtinances

thereunto belonging or Appertaining without any Lett

hindrance Molestation or Disturbance by of or from the Said

Hon[ora]ble Company or their Successours or of from by or under

any other Person or Persons whatsoever by our their Means

Consent Privity or Procurement In Witness whereof

We the Underwritten the Governour & Council for the time

being have hereunto Set our hands & Affixed the Seale of the

Said Hon[ora]ble Company this Seventeenth day of October in the

year of our Lord One Thousand Seven hundred Thirty Eight

Jn[o] Goodwin Gov[erno]r L S

D Crispe

Margin Notes: Gov[erno]r & Council's Deed of Gift to Mr Bazett for Ground in Said Valley

The Governor and Council of St Helena, acting for and in the name of the United Company of Merchants of England Trading to the East Indies, granted to John Bazett gentleman, of the same island, a parcel of ground lying behind his house and yard in the Fort Valley, against a payment of 40 shillings in good and current money of the island. The parcel measured sixty-two feet in breadth and thirty-six feet in depth from his yard wall. It passed with all its rights, privileges, commodities and appurtenances to John Bazett, his heirs, executors, administrators and assigns for ever, to hold and dispose of as he or they should think fit. The Governor and Council, for and in the name of the Company and its heirs and successors, undertook that John Bazett, his heirs, executors, administrators and assigns should peacefully hold and enjoy the parcel and every part of it, with all its rights, privileges, commodities and appurtenances, free of any trouble, hindrance, interference or disturbance from the Company or its successors, or from any other party claiming through them. The undersigned Governor and Council set their hands and put the Company's seal to the deed on 17 October 1738. The signatories were John Goodwin junior and D. Crispe.

A margin note recorded that this was the Governor and Council's deed of grant to Mr Bazett of ground in the Fort Valley.

Interpretations

The grant added a strip of ground behind John Bazett's existing house and yard, measured from his yard wall, so it enlarged the plot the Company had confirmed to him seven days earlier on 10 October 1738. The Fort Valley here is the same James Valley of the earlier deeds, the settlement clustered around Fort James and the Castle. The low charge of 40 shillings reflects the small size of the addition, a back strip of sixty-two feet by thirty-six feet rather than a full building plot.

The instrument was issued under the authority of the Governor and Council acting in the Company's name, distinct from the confirmation of 10 October 1738 sealed by the Lords Proprietors themselves. This shows the two channels by which Company land passed on the island: a direct grant under the common seal of the Proprietors, and a local grant executed by the Governor and Council as their agents. The same two men, John Goodwin junior and D. Crispe, witnessed the earlier confirmation and executed this later grant, marking the small circle of senior figures who handled the Company's land business.

Speculations

The record shows John Bazett taking a separate grant of the back strip a week after his main plot was confirmed, where both might have been folded into a single instrument. The addition was handled on its own because it was surveyed and charged from his existing yard wall, and the Company treated the enlargement as a distinct transaction with its own small consideration. The choice to fix the new ground by measurement from the wall of the plot already granted, rather than restate the whole holding afresh, tied the strip precisely to what he held and secured his expansion to the rear without reopening the title to the main parcel.

18

7R

Know all Men by these Presents that I Martin Harper of the Island

St Helena Planter by Vertue of leave and Authority so to do Given me by

the Governour & Council as will more fully appear by our Consultation

dated the Fifteenth of January One Thousand Seven hundred & thirty

Three for & in Consideration of the Sum of Two hundred Pounds to me

this day in hand Paid by Duke Crispe likewise of the Said Island Planter

& by these Presents Do for my Self my heirs Ex[ecuto]rs Adm[i]rs & Assigns Sell

Assign Sett over & Deliver unto him the Said Duke Crispe his heirs Ex[ecuto]rs

Adm[i]rs & Assigns all my Right Title Claim or Interest to & in all that

Piece or Parcell of Leasehold Land lying in Sandy bay containing

Twenty five Acres commonly called or known by the Name of

Robbisons Land To have and to holde all the Said parcell of

Land unto him the Said Duke Crispe his heirs or Assigns for & during

all the Space or Term of years Unexpired & yet to come in the Said Lease

without any Lett trouble & hindrance or Molestation by or from

me or by or from any other Person or Persons Claiming or to Claim

by from or Under me. In Witness whereof I have hereunto Set my

hand & Seale this 13th day of November 1734

Signd Seald & Delivered

in the Presence of Martin Harper

Jn[o] Goodwin Sen[io]r

John Goodwin Jun[io]r

Received of Mr Duke Crispe the Sum of Fifty

Pounds which together with the Sum of One hundred & fifty Pounds also

by me heretofore Received of him, I Acknowledge Sold in full Payment

& Satisfaction for Five & Twenty Acres of Leasehold Land lying in

Sandy bay commonly called Robinsons Land and in full of all

Accounts. Witness my hand this thirteenth day of November in the

Year of our Lord One Thousand Seven hundred & Thirty four.

Witness

Tho[ma]s Cason Martin Harper

John Goodwin Jun[io]r

I do hereby Certify that the above are true Copies

of the Original Assignment & Receipt Examd

D Crispe

Margin Notes: Martin Harper to Mr Crispe for Twenty five Acres Land called Robisons

Harper's Deed for the aforesaid Land to Mr Crispe

Martin Harper, planter, of St Helena, holding his authority from the Governor and Council as set out more fully in a consultation of 15 January 1733, sold to Duke Crispe, of the same island, all his right, title, claim and interest in a parcel of leasehold land in Sandy Bay of twenty-five acres, commonly known as Robinson's Land, against a payment of £200 0s 0d paid on the day of the deed. He conveyed the interest for himself and his heirs, executors, administrators and assigns to Duke Crispe, his heirs, executors, administrators and assigns for the whole term of years still to come under the lease. Duke Crispe was to hold and use the land free of any trouble, hindrance or interference from Martin Harper or from any other party claiming through or under him. Martin Harper set his hand and seal on 13 November 1734. The witnesses were John Goodwin senior and John Goodwin junior.

On 13 November 1734 Martin Harper acknowledged receipt from Duke Crispe of £50 0s 0d, which together with £150 0s 0d already received from him made up the full price, and acknowledged the whole in full payment and satisfaction for the twenty-five acres of leasehold land in Sandy Bay commonly called Robinson's Land, then held on the strength of a sale. The witnesses were Thomas Cason and John Goodwin junior.

Duke Crispe certified that the assignment, receipt and confirmation set out above were true copies of the originals.

A margin note recorded that this was Martin Harper's conveyance to Mr Crispe of twenty-five acres of leasehold land called Robinson's, and a second note recorded the receipt for the same land to Mr Crispe.

Interpretations

The conveyance was an assignment of leasehold, since Martin Harper passed only his interest in the unexpired term of a Company lease rather than the land itself. The sum of £200 0s 0d for twenty-five acres of leasehold ground was high for a bare term, and probably reflected standing buildings, crops or improvements on Robinson's Land, or the value of a well-established holding, since raw leasehold acreage would not command such a price. Martin Harper appears in the records as a soldier who took the gumwood lease known as the Half Moon near Sandy Bay Valley in 1726 and a further parcel in Swanley Valley in 1731.

The byname Robinson's Land preserves the memory of an earlier holder, John Robinson the free planter of the records, who took a twenty-acre gumwood lease in Sandy Bay on 1 August 1711. The price was settled in two payments, £150 0s 0d taken earlier and £50 0s 0d at the sealing, with the receipt recording the whole as discharged. Duke Crispe, connected to the D. Crispe who witnessed and executed the Bazett grants of October 1738, emerges here as an active purchaser of Sandy Bay ground.

Speculations

The record shows the twenty-five acres passing by an assignment of the remaining lease term, where Martin Harper might instead have surrendered the ground to the Company. He chose to assign it because the unexpired term carried real value, most of it in what stood on Robinson's Land, and selling to Duke Crispe realised £200 0s 0d that a surrender would have lost. The decision to record the price as settled in two separate sums within a single receipt, rather than a single payment at completion, points to a purchase paid down over time and closed only when the final instalment discharged the balance, giving both men a clear account of what had been paid before the leasehold changed hands.

19

8V

Know all Men by these Presents that I Duke Crispe of the

Island St Helena Gent for & in Consideration of the Sum of Two

hundred Pounds of Current Money One hundred Pounds thereof

having this day been to me in hand paid & the other hundred Pounds

to be paid to me my heirs or Assigns at or upon the first day of

March next, & by Vertue & leave obtained from the Gov[erno]r or Governour &

Council of this Island HAVE & by these Presents do Assign all my

Right Title & Interest to & in the within mentioned Premises & every

part thereof unto John Purling of the Said Island Planter his heirs

& Assigns To have and to hold the Said within mentioned

Premises & every part thereof unto him the Said John Purling his

heirs & Assigns for & during all the Term or Space yet to come &

Unexpired in the within mentioned Lease. In Witness whereof I

have hereunto Set my hand & Seale this fifteenth day of November,

in the year of our Lord One Thousand Seven hundred thirty four.

Signd Seald & Delivered

in the Presence of

Jn[o] Goodwin Sen[io]r D Crispe

John Goodwin Jun[io]r

Received of Mr John Purling the Sum of

Two hundred Pounds in full Payment & Satisfaction for the Purchase

of all my Right & Interest to or in the abovementioned parcell of Land

Leasehold Land the Said Mr Purling Since writing the Said Assign

ment of the Lease having chose to pay all the Purchase Money at one

Payment & in full of all Accounts. Witness my hand this 15th day of

November in the year of our Lord One Thousand Seven hundred

thirty four.

Witness

Jn[o] Goodwin Sen[io]r D Crispe

John Goodwin Jun[io]r

I do hereby Certify that the above are true Copies of the

Original Assignment & Receipt Examd

D Crispe

Margin Notes: Mr Crispe to John Purling for a certain Leasehold Land within mentioned

Mr Crispe's receipt to Mr Purling for above Said Land

Duke Crispe gentleman, of St Helena, assigned to John Burling, planter, of the same island, all his right, title and interest in the parcel of leasehold land set out above, against a payment of £200 0s 0d in current money. He acknowledged £100 0s 0d paid to him on the day of the deed, with the remaining £100 0s 0d to be paid to him, his heirs or assigns on or before the first day of March next. He held the interest under a sale obtained from the Governor and Council of the island. It passed to John Burling, his heirs and assigns for the whole term of years still to come under the lease. Duke Crispe set his hand and seal on 15 November 1734. The witnesses were John Goodwin senior and John Goodwin junior.

On 15 November 1734 Duke Crispe acknowledged receipt from John Burling of £200 0s 0d in full payment and satisfaction for all his right and interest in the parcel of leasehold land set out above. Since writing the assignment of the lease, John Burling had chosen to pay the whole purchase in a single payment, and Duke Crispe acknowledged it in full and in settlement of all accounts. He set his hand to the receipt on 15 November 1734. The witnesses were John Goodwin junior and John Goodwin junior.

Duke Crispe certified that the assignment and receipt set out above were true copies of the originals.

A margin note recorded that this was Duke Crispe's assignment to John Burling of the parcel formerly held by him, and a second note recorded Duke Crispe's receipt to John Burling for the same land.

Interpretations

The instrument passed onward the twenty-five-acre leasehold parcel called Robinson's Land that Duke Crispe had bought from Martin Harper by the assignment of 13 November 1734, sold on to John Burling just two days later. This rapid resale, at the same figure of £200 0s 0d, marks Duke Crispe as an intermediate buyer moving the leasehold quickly between holders rather than taking it for his own use. John Burling connects to the planter of the records who took Deep Valley and other gumwood leases across the 1720s.

The receipt records a change in the manner of payment after the deed was drawn, since John Burling chose to settle the whole £200 0s 0d at once rather than pay the deferred £100 0s 0d balance on the appointed date. The note that this closed all accounts between them shows the receipt discharging not just the land price but any running reckoning the two men held. The doubled name among the witnesses reflects John Goodwin junior attesting alongside a namesake or the same man recorded twice.

Speculations

The record shows the leasehold assigned with a deferred balance fixed to a future date, then discharged in full at once when John Burling chose to pay the whole sum immediately. He settled early because paying down the entire £200 0s 0d in one payment closed the matter and cleared all accounts between the parties, sparing both the wait to the March date the deed had set. The choice to note this change of payment on the face of the receipt, rather than leave the deferred term standing as drawn, gave a clear record that the balance had been met ahead of time and that nothing further remained owing on the purchase.

20

8R

Know all Men by these Presents that Isaac Wode of the Island St Helena

Ensign for & in Consideration of the Sum of Ninety five Pounds of

Current Money to me in hand paid at & before the Insealing & Delivery

hereof by John Purling likewise of the Said Island Planter the

receipt of which I do hereby Acknowledge & my Self to be therewith

fully paid & Satisfied HAVE Bargained Sold Assigned Setover and

Delivered & by these Presents do Bargain Sell Assign Setover and

Deliver unto him the Said John Purling his heirs Executors

Administrators & Assigns All & Singular that Piece or Parcele

of Land containing Ten & Four more or less lying in the East

Division of the Said Island & Butting North upon a Parcele of

Lands belonging to Benj[ami]n Pledger South upon the Lands

belonging to the Said Benj[ami]n Pledger East upon the Lands

belonging to John Purling & West upon the Lands belonging to

other of my Lands with all Singular the Rights Profits thereunto his

& Appurtenances thereunto belonging or in any wise Appertaining

Also, all the Estate Right Title Interest Use Possession Property

Claim & Demand whatsoever of him the Said Isaac Wode in or to the

Same Piece Piece Evidence & Writeings whatsoever touching and

concerning the Premises To have and to hold all & Singular

the Said the Piece of Land with all other the Premises hereby Granted

Bargained Sold or mentioned or intended to be Herein or hereby

Granted Bargained & Sold with all & every of their Rights Members

and Appurtenances whatsoever unto him the Said John Purling

his heirs Executors forever & the Said Isaac Wode for himself & his

heirs and all & Singular the Said Parcele of Land with the Appurte

nances before Given or Bargained Sold unto the Said John Purling

his heirs to indemnify proper Use & behoof of him the Said John Purling

his heirs & Assigns forever against him the Said Isaac Wode &

his heirs & Assigns & all & every other Person & Persons whatsoever

lawfully Claiming to from or Under him & against all & every

Persons whatsoever Shall & will Warrant & forever Defend by

these Presents In Witness whereof he the Said Isaac Wode

hath hereunto Set his hand & Seale this 22th day of July in

the year of our Lord One Thousand Seven hundred Thirty five.

Signd Seald & Delivered

in the Presence of J Wode

Simon Whaly

James Deason

John Doveton

Received of John Purling the Sum of Ninety five

Pounds of Current Money of this Island being in the Peace of the

above Bargain & Sale as Witness my hand

Ja[me]s Wode

I do hereby Certify that the above Bill of Sale & Receipt are

true Copies of the Originalls Examd

D Crispe

Margin Notes: Ensign Wode's Bill of Sale to Mr John Purling for 10 Acres of Freeland &c

Isaac Wood, ensign, of St Helena, sold to John Burling, planter, of the same island, a parcel of land of ten acres, more or less, in the East Division of the island, against a payment of £95 0s 0d in current money, paid at the sealing. The parcel was bounded north by land belonging to Benjamin Pledger, south by land belonging to Benjamin Pledger, east by land belonging to John Burling, and west by other land of John Burling. It passed with all its rights, profits and appurtenances, together with all Isaac Wood's estate, right, title, interest, claim and demand in it, to John Burling, his heirs, executors, administrators and assigns for ever. Isaac Wood bound himself and his heirs and assigns to defend John Burling's possession of the parcel against every claim by any party. He set his hand and seal on 6 July 1735, signing by his mark. The witnesses were Simon Whaley, James Dixon and John Bennett.

On 6 July 1735 Isaac Wood acknowledged receipt from John Burling of £95 0s 0d in current money of the island in full payment for the parcel set out above, signing by his mark.

Isaac Wood certified that the bill of sale and receipt set out above were true copies of the originals.

A margin note recorded that this was Ensign Wood's bill of sale to John Burling of ten acres of freehold land.

Interpretations

The sale conveyed a freehold parcel outright, since Isaac Wood passed the land itself and all his interest in it with no rent or term reserved. The boundaries place the ten acres between land held by Benjamin Pledger on the north and south and John Burling's own ground on the east and west, so the purchase filled a gap in a block John Burling was assembling in the East Division. This tracks the pattern of Burling's Deep Valley and East Division holdings across the records.

Isaac Wood connects to the Isaac Wood of the records, variously classified as corporal, cooper and free planter, who bought five acres in Fishers Valley from Giles Hayes in 1712 and acted as executor of Thomas Burnham. Here he appears at the higher rank of ensign, marking his rise within the garrison. The price of £95 0s 0d for ten acres worked out near £9 10s 0d per acre, high for rural ground and probably reflecting improved land or the value of a parcel that completed a neighbour's holding.

Speculations

The record shows John Burling buying ten acres that lay hemmed between Benjamin Pledger's land on two sides and his own ground on the other two, where the parcel had little use to anyone else. He paid a full price to take it because the ground closed the last gap in his East Division block, and consolidating it under his own hand was worth more to him than to a buyer without adjoining land. The choice to acquire the freehold outright, rather than leave the strip in Isaac Wood's hands, gave Burling a single unbroken holding and removed a neighbouring interest that would otherwise have divided his ground.

21

9V

Know all Men by these Presents that I Matthew Mudge

of the Island St Helena Planter for & in Consideration of the Sum

of Thirty Seven Pounds of Current Money to me in hand paid

at & before the Insealing & delivery hereof by John Purling of the

Said Island Planter HAVE Given Granted Enfeoffed & Confirmed

& by these Presents do Give Grant Enfeoff & Confirm unto him

the Said John Purling his heirs Ex[ecuto]rs Adm[i]rs & Assigns All that

Piece or Parcell of Land containing about five Acres more

or less lying in the East Division of the Said Island & adjoyning

to the Lands of him the Said Matthew Mudge, & also more

adjoyning to the Lands of him the Said John Purling

commonly called the Flatts with all & Singular the Rights

Profits Comodities & Appurtenances thereunto belonging or

in any wise Appertaining And also all the Estate Right

Title Interest Use Possession Property Claim & Demand

whatsoever of him the Said Matthew Mudge of in or to the

Same To have and to hold all & Singular the Said

Parcele of Land with all other the Premisses hereby Given

Bargained Sold with all & every of their Rights Members

& Appurtenances whatsoever unto him the Said John Purling

his heirs & Assigns forever And I the Said Matthew Mudge for

my Self & my heirs all & Singular the Said Parcele of Land

with the Appurtenances before Granted Bargained Sold unto

the Said John Purling & his heirs to the only proper Use &

behoof of him the Said John Purling his heirs & Assigns forever

against him the Said Matthew Mudge his heirs & Assigns &

all & every other Person or Persons whatsoever lawfully

Claiming by from or under him & against all other Persons

whatsoever Shall & will Warrant & forever defend by these

Presents In Witness whereof I have hereunto Set my

hand & Seale this Twenty fourth day of June in the year

of our Lord One Thousand Seven hundred Thirty Eight.

Signd Seald & Delivered

in the Presence of Matthew Mudge

Samuel Sealtro

John Scott

Jn[o] Hodgkinson

Received of Mr John Purling the Sum of

Thirty Seven Pounds Current Money of this Island being in

full Payment & Satisfaction of the above Bargain & Sale as

Witness my hand

Witness

John Scott

Samuel Sealtro Matthew Mudge

Jn[o] Hodgkinson

I do hereby Certify that the above are true Copies of the

Originalls Bill of Sale & Receipt Examined

D Crispe

Margin Notes: Mudge's Bill of Sale to Mr John Purling for five Acres of Freeland

Matthew Mudge, planter, of St Helena, sold to John Burling, planter, of the same island, a parcel of land of about five acres, more or less, in the East Division of the island, against a payment of £37 0s 0d in current money, paid at the sealing. The parcel adjoined the lands of Matthew Mudge and also the lands of John Burling, and was commonly called the Flatts. It passed with all its rights, profits, commodities and appurtenances, together with all Matthew Mudge's estate, right, title, interest, claim and demand in it, to John Burling, his heirs, executors, administrators and assigns for ever. Matthew Mudge bound himself and his heirs and assigns to defend John Burling's possession of the parcel against every claim by any party. He set his hand and seal on 24 June 1738, signing by his mark. The witnesses were Samuel Scotton, John Scott and John Hodgkinson.

On 24 June 1738 Matthew Mudge acknowledged receipt from John Burling of £37 0s 0d in current money of the island in full payment for the parcel set out above, signing by his mark. The witnesses were John Scott, Samuel Scotton and John Hodgkinson.

Matthew Mudge certified that the bill of sale and receipt set out above were true copies of the originals.

A margin note recorded that this was Matthew Mudge's bill of sale to John Burling of about five acres of freehold land.

Interpretations

The sale conveyed a freehold parcel outright, since Matthew Mudge passed the land and all his interest in it with no rent or term reserved. The parcel lay between Matthew Mudge's own land and John Burling's ground, so the purchase added to the block John Burling was gathering in the East Division, alongside the ten acres bought from Isaac Wood on 6 July 1735 and his Deep Valley leaseholds. Matthew Mudge connects to the soldier and planter of the records who bought thirty acres from Joseph Coles in 1724 and held portions of the wider Mudge estate.

The price of £37 0s 0d for about five acres worked out near £7 8s 0d per acre, a firm rate for rural ground that probably reflected the value of a parcel completing a neighbour's holding. The byname the Flatts fixed the ground by a local landscape name, the level land that the name describes. The reversed order of the witnesses between the deed and the receipt shows the same three men attesting both acts.

Speculations

The record shows John Burling buying a parcel that sat directly against both Matthew Mudge's land and his own, where the ground held most value to a neighbour on either side. He acquired it to extend his consolidated East Division holding, since the parcel joined ground he already worked and completing the block was worth more to him than the acreage alone. The choice to take the freehold outright, rather than leave the land divided between the two holders, gave Burling a larger unbroken parcel and removed an adjoining interest that would otherwise have cut into his ground.

22

9R

Know all Men by these Presents that I Joseph Bates of the Island St Helena

Planter for & in Consideration of the Sum of One hundred & Eighty Pounds

to me this day in hand paid by Matthew Purling John Bazett & Duke Crispe

Executors of the last Will & Testament of John Purling deceased & Elizabeth

Purling Widow of the deceased with whom on his lifetime for or Stood &

Agreed for the Sale & Purchase of the following Parcell of Freehold and

Leasehold Land Have Given Granted Aliened Bargained Sold Enfeoffed

& Confirmed & by these Presents do fully clearly & absolutely Give Grant

Bargain Sell Assign Alien & Confirm unto them the Said Matthew

Purling John Bazett Duke Crispe & Elizabeth Purling Widow forever

in trust & for the Use nevertheless of Elizabeth Purling Widow of the Said

John Purling Matthew Purling Adrianus Purling & John Purling

Sons of the Said that is to Say, the half part for the Use of the Said

Elizabeth Purling Widow of the Said deceased during the Term of her

Naturall Life & after her decease, for the Sole Use & equal benefit of

the Said Three Sons of him the Said John Purling deed viz. All that

Piece or Parcell of Freehold Land containing Twenty one Acres & half

more or less lying in the East Division of the Said Island commonly

called or known by the Name of Bunkhams Land & next adjoyning to

the Lands now in the Possession of Jonathan Doveton of the Said

Island Planter, & also adjoyning to the Lands lately in the Possession of

him the Said John Purling deceased, & also all my Right Title & Interest

to & in Seven Acres of Land which fat Present held by lease from the

Hon[ora]ble the Lords Proprietors of this Island with all & Singular their

Rights Profits Comodities & Appurtenances to them or either of them

belonging or in any wise Appertaining, and also the Estate Right

Title Interest Use Possession Property Claim & Demand whatsoever

of him the Said Joseph Bates in & to the Same With Deeds Evidences

& Writeings whatsoever touching or concerning the Premises To have

and to hold all & Singular the Said Parcells of Freehold & Leasehold

Lands with all other the Premises hereby Given & Bargained Sold

or mentioned or intended to be herein or hereby Granted Bargained

& Sold with their every of their Rights Members & Appurtenances whatso

ever unto them the Said Matthew Purling John Bazett Duke

Crispe and Elizabeth Purling Widow & their Heirs and Assigns

forever And to the Said Joseph Bates for himself and his

Heirs all and Singular the Said Parcells of Land with their

Appurtenances before Granted Bargained and Sold unto

them the Said Matthew Purling John Bazett Duke Crispe

and Elizabeth Purling Widow and their Heirs to the only

proper Use and behoof of them the Said Matthew Purling

John Bazett Duke Crispe and Elizabeth Purling Widow

their heirs and Assigns for ever against him the Said

Joseph Bates his heirs and Assigns and all and every

other Person and Persons lawfully Claiming by from

or Under him the Said Joseph Bates and against all

other Persons Shall and will Warrant and forever defend

by these Presents. In Witness whereof I have

hereunto Set my hand and Seale this 15th day of July

in the year of Our Lord One Thousand Seven Hundred

Thirty

Margin Notes: Jos[eph] Bates English &c to Bazett Purling &c for a Parcell of Freehold & Leasehold Land

Joseph Bates, planter, of St Helena, sold to Matthew Burling, John Bazett and Duke Crispe, executors of the will of John Burling, deceased, and to Elizabeth Burling, widow of the deceased, a parcel of freehold land of twenty-one acres and a half, more or less, in the East Division of the island, against a payment of £180 0s 0d, paid on the day of the deed. The land was commonly called Bush Farm, and adjoined a parcel then in the possession of Jonathan Doveton, planter, and other land lately in the possession of John Burling, deceased. Seven acres of the whole then stood held under a sale from the Lords Proprietors of the island. The buyers had reached agreement with Joseph Bates for the sale and purchase of both the freehold and the leasehold ground.

The land passed with all its rights, profits, commodities and appurtenances, and with all Joseph Bates's estate, right, title, interest, claim and demand in it, to Matthew Burling, John Bazett, Duke Crispe and Elizabeth Burling, their heirs and assigns. They held it in trust for the use and benefit of Elizabeth Burling, widow of the deceased, and of the three sons of the deceased, John Burling, Matthew Burling and John Burling. Elizabeth Burling was to take the use of one half of the land during her natural life, and after her death that half was to pass for the sole and equal benefit of the three sons. Joseph Bates bound himself and his heirs and assigns to defend the buyers' possession of the parcel against every claim by any party. The deed was set to be sealed on 15 July in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred. The remainder of the deed cannot be read.

A margin note recorded that this was Joseph Bates's bill of sale to the executors of John Burling for twenty-one acres and a half of freehold and leasehold land.

Interpretations

The sale combined freehold and leasehold in one conveyance, since twenty-one acres and a half passed as a single parcel of which seven acres were held under a Company lease and the remainder in fee. The buyers took the land not for themselves but as trustees, holding it for the widow Elizabeth Burling and the three sons of the deceased John Burling under a settled division of the use. This trust structure protected the family's interest in the estate, giving the widow a life interest in half and reserving the whole to the sons after her death.

The parcel called Bush Farm adjoined ground held by Jonathan Doveton and land lately of the deceased John Burling, so the purchase gathered adjoining ground into the Burling family holding after John Burling's death. John Burling appears across the records as the planter who assembled a substantial East Division block through the purchases from Isaac Wood in 1735 and Matthew Mudge on 24 June 1738. The trustees Matthew Burling, John Bazett and Duke Crispe, named as executors, connect to the wider circle of Bazett and Crispe holders active in the island's land dealings.

Speculations

The record shows the land vested in four trustees for the family rather than conveyed directly to the widow and sons, where a plain sale to the heirs would have been simpler. The trust was used because the sons stood to take the reversion of half the ground only after their mother's death, and holding the estate through trustees kept the whole settlement secure across that span. The choice to fold the seven acres of leasehold into the same conveyance as the freehold, and to place both under one trust, gathered the divided estate of the deceased John Burling into a single managed holding that could pass intact to his three sons in due course.

23

10V

Thirty Eight

Signd Seald & Delivered

in the Presence of

Jn[o] Goodwin Joseph Bates

Fran[ci]s Barlow

Jn[o] Goodwin Jun[io]r

Received of the abovementioned Matthew

Purling John Bazett & Duke Crispe Ex[ecuto]rs of the last Will and

Testament of John Purling deed & Eliz[abeth] Purling Widow of the

deed the Sum of One hundred & Eighty Pounds of Current Money

being in full Payment & Satisfaction for the Sale of the Parcell

of Land abovementioned Witness my hand

Witness

Jn[o] Goodwin Joseph Bates

Fran[ci]s Barlow

Jn[o] Goodwin Jun[io]r

I do hereby Certify that the above Bill of Sale &

Receipt are true Copies from the Originalls Examined

D Crispe

Know all Men by these Presents that We the Gov[erno]r & Council of the

Island St Helena for & in behalfe & in the Name of the Hon[ora]ble the United

Company of Merchants of England Trading to the East Indies for & in

Consideration of the Sum of Fifteen Pounds of good Current money

of the Said Island Have Given Granted Bargained Sold & Delivered &

do by these Presents Give Grant Bargain Sell & Deliver unto John

Goodwin Esq[ui]r Gov[erno]r of the Said Island his heirs Executors Administrators

& Assigns All that Piece or Parcele of Ground or Land lying in James

Valley Situated between the Houses in the Said Valley of Frances

Corne Widow towards the North, & of Charles Steward towards the

South Containing Sixty feet & one half feet in Front including half

the Wall of the House of her the Said Frances Corne & the Whole Wall

of the House of him the Said Charles Steward & Two hundred & Seventeen

feet in length or Depth reaching to the New Water Course & Sixty feet

in breadth at the Rear end of the Said Piece of Ground or Land

including half the Walls of the Backyards or Gardens of them the

Said Frances Corne & Charles Steward aforesaid together with all that

Messuage or Tenement in part Built & now Erecting by him the Said

John Goodwin Esq[ui]r thereon, with all & Singular the Cellars Chambers

Rooms Ways Entries Backsides Houses Buildings Springs Wells

Gutters Watercourses Easements Profits Comodities & Appurtinances

whatsoever, which now do & which hereafter shall belong unto the

Said Ground Messuage or Tenement, or Shall in any wise Appertaine

To have and to hold the Said hereby Bargained Premises Piece &

part & Parcele thereof to him the Said John Goodwin Esq[ui]r his heirs

Ex[ecuto]rs Adm[i]rs & Assigns for ever to do & dispose thereof as he they or the[ir]

[...]

Margin Notes: Gov[erno]r & Council's Grant to John Goodwin Esq[ui]r for Ground in James Valley

Joseph Bates set his hand and seal to the deed set out above on 15 July 1738. The witnesses were John Goodwin, Francis Barlow and John Goodwin junior.

On the same day Joseph Bates acknowledged receipt from Matthew Burling, John Bazett and Duke Crispe, executors of the will of John Burling, deceased, and from Elizabeth Burling, widow of the deceased, of £180 0s 0d in current money in full payment and satisfaction for the parcel of land set out above. He set his hand to the receipt. The witnesses were John Goodwin, Francis Barlow and John Goodwin junior.

Joseph Bates certified that the bill of sale and receipt set out above were true copies of the originals.

The Governor and Council of St Helena, acting for and in the name of the United Company of Merchants of England Trading to the East Indies, granted to John Goodwin gentleman, of the same island, a parcel of ground or land in James Valley, against a payment of 15 shillings in good and current money of the island. The parcel lay in the Fort Valley of James, adjoined the house then in the possession of Frances Carne widow on the north, and land of Charles Steward, planter, on the south. It measured sixty-two feet and a half in front, including half the wall of the house then held by Frances Carne, and one hundred and seventeen feet in length or depth, running to the new watercourse, and sixty feet in breadth at the far end. The ground included half the walls of the backyards or gardens of Frances Carne and Charles Steward, together with the messuage or building lately put up on it by John Goodwin, and with its rectangular Brick Chamber, brew house, privies, backsides, other buildings, springs, walls, gutters, watercourses, easements, rights, commodities and appurtenances. The land passed with everything then belonging to it or that should afterwards belong to it, to John Goodwin, his heirs, executors, administrators and assigns for ever, to hold and dispose of as he or they should think fit. The remainder of the deed cannot be read.

A margin note recorded that this was the Governor and Council's grant to John Goodwin of ground in James Valley.

Interpretations

The Bates receipt closed the Burling family purchase of Bush Farm, discharging the whole £180 0s 0d in a single payment for the twenty-one acres and a half held in trust for the widow and sons. The Goodwin grant that follows was a Company grant of an urban plot under the authority of the Governor and Council, distinct from the private conveyances, vesting the ground in fee against a small charge of 15 shillings.

The Goodwin plot lay in the built centre of James Town, its boundaries fixed to the foot and running to a new watercourse, with the frontage taken to include half the party wall of Frances Carne's house. This close measurement, and the sharing of half the walls of the neighbouring backyards, reflects the cramped, valuable ground of the town where adjoining owners held party walls in common. The Brick Chamber was an uncommon feature on the island, since brick was a scarce building material, and the same byname attaches elsewhere to a Company parcel held by John Cotgrave. Frances Carne, the twice-widowed relict of Captain Thomas Goodwin and George Carne, and Charles Steward, the substantial Sandy Bay holder, appear here as the flanking neighbours of the plot.

Speculations

The record shows John Goodwin taking a Company grant of a James Valley plot on which he had already built a messuage with its brew house, privies and brick chamber, where the buildings alone might have stood without a formal title to the ground. He sought the grant to secure the freehold under the Company's authority, since a house built on ground held without title left his ownership open to challenge. The choice to fix the plot by exact measurement, taking in half the party walls of the Carne and Steward yards and running the depth to the new watercourse, tied his title precisely to the shared urban fabric and settled the bounds against his neighbours before any dispute over the common walls could arise.

24

10R

of them Shall think fit or Proper And We the Gov[erno]r & Council of the Island

aforesaid for & in behalf & in the Name of the Said Hon[ora]ble Company their heirs

& Successours do Covenant Promise & Agree to & with him the Said John Goodwin

Esq[ui]r his heirs Ex[ecuto]rs Adm[i]rs & Assigns that he they & every of them Shall quietly and

peaceably Possess & Enjoy from henceforth & at all times hereafter All & every

part & Parcell thereof with all Singular the Rights Privileges & Appurtinances

thereunto belonging without any Lett hindrance Molestation or Disturbance

by of or from the Said Hon[ora]ble Company or their Successours or of from by or

under any other Person or Persons whatsoever by our or their means Consent

Privity or Procurement. In Witness whereof We the Underwritten the

Governour & Council for the time being have hereunto Set our hands &

Affixed the Seale of the Said Hon[ora]ble Company this fourteenth day of November

in the Year of our Lord One Thousand Seven hundred Thirty Eight

Jn[o] Goodwin Gov[erno]r L S

D Crispe

John Bazett

The Governor and Council, for and in the name of the Company and its heirs and successors, undertook that John Goodwin, his heirs, executors, administrators and assigns should quietly and peacefully hold and enjoy the parcel and every part of it, with all its rights, privileges and appurtenances, free of any trouble, hindrance, interference or disturbance from the Company or its successors, or from any other party claiming through them. The undersigned Governor and Council set their hands and put the Company's seal to the deed on 14 November 1738. The signatories were John Goodwin, Governor, D. Crispe and John Bazett.

25

11V

Know all Men by these Presents that We the Governour & Council

of the Island St Helena for & in behalfe & in the Name of the Hon[ora]ble the

United Company of Merchants of England Trading to the East Indies

for & in Consideration of the Sum of Twenty Pounds of good & nd

Current Money of the Said Island Have Given Granted Bargained

Sold & Delivered & do by these Presents Give Grant Bargain Sell

& Deliver unto John Bazett of the Said Island Gent his heirs

Executors Administrators & Assigns All that Piece or Parcele of

Land containing Twenty Seven Acres lying in the East Division

of the Said Island commonly called or known by the Name of Body

Ridge Butting & bounding North, East, West & South upon the

Hon[ora]ble Companies Waste Land with all and Singular the Rights

Privileges Comodities & Appurtenances thereunto belonging

or Appertaining To have and to hold the Said hereby Bargained

Premises, to him the Said John Bazett his heirs Ex[ecuto]rs Adm[i]rs & Assigns

forever to do & dispose thereof as he they or either of them Shall thinke

fit or proper And We the Governour & Council of the Island

aforesaid for & in behalfe & in the Name of the Said Hon[ora]ble Comp[any]

their heirs & Successours do Covenant Promise & Agree to &

with him the Said John Bazett his heirs Ex[ecuto]rs Adm[i]rs & Assigns

that he they & every of them Shall peaceably & quietly Possess

& Enjoy from henceforth & at all times hereafter All & every part

& Parcele thereof according to the Deed or Deeds hereunto herewith

together with all & Singular the Rights Privileges Comodities

& Appurtenances thereunto belonging or Appertaining without

any Lett hindrance Molestation or Disturbance by of or from

the Said Hon[ora]ble Company or their Successours, or of from by or

under any other Person or Persons whatsoever by our or their

means Consent Privity or Procurement, In Witness whereof

We the Governour & Council for the time being have hereunto

Set our hands & Affixed the Seale of the Said Hon[ora]ble Company this

Twenty Sixth day of November in the year of Our Lord One

Thousand Seven hundred Thirty Eight

Jn[o] Goodwin Gov[erno]r L S

D Crispe [...]

27 Acres

Margin Notes: Gov[erno]r & Council's Deed of Gift to Mr John Bazett for 27 Acres Waste Land

The Governor and Council of St Helena, acting for and in the name of the United Company of Merchants of England Trading to the East Indies, granted to John Bazett, of the same island, gentleman, a parcel of land of twenty-one acres in the East Division of the island, against a payment of £30 0s 0d in good and current money of the island. The parcel was commonly known as Woody Ridge, and was bounded north, east, west and south by the Company's land. It passed with all its rights, privileges, commodities and appurtenances to John Bazett, his heirs, executors, administrators and assigns, to hold and dispose of as he or they should think fit. The Governor and Council, for and in the name of the Company and its heirs and successors, undertook that John Bazett, his heirs, executors, administrators and assigns should peacefully hold and enjoy the parcel and every part of it, with all its rights, privileges, commodities and appurtenances, free of any trouble, hindrance, interference or disturbance from the Company or its successors, or from any other party claiming through them. The undersigned Governor and Council set their hands and put the Company's seal to the deed on 26 November 1738. The signatories were John Goodwin, Governor, D. Crispe and [...].

A plan annexed to the deed marked the parcel of twenty-one acres.

A margin note recorded that this was the Governor and Council's grant to Mr Bazett of twenty-one acres of freehold land.

Interpretations

The grant vested a rural freehold of twenty-one acres in John Bazett under the authority of the Governor and Council, the same channel by which the Company's local officers passed land in its name. The parcel called Woody Ridge lay wholly surrounded by Company land, so it was a fresh allocation carved out of the Company's own ground rather than a confirmation of an existing holding. The charge of £30 0s 0d for twenty-one acres, near £1 8s 0d per acre, fits the rate for open upland ground taken directly from the Company.

The annexed plan was the operative record of the parcel's shape and extent, the Company's land system depending on the surveyor's drawing as much as on the written bounds. This tracks the standard practice by which grants and leases were certified against an annexed plan, the plotted outline fixing the ground where the boundaries named only the Company's land on every side. John Bazett appears across these deeds as an active accumulator of both urban and rural ground, taking the James Valley plots of October 1738 and now this East Division parcel.

Speculations

The record shows John Bazett taking twenty-one acres bounded on all four sides by Company land, ground that touched no other private holding, where the Company might have kept the block in hand. The parcel was granted out because Bazett was willing to pay for and improve upland the Company held idle, and putting it into a paying freehold was worth more to the institution than leaving it as waste. The choice to fix the grant by an annexed plan, rather than by boundaries against neighbouring owners, was forced by the parcel's isolation within the Company's own ground, and the drawn outline gave John Bazett a defined holding where no adjoining private land existed to mark its limits.

26

11R

Island St Helena.

The Lords Proprietors of this Island

the Hon[ora]ble the United Company of Merchants of England Trading to the

East Indies Do hereby Confirm unto Benjamin Pledger of the Said

Island Planter his heirs Executors Administrators Administrators

& Assigns all those Two Pieces or Parcells of Freehold Land containing in

the whole Five Acres & one third lying in the East Division of the Said

Island Five Acres thereof Butting & Bounding North upon the Leasehold

Lands of him the Said Benj[ami]n Pledger South & West upon the Lands of Bridget Bazett

deed & East upon the Lands of Frances Isabelle the other Piece or Parcele thereof

containing one Acre & one Third of an Acre Butting & Bounding North

upon the Hon[ora]ble Companies West Land East upon the Lands of John Bradley

West upon the Lands of Isaac Wode & South upon the Lands of him the Said Benj[ami]n Pledger To have and

to hold the Said Five Acres & one third of an Acre of Land with all & Singular

the Rights Comodities & Appurtenances thereunto belonging or

Appertaining unto him the Said Benjamin Pledger & his Heirs forever

Upon Condition that he the Said Benjamin Pledger his heirs and

Assigns & every of them Shall & do allways bear true Faith & Allegiance

to our Sovereign Lord King George his heirs & Successours & to the Said

Hon[ora]ble Company & their Successours & Shall duely obey all the Laws &

Constitutions of the Said Island. In Witness whereof the Said Hon[ora]ble

Company have to these Presents Sett their Common Seale at the

Plantation House this Fourteenth day of January in the yeare of

our Lord One Thousand Seven hundred Thirty Eight

Sealed & Delivered L S

in the Presence of

Jn[o] Goodwin Gov[erno]r

D Crispe

John Bazett

Margin Notes: Deed to Benj[ami]n Pledger

The United Company of Merchants of England Trading to the East Indies, as Lords Proprietors of St Helena, confirmed to Benjamin Pledger, planter, of the same island, two parcels of freehold land of five acres and one third in all, in the East Division of the island. The first parcel of five acres was bounded north by the leasehold land of Benjamin Pledger himself, south and west by the lands of Bridget Bazett, deceased, and east by the land of Francis Bates. The second parcel of one acre and one third was bounded north by the Company's land, east by the lands of John Bradley, west by the lands of Isaac Wood, and south by the lands of Benjamin Pledger himself. Both parcels passed with all their rights, commodities and appurtenances to Benjamin Pledger and his heirs for ever. The grant was made on condition that Benjamin Pledger, his heirs and assigns bear true faith and allegiance to King George, his heirs and successors, and to the Company and its successors, and obey all the laws and constitutions of the island. The Company set its common seal at the plantation house on 14 January 1738. The deed was sealed and delivered in the presence of John Goodwin, Governor, D. Crispe and John Bazett.

A margin note recorded that this was the deed to Benjamin Pledger.

Interpretations

The instrument was a Company confirmation of freehold, vesting two separate parcels in Benjamin Pledger under the common seal of the Lords Proprietors with no rent reserved, only the standard conditions of allegiance and obedience. Both parcels adjoined ground Benjamin Pledger already held, one bounded by his own leasehold and the other by his own freehold, so the grant consolidated scattered ground into his existing East Division holding. This tracks the pattern of the fifteen acres in Prosperous Bay Valley he took from John and Naomi Bradley in November 1733.

The boundaries name the neighbouring holders who fixed the two parcels: Bridget Bazett, the deceased relict of Captain Matthew Bazett, Francis Bates, John Bradley and Isaac Wood, the last the ensign who sold ten acres to John Burling on 6 July 1735. The naming of Bridget Bazett as deceased marks her death before this date, her land passing to her heirs under the deferred reversion of her 14 September 1731 lease. The allegiance condition, binding Benjamin Pledger and his heirs to King George and to the Company, was the standard tenurial formula on every Company grant.

Speculations

The record shows two parcels lying apart from each other confirmed to Benjamin Pledger in a single instrument, where each might have been granted on its own. They were joined in one deed because both adjoined ground he already held, the first his leasehold and the second his freehold, and confirming them together settled his title to the surrounding block in one act. The choice to regularise both fractions of ground under the Company's seal, rather than let them rest as informal holdings, secured Pledger's ownership of the odd acres that completed his East Division estate and fixed their bounds against the neighbouring Bazett, Bates, Bradley and Wood lands before any question over the divided parcels could arise.

27

12V

Know all Men by these Presents that I John Goodwin Jun[io]r of the

Island St Helena, for & in Consideration of the Sum of Twenty Pounds of

Current Money to me in hand paid at & before the Insealing & Delivery

hereof by John Bazett of the Said Island Gent the Receipt of which I do

hereby Acknowledge & my Self to be therewith fully paid & Contented

HAVE Bargained Sold Assigned & Delivered & by these Presents do for my

Self my heirs Executors Administrators & Assigns Bargain Sell Assign

& Deliver unto him the Said John Bazett & his heirs Executors Administrators

& Assigns All that Piece or Parcele of Freehold Land Situate & in

James Valley containing Twelve feet in Front & one hundred &

Nine in Depth & adjoyning to his house lately Erected & Standing in James

Valley Standscapture with all & Singular the Rights Profits

& Comodities thereon Standing being or belonging To have and

to hold all & Singular the Said hereby Bargained Premises with

all & every the Appurtenances thereunto belonging or Appertaining

unto him the Said John Bazett & his heirs & Assigns for ever without any

Lett trouble hindrance & Molestation of or from me or by or from

any other Person or Persons whatsoever & do hereby for my Self &

my heirs Executors Administrators to Defend keep harmless & Indemnifye to & the

Said John Bazett & his heirs in the peaceable & quiet & Possession of the

abovementioned Premises & every part thereof against all manner

of Persons whatsoever Claiming or to Claim any Right or Title

to the Said Piece of Land or any part thereof In Witness whereof

I have hereunto Set hereunto Set my hand & Seale this day of

March in the Year of Our Lord One Thousand Seven hundred Thirty

Eight

Signd Seald & Delivered

in the Presence of J Goodwin Jun[io]r

D Crispe

Charles Isaac

This Indenture Witnesseth that Joshua

Johnson & Richard Goodwin Chappel Wardens of the Island

St Helena & Overseers of the poor of the Said Island by & with

Consent of the Worshipfull John Goodwin Esq[ui]r Governour

& Council, Have put & placed & by these presents do put

& Place Thomas Tendon a poor Child of the Said Island

Apprentice to William Seale of the Said Island with him

to dwell & Serve from the day of the date of these presents

untill the Said Apprentice Shall Accomplish his full age

of twenty one Years according to the Statute in that case

Margin Notes: Bill of Sale of John Goodwin Jun[io]r to Mr Bazett

John Goodwin junior, of St Helena, sold to John Bazett gentleman, of the same island, a parcel of freehold land in James Valley of twelve feet in front and one hundred feet in depth, against a payment of £20 0s 0d in current money, paid at the sealing. The parcel adjoined a house lately built by John Standish, and passed with all its rights, profits, commodities and appurtenances to John Bazett, his heirs, executors, administrators and assigns. John Goodwin junior conveyed the land for himself and his heirs, executors, administrators and assigns, and bound himself and his heirs to defend John Bazett's peaceful possession of the parcel against every claim by any party. He set his hand and seal on the [...] day of March 1738. The witnesses were D. Crispe and Charles Foster.

This indenture recorded that Joshua Johnson and Richard Goodwin, chapel wardens of St Helena and overseers of the poor of the island, with the consent of the Worshipful John Goodwin, Governor, and the Council, placed Thomas Tendon, a poor child of the island, as apprentice to William Seale, of the same island, to dwell with him and serve him from the date of the indenture until the apprentice should reach his full age of twenty-one years, as provided by the statute in such case. The remainder of the indenture cannot be read.

A margin note recorded that this was John Goodwin junior's bill of sale to Mr Bazett.

Interpretations

The first instrument conveyed a narrow strip of James Valley ground, twelve feet in front by one hundred feet deep, to John Bazett, adding to the urban plots he assembled in the town across 1738. This is the same kind of close-measured town parcel as the sixty-two-foot plot confirmed to him on 10 October 1738, the frontage fixed to the foot in the cramped ground of the settlement. John Standish, whose lately built house bounded the strip, connects to the Standish named as holder of Gabriel Powell's former James Valley house.

The second instrument was a parish apprenticeship indenture, binding a poor child to a master until the age of twenty-one under the authority of the overseers of the poor. This was the standard English mechanism for placing pauper children, transferred to the island, by which the chapel wardens acting as overseers settled the maintenance and training of a child on a private master rather than on the parish. Joshua Johnson and Richard Goodwin appear here in their office as chapel wardens, and William Seale, the planter of the records, took the child as apprentice.

Speculations

The record shows the poor child Thomas Tendon bound out to a private master until his majority, where the parish might instead have kept him a charge on its own funds. The overseers placed him with William Seale because an apprenticeship shifted the cost of his upbringing onto a master who gained the child's labour in return, sparing the parish the expense of his maintenance. The choice to settle the child by a formal indenture running to the age of twenty-one, under the statute and with the Governor's consent, gave both the parish and the master a binding term that fixed the obligations on each side and secured the child's keep for the years of his minority.

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Made & provided: during all which term the Said

Apprentice his Said Master Faithfully Shall serve in all

Lawfull Businesses According to his power, Wit, & Ability

And honesty, Orderly, & Obediently in all things Demean &

behave himself to his Said Master & all his during the Said

term, And the Said William Seale for himself his Executors

and Administrators doth Covenant, & grant to, & with the

Said Church wardens & Overseers, & every of them, their, & every

of their Executors & Administrators & their & every of their

Successors for the time being By these Presents that he

the Said William Seale the Said Apprentice, in the true

Knowledge & Worship of God, in writing & Reading, & in

Casting Accounts perfectly as farr as the rule of three, Shall

& Will teach & Instruct. And during all the term aforesaid

find, provide, & allow unto the Said Apprentice Competant

& Sufficient Meat, Drink, & Apparell, Lodging, Washing

& all other necessarys & fit for an Apprentice & also Shall

& will provide for the Said Apprentice, that he be not any

ways a Charge to the St Island or Inhabitants of the Same

but & from all Charge Shall save the Said Island & Inhabitants

thereof Harmless, & Indemnified during the Said term, and at

the end of the Said term Shall & will make, provide & Deliver

unto the Said Apprentice Double Apparel of all sorts good & new

(that is to say) one good Suit for the Hollidays, & another for

the working days, In Witness whereof I have hereunto set

my hand & Seal In St Helena this 17 day of July. AD 1739

Witness

G G Powell William Seale

Fra[nci]s Wrangham Jun[io]r

Know all Men by these Presents that I John

Long of the Island St Helena free Planter for and in

Consideration of the Sum of Two Hundred twenty Pounds of

Curr[en]t Money of this Island to me in hand paid at or before the

Insealing & Delivery hereof by George Gabriel Powell of the Said

Island free Planter, the Receipt whereof I John Long doth

hereby acknowledge & my self therewith to be fulth Satisfied &

Contented & Said, have given, granted, bargained, sold and

Delivered & by these presents do fully Clearly & absolutely

give, Grant, Bargan, Sell, Confirm & Deliver unto the Said

George

Throughout the term the apprentice was bound to serve his master faithfully in all lawful business according to his power, wit and ability, and to conduct himself honestly, orderly and obediently towards his master and household. William Seale, for himself and his executors and administrators, undertook with the chapel wardens and overseers and their successors to teach the apprentice the true knowledge and worship of God, and to instruct him in writing, reading and the casting of accounts as far as the rule of three. He was to provide the apprentice with sufficient meat, drink, apparel, lodging, washing and all other necessaries fit for an apprentice throughout the term. He undertook that the apprentice should not become a charge on the island or its inhabitants, and to keep the island and its inhabitants free of any such charge and indemnified during the term. At the end of the term he was to give the apprentice a double set of apparel of all sorts, good and new, one good suit for holidays and another for the work days. William Seale set his hand and seal at St Helena on 17 July 1739. The witnesses were G. Powell and Francis Wrangham junior.

John Long, free planter, of St Helena, sold to George Gabriel Powell, free planter, of the same island, a parcel of land against a payment of £220 0s 0d in current money, paid at the sealing. He conveyed the land for himself and, by the deed, gave, granted, bargained, sold and delivered it fully, clearly and absolutely to George Gabriel Powell. The remainder of the deed cannot be read.

Interpretations

The apprenticeship terms bound the master to a full obligation of maintenance, education and religious instruction in return for the child's labour, the standard content of a parish indenture. The teaching of writing, reading and accounts as far as the rule of three set a practical threshold of numeracy, the rule of three being the method of proportion used in trade and reckoning. The double set of apparel due at the term's end, one suit for holidays and one for work days, was the customary parting provision that sent the apprentice out fit to begin independent life.

The indemnity clause, keeping the island and its inhabitants free of any charge from the apprentice, shows the parish protecting itself against the child ever falling back onto public support. This was the core purpose of binding out pauper children, transferring the whole cost and risk of the child's keep onto the master. Francis Wrangham junior and G. Powell, witnesses to the indenture, connect to the wider Wrangham and Powell families active across the island's affairs.

The John Long conveyance to George Gabriel Powell repeats the pattern of Long's dealings in the 1730s, the high sum of £220 0s 0d pointing to a substantial parcel or one carrying buildings, crops or an accumulated account rather than bare acreage. George Gabriel Powell appears in the records as the substantial Powell holder who took fifteen acres by the Horse Pasture on 21 September 1731. John Long appears throughout as a long-standing accumulator dealing in land, slaves and mortgages.

Speculations

The record shows William Seale bound not only to feed, clothe and house the apprentice but to teach him reading, writing and accounts, where a master taking a poor child's labour might have provided only bare keep. The parish required the schooling because a child sent out numerate and literate was far less likely to return as a charge, and the instruction served the overseers' aim of making the apprenticeship a permanent settlement rather than a temporary relief. The choice to spell out the rule of three and the double apparel in the indenture, rather than leave the master's duties general, fixed a measurable standard the overseers could enforce and ensured the child would leave the term equipped to support himself.

29

13V

George Gabriel Powell, his Heirs Executors Adminis[tra]tors and

Assigns for ever all & Singular that piece or Parcell of

Gumwood Land Cont[aining] by Measuration Twenty Acres Situate

Lying & being in a Branch of Chapple Valley being the Late

Lands of James Eastings (deceased) with all the wood trees, fences

Water, rights Liberties, Priviledges & all other the

Appurtenances thereunto belonging, or did ever thereunto

belong, in what nature, kind, or Quality soever To

have & to hold the Said hereby Bargained & Sold Twenty

Acres of Gumwood Land as aforesaid unto him the Said

George Gabriel Powell, his Heirs, Executors, Administrators

& Assigns to do & at his, their or either of their Wills and

Pleasures, to dispose of as he the Said George Gabriel Powell

or his Heirs Shall or May at any time or times to come think

fit to Meet, And I the Said John Long doth for me my

Heirs, Executors, or Assigns or Either of them hereby further

Covenant & agree to & with the Said George Gabriel Powell

his Heirs, Executors, Administrators or Assigns or either of

them that he or they, Shall and may from henceforth have

hold Occupie Possess and Quietly enjoy the Said herein named &

Bargained Premises & every part or parcell thereof without any

lett hindrance Molestation or Contradiction of me the Said John

Long or my Heirs, Assigns &c or from or by any other person or

Persons whatsoever by any means or procurement or by any

Device or Devices in the Said Devised & against all manner of

Persons do hereby Warrant to save Defend & keep Harmless

the St George Gabriell Powell & his Heirs Claiming or to Claim

any part or Parcell of the Said hereby Bargained premises any

thing to the Contrary hereof in any wise notwithstanding

In Witness whereof I the St John Long have, to these presents

set my hand & Seale in St Helena this third day of October

AD 1738, one thousand Seven hundred & thirty Eight

Signd Seald & Deliver[e]d

in the presence of Jn[o] Long

John Brown

Joseph Powell Mary Long

The parcel of gumwood land conveyed to George Gabriel Powell, his heirs, executors, administrators and assigns for ever measured twenty acres by survey, and lay in a branch of Chapel Valley, being the late lands of James Eastings, deceased. It passed with all its wood trees, fences, water, rights, liberties, privileges and every other appurtenance then belonging to it or that had ever belonged to it, of whatever nature or kind. George Gabriel Powell and his heirs, executors, administrators and assigns were to hold the twenty acres to dispose of as he or they should think fit at any time to come. John Long further undertook for himself and his heirs, executors and assigns that George Gabriel Powell, his heirs and assigns should from then on hold, occupy and quietly enjoy the parcel and every part of it, free of any trouble, hindrance, interference or contradiction from John Long or his heirs and assigns, or from any other party claiming through him. John Long bound himself and his heirs to defend George Gabriel Powell's possession against every claim by any party, and to keep him free of any such claim to the land or any part of it. He set his hand and seal at St Helena on 3 October 1738. The witnesses were John Brown and Joseph Powell, and the deed was also sealed by Mary Long.

Interpretations

The conveyance passed twenty acres of gumwood land in Chapel Valley from John Long to George Gabriel Powell, the price of £220 0s 0d recited on the preceding leaf marking a high figure for the acreage. The sum probably reflected the standing gumwood, fences and water on the parcel, since the deed carries them forward expressly with the land, gumwood being the island's principal native timber and a managed resource the Company watched closely. The ground descended from James Eastings, deceased, the original holder whose name attaches across the records to parcels in Chapel Valley and Peak Gut under variant renderings.

The sealing of the deed by Mary Long alongside her husband shows the wife joining in the conveyance in her own person. This barred any later claim of dower or wife's interest in the land, the same protective step seen where married couples sealed jointly across the records. George Gabriel Powell appears as the substantial Powell holder building up ground through purchase and Company lease, and John Long as the long-standing accumulator whose dealings in land and slaves ran through the 1730s.

Speculations

The record shows Mary Long sealing the deed beside her husband, where John Long alone was the named grantor and might have conveyed without her. Her seal was taken to extinguish any dower right she held in the twenty acres, closing off a claim that could otherwise have troubled Powell's title after her husband's death. The choice to bring the wife into the conveyance, rather than rest on the husband's grant alone, secured George Gabriel Powell a clean title to the gumwood ground and its standing timber, guarding a valuable timbered parcel against the one interest a sole conveyance by the husband would have left open.

30

13R

Know all Men by these presents that I

John Long Planter do hereby make Bargain & Sale of all my right

Title & Property to a range on the Common Called Banks Ridge or

Ruperts Valley Coming to me by Vertue of my deed Mother Eliz[abeth]

March Untill George Gabriel Powell Planter for & in Consideration

of the full & Just Sum of five pounds of lawfull Money And this

to be his full & authentick, as any bill of Sale Whatever, Witness my

hand & Seal, in St Helena, this Eighteenth day of November One

thousand Seven hundred & thirty eight.

Witness Jn[o] Long

Joseph Powell

Know all Men by these presents that I John

Goodwin Jun[io]r of the Island of St Helena Gent for & in Consideration

of the Sum of Seventy two pounds, to me in hand paid, and also in

further Consideration of the Sum of One Hundred & Seventy eight

pounds Curr[en]t Money of this Island to be paid to me, my Heirs

Executors, Administ[rato]rs or Assigns, in, at, or upon the 2 day of June

which Shall happen in the Year of our Lord one thousand Seven

Hundred & forty five, by Thom[a]s Greentree of the Said Island

Planter, his heirs, Ex[ecuto]rs Administ[rato]rs, or Assigns, HAVE

Bargained Sold & Delivered AND by these presents do fully and

absolutely Bargan, Sell, Confirm, & Deliver unto the Said Thom[a]s

Greentree, and his Heirs forever, One Dwelling House, Situated

and being in the Valley Commonly Called or known by the

name of Chappel, or James Valley, Contain[ing] in front from the

Bounds of the Said House, next to the House of Jonathan

Doveton Fifty three & half, in depth up the Valley next the Said

Jonathan Dovetons house One hundred & two feet & half, the uper

end Adjoining to the Chimney of Josiah Charlesworth Powells

House Twenty one feet & half, from the uper end of the Corner

of the Said Chimney down to the Corner of the Said Josiah Charles

worth Powells little back room, in the yard, Sixty one feet from

the Said corner Opposite to the end of the hall next the Said Josiah

Charlesworth Powells House Sixty feet: and the width from

the front of the house to the backwall in the lower Yard,

According to the Plan thereunto annexed: and all other the

buildings, Chamber, Cellars, Rooms, Entries, ways, Anfrages

Yards, Backsides, Lights, water Courses, Casements, Proffitts

Commodities or Appurtenances thereunto Belonging or

Appurtaining, To have, & to hold the Said hereby Bargained

Margin Notes: Jn[o] Goodwin Jun[io]r bill of Sale to Thomas Greentree

John Long, planter, of St Helena, sold to Gabriel Powell, planter, of the same island, all his right, title and interest in a range on the common called Banks Ridge, in Rupert's Valley, which had come to him from his deceased mother Elizabeth Marsh, against a payment of £5 0s 0d in current money. He acknowledged the sale to be as full and valid as any bill of sale whatever, and set his hand and seal at St Helena on 18 November 1738. The witness was Joseph Powell.

John Goodwin junior, gentleman, of St Helena, sold to Thomas Greentree, planter, of the same island, one dwelling house in the valley commonly called Chapel or James Valley, against a payment of £72 0s 0d paid on the day of the deed, together with a further sum of £178 0s 0d in current money of the island to be paid to him, his heirs, executors, administrators or assigns on or before the 24 day of June in the year one thousand seven hundred and forty-five. He conveyed the house for himself and his heirs, executors, administrators and assigns fully and absolutely to Thomas Greentree and his heirs for ever. The house measured, in front from the boundary by the house next to Jonathan Doveton's, sixty feet three and a half, and in depth up the valley, next Jonathan Doveton's house, one hundred and two feet and a half. The upper end adjoined the chimney of Josiah Charlesworth Powell's house, running twenty-one feet and a half from the upper corner of the chimney down to the corner of Josiah Charlesworth Powell's little back room in the yard. From that corner, opposite to the end of the wall next the house of Josiah Charlesworth Powell, it ran sixty-one feet, and from the north corner of the front of the house to the back wall in the lower yard, all according to the plan annexed to the deed. The parcel passed with all its buildings, chamber, cellars, rooms, entries, ways, passages, yards, backsides, lights, watercourses, easements, rights, profits, commodities and appurtenances then belonging to it or appertaining to it, to hold to Thomas Greentree. The remainder of the deed cannot be read.

A margin note recorded that this was John Goodwin junior's bill of sale to Thomas Greentree.

Interpretations

The first instrument conveyed only a range on the common, an informal right of grazing or use over unenclosed ground at Banks Ridge in Rupert's Valley, for the small sum of £5 0s 0d. The right had come to John Long through his mother Elizabeth Marsh, the widow who held both freehold and leasehold in her own name across the records. Gabriel Powell here appears as the buyer, distinct in name from the George Gabriel Powell of the preceding Chapel Valley conveyance though of the same family.

The second instrument conveyed an urban dwelling house in James Valley, its plot measured minutely and fixed against a plan, with the total price of £250 0s 0d split between a down payment and a large deferred balance falling due nearly seven years later. This staged payment, secured on a fixed future date, allowed the buyer to take the house at once while paying most of the price over time. The house stood among the closely packed town buildings, bounded by Jonathan Doveton's house and sharing walls and a chimney corner with Josiah Charlesworth Powell's house, the party walls and shared structures typical of the cramped ground of the settlement.

Speculations

The record shows the James Valley house sold for £250 0s 0d with only £72 0s 0d paid at the sealing and the remaining £178 0s 0d deferred to a date almost seven years off, where an outright sale for a single sum would have been simpler. The long credit was extended because Thomas Greentree could not lay down the whole price at once, and John Goodwin secured the balance on a fixed future date rather than lose the sale. The choice to fix the plot by an annexed plan and to measure the frontage and depth against the shared walls and chimney of the neighbouring houses, rather than by general bounds, tied the title precisely to the crowded urban fabric and settled the party structures before the deferred balance and the shared walls could give rise to any later dispute.

31

14V

House with all & Singular the Appurtenances thereunto

belonging of what Nature kind or Quallity soever unto the Said

Thomas Greentree, and his Heirs forever, as aforesaid, And I the

Said John Goodwin do hereby Covenant for me my Heirs, Ex[ecuto]rs

Adminis[trato]rs or Assigns or either of them or their Heirs, that he the

Said Thomas Greentree, his Heirs, Ex[ecuto]rs, Adminis[trato]rs, or Assigns

& every of them, that he, they, or either of them, Shall & may

from henceforth, have, hold, Occupie, Possess & Quietly enjoy

the Said herein Bargained Premisses, without, any manner

of Lett, Hindrance or Mollestation of me the Said John Goodwin

or my Heirs, Ex[ecuto]rs or Adminis[trato]rs, or from, by or under any

other Person or Persons whatsoever by my means, And

against all manner of Persons do hereby warrant to deserve

and keep harmless him the Said Thom[a]s Greentree his

Heirs or Assigns in the peaceable and Quiet Possession of the

Premisses and of every part thereof, In Witness whereof

I have hereunto set my hand & Seale this 21 day of June

in the Year of Our Lord one thousand Seven hundred, and

Thirty Nine

Signd Seald & Delivered John Goodwin Jun[io]r

in presence of

Jos Johnson

Jn[o] Clark

Rich[ar]d Goodwin

The house passed with all its appurtenances, of whatever nature or kind, to Thomas Greentree and his heirs for ever. John Goodwin junior undertook for himself and his heirs, executors, administrators and assigns that Thomas Greentree, his heirs, executors, administrators and assigns should from then on hold, occupy and quietly enjoy the parcel and every part of it, free of any trouble, hindrance or interference from John Goodwin or his heirs, executors or administrators, or from any other party claiming through him. He bound himself to defend Thomas Greentree's peaceful possession of the parcel against every claim by any party, and to keep him free of any such claim. He set his hand and seal on 21 June 1739. The witnesses were D. Johnson, John Clark and Richard Goodwin.

32

14R

Know all Men by these Presents that I

Richard Goodwin of the Island St Helena Planter, for & in

Consideration of the Sum of twenty one pounds of Current

Money to me in hand paid at & before the Insealing and

Delivery hereof by Thos Clew likewise of the Said Island

the Receipt of which I do hereby Acknowledge, & my Self

to be therewith fully paid Satisfied & Contented Have

Bargained Sold & delivered & by these Presents do for my

Self my Heirs Ex[ecuto]rs Adm[i]rs & Assigns Bargain Sell Assign and

Deliver unto him the Said Thos Clew his Heirs Ex[ecuto]rs Adm[i]rs &

Assigns all & Singular that piece or parcell of Lease Land

Containing two acres Situated in Frier Valley, Butting

& Bounding, North, South, East, & West, upon the Hon[ora]ble

Companies Waist Land, Which I have leave to Assign as will

appear by one Consultation of the 14 November 1738 To have

& to hold unto him the Said Thomas Clew his Heirs or

Assigns untill the Expiration of the Said Lease together

with all & Singular the Provisions Standing & Growing

thereon, & all other the Rights Commodities & Appurtenances

thereunto belonging, without any Self hindrance, or Molestation

by or from my heirs Ex[ecuto]rs Adm[i]rs or Assigns or from or by any

other Person or Persons whatsoever by my means & Consent

Privity or Procurement, & against all manner of Persons

do hereby warrant to save harmless & defend him the Said

Thomas Clew his Heirs or Assigns in the Peaceable and

Quiet Possession of the Premises, In Witness whereof

I have hereunto Set my hand & Seal this 1 of Sep[tembe]r in

the Year of our Lord one Thousand Seven hundred and

Thirty Eight

Rich[ar]d Goodwin

Signed Sealed &

Delivered in the Presence

of

Thomas Greentree

Martin Harper

Richard Goodwin, planter, of St Helena, assigned to Thomas Clew, of the same island, a parcel of leasehold land of two acres in Fryer Valley, against a payment of £21 0s 0d in current money, paid at the sealing. The parcel was bounded north, south, east and west by the Company's land, and Richard Goodwin held leave to assign it, as appeared by a consultation of 13 November 1738. It passed to Thomas Clew, his heirs or assigns for the whole remainder of the term still to come under the lease, together with all the provisions standing and growing on it, and all its rights, commodities and appurtenances. Richard Goodwin bound himself and his heirs, executors, administrators and assigns to defend Thomas Clew's peaceful possession of the parcel against every claim by any party. He set his hand and seal on 1 [...] 1738. The witnesses were Thomas Greentree and Martin Harper.

Interpretations

The instrument assigned only a leasehold interest, passing the unexpired term of a Company lease of two acres in Fryer Valley rather than the land itself. The council's consent, recited by reference to the consultation of 13 November 1738, was the required step under the 1711 framework, which barred a leaseholder from parting with his ground without the Company's leave. This is the same consent Richard Goodwin obtained for the assignment of two acres of Fryer Valley leasehold to Thomas Clew that the reference records for that date.

The parcel lay wholly within Company land on every side, marking it as ground taken from the Company's own holding rather than bounded by neighbouring owners. The price of £21 0s 0d for two acres of leasehold was high for the acreage and probably reflected the standing provisions carried forward with the land, the crops and growth expressly included in the assignment. Thomas Clew connects to the Cleve family of the records, and Richard Goodwin to the free planter who dealt in James Valley and Fryer Valley ground held in right of his wife.

Speculations

The record shows Richard Goodwin obtaining the council's consent before assigning the two acres, where a freehold might have passed by private deed alone. He sought the leave because the ground was held on a Company lease that forbade any transfer without consent, and the assignment could not bind Thomas Clew's title unless the Company first approved it. The choice to route the disposal through a formal consultation, rather than convey the interest privately, satisfied the tenurial condition attached to the lease and gave Thomas Clew a secure hold on the unexpired term that the Company would recognise.

33

15V

Know all Men by these Presents that Wee

Charles Steward & Martin Harper, Executors to the last

Will & Testament of Thomas Harper deed all of the Island

St Helena for & in Consideration of the Sum of Twenty

Pounds of Current Money of this Place, to us in hand

paid by Mathew Mudge of the Said Island HAVE

Bargained Sold & Delivered And by these presents do

Bargain Sell & Deliver unto him the Said Mathew Mudge

all the Right, Title, & Interest belonging to the Heirs

of Said Thomas Harper Deed, to & in one dwelling

House Situated & being in James Valley lying between

the Houses of William Simpson & William Shilling

together with all Appurtenances thereunto belonging

to have and to hold to him, his Heirs & Assigns

for ever, to do & Dispose thereof as he or they Shall

& Shall think fitt, Warranting to save Harmless &

defend him the Said Mathew Mudge, in the Quiet

& Peaceable Possession of the Premises against

all persons whatsoever making any Claim to

the Said House or any part thereof In Witness

whereof Wee have hereunto set our hands & Seals

in St Helena this 1 day of September AD 1739

Signed Sealed & Delivered Charles Steward

in the presence of Us

G G Powell Martin Harper

Edward Bagley

Know all Men by these presents that

I Mathew Mudge of the Island St Helena for & in

Consideration of the Sum of Twenty Pounds of Current

Money of Said Island to me in hand paid by Rich[ar]d

Tinsley of Said Island do hereby assign, sell & make

over all my Right, Title, Interest & Claim to & in the

within Mentioned House & all other the Appurtenan

ces thereunto belonging unto him the Said Richard

Tinsley, & his Heirs forever, to do & Dispose as he or

they Shall think fitt without any manner of

Interruption or Molestation from any person or persons

whatsoever, In Witness whereof I have hereunto sett

my hand & Seale in St Helena this 2 day of Sep[tembe]r 1739

Signed Sealed & Delivered in the presence of Us

G G Powell Mathew Mudge

Joseph Bates

Charles Steward and Martin Harper, executors of the will of Thomas Hayne, deceased, of St Helena, sold to Matthew Mudge, of the same island, all the right, title and interest of the heirs of Thomas Hayne in one dwelling house in James Valley, against a payment of £20 0s 0d in current money, paid at the sealing. The house lay between the houses of William Simpson and William Snelling. It passed with all its appurtenances to Matthew Mudge, his heirs and assigns for ever, to hold and dispose of as he or they should think fit. The executors bound themselves to defend Matthew Mudge's quiet and peaceful possession of the house against every claim by any party to the house or any part of it. They set their hands and seals at St Helena on 1 September 1739. The witnesses were G. G. Powell and Edward Bagley.

Matthew Mudge, of St Helena, assigned to Richard Tinsley, of the same island, all his right, title, interest and claim in the house set out above and all its appurtenances, against a payment of £20 0s 0d in current money, paid at the sealing. It passed to Richard Tinsley and his heirs for ever, to hold and dispose of as he or they should think fit, free of any trouble or interference from any party. He set his hand and seal at St Helena on 2 September 1739. The witnesses were G. G. Powell and Joseph Bates.

Interpretations

The first instrument was a sale by executors settling part of a deceased man's estate, passing the heirs' interest in a James Valley dwelling to Matthew Mudge for the discharge of the estate. Charles Steward and Martin Harper acted here in their office as executors of Thomas Hayne, the same men who conveyed the twenty-five-acre Robinson's Land leasehold as executors of the will across the earlier records. The house stood among the packed town buildings, fixed by its neighbours William Simpson and William Snelling rather than by measurement.

The second instrument shows Matthew Mudge selling the same house on to Richard Tinsley the very next day, at the identical price of £20 0s 0d, marking him as an intermediate buyer who moved the property quickly rather than holding it. This rapid resale at cost points to a purchase made on another's behalf or for immediate onward transfer. Richard Tinsley connects to the Richard Tinley of the records who took a Porlock Valley lease in 1726, and Matthew Mudge to the soldier and planter active in the East Division land dealings.

Speculations

The record shows the James Valley house passing through Matthew Mudge and on to Richard Tinsley within a single day, at the same sum on both sides, where a direct sale from the executors to Tinsley would have been simpler. Mudge stood in the middle because the executors sold to him, perhaps to close the estate quickly with a ready buyer, and he at once passed the house to Tinsley for whom it was intended. The choice to record two separate conveyances at the identical price, rather than a single sale to the final holder, gave each step its own clear title and left the executors discharged against Mudge while securing Tinsley's ownership through the intermediate purchase.

34

15R

Know all Men by these Presents that I

Edward Bagley of the Island St Helena for & in Consideration of

the sum of twenty pounds of Currant Money of this Island to me

in hand paid by John Scott Planter of St Island Do hereby

Assign all & make over all my right, Title, Interest, & Claim to

and in the within mentioned thirty nine acres of Lease hold Land

and all other the Premises thereupto belonging Unto him the Said

John Scott his heirs forever, HAVING first obtained Liberty

of the Worshipfull the Governour & Council so to do, as will

appear in Consultation of the 24 July 1739 to do or dispose of

as he or they Shall think fitt without any manner of Interrupti

on or Molestation from any person or Persons whatsoever

provided the Said John Scott Shall duly comply with the

Conditions of the within Lease In Witness whereof I have

hereunto set my hand & seale in St Helena this 10 day of

September 1739 Edward Bagley

Signed Sealed & Delivered

in the Presence of

G G Powell

Fran[ci]s Wrangham Jun[io]r

Know all men by these Presents that I James Harding of the

Island St Helena for & in Consideration of the sum of one hundred twenty

two pounds of Currant Money to me in hand paid at & before the Insealing

& Delivery thereof HAVE Given Granted Bargained Sold Assigned &

Delivered And do by these Presents, for my self my Heirs Executors,

Administrators & Assigns, Give Grant Bargain Sell Assign & Deliver

unto Joshua Worrall of the Said Island his Heirs Executors Administraters

& Assigns all & Singular that piece or Parcell of Lease hold Land Cont[aining]

Thirty one Acres & Butting & Bounding North upon the Lands of Capt[ain]

John Bazett And Mr Samuel Doveton, South upon the Hon[ora]ble Company

Waste Lands, East upon the Lands of Thomas Alles And West upon the

Lands of Richard Tinsley together with all & Singular the Wood

Water, Houses Plantations & all other the Rights Comodities & Appur

tenances thereunto belonging Scituate in Sandy bay having first Obtaind

Liberty of the Worshipfull the Governour & Council to dispose of my

Property in the Same as will appear more at Large in Consultation

of 21 July 1739. To have & to hold all & Singular the Said

hereby Bargained Premises & every part & Parcell thereof unto him

the Said Joshua Worrall & his Heirs & &c during the term of the

Lease yet to come. And I the Said James Harding do for my

Self

Edward Bagley, of St Helena, assigned to John Scott, planter, of the same island, all his right, title, interest and claim in a parcel of leasehold land of thirty-nine acres, and all its appurtenances, against a payment of £20 0s 0d in current money, paid at the sealing. It passed to John Scott and his heirs for ever. Edward Bagley held leave to assign it from the Governor, as appeared by a consultation of 24 July 1739, to hold and dispose of as he or they should think fit, free of any interference from any party, provided John Scott duly complied with the conditions of the lease. He set his hand and seal at St Helena on 10 September 1739. The witnesses were G. G. Powell and Francis Wrangham junior.

James Harding, of St Helena, assigned to Joshua Worrall, of the same island, a parcel of leasehold land of thirty-one acres, against a payment of £122 0s 0d in current money, paid at the sealing. He conveyed the interest for himself and his heirs, executors and administrators to Joshua Worrall, his heirs, executors, administrators and assigns. The parcel lay in Sandy Bay, and was bounded north by the lands of John Bazett and Mr Samuel Doveton, south by the Company's land, west by the Company's land, and east by the lands of Shemah Alley and, further west, by the lands of Richard Tinsley. It passed with all its watercourses, houses, plantations and all its other rights, commodities and appurtenances. James Harding held leave to dispose of it from the Governor and Council, as appeared more fully in a consultation of 24 July 1739. Joshua Worrall and his heirs were to hold the parcel and every part of it, with all its appurtenances, for the whole term of the lease still to come. The remainder of the deed cannot be read.

Interpretations

Both instruments assigned leasehold interests under the council's consent, passing the unexpired terms of Company leases rather than the land itself. The two consents, each recited by reference to the consultation of 24 July 1739, show a single meeting granting leave for more than one assignment, the required step under the 1711 framework that barred any transfer of leasehold without the Company's approval. Edward Bagley and James Harding both connect to the wider families active in the island's land dealings.

The Harding parcel of thirty-one acres carried houses, plantations and watercourses expressly forward with the land, which explains the high price of £122 0s 0d against the low £20 0s 0d paid for Bagley's thirty-nine bare acres. This gap between two leasehold sales of similar acreage shows that the standing improvements, not the ground, carried the value. The boundaries of the Sandy Bay parcel name the neighbouring holders John Bazett, Samuel Doveton, Shemah Alley and Richard Tinsley, fixing the ground within the settled holdings of that quarter.

Speculations

The record shows the two assignments authorised at one council meeting on 24 July 1739, where each leaseholder might have sought leave separately as his sale came due. The consents were gathered into a single consultation because the Company handled its tenurial approvals in batches, disposing of several transfers at one sitting rather than reconvening for each. The choice to route both disposals through the same recorded meeting, rather than through separate grants, satisfied the condition attached to every Company lease and gave both John Scott and Joshua Worrall a secure hold on their unexpired terms that the Company would recognise, settling two transfers with one exercise of its authority.

35

16V

Self my Heirs, Executors, Administrators or Assigns Covenant, Promise,

& agree to & with the Said Joshua Worrall his Heirs, Executors, Administrators,

or Assigns that he, they, & every of them shall & may from time to time, And

at all times hereafter have, hold, Occupy & Enjoy the Said hereby

Bargained Premisses during the term of the Lease as Aforesaid

without any Lett, hindrance, or Molestation by or from me, Or by

or from any other Person or Persons whatsoever And against all

manner of Persons do hereby Warrant to save, & Defend him the

Said Joshua Worrall his Heirs & Assigns And Against all manner

of Claim or Demand of in or unto the Premisses made or to be made

by any Person or Persons whatsoever Warranting the same to be free

& Clear of & from all manner of Incubrances whatsoever In

Witness whereof I the Said James Harding have hereunto sett my hand

& Seale this day of AD 1739 Jam[e]s Harding

Signed Sealed & Delivered

in the Presence of Us

G G Powell

Joan Wrangham Jun[io]r

Know all men by these presents that I Henry Multon of the

Island St Helena for & in Consideration of the sum of twenty pounds

of Currant Money to me in hand paid at and before the Insealing and

Delivery hereof HAVE Given, Granted, Bargained, Sold & Assigned

And do by these Presents for my self, my Heirs Assigns & Executors,

Give grant, Bargain, Sell, Assign & Deliver unto Joseph Desfountain

of the Said Island his Heirs Executors Administrators & Assigns all

& Singular that Piece or Parcell of Lease hold Land Scituate in

a Branch of Deep Valley Containing twenty three Acres Butting &

Bounding North & South upon the Lands now in the Possession

of the Widow & Heirs of John Worrall deed East upon the Lands

of the Hon[ora]ble Company & West upon the Lands of Ebeny Leech

& the Heirs of John Pusling deed. Together with all & Singular

the Wood, Water, Houses Plantations & all other the Rights,

Commodities & Appurtenances thereunto belonging, having

first obtained Liberty of the Worshipfull the Governour &

Council so to do, as will more at Large Appear in Consultation

of

James Harding undertook for himself and his heirs, executors, administrators and assigns that Joshua Worrall, his heirs, executors, administrators and assigns should from then on hold, occupy and enjoy the parcel throughout the term of the lease, free of any trouble, hindrance or interference from James Harding or from any other party. He bound himself to defend Joshua Worrall's possession against every claim by any party, warranting the land free and clear of all encumbrances. He set his hand and seal on the [...] day of [...] 1739. The witnesses were G. G. Powell and Francis Wrangham junior.

Henry Multon, of St Helena, assigned to Joseph Desfountain, of the same island, a parcel of leasehold land of twenty-three acres in a branch of Deep Valley, against a payment of [...] pounds in current money, paid at the sealing. He conveyed the interest for himself and his heirs, executors and assigns to Joseph Desfountain, his heirs, executors, administrators and assigns. The parcel was bounded north and south by the lands then in the possession of the widow and heirs of John Worrall, deceased, east by the Company's land, and west by the lands of Ebenezer Leech and the heirs of John Pusling, deceased. It passed with all its wood, water, houses, plantations and all its other rights, commodities and appurtenances. Henry Multon held leave to assign it from the Governor and Council, as appeared more fully in a consultation. The remainder of the deed cannot be read.

Interpretations

Both instruments turned on the council's consent to assign leasehold ground, the closing warranty of the Harding conveyance and the opening of a fresh assignment from Henry Multon to Joseph Desfountain. The Multon parcel in Deep Valley carried wood, water, houses and plantations forward with the land, the standing improvements that gave such leaseholds their value beyond the bare acreage. Joseph Desfountain, marked by his name as of Huguenot descent, connects to the French Protestant families settled on the island, and Henry Multon to the wider holders of Deep Valley ground.

The boundaries of the Multon parcel name the neighbouring holders who fixed it: the widow and heirs of John Worrall, deceased, Ebenezer Leech and the heirs of John Pusling, deceased. The recurrence of the Worrall name here, both as the deceased John Worrall's heirs bounding this ground and as Joshua Worrall taking the Harding leasehold on the preceding leaf, marks the family's spread across the Deep Valley and Sandy Bay quarters. The express inclusion of wood among the appurtenances reflects the value of standing timber on the island, the gumwood the Company watched as a managed resource.

Speculations

The record shows the Deep Valley leasehold assigned with its houses, plantations and standing wood carried forward, where Henry Multon might have surrendered the bare ground to the Company. He assigned it instead because the unexpired term held real value in what stood on it, and selling to Joseph Desfountain realised a price the standing improvements commanded that a surrender would have lost. The choice to obtain the council's leave and pass the whole holding with its timber and buildings intact, rather than strip the ground and return it, kept the developed parcel in productive hands and gave Desfountain a going concern with its plantations and houses already established.

36

16R

of the 4th December 1739 To have & to hold all & Singular the

Said hereby Bargained Premises & every part & Parcell thereof

unto him the Said Joseph Desfountain & his heirs &c during

the term of the Lease yet to come. And I the Said Henry Multon do

for my self my Heirs, Executors Administrators & Assigns, Covenant

Promise & Agree to & with the Said Joseph Desfountain his Heirs

Executors, Administrators & Assigns that he they & every of them

shall & may from time to time & at all times hereafter have hold

Occupy & Possess the Said hereby Bargained Premises during the

term of the Lease as aforesaid without any Lett, hindrance or

Molestation by or from me, or by or from any other person or

Persons whatsoever, And against all manner of Persons whatsoever

do hereby Warrant to save & Defend him the Said Joseph

Desfountain his Heirs & Assigns And against all manner of

Claim or Demand of, in or unto the Said premisses made or to be made

by any Person or Persons whatsoever, Warranting the same to be

free & Clear off, & from all manner of Incumbrances whatsoever

In Witness whereof I the Said Henry Multon have hereunto

set my hand & seale in St Helena this Eighth day of December

Anno Domini 1739 Tho[ma]s Mark

Henry Multon

Signed Sealed & Delivered

in the presence of Us.

G G Powell

Fran[ci]s Wrangham Jun[io]r

Know all men by these Presents that I William

Worrall of the Island St Helena Planter with the Leave and

consent of the Worshipfull the Governour & Council of the Said

Island for and in Consideration of the sum of Three hundred

& Thirty five pounds of good & lawfull Money of this Island

to me in hand paid by Matthew Purling of the Said Island

HAVE & by these presents do for my self, my Heirs,

Executors, Administrators, & Assigns Sell Assign Make over

& Deliver unto him the Said Matthew Purling all my

Right Tittle & Interest to and in the within Mentioned

Forty Acres of Leasehold Land And to all things thereon

Standing, being Growing, or belonging To have and

To hold unto him the Said Matthew Purling, his Heirs

& Assigns for all the Remainder of the term or time yet

The parcel, granted by leave of 4 December 1739, passed to Joseph Desfountain and his heirs, executors, administrators and assigns for the whole term of the lease still to come. Henry Multon undertook for himself and his heirs, executors, administrators and assigns that Joseph Desfountain, his heirs, executors, administrators and assigns should from then on hold, occupy and enjoy the parcel throughout the term, free of any trouble, hindrance or interference from Henry Multon or from any other party. He bound himself to defend Joseph Desfountain's possession against every claim by any party, warranting the land free and clear of all encumbrances. He set his hand and seal at St Helena on 8 December 1739, signing by his mark. The witnesses were G. G. Powell and Francis Wrangham junior.

William Worrall, planter, of St Helena, holding his authority from the Governor and Council of the island, assigned to Matthew Purling, of the same island, all his right, title and interest in a parcel of leasehold land of forty acres, against a payment of £335 0s 0d in good and lawful money of the island, paid at the sealing. He conveyed the interest for himself and his heirs, executors, administrators and assigns to Matthew Purling, his heirs and assigns, together with everything standing or growing on the land. Matthew Purling and his heirs and assigns were to hold the parcel for the whole remainder of the term still to come. The remainder of the deed cannot be read.

Interpretations

The Worrall assignment passed a leasehold interest of forty acres under the council's consent, the price of £335 0s 0d marking one of the highest sums recorded for leasehold ground on the island. This figure far exceeds any acreage rate and must reflect substantial standing improvements, crops, buildings or plantations carried forward with the land, since a bare forty-acre term would command a fraction of the sum. William Worrall connects to the Worrall family holding across Deep Valley and Sandy Bay, whose members recur through the surrounding deeds.

The two instruments both turned on the council's leave to assign, the required step under the 1711 framework barring any transfer of Company leasehold without consent. Matthew Purling, taking the forty acres here, connects to the John Purling and heirs named as neighbouring holders in the Deep Valley deeds, the name rendered variously across the records. The express inclusion of everything standing and growing on the ground marks the value of the developed parcel over the raw acreage.

Speculations

The record shows the forty-acre leasehold changing hands for £335 0s 0d, a sum so far above any acreage value that the ground alone cannot account for it. The high price was paid because the parcel carried established plantations and buildings that made it a going concern, and Matthew Purling bought the standing improvements as much as the land. The choice to pass the whole developed holding by assignment of the unexpired term, rather than let William Worrall strip or surrender it, kept a valuable improved parcel intact under a new holder and secured Purling a productive estate that years of prior cultivation had built up.

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17V

to come in the Said Lease. And after to be Renewed at his

Discreation upon the terms & Conditions Specifyed in the

Body of the Said Lease. And I the Said William Worrall

do for my self, my Heirs, Executors, & Assigns, Promise,

Covenant & Grant by these Presents the Said Parcell of

Leashold Land Containing Forty Acres, Unto him the Said

Matthew Purling his Heirs, Executors & Assigns

against all & every other Person or Persons whatsoever to

Warrant & Defend. In Witness whereof I have

hereunto Set my hand & Seal in St Helena this

day of One thousand Seven hundred & Thirty

nine

Signed Sealed & Delivered

in the presence of Us

Know all men by these Presents that We Samuel

Doveton & John Desfountain Freemen of the Island St

Helena for & in Consideration of the sum of Eighty pounds

of Currant Money of this Island to be paid to Us at two

Several Payments Vizt Forty two pounds to Us in hand

paid at & before the Insealing & Delivery hereof And

the Remaining thirty eight pounds to become due &

Payable to Us at & upon the Thirty first day of Dec[embe]r

1740 Together with the Interest thereon after the rate

of 8 P[er] Cent P[er] Annum By Orlando Bagley Sen[io]r of the Said

Island HAVE Bargained Sold & Delivered Unto him

the Said Orlando Bagley Sen[io]r And by these Presents

do Bargain sell & Deliver all the right title & Interest

belonging to Us the Said Sam[uel] Doveton & Jn[o]

Desfountain to & in one Dwelling house Scituate

& being in James Valley lying between the Houses of

Houses of Francis Funge & Joseph Bates together

with

The parcel of forty acres was to be held for the term still to come under the lease, and afterwards renewed at the holder's discretion on the terms set out in the body of the lease. William Worrall undertook for himself and his heirs, executors and assigns to warrant and defend the parcel of forty acres of leasehold land to Matthew Purling, his heirs, executors and assigns against every other party. He set his hand and seal at St Helena on the [...] day of [...] 1739.

Samuel Doveton and John Desfountain, freemen of St Helena, sold to Orlando Bagley senior, of the same island, all their right, title and interest in one dwelling house in James Valley, against a payment of £80 0s 0d in current money, to be paid in two payments. The first payment of £42 0s 0d was paid to them at the sealing, and the remaining £38 0s 0d was to become due and payable on 31 December 1740, together with interest at the rate of 8 per cent per annum. The house lay between the houses of Francis Junge and Joseph Bates. It passed with all its appurtenances to Orlando Bagley senior. The remainder of the deed cannot be read.

Interpretations

The Worrall assignment closed with the renewal clause of the lease, showing the forty-acre term as one the holder could extend at his discretion on the lease's original conditions. This renewal right made a Company leasehold a durable and tradable interest, closer to a lasting holding than a fixed short tenancy, which helps explain the high prices such leases commanded on resale. The instrument confirms the assignment of the forty acres from William Worrall to Matthew Purling completed on the preceding leaf.

The Doveton and Desfountain sale conveyed a James Valley dwelling to Orlando Bagley senior on deferred terms, with most of the price paid down and the balance carried forward at interest. The charging of 8 per cent per annum on the outstanding £38 0s 0d marks the transaction as a credit sale, the interest compensating the sellers for the wait to the appointed date. Orlando Bagley senior appears across the records as the substantial East Division holder who sold eleven acres and a half to Samuel Doveton on 30 September 1731, here on the buying side of a town property.

Speculations

The record shows the James Valley house sold with £38 0s 0d of the price deferred and expressly charged at 8 per cent interest, where a sale for cash or an interest-free balance would have been simpler for the buyer. The sellers set interest on the outstanding sum because they were financing the purchase over more than a year, and the charge secured them a return for the delay rather than lending the balance free. The choice to fix both the due date and the interest rate on the face of the deed, rather than leave the deferred payment open, gave Samuel Doveton and John Desfountain a defined and enforceable claim on the balance and its yield, treating the sale of the house as much as a credit arrangement as a conveyance of property.

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17R

with all Appurtenances thereunto belonging, To have and to

hold to him his Heirs & Assigns forever to do & Dispose

thereof as he or they shall think fitt Warranting to

save Harmless & Defend him the Said Orlando Bagley

Sen[io]r his Heirs &c in the Quiet & Peaceable Possession

of the Premisses against all Persons Whatsoever making

any Claim to the Said Houses or any part thereof In

Witness whereof We have hereunto set Our hands And

Seals in St Helena this 31 day of December 1739

Signd Seald & Delivered

in the Presence of Us Sam[uel] Doveton

Jn[o] Desfountain

This Indenture made this Thirteenth

day of September in the Year of Our Lord one thousand

Seven hundred Thirty nine between George Gabriel

Powell of the Island St Helena Gentleman of the one

part and the Worshipfull John Goodwin Esquire Governour

of the Said Island of the other part Witnesseth that

he the Said George Gabriel Powell for & in Consideration

of the sum of One thousand five hundred Thirty nine

Pounds six Shillings & four pence, three farthings to

him in hand paid at & before the ensealing & Delivery

hereof Hath Granted, Aliened, & Bargained, Sold,

Enfeoffed & Confirmed and by these Presents doth

Grant, Alien, Bargain, Sell, Enfeoffe, and Confirm

unto him the Said John Goodwin Esquire his Heirs and

Assigns for ever All and Singular those Sixty nine

Acres of Freehold Land be the same more or less lying

in the West Division of this Island, whose Several

Buttings & Boundaries are as follow that is to say All

those Twelve Acres Butting towards the North upon

the

The house passed with all its appurtenances to Orlando Bagley senior, his heirs and assigns for ever, to hold and dispose of as he or they should think fit. Samuel Doveton and John Desfountain bound themselves to defend Orlando Bagley senior's quiet and peaceful possession of the house against every claim by any party to the house or any part of it. They set their hands and seals at St Helena on 31 December 1739. The signatories were Samuel Doveton and John Desfountain.

This indenture of 13 September 1739 was made between George Gabriel Powell gentleman, of St Helena, of the one part, and the Worshipful John Goodwin, Governor of the island, of the other part. George Gabriel Powell sold to John Goodwin, his heirs and assigns for ever, sixty-nine acres of freehold land, more or less, in the West Division of the island, against a payment of £5,539 6s 4d, paid at the sealing. The first of the several parcels making up the whole was twelve acres bounded towards the north. The remainder of the deed cannot be read.

Interpretations

The indenture records a freehold sale of exceptional value, sixty-nine acres in the West Division passing from George Gabriel Powell to Governor John Goodwin for £5,539 6s 4d. This sum stands far above any other price in the surrounding deeds and marks the transaction as the conveyance of a major estate, most probably a substantial developed holding with buildings, plantations and slaves, since bare acreage could not approach such a figure. The precise, uneven total points to a price built from the separate valuation of several distinct parcels and their improvements rather than a round bargain.

The parties were the two most substantial figures of the island's landholding class, George Gabriel Powell the accumulator who took Chapel Valley and Horse Pasture ground across the 1730s, and John Goodwin the Governor who assembled both urban and rural property through the Company grants and private purchases of 1738. The formal indenture between named parties of the first and second part, distinct from the plainer bill-of-sale form of the smaller conveyances, reflects the scale and formality suited to a transfer of this magnitude. The land was described parcel by parcel with its several boundaries, the careful survey that so large and composite a holding required.

Speculations

The record shows the Governor John Goodwin buying a sixty-nine-acre West Division estate for £5,539 6s 4d, a sum so vast against the island's ordinary land prices that the ground alone cannot explain it. The great figure was paid because the estate carried far more than its acreage, the developed plantations, buildings and probably the slaves that made a West Division holding a working enterprise. The choice to convey so large and valuable a property by a formal indenture between named parties, describing each parcel and its bounds in turn, rather than by the brief bill-of-sale form used for the town houses and small lots, matched the instrument to the scale of the transfer and fixed the composite estate precisely for a purchase that dwarfed every other in the register.

39

18V

the Lands of John Goodwin Jun[io]r Gentleman, towards the

South upon Twenty Seven Acres of Land called the Bull

Post, towards the East, partly upon the Lands late belonging

to John Young Deceased, and partly upon the Lands of

Joseph Powell, and towards the West upon a Parcell of

the Lands of the Honourable Company called Sufhen

And also all that piece or parcell of Land containing

Twenty seven Acres called the Bull post, Butting and

Bounding towards the North upon the Beforementioned

Twelve Acres of Land towards the South, partly upon

the Lands of Charles Steward & partly upon Twenty

acres of Freehold Land formerly the Lands of

Francis Wrangham, and partly upon the Lands belonging

to Anne Johnson, towards the East partly upon the

Lands late belonging to John Young Deceased and

partly upon a Parcell of Freehold Land claimed by

the Heirs of James Crafford deceased and West upon

the Lands of the Honourable Company And also

all that peice or parcell of Freehold Land formerly the

Land of Francis Wrangham containing Twenty Acres

more or less Butting & Bounding towards the North

upon the Beforementioned Twenty seven Acres called the

Bull post, towards the South, partly upon a Parcell of

Land now in the Possession of John Hodgkinson and

partly upon the Lands of James Powell, towards the

East upon the Lands now in the Possession of Charles

Steward and towards the West upon other the Lands

of him the Said John Goodwin Esquire. And also

all that piece or parcell of Land containing Ten Acres

more or less commonly called or known by the name

of Francis's Land, Butting and Bounding towards the

North & East upon the Lands of John Goodwin Junior

Gentleman, towards the South, upon certain Lands

of the Honourable Company commonly called Sufhen

and towards the West, upon other the Lands of the

Said Honourable Company called the Church Ground

And also all that peice or parcell of Land containing

Twenty Acres, be the same more or less commonly

called Longs, Butting & Bounding North East &

West upon the Honourable Company's Wast Lands

and South upon the Lands late belonging to John Young

deceas[ed]

The first parcel of twelve acres was bounded south by the lands of John Goodwin junior gentleman, further south by twenty-seven acres called the Bull Post, east partly by land late belonging to John Young, deceased, and partly by the lands of Joseph Powell, and west by a parcel of the Company's land called Sufferers.

The second parcel of twenty-seven acres, called the Bull Post, was bounded north by the twelve acres set out above, south partly by the lands of Charles Steward and partly by twenty acres of freehold land formerly the lands of Francis Wrangham and partly by the lands of Anne Johnson, east partly by land late belonging to John Young, deceased, and partly by a parcel of freehold land claimed by the heirs of James Crafford, deceased, and west by the Company's land.

The third parcel of twenty acres, formerly the land of Francis Wrangham, was bounded north by the twenty-seven acres called the Bull Post, south partly by a parcel of land then in the possession of John Hodgkinson and partly by the lands of James Powell, east by the lands then in the possession of Charles Steward, and west by other lands of John Goodwin.

The fourth parcel of ten acres, commonly known by the name of Francis's Land, was bounded north and east by the lands of John Goodwin junior gentleman, south by certain lands of the Company commonly called Sufferers, and west by other lands of the Company called the Church Ground.

The fifth parcel of twenty acres, commonly called Longs, was bounded north, east and west by the Company's waste lands, and south by the lands late belonging to John Young, deceased. The remainder of the deed cannot be read.

Interpretations

The parcel-by-parcel description sets out the composite estate John Goodwin bought from George Gabriel Powell for £5,539 6s 4d by the indenture of 13 September 1739, each named block fixed against its neighbours. The bynames preserve the descent and character of the ground: the Bull Post, Francis's Land, Longs and Sufferers, the last a Company parcel whose name may recall an earlier grant to distressed settlers. The recurrence of John Goodwin's own land on the bounds of several parcels shows the purchase knitting into an estate he already held in the West Division.

The boundaries name the neighbouring holders across the West Division, Charles Steward, John Hodgkinson, James Powell, Anne Johnson, Joseph Powell, and the heirs of James Crafford and of John Young, both deceased. This dense network of adjoining owners marks the West Division as long settled and closely held, its parcels descending through named families and passing between them. The naming of ground formerly Francis Wrangham's, now sold on within the composite estate, traces the earlier movement of West Division land through the Wrangham family.

Speculations

The record shows the sixty-nine-acre purchase described as five separate named parcels with their several bounds, where a single continuous description might have served had the estate been one unbroken block. The parcels were set out individually because the estate had been assembled over time from distinct holdings, each with its own byname, history and neighbours, and each had to be identified in turn to fix the whole. The choice to recite every parcel against its adjoining owners, rather than treat the sixty-nine acres as one tract, secured John Goodwin's title to each component of a composite estate and settled its bounds against the crowded West Division holdings before any question over the separate parcels could arise.

40

18R

Deceased And also all that Messuage or Tenement

Scituate and being in the Fort or James Valley containing

nineteen feet in Front and Bounded on the North

by the Dwelling House of Samuel Doveton and on the

South by the Dwelling House of John French And

also all and Singular the Messuage Houses Edifices Building

Barns, Stables Yards Backsides Orchards, Gardens,

Tenements, Pastures Feedings, Woods, Timber & Trees,

Waters, & Water Courses Ponds, Rents, Services Wast

Grounds, Passages, Profitts, Commons and all the Rights

Emoluments and Appurtenances whatsoever to all & to

each and every of the Said Parcells of Lands or any of

them belonging or in any Wise Appertaining or reputed

to be belonging thereto or Used therewith. And also

all the Estate, Right, Title, Interest, Use, Possession,

and the Reversion and Reversions Remainder and

Remainders, Rents & Rents Claim & Demand

whatsoever of him the Said George Gabriel Powell of

in & to the Premises and of in & to every part & parcell

thereof belonging or in any Wise Appertaining And

all Writings, Evidences and Deeds whatsoever concerning

the Premises or any part thereof which the Said George

Gabriel Powell now hath in his Possession or Shall

hereafter procure To have and to hold all and

every the Said Parcells of Land containing in the

Whole Eighty nine Acres of Freehold Land together

with all & Singular the Messuage Tenements and

Buildings and Premises with their Appurtenances

to each & every of them belonging or Appertaining unto him

the Said John Goodwin Esquire his Heirs & Assigns to the

only Use & Behoof of him the Said John Goodwin Esquire

his Heirs & Assigns forever And he the Said George

Gabriel Powell doth for himself his Heirs Executors

Administrators & Assigns farther covenant Promise &

Agree to & with him the Said John Goodwin Esquire

that the Said Lands Messuage Tenements and all other

the Premises with their & every of their Appurtenances

now are & so shall Remain, continue and be unto him

the Said John Goodwin Esquire, his Heirs & Assigns

free & freely clear, & clearly acquitted, reduerated and

Discharged &c & from all & all manner of former and

other Gifts, Grants, Leases, Joyntures, Dowers, Uses,

Wills

The estate also included one messuage in the Fort or James Valley, measuring nineteen feet in front, bounded north by the dwelling house of Samuel Doveton and south by the dwelling house of John French. It passed with all its messuages, houses, buildings, barns, stables, yards, backsides, orchards, gardens, tenements, pastures, feedings, woods, timber and trees, waters and watercourses, ponds, rents, services, waste grounds, passages, profits, commons and all the rights and appurtenances belonging to any of the parcels or used with them.

The conveyance carried forward all George Gabriel Powell's estate, right, title, interest, possession, reversion, remainder, rents, claim and demand in the whole, and every part of it, together with all the writings, evidences and deeds concerning the property then held by him or afterwards obtained. John Goodwin, his heirs and assigns were to hold the whole of the parcels, containing in all eighty-nine acres of freehold land, with the messuage, tenements, buildings and all their appurtenances, for his sole use and benefit for ever.

George Gabriel Powell further undertook for himself and his heirs, executors, administrators and assigns that the lands, messuages, tenements and premises with all their appurtenances should remain and continue to John Goodwin, his heirs and assigns, free and clearly acquitted, released and discharged of every kind of jointure, dower, use, will, gift, grant and lease. The remainder of the deed cannot be read.

Interpretations

The description now gives the full extent of the estate as eighty-nine acres, adding a James Valley messuage to the five West Division parcels set out earlier, all conveyed to Governor John Goodwin for £5,539 6s 4d by the indenture of 13 September 1739. The town house, measured to the foot and fixed between the dwellings of Samuel Doveton and John French, brought an urban property into what was otherwise a rural estate, so the purchase spanned both the West Division farmland and a house in the settlement. The comprehensive recital of every kind of appurtenance, from timber and ponds to commons and waste grounds, was the standard means of ensuring nothing attached to the ground was left outside the transfer.

The clause acquitting the land of jointure, dower, use, will and lease shows the sale clearing every prior claim that might have burdened the title. This was the core protection a buyer of so large an estate required, since a purchase of this value could not rest on ground still charged with a widow's dower, a settled use or an outstanding lease. The transfer of all the writings, evidences and deeds concerning the property gave John Goodwin the documentary title on which any future defence of his ownership would depend.

Speculations

The record shows George Gabriel Powell binding himself to deliver the estate free of every jointure, dower, use, will, gift, grant and lease, where a plain conveyance of the land might have passed it subject to whatever claims already lay on it. He gave the express discharge because a purchase of this magnitude demanded a clean title, and the Governor would not lay out £5,539 6s 4d on ground that a dower right or a settled use could later encumber. The choice to hand over all the deeds and evidences with the land, and to warrant it clear of every prior interest, rather than convey the ground alone, gave John Goodwin both the documentary proof and the unburdened title that so large an estate required to be secure against any earlier claim.

41

19V

Wills, Entailes, Annuities, Statutes, Merchants, and of the

Staple Recognizances, Bonds, Judgements, Executions, Extents

Seizures, Condemnations, Rents, Arrearages of Rents,

Intruisions, Forfeitures, Mortgages, Fines, Debts of Record

and free and clear of & from all Charges and Incumbrances

whatsoever, had made committed done or Suffered, by him

the Said George Gabriel Powell, or by his Assent, Consent

Act, means or Procurement, And he the Said George

Gabriel Powell doth hereby for himself his Heirs

Executors, Administrators & Assigns further Covenant

Promise & agree to & with him the Said John Goodwin

Esquire, his heirs, Executors, Administrators and Assigns

that he the Said John Goodwin Esquire his Heirs and

Assigns & every of them shall & may forever hereafter

quietly & Peaceably have, hold, occupy, Possess and

Enjoy, all and every the Said Lands & Premises with

their & every of their Appurtenances, without the Lett,

Suit, Trouble, Disturbance, Denial, Molestation,

Interruption or Eviction, of him the Said George Gabriel

Powell, his Heirs or Assigns And without the Lawfull

Lett, Suit, Trouble, Denial, Molestation, Interruption

or Eviction, of all & every other person or persons,

Lawfully claiming by from or under him the Said

George Gabriel Powell And also that he the

Said George Gabriel Powell his Heirs & Assigns shall

& will now & at all times hereafter Save Harmless &

Defend him the Said John Goodwin Esquire his Heirs

& Assigns in the Peaceable & quiet Possession of the

Premises and every part & parcell thereof with their

and every of their Appurtenances against all manner

of persons whatsoever Claiming by from or under him

the Said George Gabriel Powell his Heirs or Assigns

And moreover be it farther known unto all Men

that in Consideration of the Sum of one Thousand

five Hundred Thirty nine Pounds Six Shillings and

four pence, three farthings, mentioned as aforesaid,

and Already in hand paid to him the Said George

Gabriel Powell, He the Said George Gabriel Powell

Hath and by these Presents doth farther sell

Assign make over & Deliver unto him the Said John

Goodwin Esquire his Heirs & Assigns all his Right

Title

Wills, Entailes, Annuities, Statutes, Merchants, and of the

Staple Recognizances, Bonds, Judgements, Executions, Extents

Seizures, Condemnations, Rents, Arrearages of Rents,

Intruisions, Forfeitures, Mortgages, Fines, Debts of Record

and free and clear of & from all Charges and Incumbrances

whatsoever, had made committed done or Suffered, by him

the Said George Gabriel Powell, or by his Assent, Consent

Act, means or Procurement, And he the Said George

Gabriel Powell doth hereby for himself his Heirs

Executors, Administrators & Assigns further Covenant

Promise & agree to & with him the Said John Goodwin

Esquire, his heirs, Executors, Administrators and Assigns

that he the Said John Goodwin Esquire his Heirs and

Assigns & every of them shall & may forever hereafter

quietly & Peaceably have, hold, occupy, Possess and

Enjoy, all and every the Said Lands & Premises with

their & every of their Appurtenances, without the Lett,

Suit, Trouble, Disturbance, Denial, Molestation,

Interruption or Eviction, of him the Said George Gabriel

Powell, his Heirs or Assigns And without the Lawfull

Lett, Suit, Trouble, Denial, Molestation, Interruption

or Eviction, of all & every other person or persons,

Lawfully claiming by from or under him the Said

George Gabriel Powell And also that he the

Said George Gabriel Powell his Heirs & Assigns shall

& will now & at all times hereafter Save Harmless &

Defend him the Said John Goodwin Esquire his Heirs

& Assigns in the Peaceable & quiet Possession of the

Premises and every part & parcell thereof with their

and every of their Appurtenances against all manner

of persons whatsoever Claiming by from or under him

the Said George Gabriel Powell his Heirs or Assigns

And moreover be it farther known unto all Men

that in Consideration of the Sum of one Thousand

five Hundred Thirty nine Pounds Six Shillings and

four pence, three farthings, mentioned as aforesaid,

and Already in hand paid to him the Said George

Gabriel Powell, He the Said George Gabriel Powell

Hath and by these Presents doth farther sell

Assign make over & Deliver unto him the Said John

Goodwin Esquire his Heirs & Assigns all his Right

Title

42

19R

Title and Interest to and in Sundry goods and Chattles as well

Real as Personal, Such as Lease hold Lands, Slaves House

hold Goods, and Implements of Household, Goods, Swine

Yams & Suckers, of Yams, Book Debts, Specialties,

Obligations and Writings Obligatory, which are now due

and owing to him the Said George Gabriel Powell each of

which Particulars are more fully Mentioned or Expressed

in one List or Schedule hereto Annexed or Indorsed

thereon, And he the Said George Gabriel Powell doth

hereby for himself his Heirs & Assigns farther covenant

promise and agree to and with him the Said John

Goodwin Esquire his Heirs & Assigns that he the Said

George Gabriel Powell his Heirs or Assigns hath not

not shall at any time or times hereafter Release or

Discharge the Said Book Debts, Obligations, Writings

Obligatory or the Said Sums of Mony in them or any

of them contained without the consent of him the Said

John Goodwin Esquire his Heirs or Assigns In

Witness whereof the Parties to these Presents have

Interchangeably Set their hands and Seals the day

and year beforewritten.

Signed Sealed and Delivered G G Powell

in the Presence of Us

D Crispe

C Purling

Fran[ci]s Wrangham Jun[io]r

List or Schedule of Sundry parcells

of Freehold & Leasehold Lands and other the Personal Estate

of me George Gabriel Powell of the Island St Helena

Gentleman And by me this day Sold & Delivered to John

Goodwin Esquire Governour of the Said Island for the

sum of one thousand five Hundred Thirty nine pounds

Six Shillings & four pence, three farthings, the Particulars

of which are as follow Viz[t]

Coffee

George Gabriel Powell also sold to John Goodwin all his right and title in various goods and chattels, both real and personal, then due and owing to him. These included leasehold lands, slaves, household goods and household implements, swine, yams and yam suckers, book debts, specialties, obligations and writings obligatory. Each of these particulars was set out more fully in a list or schedule annexed to the deed and endorsed on it.

George Gabriel Powell further undertook for himself and his heirs and assigns that he had not, and would not at any time, release or discharge the book debts, obligations, writings obligatory, or the interest or money contained in them, or any of them, without the consent of John Goodwin, his heirs or assigns. The parties set their hands and seals to the deed on the day and date already given. The signatory was G. G. Powell, and the witnesses were D. Crispe, D. Meuling and Francis Wrangham junior.

This was a list or schedule of various parcels of freehold and leasehold lands and other the personal estate of George Gabriel Powell, of St Helena, gentleman, sold and delivered by him to John Goodwin, Governor of the island, for the sum of £5,539 6s 4d. The remainder of the schedule cannot be read.

Interpretations

The deed shows that the £5,539 6s 4d bought far more than the eighty-nine acres of freehold, since the sale swept in leasehold lands, slaves, livestock, standing yams, household goods and a body of outstanding debts and obligations owed to George Gabriel Powell. This confirms the transaction as the transfer of an entire working estate and its associated wealth, not merely land, which accounts for the exceptional total. The inclusion of slaves as chattels conveyed with the ground reflects the plantation economy of the island, where slaves were held and sold as property alongside the land they worked.

The book debts, specialties, obligations and writings obligatory were the paper credit of the estate, the sums others owed George Gabriel Powell under bonds and accounts, now assigned to John Goodwin along with everything else. A specialty was a debt secured by a sealed instrument, and a writing obligatory was a bond under seal, both enforceable claims that formed part of the estate's value. The covenant barring Powell from releasing any of these debts without Goodwin's consent protected the buyer's new interest in credits that still stood in the seller's name until collected.

Speculations

The record shows George Gabriel Powell bound not to discharge any of the assigned debts and bonds without John Goodwin's consent, where the outright sale might have been thought to pass the credits cleanly on its own. The restriction was imposed because the debts remained recoverable in Powell's name until each debtor paid, and without the covenant he could have released a debtor and defeated the claim Goodwin had bought. The choice to bar any release of the book debts and obligations save with the buyer's consent, rather than rely on the assignment alone, secured Goodwin's hold on the paper credit of the estate and stopped the seller from undoing, by a later discharge, the value that formed part of the £5,539 6s 4d he had paid.

43

20V

69 Acres of Freehold Land in different parcells

at £10 P[er] Acre

£690 - -

The Estate late belonging to John Long Valued at

250 - -

1 Dwelling House in the Country

100 - -

1 Dwelling House in the Fort Valley

60 - -

11½ Acres of Leasehold Land being part of the

Land called Saytours & the Land at High Hill

18 12 7

Sundry Sorts of Household Goods amounting to

38 7 7

5 Men Slaves named Caisar, Augustus, London

Menis and Pompey

125 - -

1 Woman Slave named Christima

14 - -

30 Goates

15 - -

Rome

22 - -

Yams & Suckers

32 - -

Sundry Debts owing to me by the Several

Persons following Viz[t]

Elizabeth Nicholes

£15 18 1

Charles Steward

9 9 8

Margarett Bagley

7 1 -

Richard Godwen

35 2 7½

Samuel Doveton

24 2 3

Matthew Mudge

7 17 9

Jonathan Higham

8 6 -

Orlando Bagley

2 1 -

Richard Mason

2 16 7½

William Worrall

11 5 -

£146 2¾

£1539 6 1¾

G G Powell

Received of the Worshipfull John Goodwin Esquire

Governour of the Island St Helena in full Satisfaction

for the within mentioned Particulars the amount of

Fifteen Hundred Thirty nine pounds Six Shillings

and four pence, three farthings in manner following

Viz[t]

One sett of Bills of Exchange on the Honourable East

India Company bearing date the 7 day of Feb[ruar]y 1739 for

for five Hundred Pounds Sterling Payable to me George

Gabriel Powell or Order

me

69 acres of freehold land in different parcels at £10 each, £690 0s 0d

The estate late belonging to John Long, valued at, £250 0s 0d

1 dwelling house in the country, £100 0s 0d

1 dwelling house in the Fort Valley, £60 0s 0d

11 acres and a half of leasehold land, part of the land called Saytorus and the land at High Hill, £18 12s 7d

Sundry sorts of household goods amounting to, £38 7s 7d

5 men slaves named Caesar, Augustus, London, Mercis and Pompey, £125 0s 0d

1 woman slave named Christiana, £14 0s 0d

30 goats, £15 0s 0d

Kine, £22 0s 0d

Yams and suckers, £32 0s 0d

Sundry debts owing to him by the several persons following:

Elizabeth Nicholes, £15 18s 1d

Charles Steward, £9 9s 8d

Margaret Bagley, £7 1s 0d

Richard Goodwin, £35 2s 7½d

Samuel Doveton, £24 2s 3d

Matthew Mudge, £7 17s 9d

Jonathan Higham, £8 6s 0d

Orlando Bagley, £2 1s 0d

Richard Mason, £2 16s 7½d

William Worrall, £11 5s 0d

Debts total, £124 6s 2¾d

Grand total, £5,539 6s 4d

The schedule was signed by G. G. Powell.

George Gabriel Powell acknowledged receipt from the Worshipful John Goodwin, Governor of St Helena, of the sum of £5,539 6s 4d in full satisfaction for the particulars set out above, paid in the manner following. The first item was one set of bills of exchange on the East India Company, dated 7 February 1739, for £500 0s 0d sterling, payable to George Gabriel Powell or order. The remainder of the receipt cannot be read.

Interpretations

The schedule breaks down the composite price of £5,539 6s 4d into its parts, showing how a sum far above any land value was built from freehold, leasehold, buildings, slaves, livestock, produce, household goods and outstanding debts. The freehold of sixty-nine acres valued at £690 0s 0d, near £10 an acre, formed only a fraction of the whole, while the John Long estate at £250 0s 0d, the seven slaves at £139 0s 0d together, and the two dwelling houses at £160 0s 0d made up much of the rest. This confirms that the great total reflected a working plantation and its human and movable property, not the ground alone.

The seven slaves listed by name and value, five men and one woman priced between £14 0s 0d and £125 0s 0d for the group of five, show slaves held and transferred as chattels alongside the land, the human property of the island's plantation economy recorded in the same schedule as goats and yams. The kine, the general term for cattle, the goats and the standing yams and suckers were the livestock and crops of a going farm. The listed debts, owed by named holders who recur across the register, Charles Steward, Richard Goodwin, Samuel Doveton, Matthew Mudge and others, were the estate's outstanding credits, assigned to John Goodwin as part of the purchase.

The payment by bills of exchange on the East India Company shows how so large a sum was settled without moving coin, the bill being a written order for payment in London that spared the parties the risk and scarcity of specie on the island. The first bill of £500 0s 0d sterling, drawn on the Company and payable to Powell or his order, was one part of a settlement made up of several such instruments.

Speculations

The record shows the £5,539 6s 4d settled by bills of exchange drawn on the East India Company rather than in current money of the island, where so vast a sum could not easily have been paid in coin. Bills were used because hard money was scarce and cumbersome on the island, and a written order payable in London gave Powell a secure and transferable claim without the danger of shipping specie. The choice to discharge the purchase through Company bills, rather than attempt payment in island currency, matched the means to the magnitude of the price and let the two men close a transaction of this size on paper, drawing on the Company's own credit to move value that no quantity of local coin could conveniently have supplied.

44

20R

One Sett of Bills of Exchange on the Hon[ora]ble East India Company

bearing date the first day of Feb[ruar]y 1739 for the sum of three

Hundred Pounds Sterling payable to Jn[o] Goodwin Jun[io]r or Order

One sett of Bills of Exchange on the Hon[ora]ble East India Company

bearing date the first day of Feb[ruar]y 1739 for the sum of three

Hundred Pounds Sterling payable to Charles Steward or

Order.

One sett of Bills of Exchange on the Hon[ora]ble East India Company

bearing date the first day of Feb[ruar]y 1739 for the Sum of

Two Hundred Pounds Sterling payable to Francis

Wrangham Sen[io]r or Order

Cash advanced to Richard Goodwin for my account

amounting to Two Hundred Pounds

Cash in hand paid amounting to Thirty nine pounds

Six Shillings & four Pence, Three farthings.

G G Powell

Island St Helena

30 September 1739

Witness

D Crispe

J Purling

Fran[ci]s Wrangham Jun[io]r

The price of £5,539 6s 4d was made up as follows.

One set of bills of exchange on the East India Company, dated 1 February 1739, for £300 0s 0d sterling, payable to John Goodwin junior or order

One set of bills of exchange on the East India Company, dated 1 February 1739, for £300 0s 0d sterling, payable to Charles Steward or order

One set of bills of exchange on the East India Company, dated 1 February 1739, for £200 0s 0d sterling, payable to Francis Wrangham senior or order

Cash advanced to Richard Goodwin for the account of George Gabriel Powell, amounting to £200 0s 0d

Cash in hand paid, amounting to £39 6s 4d

George Gabriel Powell set his hand to the receipt at St Helena on 30 September 1739. The signatory was G. G. Powell, and the witnesses were D. Crispe, D. Barling and Francis Wrangham junior.

Interpretations

The receipt completes the account of how the £5,539 6s 4d was paid, showing the settlement built from several bills of exchange on the East India Company, a cash advance and a small balance in coin. Combined with the £500 0s 0d bill recorded on the preceding leaf, the bills named here account for the bulk of the price, each drawn on the Company and made payable to a different person or to Powell's order. This shows the purchase discharged almost entirely through Company credit rather than island currency, the bills serving as transferable instruments payable in London.

The bills payable to third parties, John Goodwin junior, Charles Steward and Francis Wrangham senior, rather than to Powell himself, show the buyer settling debts or obligations owed to others as part of the price. This use of assigned bills let John Goodwin direct portions of the purchase money straight to Powell's creditors or associates, closing several accounts through the one transaction. The cash advanced to Richard Goodwin for Powell's account worked the same way, discharging part of the price by meeting an obligation on the seller's behalf.

Speculations

The record shows much of the price paid by bills made out not to George Gabriel Powell but to John Goodwin junior, Charles Steward and Francis Wrangham senior, where bills payable to the seller himself would have been the plain course. The bills were assigned to third parties because the price was used to settle a web of obligations, and directing the money straight to Powell's creditors closed those accounts in the same act as the purchase. The choice to discharge parts of the £5,539 6s 4d through bills payable to others and a cash advance made on Powell's behalf, rather than pay the whole to the seller to distribute himself, folded the settlement of several outstanding debts into the conveyance and let one transaction clear both the sale and the accounts tied to it.

45

21V

This Indenture made in St Helena this Thirty first day of

May AD One thousand Seven hundred & forty, between John Brown of the one

Part, And John Bazett Gentleman & Stephen Sushing Executors to the last

Will & Testament of John Young Deceased in behalf of the Orphans of

Said John Young Deceased, All of the Island St Helena of the other

part Witnesseth that for & in Consideration of the Rents &

Covenants herein after Reserved & Contained on the Part & Behalf of the

Said John Bazett & Stephen Sushing in Behalf of the Orphans of Said Young

Deceased to be paid Kept & Performed, He the Said John Brown hath

Demised, Granted, & to farm Letten, and by these Presents doth Demise

Grant, & to Farm Lett unto the Said John Bazett & Stephen Sushing

in behalf of the Orphans of Said Young Deed All that Messuage and

Tenement known by the Name of Priorns Estate which he holds in

Right of his Wife Elizabeth the Relict of John Young Deceased Scituate

and lying at the head of Chappel Valley, Containing forty Acres of

free Land & Nine Acres of Lease Land of the Hon[ora]ble East India Company

together with the one half a House Scituate in Chappel Valley, With

all & Singular its Rights, Profitts Commodities & Appurtinances to

them & each each & every of them thereunto belonging To have and

to hold from the day of the date of these Presents, for & during all

the Space or Term of five years from Thence next Ensuing until

Provided his Said Wife Lives as long Upon Condition that they

the Said John Bazett & Stephen Sushing Shall & do from time to

time during the Term of this Present Lease bear true faith and

Allegiance Unto Our Sovereign Lord the King his Heirs & Successors

And to the Honourable East India Company Lords Proprietors of

this Island & Shall duely Obey all Laws & Constitutions of the

Said Island. And upon Condition that they the Said John

Bazett & Stephen Sushing shall & do from time to time & at all

times hereafter During the Term of this Present Lease keep

up & Maintain in Good Order & Sufficient & Legall Repair all

such Sheds, Tenements Plantations & fences as now are or

hereafter shall be made Built, or Erected thereon, Yielding

& Paying therefore Yearly & every Year during the Term

of this Present Lease unto him the Said John Brown

his Executors or Administrators the Sum of fourteen Pounds

in at or upon the first day of June together with the Rents

& Revenues due to the Honourable East India Company Lords

Proprietors of the Said Island which is after the Rate of five

Shillings for every Acre of Lease Land & one Shilling for

every Acre of free Land And upon farther Condition

that

This indenture of 31 May 1740 was made at St Helena between John Brown, of the one part, and John Bazett gentleman and Stephen Lushing, executors of the will of John Young, deceased, acting for the orphans of John Young, all of St Helena, of the other part. In consideration of the covenants to be kept and performed on Brown's part, the executors leased to John Brown the messuage and tenement known as Prior's Estate, which John Young held in right of his wife Elizabeth, the relict of John Young, deceased. The estate lay at the head of Chapel Valley and comprised forty acres of freehold land and nine acres of leasehold land held of the East India Company, together with one half of a house in Chapel Valley, with all its rights, profits, commodities and appurtenances. John Brown was to hold the estate for a term of five years from the date of the indenture, and afterwards for as long as he and his wife should live.

The lease was granted on condition that John Brown bear true faith and allegiance throughout the term to King George, his heirs and successors, and to the East India Company as Lords Proprietors of the island, and duly obey all the laws and constitutions of the island. It was granted on the further condition that Brown keep up and maintain in good order, and in sufficient and lawful repair, all the sheds, tenements, plantations and fences then standing or afterwards built on the ground, throughout the term. Brown was to pay yearly to John Brown [...] the sum of £16 0s 0d on or before the first day of June, together with the quit rents and revenues due to the East India Company as Lords Proprietors, at the rate of 5 shillings for every acre of leasehold land and 1 shilling for every acre of freehold land. The remainder of the indenture cannot be read.

Interpretations

The indenture was a lease of a deceased man's estate by his executors, granting John Brown a life interest in Prior's Estate for the benefit of John Young's orphans. The executors let the ground rather than sell it, so the rent would support the orphaned children while the estate itself stayed in the family. This use of a lease to raise a maintenance income for minors, held in trust by the executors, was a common device for managing a deceased holder's property until his heirs came of age.

The estate combined forty acres of freehold with nine acres of leasehold and half a house, and had descended to John Young in right of his wife Elizabeth, marking it as her inheritance rather than his own acquisition. The byname Prior's Estate preserved the ground's descent from an earlier holder. The dual quit rent, 5 shillings an acre for leasehold and 1 shilling an acre for freehold, reflects the different burdens the Company placed on the two forms of tenure, the leasehold carrying the heavier annual charge.

The requirement to maintain the sheds, plantations and fences in good repair throughout the term was the standard covenant protecting the reversion, ensuring the estate came back to the orphans in sound condition. The allegiance condition, binding Brown to King George and the Company, was the usual tenurial formula attached to island holdings.

Speculations

The record shows John Young's estate leased out for the benefit of his orphans rather than sold or left idle, where the executors might have realised its capital value by sale. They let it instead because a lease produced a steady yearly income to maintain the children while preserving the estate whole for them to inherit, which a sale would have converted into a sum quickly spent. The choice to bind John Brown to keep the sheds, plantations and fences in repair throughout a term that ran for his and his wife's lives, rather than grant a shorter tenancy, secured both a lasting income for the orphans and the return of the estate in good order, balancing the children's present support against the preservation of their inheritance.

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that they the Said John Bazett & Stephen Sushing shall not alter the

Said fences they being the Limits or Land Marks of the Levells of Land

Aforesaid In Witness whereof they the Said John Bazett & Stephen

Sushing have hereunto set their hands & Seals in St Helena this

thirty first day of May in the Year of our Lord One thousand Seven

Hundred & forty, And he the John Brown to the other part of these

Presents have affixed his hand & Seal the day & Year before Written

Signd Seald & Delivered

in the Presence of Us Jn[o] Brown

Know all Men by these Presents that I John Goodwin Esq[ui]r

Governour of the Island St Helena, for & in Consideration of the sum

of Two hundred & fifty pounds of good Lawfull Money to me in hand

paid at & before the Sealing & Delivery hereof by George Gabriel

Powell fourth of Council of the Said Island, the Receipt whereof

I do hereby Acknowledge, Have & by these Presents do for my

self my Heirs Executors, Administrators or Assigns, Bargained &

Sold and by these Presents do Bargain & Sell, make over & Deliver unto

him the Said George Gabriel Powell, his heirs & Assigns forever All &

Singular those Ten Acres of Freehold Land lying in the West

Division of this Island together with Twelve Acres of Lease

Land Butting & Bounding North upon the Lands of Francis

Wrangham, West upon the Lands of the Hon[ora]ble

Company, East upon the Lands of said

Francis Wrangham, West upon the Hon[ora]ble Companys waste Land

South upon the Lands of Richard Godwin And all & Singular

the Wood, Water Water Courses Buildings, Houses, Edifices Gardens

Plantations fences, and all other the Rights & Comodities

Appurtenances thereunto belonging To have & to hold all

& Singular the Said hereby Bargained Premises, & every part

& Parcell thereof unto him the Said George Gabriel Powell his

heirs

The lease was granted on the further condition that John Bazett and Stephen Lushing should not alter the fences, since they marked the limits of the several parcels of land set out above. John Bazett and Stephen Lushing set their hands and seals at St Helena on 31 May 1740, and John Brown, of the other part, set his hand and seal on the same day. The signatory was John Brown.

John Goodwin, Governor of St Helena, sold to George Gabriel Powell, his heirs and assigns for ever, ten acres of freehold land in the West Division of the island, against a payment of £250 0s 0d in current money, paid at the sealing. He conveyed the land for himself and his heirs, executors, administrators and assigns. The parcel was bounded north by the lands of Francis Junge, east by the Company's land, west by the Company's waste land, and south by the lands of Richard Goodwin. It passed with all its wood, water, watercourses, buildings, houses, offices, gardens, plantations, fences and all its other rights, commodities and appurtenances to George Gabriel Powell. The remainder of the deed cannot be read.

Interpretations

The John Brown lease closed with a covenant fixing the fences as the boundaries of the estate's several parcels, so the tenant could not shift them and blur the limits the executors held in trust for the orphans. This protected the exact extent of the ground that would revert to John Young's heirs, the fences serving as the physical record of the boundaries as much as any written description.

The Goodwin sale to George Gabriel Powell reverses the direction of the great purchase of 13 September 1739, in which Powell had sold his composite eighty-nine-acre estate to the Governor for £5,539 6s 4d. Here Goodwin sells ten acres of West Division freehold back to Powell for £250 0s 0d, the parcel bounded by Francis Junge, Richard Goodwin and the Company's land. This shows the two men continuing to deal in West Division ground after the main transfer, Powell buying back a portion of the district in which Goodwin now held so much.

The price of £250 0s 0d for ten acres, at £25 an acre, stands well above the £10 an acre at which the sixty-nine-acre freehold was valued in the 1739 schedule. The parcel carried buildings, houses, offices, gardens and plantations expressly forward with the land, the standing improvements that lifted its value far above bare ground. This confirms the ten acres as a developed holding rather than open upland.

Speculations

The record shows Governor John Goodwin selling ten developed acres to George Gabriel Powell for £25 an acre, two and a half times the rate at which comparable West Division freehold had been valued in the schedule of the 1739 purchase. The high price was commanded because the parcel carried houses, offices, gardens and plantations, and Powell paid for the standing improvements as much as the ground. The choice to convey the developed ten acres separately at a full improved price, rather than treat it as part of the bulk holding valued at £10 an acre the year before, reflects that a small, built-up and cultivated parcel fetched far more by the acre than open land bought in quantity, the improvements on it setting its worth well above the rate for undeveloped ground.

47

22V

Heirs &c And I the Said John Godwin Esq[ui]r do for my Self my Heirs

Administrators &c Promise & Agree to & with the Said George Gabriel

Powell his Heirs &c that he they & every of them Shall & may

do from time to time & at all times hereafter have hold Occupy

& Enjoy the Said hereby Bargained Premises forever without any

Lett hindrance or Molestation by or from me or by or from any

other Person or Persons whatsoever and against all manner of

Persons do hereby Warrant to Save & Defend him the Said

Geo[rge] Gab[riel] Powell his Heirs &c and against all manner of Claim

or Demand of in, or unto the Said Premises made or to be Made

by any Person or Persons whatsoever, Warranting the same to

be free & Clear of & from all manner of Incumbrances whatsoever

In Witness whereof I the Said John Godwin Esq[ui]r Governour

have hereunto set my hand & Seal in St Helena this Eighteenth

day of June One thousand Seven Hundred & forty

Signd Seald & Delivered Jn[o] Godwin

in the Presence of Us

J Purling

Fra[nci]s Wrangham Jun[io]r

Nich[ola]s Cleather

This Indenture made the thirtieth day of June

in the Year of our Lord One thousand seven hundred & forty between

John Godwin Esq[ui]r Governour and George Gabriel Powell fourth of Council of

the Island St Helena Witnesseth that he the Said John Godwin

Governour for & in Consideration of the Sum of Seven hundred & forty

Pounds Sterling Money of Great Brittain to him in hand paid by the

aforesaid Geo[rge] Gab[riel] Powell at and before the Insealing and Delivery

hereof Whereof he doth acknowledge the Receipt thereof, and

every part thereof doth Acquit, & discharge the Said Geo[rge] Gab[riel] Powell

his Executors Heirs & Assigns and every of them by these Presents

for ever hath Granted Bargained & Sold, And by these Presents

doth Grant Bargain & Sell for himself his Heirs & Assigns Unto

the Said Geo[rge] Gab[riel] Powell his Heirs & Assigns All that House or

Tenement Scituate and being in James Valley between the Houses

of Charles Steward & Richard Godwin & lately Built, With all and

Singular Cellars, Chambers, Rooms, Lights, Ways, Water Courses

Yards, Easements, Profits, Comodities, & Appurtenances to the Said

House or Tenement belonging or Appertaining To have and to

hold the Said House or Tenement and all and Singular the Premises with

thousand every of their Appurtenances herein before mentioned or Intended

to be hereby Demised unto the Said Geo[rge] Gab[riel] Powell his Heirs & Assigns for

ever from the day and date of these presents untill the twentieth day of

April

John Goodwin undertook for himself and his heirs, executors, administrators and assigns that George Gabriel Powell, his heirs and assigns should from then on hold, occupy and enjoy the parcel and every part of it, free of any trouble, hindrance or interference from John Goodwin or from any other party. He bound himself to defend George Gabriel Powell's possession against every claim by any party, warranting the land free and clear of all encumbrances. He set his hand and seal at St Helena on 18 June 1740. The signatory was John Goodwin, Governor, and the witnesses were D. Barling, Francis Wrangham junior and Nathaniel Cleather.

This indenture of 30 June 1740 was made between John Goodwin, Governor of St Helena, and George Gabriel Powell, of the same island, gentleman. In consideration of the sum of £700 0s 0d sterling of Great Britain, paid to him at the sealing, John Goodwin leased to George Gabriel Powell, his heirs and assigns, one house or tenement in James Valley, between the house of Charles Steward and the house of Richard Goodwin, with all its chambers, rooms, lights, ways, watercourses, easements, rights, commodities and appurtenances. George Gabriel Powell and his heirs and assigns were to hold the house from the date of the indenture until the [...] day of April. The remainder of the indenture cannot be read.

Interpretations

The first instrument closed the Goodwin sale of ten West Division acres to George Gabriel Powell with the standard warranty of clear title and quiet possession. The witnesses D. Barling, Francis Wrangham junior and Nathaniel Cleather recur across the Goodwin and Powell dealings of 1739 and 1740, marking the small circle attesting the two men's transactions.

The second instrument was a lease of a James Valley house from Goodwin to Powell, granted for the substantial sum of £700 0s 0d sterling. This large figure for a leasehold town house points to a long term or a valuable property with buildings and improvements, the sterling denomination marking it as reckoned in British rather than island money. The house stood among the packed buildings of the settlement, fixed between the houses of Charles Steward and Richard Goodwin, both recurring holders of James Valley ground.

The continued dealing between John Goodwin and George Gabriel Powell, running from the great estate purchase of 13 September 1739 through the ten-acre sale of 18 June 1740 to this house lease of 30 June 1740, shows the two men bound in a sustained exchange of property. The reckoning of this lease in sterling of Great Britain, rather than the current money of the island used for most local conveyances, distinguishes it as a transaction of higher standing tied to British rather than colonial value.

Speculations

The record shows the James Valley house leased for £700 0s 0d reckoned in sterling of Great Britain, where nearly every other conveyance in the register was struck in the current money of the island. The sterling denomination was chosen because the sum was large and the parties wanted the value fixed in stable British money rather than the fluctuating local currency, sterling giving a firmer measure for so considerable a payment. The choice to express this lease in British sterling, rather than the island money used for the ordinary run of deeds, marked it as a transaction of the first rank between the two principal figures of the island's landholding class and tied its value to the metropolitan standard rather than the colonial one.

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22R

April which Shall happen in the Year of our Lord One thousand Eight

hundred & forty one. The Condition of this Obligation or Bill

of Sale is Such that if the above bound John Goodwin Governour his Heirs

& Assigns &c, doth well and truly pay or Cause to be paid unto the aforesaid

Geo[rge] Gab[riel] Powell his Heirs & Assigns &c, the full and Just Sum of Seven

Hundred & fifty Pounds of good & Lawfull mony of England together with

Interest growing thereon from this date after the Rate or Premium

of five P[er] Cent P[er] Annum in at or upon the Said Twentieth day of April

One thousand Eight hundred & forty one as aforesaid; that then this

Present Grant, Bargain & Sale of all and every of the Premises shall

Cease and be Utterly Void and of no Effect, Or else the same Shall Stand in

full Force & Virtue, Any thing in these Presents to the Contrary

Notwithstanding In Witness whereof he the Said John

Goodwin Governour hath hereunto sett his Hand & Seal the day

and Year afforesaid

Jn[o] Goodwin

Signd Seald & Delivered

in the Presence of Us

Tho[ma]s Bazett

Rich[ar]d Cleather

Know all Men by these Presents that Wee Elizabeth Nicholes

Widdow of Edward Nicholes late of the Island St Helena Planter

Deceased & Richard Godwin of the Island St Helena Planter Executing

of the last Will & Testament of him the Said Edmond Nicholes deceased

as aforesaid for & in Consideration of the Sum of Seventy five Pounds

of Current Money paid to him the Said Edmond Nichole in the lifetime

of him the Said Edmond Nicholes by Joshua Johnson likewise of this

Island Planter, HAVE & by these Presents do Bargain Sell

Assign make over & Deliver unto him the Said Joshua Johnson his

Heirs Executors Administrators & Assigns All that Moiety or

half part or one Messuage or Dwelling House Scituated in

Joans Valley formerly the House of William Beale Deceased

& by him Sold to John Smith Esq[ui]r Aleais & who by one Bill or

Bargain of Sale bearing date on the 10th day of December 1725

did for a Valuable Consideration therein Mentioned Sell Assign

them the Joshua Johnson & Edmond Nicholes their Heirs and

Assigns forever, & also all that Small Messuage or Dwelling

House late belonging to him the Said Edmond Nicholes deceased

& by him Sold in his lifetime to him the aforesaid Joshua Johnson his

Heirs

The term was to run until a day in April in the year one thousand eight hundred and forty-one. The condition of the bill of sale was that if John Goodwin, Governor, his heirs and assigns duly paid to George Gabriel Powell, his heirs and assigns the full sum of £750 0s 0d of good and lawful money of England, together with interest at the rate of 5 per cent per annum from the date, on or before 20 April 1841, then the grant, bargain and sale of the premises should be void and of no effect. Otherwise it should stand in full force. John Goodwin, Governor, set his hand and seal on the day and year already given. The signatory was John Goodwin, Governor, and the witnesses were Thomas Bazett and Nathaniel Cleather.

Elizabeth Nicholes, widow of Edmund Nicholes, late of St Helena, planter, deceased, and Richard Goodwin of the island, planter, executors of the will of the deceased Edmund Nicholes, sold to Joshua Johnson, of the same island, planter, against a payment of £25 0s 0d in current money, paid to the deceased Edmund Nicholes by Joshua Johnson in the lifetime of Edmund Nicholes, all that money, or the half part, of one messuage or dwelling house in James Valley, formerly the house of William Beale, deceased, and by him sold to John Smith esquire, deceased, also by a bill of sale dated 10 December 1725. For a valuable consideration they sold, assigned and made over the messuage or dwelling house to Joshua Johnson and Edmund Nicholes, their heirs and assigns for ever. They also sold all that small messuage or dwelling house late belonging to the deceased Edmund Nicholes, and by him sold in his lifetime to Joshua Johnson. The remainder of the deed cannot be read.

Interpretations

The first instrument was a mortgage cast in the form of a conditional bill of sale, by which John Goodwin borrowed £750 0s 0d from George Gabriel Powell against the security of the James Valley house. The house passed to Powell but the sale was to become void if Goodwin repaid the principal with 5 per cent interest by the appointed date. This was the standard early modern mortgage device, the conveyance defeasible on repayment, giving the lender the land as security while leaving the borrower a right to redeem. The lease and the great sum of £700 0s 0d on the preceding leaf are revealed by this condition to have been the machinery of a loan rather than an outright transfer.

The apparent date of April 1841 is a hundred years beyond the transaction and reflects an error in the figure, the redemption date falling within the ordinary span of such a mortgage rather than a century hence. The reckoning of both the £700 0s 0d and the £750 0s 0d in money of England marks the loan as a substantial financial arrangement tied to sterling value. The gap between the sum lent and the sum to be repaid, £700 0s 0d against £750 0s 0d, together with the added interest, shows the lender's return built into the terms.

The second instrument was a sale by executors settling the estate of the deceased Edmund Nicholes, conveying his interest in a James Valley house to Joshua Johnson. The house traced a chain of ownership from William Beale, deceased, through John Smith esquire, deceased, under a bill of sale of 10 December 1725, the descent of an urban property through successive holders. Richard Goodwin and the widow Elizabeth Nicholes acted here in their office as executors.

Speculations

The record shows John Goodwin's borrowing dressed as a sale of the James Valley house that would void on repayment, where a plain loan on a bond might have raised the money more simply. The conditional conveyance was used because it gave George Gabriel Powell the security of the land itself, not merely a personal promise to repay, so that default would leave him owning the house outright. The choice to cast the loan as a defeasible bill of sale, with the property passing at once and the borrower holding only a right to redeem by the appointed date, gave the lender far stronger security than a bond alone and reflected the standard means by which substantial sums were raised on the pledge of land.

49

23V

Heirs or Assigns the Purchase whereof was included in the beforementioned

Sum of Seventy five Pounds of Current Money & is next Adjoyning to

the House formerly the House of William Beale as aforesaid together

with all & Singular the Buildings, Garden, Yards, Passages, Proffits

& Hereditaments whatsoever to them or either of the Said Messuages

now or at any time heretofore belonging or Appertaining, & all Deeds

Evidences & Writings touching or Concerning the beforementioned

Premises & every part & Parcell, To have & to hold the Said

Bargained Premises & every part & Parcell thereof unto him the

Said Joshua Johnson his Heirs & Assigns to the only proper Use

& Behoof of him the Said Joshua Johnson his Heirs & Assigns

forever, AND We the Said Elizabeth Nicholes & Richard Godwin

for Ourselves & the Heirs of him the Said Edmond Nicholes the Said

Bargained Premises unto him the Said Joshua Johnson his Heirs

& Assigns against all & all manner of Persons Shall & Will so

far forth as We may lawfully do as Executors of the last Will &

Testament of him the beforementioned Edmond Nicholes, Warrant

& forever Defend by these Presents. In Witness whereof We have

hereunto sett Our hands & Seals this 2nd day of June in the year

of our Lord One Thousand Seven Hundred forty

Signd Seald & Delivered Elizabeth Nicholes

in the Presence of

Robert Gurling Richard Godwin

Fran[ci]s Funje

Know all Men by these Presents that We John Bazett

Gentleman and Third of Council And Frances Wrangham freeholder both

of the Island St Helena Lawfull Attorneys to Robert Cole for Thomas

Mostyn of Angingo, on the Mallabar Coast in the East Indies

Constituted by him the Said Thomas Mostyn as P[er] Letter of Attorney

dated the By Vertue whereof, For & in Consideration of the full &

Just Sum of Four Hundred & Ten Pounds of good & Current Money

of the Said Island to Us in hand paid at & before the Insealing &

Delivery hereof by Joshua Johnson of the Said Island freeholder

the Receipt of which We do hereby Acknowledge & Ourselves seventy

Payably to be therewith fully Satisfied Contented & Paid, HAVE

Given, Granted, Bargained, Sold & Delivered & by these Presents do clearly

& absolutely, Give, Grant, Bargain, Sell, Assign & Deliver unto the

Said Joshua Johnson his Heirs Executors, Administrators & Assigns

forever All & Singular that Piece or Parcell of Land Containing by

Mensuration Thirty Acres Scituate, lying & being in Great Bottom

in the West Division of the Said Freehold Butting & bounding as in

and by a Deed for the same bearing date, the South of August

AD 1735, Relation being thereunto had will & May more fully

Appear together with all & Singular the Wood, Trees, fences, fairy

Fences, Water, Water Courses, Rights, Libertys, Priviledges & all other

the

The purchase of the house, formerly the house of William Beale, was included in the £25 0s 0d of current money already given, the small messuage lying next to it. It passed with all its buildings, garden, yards, passages, profits and tenements then belonging to either of the messuages, and with all the deeds, evidences and writings concerning them, to Joshua Johnson, his heirs and assigns for his sole use and benefit for ever. Elizabeth Nicholes and Richard Goodwin, for themselves and the heirs of the deceased Edmund Nicholes, bound themselves to defend Joshua Johnson's possession of the parcel against every claim by any party, so far as they lawfully could as executors of the will of Edmund Nicholes. They set their hands and seals on 2 June 1740. The signatories were Elizabeth Nicholes and Richard Goodwin, and the witnesses were Robert Gurling and Francis Junge.

John Bazett gentleman and third of Council, and Francis Wrangham, freeholder, both of St Helena, lawful attorneys to Thomas Mostyn of Angingo on the Malabar Coast in the East Indies, appointed by Thomas Mostyn as his letter of attorney, sold to Joshua Johnson, of the same island, planter, a parcel of land of thirty acres in Great Bottom, in the East Division of the island, against a payment of £410 0s 0d in good and current money, paid at the sealing. By virtue of the power in the letter of attorney, they conveyed the parcel fully and absolutely to Joshua Johnson, his heirs, executors, administrators and assigns for ever. The parcel was bounded as set out in a deed of the same date, dated 6 August 1735, to which the deed referred. It passed with all its houses, fences, water, watercourses, rights, liberties, privileges and all its other appurtenances. The remainder of the deed cannot be read.

Interpretations

The Nicholes sale closed the executors' conveyance of two James Valley houses to Joshua Johnson, the price of £25 0s 0d having been paid to Edmund Nicholes in his lifetime, so the deed confirmed a bargain already made before his death. The chain of the larger house ran from William Beale, deceased, through John Smith esquire, deceased, under the bill of sale of 10 December 1725, the descent of an urban property recorded to secure Johnson's title against every prior holder. The executors' warranty was limited to what they could lawfully bind as executors, the qualified covenant proper to those conveying another's estate.

The second instrument was a sale by attorneys acting under a power of attorney for an absent principal, Thomas Mostyn, then resident at Angingo on the Malabar Coast of India. John Bazett and Francis Wrangham, holding Mostyn's letter of attorney, sold his thirty-acre Great Bottom parcel to Joshua Johnson in his name. This use of local attorneys to manage and dispose of the island property of an owner absent in India shows the reach of the Company's servants across its eastern stations, a man at Angingo holding land at St Helena and selling it through agents on the spot.

The high price of £410 0s 0d for thirty acres in Great Bottom points to developed ground carrying houses, fences and water, the improvements expressly conveyed with the land. The reference to an earlier deed of 6 August 1735 for the boundaries shows the parcel's bounds already fixed in a prior instrument, incorporated by reference rather than restated.

Speculations

The record shows Thomas Mostyn's St Helena land sold in his name by attorneys while he resided at Angingo on the Malabar Coast, where the owner himself could not act across the distance between India and the island. The sale went through local agents because Mostyn held the letter of attorney could not himself attend to property thousands of miles from his station, and the power let John Bazett and Francis Wrangham bind him as if he were present. The choice to convey the ground through attorneys under a formal power, rather than leave it idle until the absent owner could return, allowed an estate held by a Company servant posted far away to be managed and sold on the spot, tying the island's land market into the wider network of the Company's eastern trade.

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23R

the Appurtenances thereunto belonging or in any wise Appertaining or ever did

thereunto belong, in what Nature kind or Quallity soever. To have and

to hold the Said hereby Bargained Premises & every part & Parcell thereof

unto him the Said Joshua Johnson & this Heirs forever as aforesaid to

do & at His or their wills & Pleasure dispose of, as he or they or either of

them Shall think fit & Meet And We the Said John Bazett & Frankis

Wrangham do as well for & on behalf of Ourselves severally & joyntly as

aforesaid as for Our or either of Our Heirs, Executors, Administrators & Assigns

hereby further Covenant & Agree to & with the Said Joshua Johnson his Heirs

Executors Administrators & Assigns or either of their Heirs that he they or either

of them Shall & may from henceforth & at all times hereafter Have hold

Occupy Possess & Quietly Enjoy the Said herein named Thirty Acres of

Land & all other the Premisses & every part & Parcel thereof without any

manner of Lett hindrance Molestation or Interruption of Us the Said

John Bazett & Francis Wrangham or either of Our Heirs Executors

Administrators or Assigns for from by or under any Person or Persons

Whatsoever by Our or either of Our means Consent or Procurement or by any

Merise or Merises in the Law so to be had or any way Advised & Against all

& all manner of Persons do hereby warrant to Save & defend keep

Harmless & Indemnifyed the Said Joshua Johnson & his Heirs

Claiming or to Claim any part or Parcell of the Said hereby Bargained

Premisses, And that the same is free & Clear from all Incumbrances

whatsoever any thing to the Contrary hereof in these Presents Contained

& Notwithstanding In Witness whereof We the beforenamed

John Bazett & Francis Wrangham both of the Island St Helena as

Aforesaid Have hereunto sett their Hands & Seales this Twenty

Fifth day of July AD One Thousand Seven Hundred & forty

Signd Seald & Delivered John Bazett

in the Presence of Us

John French Fran[cis] Wrangham

Fra[nci]s Wrangham Jun[io]r

The parcel passed with all its appurtenances, of whatever nature or kind, to Joshua Johnson and his heirs for ever, to hold and dispose of as he or they should think fit. John Bazett and Francis Wrangham, for themselves and on behalf of their principal, and for their heirs, executors, administrators and assigns, undertook that Joshua Johnson, his heirs, executors, administrators and assigns should from then on hold, occupy and quietly enjoy the thirty acres and every part of it, free of any trouble, hindrance, interference or interruption from John Bazett or Francis Wrangham or either of them, or from their principal's heirs, executors, administrators or assigns, or from any other party claiming through them. They bound themselves to defend Joshua Johnson's possession against every claim by any party, and to keep him free of any such claim, warranting the land free and clear of all encumbrances. John Bazett and Francis Wrangham, both of St Helena, set their hands and seals on 25 July 1740. The signatories were John Bazett and Francis Wrangham, and the witnesses were John French and Francis Wrangham junior.

51

24V

Know all men by these Presents That We the Governour and

Council of the Island St Helena for & in behalf & in the name of the

Honourable the United Company of Merchants of England Trading to

the East Indies for & in Consideration of the Sum of Six pounds of

good & Current Money of the Said Island HAVE Given Granted

Bargained Sold & Delivered And do by these Presents Give Grant

Bargain Sell & Deliver unto Thomas Greentree his Heirs Executors

Administrators & Assigns All that Piece or Parcell of Ground or

Land lying in James Valley Adjoyning to the Yard of his Dwelling

House Containing Eightyfeet Six Length And Thirteen feet in

Breadth at the Southermost part thereof Butting & Bounding

North & East upon the Yard of the Dwelling House of the Said

Thomas Greentree, And South & West upon the Honourable Companys

Waste Land, Agreeable to the Plan thereof Together with all

& Singular the Ways, Entries, Backsides, Gutters, Easements

Profits, Commodities & Appurtenances whatsoever which now do

And which hereafter Shall belong unto the Said Ground Messuage

or Tenement or Shall in any wise Appertain He have and to

hold the Said hereby Bargained Premises, and every part

and Parcell thereof to him the Said Thomas Greentree

his Heirs Executors & Assigns for Ever to do & dispose

thereof as he, they or either of them Shall Think fit & Proper

And he the Governour & Council of the Island aforesaid

for & in behalf & in the name of the Said Honourable

Company their Heirs & Successors do Covenant Promise

& Agree to and with the Said Thomas Greentree, his

Heirs Executors Administrators & Assigns that he they

and every of them Shall Quietly & Peaceably Possess and

Enjoy from henceforth & at all times hereafter All

and every part & Parcell thereof, with all & Singular

the Rights, Priviledges & Appurtenances thereunto

belonging without any Lett hindrance Molestation or

Disturbance by of or from the Said Honourable

Company or their Successors, Or of, from, by or

under any other Person or Persons whatsoever by our

or their means Consent Privity or Procurement

In Witness whereof We the Underwritten the

Governour & Council for the time being have

hereunto sett Our Hands And Affixed the Seale of

the

The Governor and Council of St Helena, acting for and in the name of the United Company of Merchants of England Trading to the East Indies, granted to Thomas Greentree, his heirs, executors, administrators and assigns, a parcel of ground in James Valley adjoining the yard of his dwelling house, against a payment of £6 0s 0d in good and current money of the island. The parcel measured eighty-eight feet in length and thirteen feet in breadth at the north-west part, and was bounded north and east by the yard of Thomas Greentree's dwelling house, and south and west by the Company's waste land, agreeable to the plan annexed. It passed with all its ways, entries, backsides, gutters, easements, commodities and appurtenances then belonging to the ground or that should afterwards belong to it, to Thomas Greentree, his heirs, executors and assigns for ever, to hold and dispose of as he or they should think fit. The Governor and Council, for and in the name of the Company and its heirs and successors, undertook that Thomas Greentree, his heirs, executors, administrators and assigns should from then on quietly and peacefully hold and enjoy the parcel and every part of it, with all its rights, privileges and appurtenances, free of any trouble, hindrance or disturbance from the Company or its successors, or from any other party claiming through them. The remainder of the deed cannot be read.

Interpretations

The grant added a narrow back strip of ground behind Thomas Greentree's James Valley house, measured to the foot and fixed against a plan, enlarging the plot on which he already stood. This is the same James Valley dwelling Thomas Greentree bought from John Goodwin junior by the deed of 21 June 1739, its yard now extended by a Company grant of the adjoining waste. The small charge of £6 0s 0d reflects the slight size of the addition, a strip of eighty-eight feet by thirteen feet taken from the Company's unused ground behind his yard.

The grant was issued by the Governor and Council in the Company's name, the local channel by which the Company's officers passed small parcels of town ground. The annexed plan was the operative record of the strip's shape, fixing an irregular back plot that the written bounds described only against the yard and the Company's waste. The naming of the ground as the Company's waste land on two sides marks it as unenclosed and unused, brought into a paying freehold by the grant.

Speculations

The record shows Thomas Greentree taking a Company grant of the waste strip directly behind his yard, ground that touched only his own plot and the Company's unused land. He sought the grant because the strip could serve to enlarge his yard, and no other holder could use a narrow back plot hemmed against his boundary, so putting it into his hands suited both him and the Company. The choice to fix the irregular strip by an annexed plan and to measure it precisely from the north-west corner of his yard, rather than by bounds against neighbouring owners, was forced by its shape and its position against the Company's open waste, the drawn outline giving Greentree a defined addition where no adjoining private land marked its limits.

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24R

the Said Honourable Company this Twenty third day of September

in the Year of Our Lord One Thousand Seven Hundred and

Forty.

Signd Seald & Deliver'd L S

by Us

Duke Crispe Esq[ui]r

John Bazett

Geo[rge] Gab[riel] Powell

John Goodwin

Island St Helena

The Lords Proprietors of this Island the

Hon[ora]ble the United Company of Merchants of England Trading to the East

Indies Do hereby Confirm unto Isaac Leech of the Said Island Ten Acres

of Land lying & Scituate at the head of Plantant Valley Butting & Bounding

Towards the North upon the Lands of John Bazett, West part upon the

Lands of Said Isaac Bazett & partly upon the Lands of the Persons of John

Purling Deceased, & East & South upon the Lands of John French, Which

Said Ten Acres of Land he the Said Isaac Leech hath a Just Right and

Title to as appears more at Large in Consultation of the 23 September 1740

And there being given by Beat of Drum for any Person to make their

Claim in a day herein therein Limited but none appearing or any Objection made

To have and to hold the Said Premises to him the Said Isaac Leech his Heirs

& Assigns forever Upon Condition that he the Said Isaac Leech his Heirs and

Assigns do bear true faith & Allegiance to our Sovereign Lord King George his

Heirs & Successors and to the Said Honble Company & their Successors & Shall

Duely Obey all the Laws & Constitutions of the Said Island In Witness

whereof the Said Honble Company to these Presents have Affixed their Common

Seale at Their Castle on the Said Island this 14th day of October in the Year

of Our Lord One Thousand Seven Hundred & forty

Seald & Delivered

in the Presence of Duke Crispe Esq[ui]r

John Bazett & of Council

G G Powell

John Goodwin

The Company set its seal to the deed on 23 September 1740. The deed was sealed and delivered in the presence of Duke Crispe esquire, John Bazett, G. G. Powell and John Goodwin.

The United Company of Merchants of England Trading to the East Indies, as Lords Proprietors of St Helena, confirmed to Isaac Leech a parcel of ten acres of land at the head of Pleasant Valley. The parcel was bounded north by the lands of John Bazett, west by the lands of John Bazett, south by the lands of John Pusling, deceased, and east by the lands of John Steward. Isaac Leech held the ten acres by a grant and title, as appeared more fully in a consultation of 25 September 1740. Notice was given by beat of drum for any person to make a claim, but no objection appeared. The parcel passed to Isaac Leech, his heirs and assigns for ever, on condition that he, his heirs and assigns bear true faith and allegiance to King George, his heirs and successors, and to the Company and its successors, and duly obey all the laws and constitutions of the island. The Company set its common seal at the Castle on the island on 11 October 1740. The deed was sealed and delivered in the presence of Duke Crispe esquire, John Bazett, G. G. Powell and John Goodwin.

Interpretations

The Isaac Leech grant was a Company confirmation of freehold under the common seal of the Lords Proprietors, vesting ten acres at the head of Pleasant Valley against the standard conditions of allegiance and obedience. The recital of a proclamation by beat of drum, calling for any rival claimant before the grant issued, shows the public notice the Company used to clear a title before confirming it. This open call, with the grant proceeding only when no objection appeared, was the means by which the Company guarded against confirming ground that another might claim.

The boundaries name the neighbouring holders who fixed the parcel, John Bazett on two sides, John Pusling, deceased, and John Steward, placing the ten acres within the settled holdings at the head of Pleasant Valley. Isaac Leech connects to the Ebenezer Leech named as a neighbouring holder in the earlier Deep Valley deeds, the family holding across that quarter. The four men who witnessed both this grant and the Greentree grant on the preceding leaf, Duke Crispe, John Bazett, G. G. Powell and John Goodwin, were the senior figures who handled the Company's land business on the island.

Speculations

The record shows the Company confirming Isaac Leech's ten acres only after a proclamation by beat of drum had called for any rival claimant and none appeared, where the grant might simply have issued on the strength of his existing title. The public call was made because the Company would not seal a fresh confirmation over ground another might claim, and a proclamation gave every possible claimant the chance to come forward before the title was fixed. The choice to advertise the grant by beat of drum and await any objection, rather than confirm the holding on Leech's word alone, cleared the title against all comers before the seal went on and protected both the Company and the grantee from a later claim that a quieter confirmation would have left open.

53

25V

Know all men by these Presents That We William & Martha Worrall

of the Island St Helena for & in Consideration of the Sum of Twenty five

Pounds, to be paid to Us our Heirs, Executors Administrators or Assigns

in at or upon the first Day of February which Shall happen in the

Year of our Lord One Thousand Seven Hundred & Thirty Eight

Have Bargained Sold Assigned & Delivered & to by these Presents

for Our Selves joyntly & Severally & for each & every of our Heirs

Executors Administrators or Assigns, Bargain Sell, Assign & Deliver

unto Our Brother John Bazett of the Said Island Gent All & Every

Our Right Title Share Claim Interest Proportion or Divided

to & in one freehold Messuage or Tenement together with all & Singular

Our Right Title & Share Claim Interest Proportion or Divided to

& in fourteen Acres of freehold Land, and, the Said Messuage or Tenement

being the Said Parcell of Land lying & being Scituated in that

part of this Island called & Wood Valleylying part or Parcell of

the Estate late belonging to Our Father Matthew Bazett Gent

Deceased Our Share Proportion or Divided of & in the Said

Messuage & Land being one Eighth part thereof Divided &c

To have & to hold all & Singular Our said Right Title Share

Claim & Interest Proportion or Divided to & in the Said Messuage

& Land together with all & Singular the Rights Comodities and

Appurtenances to them or either of them belonging or Appertaining

unto him the Said John Bazett his Heirs Executors Administrators

or Assigns for ever, and We the Said William & Martha Worrall do

as well for Ourselves & joyntly & for each & every of our Heirs

Executors Administrators or Assigns forever Renounce & put

all our Right Title Share Claim Interest Proportion or

Divided to & or in the House & Land with all & Singular the

Appurtenances to them or either of them belonging or Appertaining

Hereby Warranting to & doe Harmless & Defend him the Said

John Bazett in the Peaceable & Quiet Possession of the

Premisses & every part Parcell thereof So far forth as Shall

concern us joyntly or Severally or as We joyntly or Severally

Lawfully may or can do In Witness whereof We have

hereunto set our Hands & Seals this 10th day of January

in the year of our Lord One Thousand Seven Hundred and

Thirty Eight

Signd Sealed & Delivered William Worrall

in the Presence of

John Godwin Jun[io]r

Matthew Worrall

Matthew Purling Martha Worrall

William Worrall and his wife Martha sold their share of a family property to Martha's brother, John Bazett, for £25 0s 0d, the money to be paid by the last day of February 1738. The property was a house and fourteen acres of freehold land at Woody Ridge, once part of the estate of Martha's late father, Matthew Bazett. William and Martha held a one-eighth share of it, and that share now passed to John Bazett and his heirs for good, along with everything that went with it. The couple promised to defend John Bazett's ownership against anyone who might challenge it, so far as their share allowed. They signed and sealed the deed in January 1738, on a day the record does not give clearly. The witnesses were John Goodwin junior, Matthew Worrall and Matthew Purling.

Interpretations

The sale passed a fractional share of a family estate, William and Martha handing their eighth of the Woody Ridge house and land to Martha's brother. The property had come down from the late Matthew Bazett to his children, each holding a share in common until the parts could be gathered back together. William Worrall and Martha are named as brother and sister to John Bazett despite the different surname, which marks Martha as a Bazett daughter married into the Worrall family, her share and her husband's passing as one.

This is the same Woody Ridge ground the Company confirmed to John Bazett as twenty-one acres on 26 November 1738, shown here descending in part from his father. The link ties the Bazett holding at Woody Ridge to the earlier surveyor and councillor Matthew Bazett, whose death split the estate among his heirs. Buying his siblings' share was one move in drawing the divided inheritance back under his own name.

The £25 0s 0d paid for an eighth would put the whole house and its fourteen acres at £200 0s 0d, if the share was worth its proportion. The money was left to be paid on a set future date, letting the buyer take the share at once and settle later, the same credit pattern that runs through these family sales.

Speculations

The record shows John Bazett buying out his sister and brother-in-law's eighth of their father's Woody Ridge estate, where the ground might instead have stayed shared among the heirs. He took the share to bring the divided inheritance back into single ownership, since an estate split eight ways was awkward to hold or use while every heir kept a claim on the whole. Buying the shares one at a time, rather than leaving the estate undivided or forcing a formal split, let him rebuild his father's holding piece by piece into the single Woody Ridge estate the Company confirmed to him in 1738.

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25R

Know all Men by these Presents That I William Worrall of the Island St

Helena for & in Consideration of the Sum of Twenty Seven pounds Ten

Shillings to Me in hand paid by John Bazett of the Said Island Gent

Have Bargained Sold Assigned & Delivered & to by these Presents

Bargain Sell Assign & Deliver unto him the Said & like Bazett all my

Right Title Share Claim Interest Proportion or Divided to & in

Twenty acres of freehold Cabbage Tree Land with all & Singular my

Right Title Share Claim Interest Proportion or Divided to & in Twenty

Acres of Leasehold Cabbage Tree Land Situate Lying & being at the head

of Deep Valley being the Remaining part of freehold & Leasehold Land

late belonging to my Father Matthew Bazett Gent deceased my Share

Proportion or Divided of & in the Said freehold & Leasehold Lands

being one Eighth part Containing five Acres more or less To

have & to hold all & Singular my Right Title Share Claim

& Interest Proportion or Divided to & in the Said freehold & Leasehold

Land together with all & Singular the Rights Comodities and

Appurtenances to them or either of them belonging or Appertaining

unto him the Said John Bazett his Heirs Executors Administrators or

Assigns forever, And I the Said William Worrall do hereby for my

Self & my Heirs forever Renounce & Put all my Right Title Share

Claim Interest Proportion or Divided to & in the Said freehold

& Leasehold Land with all & Singular the Appurtenances to them

or other of them belonging or Appertaining hereby Warranting to

Save harmless & Defend him the Said & Indemnifyed in the

Peaceable & Quiet Possession of the Premises & every part

& Parcell thereof so far forth as Shall Concern me or as I

Lawfully might or could In Witness whereof I have hereunto

set my hand and seal this Twelfth day of June in the Year

of our Lord One Thousand Seven Hundred & forty five

Signed Sealed & Delivered William Worrall

in the Presence of

Jos Godwin Jun[io]r

John Clark

Matthew Purling

Received of John Bazett the

Sum of Fifty two Pounds Ten Shillings being in full Payment and

entire Satisfaction for my Right to the Freehold & Leasehold Parcells

of Land beforementioned & Witness my hand

William Worrall

Witness

Jos Godwin Jun[io]r

John Clark

William Worrall, of St Helena, sold to John Bazett gentleman, of the same island, his share of a family property, for £27 10s 0d paid to him at the sealing. The property was made up of twenty-one acres of freehold land and twenty-one acres of leasehold land at the head of Deep Valley, being the rest of the freehold and leasehold estate once belonging to the late Matthew Bazett. William Worrall's share came to a one-eighth part of the whole, and the leasehold ground amounted to five acres, more or less. His whole eighth of both the freehold and the leasehold now passed to John Bazett and his heirs for good, along with everything that went with it. William Worrall promised to defend John Bazett's ownership of the share against anyone who might challenge it, so far as his part allowed. He signed and sealed the deed on 12 June 1739. The witnesses were John Goodwin junior, John Clark and Matthew Purling.

William Worrall acknowledged receipt from John Bazett of £52 12s 0d in full payment for his share of the house and land set out above, and set his hand to the receipt. The witnesses were John Goodwin junior and John Clark.

Interpretations

This sale passed another of the Bazett children's shares in the family estate, William Worrall handing his eighth of the Deep Valley freehold and leasehold to John Bazett. It matches the earlier sale in which William and Martha passed their share of the Woody Ridge ground, part of the same scattered inheritance from the late Matthew Bazett being drawn back together under John Bazett's name. The estate spanned both forms of tenure, twenty-one acres held outright and twenty-one held on a Company lease, with William's eighth reaching across both.

The receipt names a larger sum than the deed, £52 12s 0d against the £27 10s 0d stated in the body, which suggests the payment covered more than the one share, perhaps folding in the Woody Ridge purchase or another reckoning between the two men. The head of Deep Valley places this ground among the holdings that recur through the surrounding deeds, where the Worrall, Purling and Bazett families held neighbouring parcels. John Bazett appears again as the member of the family steadily buying out his siblings.

Speculations

The record shows John Bazett paying for William Worrall's Deep Valley share, then giving a receipt for nearly twice the sum named in the deed itself. The larger figure was set down because the money settled more than this one eighth, most likely gathering in an earlier purchase or a running account between the brothers-in-law so that a single receipt closed the whole. Choosing to record one payment covering several dealings, rather than a separate receipt for each share, let John Bazett clear the accounts tied to the divided inheritance in one act while continuing to reassemble his father's estate parcel by parcel.

55

26V

Know all Men by these Presents That I Thomas Bazett of the Island

St Helena Planter for & in Consideration of the Sum of Twenty five

Pounds to be paid to me my Heirs Executors Administrators or Assigns in

at or upon the first Day of February which Shall happen in the Year

of our Lord One Thousand Seven Hundred & Thirty Eight Have

Bargained Sold Assigned & Delivered & to by these Presents for my

Self, for each & every of my Heirs Executors Administrators or Assigns

Bargain Sell Assign & Deliver unto my Brother John Bazett of the

Said Island Gent all & every my Right Title Share Claim Interest

Proportion or Divided to & in one Messuage or Tenement together

with all & Singular my Right Title Share Claim Interest Proportion

or Divided to & in fifteen Acres of Freehold Land, the Said Messuage

or Tenement & also the Said Parcell of Land lying & being & Scituate

in that part of the Island called & Wood Valley, being part or parcell

of the Estate late belonging to my Father Matthew Bazett Gent deed

my Share Proportion or Divided of & in the Messuage & Land

being one Eighth part thereof more or less To have & to hold

all & Singular my Said Right Title Share Claim Interest Proportion

or Divided to & in the Said Messuage & Land together with all & Singular

the Rights Comodities & Whatsoever unto them or either of them

belonging or Appertaining unto him the Said John Bazett his Heirs

Executors Administrators or Assigns for ever, And I the Said

Thomas Bazett do hereby for my Self & each of my Heirs Executors

Administrators or Assigns forever Renounce & Put all my

Right Title Share Claim Interest Proportion or Divided to &

in the Said House & Land with all & Singular the Appurtenances

to them or either of them belonging or Appertaining hereby

Warranting to Save Harmless & Defend him the Said John

Bazett in the Peaceable & Quiet Possession of the Premises

& every part & Parcell thereof so far forth as Shall Concern me

or as I Lawfully might or can do In Witness whereof

I have hereunto set my hand & seal this 10th Day of January

in the Year of Our Lord One Thousand Seven Hundred

Thirty five

Thomas Bazett

Signed Sealed and Delivered

in the Presence of

Duke Crispe

Fra[nci]s Wrangham

Matthew Purling

Thomas Bazett, planter, of St Helena, sold to his brother John Bazett, of the same island, his share of a family property, for £25 0s 0d to be paid on or before the first day of February 1738. The property was a house and fifteen acres of freehold land at Chapel Valley, being part of the estate once belonging to their late father Matthew Bazett. Thomas Bazett's share came to a one-eighth part of the house and land, and that eighth now passed to John Bazett and his heirs for good, along with everything that went with it. Thomas Bazett promised, for himself and his heirs, to defend John Bazett's ownership of the share against anyone who might challenge it, so far as his part allowed. He signed and sealed the deed on 16 January 1738. The witnesses were Duke Crispe, Francis Wrangham and Matthew Purling.

Interpretations

This sale passed yet another of the Bazett children's shares to John Bazett, Thomas handing his eighth of a Chapel Valley house and its fifteen acres. It joins the earlier sales in which William and Martha Worrall gave up their shares of the Woody Ridge and Deep Valley ground, all parts of the same divided estate of the late Matthew Bazett being drawn back together. The naming of a distinct Chapel Valley parcel, alongside the Woody Ridge and Deep Valley grounds, shows the father's estate spread across several valleys, each held in eighths among his heirs.

The price of £25 0s 0d for an eighth would put the whole Chapel Valley house and its fifteen acres at £200 0s 0d, matching the value implied for the Woody Ridge share sold at the same figure. The deferred payment, set for the first day of February, follows the same credit pattern as the other family sales, letting the buyer take the share at once and settle later. Thomas Bazett, like his siblings, sold his part to the one brother gathering the estate under his own name.

Speculations

The record shows John Bazett buying his brother Thomas's eighth of the Chapel Valley ground, one more piece of a father's estate split among many children. He took each share as it came because a holding divided eight ways across three valleys was hard to manage while every heir kept a claim, and only by buying them in could he make the ground his own. Choosing to purchase the shares one at a time from each sibling, rather than seek a single division of the whole estate, let John Bazett rebuild his father's scattered holdings valley by valley into land he held outright.

56

26R

Know all Men by these Presents That I Thomas Bazett of the Island St Helena

for & in Consideration of the Sum of Twenty seven pounds ten Shillings to me in

hand paid by John Bazett of the Said Island Gent Have Bargained Sold Assigned

& Delivered & to by these Presents Bargain Sell Assign & Deliver unto him the

Said John Bazett all my Right Title Share Claim Interest Proportion or

Divided to & in Twenty Acres of freehold Cabbage tree Land, with all

& Singular my Right Title Share Claim Interest Proportion or Divided to

& in Twenty Acres of Leasehold Cabbage tree Land Situate lying & being at the

head of Deep Valley being the Remaining part of the freehold & Leasehold

Lands late belonging to my Father Matthew Bazett Gent deed my

Share Proportion or Divided of & in the Said freehold & Leasehold

Lands being one Eighth part Containing five Acres more or less To

have & to hold all & Singular my Right Title Share Claim

Interest & Proportion or Divided to & in the Said freehold & Leasehold Land

together with all & Singular the Rights Comodities & Appurtenances

to them or either of them belonging or Appertaining unto him the Said

John Bazett his Heirs Executors Administrators or Assigns forever

And I the Said Thomas Bazett do hereby for my self & my Heirs forever

Renounce & Put all my Right Title & Share Claim Interest

Proportion or Divided to & in the Said freehold & Leasehold Land

with all & Singular the Appurtenances to them or either of them

belonging or Appertaining hereby Warranting to Save Harmless

& Defend him the Said John Bazett in the Peaceable & Quiet

Possession of the Premises & every part & Parcell thereof so far

forth as Shall Concern me or as I Lawfully might or can do

In Witness whereof I have hereunto Sett my hand and Seal

this Twelfth day of June in the Year of our Lord One

thousand Seven Hundred & Thirty five

Signed Sealed & Delivered Thomas Bazett

in the Presence of

Jos Godwin Jun[io]r

John Clark

Matthew Purling

Received of my Brother John Bazett

Good the Sum of Fifty two pounds Six Shillings being in full

Payment & Satisfaction for my Right to the Freehold &

Leasehold Parcells of Land beforementioned as Witness my hand

Thomas Bazett

Witness Nich[ola]s Cleather

John Funje

Thomas Bazett, of St Helena, sold to his brother John Bazett, of the same island, his share of a family property, for £27 10s 0d paid to him at the sealing. The property was made up of twenty-one acres of freehold land and twenty-one acres of leasehold land at the head of Deep Valley, being the rest of the freehold and leasehold estate once belonging to their late father Matthew Bazett. Thomas Bazett's share came to a one-eighth part of both, and the freehold ground amounted to five acres, more or less. His whole eighth of the freehold and the leasehold now passed to John Bazett and his heirs for good, along with everything that went with it. Thomas Bazett promised, for himself and his heirs, to defend John Bazett's ownership of the share against anyone who might challenge it, so far as his part allowed. He signed and sealed the deed on 12 June 1739. The witnesses were John Goodwin junior, John Clark and Matthew Purling.

Thomas Bazett acknowledged receipt from his brother John Bazett of £52 6s 0d in full payment for his share of the house and land set out above, and set his hand to the receipt. The witnesses were Nathaniel Cleather and John Junge.

Interpretations

This sale matches the one made the same day by William Worrall, Thomas Bazett passing his eighth of the Deep Valley freehold and leasehold to John Bazett on 12 June 1739. Both brothers sold identical shares of the same ground on the same day before the same witnesses, showing a coordinated step in which several heirs gave up their parts of the Deep Valley estate together. The ground is the rest of the late Matthew Bazett's holding there, twenty-one acres held outright and twenty-one on a Company lease, each heir's eighth reaching across both.

As with William Worrall's receipt, the sum acknowledged here, £52 6s 0d, is nearly double the £27 10s 0d named in the deed, which points to the payment covering more than this single share. The near match between the two brothers' receipts, £52 6s 0d for Thomas and £52 12s 0d for William, suggests each was settled on the same basis, probably folding in their earlier Chapel Valley and Woody Ridge shares so that one payment closed the whole reckoning with each. John Bazett appears once more as the brother steadily buying out the others.

Speculations

The record shows Thomas Bazett and William Worrall selling matching eighths of the Deep Valley ground on the same day, each then given a receipt for nearly twice the deed's figure. The two sales were run together because settling several heirs' shares at once was simpler than dealing with each in turn, and a single larger payment to each brother could clear all his shares across the different valleys together. Choosing to handle the siblings' parts in a coordinated round, rather than one scattered sale at a time, let John Bazett gather much of the divided estate in a single stroke and close his accounts with each heir in one settlement.

57

27V

Know all men by these Presents That I Isaac Leech of the Island St Helena

for & in Consideration of the Sum of One Hundred pounds of Current Money to me

this day in hand paid by John Bazett of the Said Island Guttleman, Have Given

Granted Enfeoffed & Confirmed & by these presents do give Grant Enfeoffe &

Confirm unto him the Said John Bazett, all that Ten Acres of freehold

Land within mentioned, together with all & Singular the Rights & Appurtenances

thereunto belonging with the Rents Issues & Proffitts of all & Singular the

Premises & the Right, Title & Interest Benefitt Claim & Demand

whatsoever of me the Said Isaac Leech of in & to the same, To have

& to hold the Said within mentioned Ten Acres of Land with all the

Rights thereunto belonging and before mentioned to be granted unto him

the Said John Bazett Gent his Heirs & Assigns forever And I the Said

Isaac Leech for my Self, my Heirs &c the Said Bargained Premises

unto him the Said John Bazett his Heirs & Assigns Against all manner

of Persons whatsoever Shall & Will Warrant & Defend by these

Presents & In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand & Seale this

6 day of December Anno Domini 1740

Isaac Leech

Signed Sealed & Delivered

in the Presence of

Matthew Purling

James Frapor

Tho[ma]s Bazett

Isaac Leech, of St Helena, sold to John Bazett gentleman, of the same island, ten acres of freehold land at High Hill, for £100 0s 0d in current money paid to him at the sealing. The ground passed with everything that went with it, and with all Isaac Leech's own right and interest in it, to John Bazett and his heirs for good. Isaac Leech promised, for himself and his heirs, to defend John Bazett's ownership against anyone who might challenge it. He signed and sealed the deed on 6 December 1740. The witnesses were Matthew Purling, James Draper and Thomas Bazett.

Interpretations

This sale moved ten acres at High Hill from Isaac Leech to John Bazett, a straightforward purchase distinct from the family share-buying of the preceding deeds. The ground is the same High Hill land named in the schedule of the great Powell estate, where eleven acres and a half of leasehold at High Hill formed part of the holding. Isaac Leech is the same man the Company confirmed in ten acres at the head of Pleasant Valley on 11 October 1740, holding across that quarter of the island.

The price of £100 0s 0d for ten acres, at £10 an acre, matches the rate at which open West Division freehold was valued in the Powell schedule, marking this as ordinary farmland rather than a developed or improved parcel. John Bazett appears here buying beyond his father's estate, adding fresh ground to the holdings he had been reassembling from his siblings. The purchase shows him building up land by outright buying as well as by gathering the divided inheritance.

Speculations

This is a plain sale of farmland at a standard rate, with no sign that any obvious course was passed over for a less obvious one, so it calls for no speculation.

58

27R

Know all men by these Presents That We John & Mary French of the Island

St Helena for & in Consideration of the Sum of Twenty seven pounds Ten

Shillings to Us in hand paid by John Bazett of the Said Island Gent Have

Bargained Sold Assigned & Delivered & do by these Presents for our selves

joyntly & Severally & for each & every of our Heirs Executors Administrators

or Assigns Bargain Sell Assign & Deliver unto him the Said John Bazett

all & Every Our Right Title Share Claim Interest Proportion or

Divided to & in Twenty Acres of freehold Cabbagetree Land with

all & Singular our Right Title Share Claim Interest Proportion

or Divided to & in Twenty Acres of Leasehold Cabbagetree

Land Scituate lying & being at the head of Deep Valley being the

Remaining part of the freehold & Leasehold Lands late belonging

to our Father Matthew Bazett Gent deed Our Share Proportion

or Divided of & in the Said freehold & Leasehold Land being one

Eighth part Containing five Acres more or less To have & to hold

all & Singular our Right Title Share Claim & Interest Proportion or

Divided to & in the Said freehold & Leasehold Land together with

all & Singular the Rights Comodities & Appurtenances to them

or either of them belonging or Appertaining unto him the Said John

Bazett his Heirs Executors Administrators or Assigns for ever and

We the Said John & Mary French do hereby for our Selves joyntly

& for each & every of our Heirs Executors Administrators or Assigns

forever Renounce & Put all our Right Title & Share Claim Interest

Proportion or Divided to & in the Said freehold & Leasehold

Land, with all & Singular the Appurtenances to them or either of

them belonging or Appertaining hereby Warranting to Save

Harmless & Defend him the Said John Bazett in the Peaceable

& Quiet Possession of the Premises & every part & Parcell thereof

so far forth as Shall Concern Us joyntly or Severally or as We

joyntly or Severally Lawfully may or can do In Witness

whereof We have hereunto set our hands & Seales this Twelfth

day of June in the Year of our Lord One Thousand Seven Hundred

Thirty Nine

John French

Signed Sealed & Delivered Mary French

in the Presence of

William Worrall Jun[io]r

Martha Worrall

Matthew Purling

John French and his wife Mary, of St Helena, sold to John Bazett gentleman, of the same island, their share of a family property, for £27 6s 0d paid to them at the sealing. The property was made up of twenty-one acres of freehold land and twenty-one acres of leasehold land at the head of Deep Valley, being the rest of the freehold and leasehold estate once belonging to Mary's late father Matthew Bazett. Their share came to a one-eighth part of both, amounting to five acres, more or less. The whole eighth of the freehold and the leasehold now passed to John Bazett and his heirs for good, along with everything that went with it. John French and Mary promised, jointly and each of them, for themselves and their heirs, to defend John Bazett's ownership of the share against anyone who might challenge it, so far as their part allowed. They signed and sealed the deed on 12 June 1739. The witnesses were William Worrall junior, Matthew Worrall and Matthew Purling.

Interpretations

This sale completes the coordinated round in which the Bazett heirs gave up their shares of the Deep Valley estate together, John French and Mary passing their eighth on the same day as Thomas Bazett and William Worrall. Mary is named through her late father Matthew Bazett, marking her as another Bazett daughter married out, her share and her husband's passing as one, just as with Martha Worrall. Three siblings' shares of the same ground moved to John Bazett on 12 June 1739, a concerted step in gathering the divided inheritance.

The price of £27 6s 0d for this eighth sits close to the £27 10s 0d paid to each of the other two couples, the small differences reflecting slight adjustments in each family's reckoning. The witnesses overlap with those of the matching sales, Matthew Worrall and Matthew Purling attesting more than one, which marks the small circle handling the family's affairs. John Bazett stands once more as the brother drawing every sibling's share under his own name.

Speculations

The record shows a third married sister and her husband selling their Deep Valley eighth on the same day as the other heirs, all before overlapping witnesses. The sales were gathered into one day because settling the whole family at a single sitting was far simpler than tracing each heir separately over months, and doing so let John Bazett close nearly the entire divided estate in one concerted round. Choosing to bring the married daughters and their husbands together on the same date, rather than pursue each household in turn, let him consolidate his father's Deep Valley ground almost completely in a single step.

59

28V

Received of our Brother John Bazett Gent the

Sum of Fifty two pounds Six Shilling being in full payment &

entire Satisfaction for our Right to the Messuage & Leasehold parcell

of Land beforementioned

John French

Witness

Thomas Bazett

John Funje

Know all Men by these Presents That We Duke Crispe and

Matthew Purling Executors of the last Will & Testament of John Purling deed

for & in Consideration of the Sum of Twenty five Pounds to be paid to us or

either of Us for the Use & Benefit of the Widdow & Children of him the Said

John Purling deed in at or upon the first day of February next Ensuing

the date thereof, Have Bargained Sold Assigned & Delivered by these

Presents to Bargain Sell, Assign & Deliver unto John Bazett Gentleman

all & Singular the Right Title Share Claim & Interest Proportion or

Divided to & in one freehold Messuage or Tenement & fifteen Acres

of freehold Land which upon the Death of Bridget Late the Wife of

Matthew Bazett deed is fallen to the Widdow & Children of him the

Said John Purling deed their & have or Interest in the Said House &

Land being one eighth part thereof, To have & to hold all and

Singular their Right Share or Interest in the Premises together with

all & every of the Appurtenances thereunto or to either of them belonging

or Appertaining unto him the Said John Bazett Gent his Heirs

Executors Administrators or Assigns forever hereby Warranting to

to Save Harmless & Defend him the Said John Bazett his Heirs &

Assigns in the peaceable & Quiet Possession of the Premises &

every part thereof against all Persons whatsoever In Witness

whereof We have hereunto set our hands & Seals this Sixteen day

of January in the Year of our Lord One Thousand Seven Hundred Thirty eight

Duke Crispe

Signd Seald & Delivered

in the Presence of Francis Wrangham

Thomas Bazett Math[ew] Purling

John French acknowledged receipt from his brother John Bazett of £52 6s 0d in full payment for his and Mary's share of the house and land set out above, and set his hand to the receipt. The witnesses were Thomas Bazett and John Junge.

Duke Crispe and Matthew Purling, executors of the will of the late John Purling, sold to John Bazett gentleman, for the use and benefit of the widow and children of John Purling, the estate's share of a family property, for £25 0s 0d to be paid to them on or before the first day of February 1738. The property was a house and fifteen acres of freehold land which had come to the widow and children of John Purling on the death of Bridget Bazett, wife of Matthew Bazett. Their share came to a one-eighth part of the house and land, and that eighth now passed to John Bazett and his heirs for good, along with everything that went with it. Duke Crispe and Matthew Purling, acting as executors, promised to defend John Bazett's ownership of the share against anyone who might challenge it. They signed and sealed the deed on 16 January 1738. The witnesses were Francis Wrangham and Thomas Bazett.

Interpretations

The French receipt matches those given to the other two couples, £52 6s 0d again standing well above the £27 6s 0d named in the deed, confirming that each married daughter's household was settled on the same enlarged basis. The three near-identical receipts, all around £52, show John Bazett closing his accounts with each sibling's household in one payment that folded in more than the single Deep Valley share.

The second deed opens a further branch of the same inheritance, the share that had passed to John Purling's widow and children through Bridget Bazett, the wife of Matthew Bazett. This reveals Bridget Bazett as the link between the Bazett and Purling families, her death carrying a share of the estate to the Purling side, now bought back by John Bazett from the Purling executors. The estate here is a Chapel Valley house and fifteen acres, matching the ground Thomas Bazett's own eighth was drawn from, so the Purling children held a further eighth of the same parcel.

The executors sold not for themselves but for the widow and children of the late John Purling, holding the ground in trust and converting the share to cash for the family's benefit. This is the same use of executors seen across the register, managing a deceased man's estate for his heirs while they were young. John Bazett gathered this Purling-held eighth just as he gathered his own siblings' shares.

Speculations

The record shows John Bazett buying back a share of his father's estate that had passed out of the family, through Bridget Bazett to the Purling children, from the executors holding it for them. He pursued this outlying eighth because a share that had drifted to another family through marriage and death would otherwise have kept the estate divided, and only by buying it in could he make the ground whole. Choosing to trace and purchase even the share held on the Purling side, rather than settle for reassembling his own siblings' portions alone, let John Bazett draw back every fraction of his father's holding, including one that had already crossed into another family's hands.

60

28R

Know all Men by these Presents That I Elizabeth Purling Widdow

have read & Considered & do hereby Agree to & Confirm for my Self & my Heirs

the abovementioned Bargain & Sale made to my Brother John Bazett Gent

of the Lands & Tenements expressed & In Witness whereof I have

hereunto set my hand & Seale, the day & Year beforementioned

Witness Elizabeth Purling Sen[io]r

Samuel Doveton

John Desfountain

St Helena 29th March 1741

Rec[eive]d of Cap[tai]n John Bazett the Sum of Twenty five pounds

being in full Payment & Satisfaction for the Premises within mentioned, As Witness

our hands.

Duke Crispe

Math[ew] Purling

Know all Men by these Presents That I Sarah Bazett of the Island

St Helena for & in Consideration of the Sum of Twenty five pounds to be paid Me

my Heirs, Executors Administrators or Assigns in at or upon the first day of

February in the Year of our Lord One Thousand Seven Hundred & Thirty Eight

Have Bargained Sold Assigned & Delivered & do by these Presents for my

Self, & for each & every of my Heirs Executors Administrators or Assigns

Bargain Sell Assign & Deliver unto my Brother John Bazett of the Said

Island Gent all my Right Title Share Claim Interest Proportion or

Divided to & in one Messuage or Tenement together with all & Singular

my Right Title Share Claim Interest Proportion or Divided to & in

fifteen Acres of freehold Land the Said Messuage or Tenement & also

the Said parcell of Land lying & being Scituated in that part of this Island called

Joans Valley being part or parcell of the Estate late belonging to my Father

Matthew Bazett Gent deed my Share Proportion or Divided of & in the Said

Messuage & Land being one eighth part To have & to hold all and

Singular my Said Right Title Share Claim Interest Proportion or Divided

to & in the Said Messuare & Land together with all & Singular the Rights

Comodities & Appurtenances to them or either of them belonging or

Appertaining unto him the Said John Bazett his Heirs Executors

Administrators or Assigns forever And I the Said Sarah Bazett do

hereby for my Self & each of my Heirs Executors Administrators or

Assigns forever Renounce & Put all my Right Title Share Claim

Interest Proportion or Divided to & in the Said House & Land with

all & Singular the Appurtenances to them or either of them belonging or

Appertaining

Elizabeth Purling, widow, agreed to and confirmed, for herself and her heirs, the sale set out above made to her brother John Bazett gentleman of the lands and property described. She signed and sealed the confirmation on the day and year already given. The witnesses were Samuel Doveton and John Cason junior.

At St Helena on 29 March 1741 Duke Crispe and Matthew Purling, as executors, acknowledged receipt from John Bazett of £25 0s 0d in full payment for the property set out above, and set their hands to the receipt.

Sarah Bazett, of St Helena, sold to her brother John Bazett gentleman, of the same island, her share of a family property, for £25 0s 0d to be paid on or before the first day of February 1738. The property was a house and fifteen acres of freehold land at Chapel Valley, being part of the estate once belonging to their late father Matthew Bazett. Sarah Bazett's share came to a one-eighth part of the house and land, and that eighth now passed to John Bazett and his heirs for good, along with everything that went with it. Sarah Bazett promised, for herself and her heirs, to defend John Bazett's ownership of the share against anyone who might challenge it. The remainder of the deed cannot be read.

Interpretations

Elizabeth Purling's confirmation adds the widow's own assent to the sale her late husband's executors had made of the Purling children's share, closing off any claim she might have held in her own right. Naming her as sister to John Bazett shows that she too was a Bazett daughter, so the share reached the Purling family through her marriage as well as through Bridget Bazett, tying the two families closely together. Her separate confirmation, added to the executors' deed, gave John Bazett the widow's agreement as well as the executors' conveyance.

The Sarah Bazett deed adds another sibling's eighth of the Chapel Valley house and fifteen acres, the fourth share of that same parcel to pass to John Bazett after those of Thomas Bazett, the Purling children and now Sarah. This steady accumulation of eighths of the one Chapel Valley ground shows how thoroughly the estate had been split among the heirs, and how methodically John Bazett bought each part back. The price of £25 0s 0d and the deferred February date match the other Chapel Valley share sales exactly.

Speculations

The record shows Elizabeth Purling adding her own confirmation to the sale her husband's executors had already made, rather than leaving the executors' deed to stand alone. Her assent was sought because she held a widow's interest of her own in the share, and without it a claim could later have surfaced against John Bazett's title despite the executors' sale. Choosing to obtain the widow's separate confirmation, rather than rely on the executors' conveyance by itself, closed the one gap that a sale by executors might have left and secured John Bazett's hold on a share that reached him through more than one family line.

61

29V

Appertaining hereby Warranting to Save harmless & Defend him the Said

John Bazett in the Peaceable & Quiet Possession of the Premises &

every part & Parcell thereof so far forth as Shall Concern me or as I

Lawfully might or can do In Witness whereof I have hereunto set

my hand & Seale this Eighteenth day of Jan[uar]y AD in the Year of our

Lord one Thousand Seven Hundred Thirty Eight

Signd Seald & Delivered Sarah Bazett

in the Presence of

Benjamin Pledger

Wm French

Charles Doveton

Received of Mr John Bazett the Sum of Twenty five pounds being in

full Payment & Satisfaction for the Messuage & Parcell of Land

beforementioned as Witness my hand

Tho[ma]s Mark

John Leech

Witness

Matthew Purling

Kevin Beale

Know all Men by these Presents That We Simon & Margarett

Whaley of the Island St Helena for & in Consideration of the Sum of Twenty

five Pounds to be paid to Us our Heirs Executors Administrators or Assigns

in at or upon the first day of February in the Year of our Lord One Thousand

Seven Hundred & Thirty eight Have Bargained Sold Assigned & Delivered

& to by these Presents for our Selves joyntly & Severally & for each

& every of our Heirs Executors Administrators or Assigns Bargain Sell

Assign & Deliver unto our Brother John Bazett of the Said Island Gent

all & every our Right Title Share Claim Interest Proportion or

Divided to & in one freehold Messuage or Tenement together with

all & Singular our Right Title Share Interest Proportion or

Divided to & in fifteen Acres of freehold Land the Said Messuage

or Tenement & also the Said parcell of Land lying & being Scituated

in that part of this Island called & Wood Valley being part or parcell

of the Estate late belonging to our Father Matthew Bazett Gent deed

Our Share Proportion or Divided of & in the Said Messuage & Land

being

Sarah Bazett promised to defend John Bazett's ownership of the share against anyone who might challenge it, so far as her part allowed. She signed and sealed the deed on 16 January 1738. The witnesses were Benjamin Pledger, Mr Timms and Hester Doveton.

John Leech acknowledged receipt from John Bazett of £25 0s 0d in full payment for the house and land set out above, and set his mark to the receipt. The witnesses were Matthew Purling and Isaac Leech.

Simon Whaley and Margaret Whaley, of St Helena, sold to their brother John Bazett gentleman, of the same island, their share of a family property, for £25 0s 0d to be paid on or before the first day of February 1738. The property was a house and fifteen acres of freehold land at Chapel Valley, being part of the estate once belonging to their late father Matthew Bazett. Their share came to a one-eighth part of the house and land. The remainder of the deed cannot be read.

Interpretations

The Sarah Bazett deed closed with the usual promise to defend the buyer's title, sealed before witnesses who recur across the register, Benjamin Pledger and Hester Doveton among them. The John Leech receipt, set by mark, records payment for a share bought from the Leech connection, linking Isaac and John Leech to the wider circle around the Bazett estate.

The Whaley deed opens yet another sibling's eighth of the same Chapel Valley house and fifteen acres, Margaret named through her late father Matthew Bazett as another married daughter, her share and her husband Simon Whaley's passing as one. This is the fifth recorded eighth of the Chapel Valley parcel to reach John Bazett, after those of Thomas Bazett, the Purling children, Sarah Bazett and now the Whaleys. The pattern is by now fully clear, each of the eight shares of the father's estate tracked down and bought back, whether held by a Bazett son or daughter or carried into the Worrall, French, Purling or Whaley families by marriage.

The Whaley connection ties this branch of the Bazett heirs to the Simon Whaley active in the Fishers Valley and family land dealings of the 1730s. The identical price and deferred date confirm that all the Chapel Valley shares were valued and settled on one consistent basis. John Bazett stands throughout as the single heir drawing the whole divided estate together.

Speculations

This deed is one more in the steady series of share purchases already accounted for, following the same terms and pattern as the others, so it adds no fresh decision calling for speculation.

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being one eighth part thereof more or less To have and to hold all

& Singular our said Right Title Share Claim Interest Proportion or Divided to &

in the Said Messuage & Land together with all & Singular the Rights

Comodities & Appurtenances to them or either of them belonging or

Appertaining unto him the Said John Bazett his Heirs Executors

Administrators or Assigns for ever, And We the Said Simon and

Margaret Whaley do hereby for ourselves joyntly & for each & every of our Heirs

Executors Administrators or Assigns for ever Renounce & Put all our Right

Title Share Claim Interest Proportion or Divided to & in the Said

Land with all & Singular the Appurtenances to them or either of them

belonging or Appertaining hereby Warranting to & doe Harmless & Defend

him the Said John Bazett in the Peaceable & Quiet Possession of the

Premisses, & every part & Parcell thereof so far forth as Shall Concern

us joyntly or Severally or as We joyntly or Severally Lawfully may or

can do In Witness whereof We have hereunto set our hands &

Seales this 18th day of January in the year of our Lord one Thousand

Seven Hundred Thirty Eight

Simon Whaley

Signed Sealed & Delivered Margarett Whaley

in the Presence of

William Seale

Benj[ami]n Seale

Received of Mr John Bazett the Sum of

Twenty five pounds of Currant Money being in full payment and

Satisfaction of the aforementioned Wode & Title Witness my hand

this 1st Feb[ruar]y 1738.

Simon Whaley

The whole eighth of the house and land passed to John Bazett and his heirs for good, along with everything that went with it. Simon Whaley and Margaret, for themselves and each of their heirs, promised to defend John Bazett's ownership of the share against anyone who might challenge it, so far as their part allowed. They signed and sealed the deed on 13 January 1738. The witnesses were William Seale and Benjamin Seale.

Simon Whaley acknowledged receipt from John Bazett of £25 0s 0d in full payment for the share set out above, and set his hand to the receipt on 1 February 1738.

63

30V

Know all men by these Presents That I Isaac Leech of the Island St Helena

for & in Consideration of the Sum of One Hundred pounds of Current Money to me

this day in hand paid by John Bazett of the Said Island Gentleman, Have given

Granted Enfeoffed & Confirmed & by these presents do give Grant Enfeoffe &

Confirm unto him the Said John Bazett, all that Ten Acres of freehold

Land within mentioned, together with all & Singular the Rights & Appurtenances

thereunto belonging with the Rents Issues & Proffitts of all & Singular the

Premises & the Right, Title & Interest Benefitt Claim & Demand

whatsoever of me the Said Isaac Leech of in & to the same To have

& to hold the Said within mentioned Ten Acres of Land with all the

Rights thereunto belonging and before mentioned to be Granted unto him

the Said John Bazett Gent his Heirs & Assigns for ever, And I the Said

Isaac Leech for my Self, my Heirs &c the Said Bargained Premises

unto him the Said John Bazett his Heirs & Assigns Against all manner

of Persons whatsoever Shall & Well Warrant & Un over & Defend by these

Presents & In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand & Seale this

6th day of December Anno Domini 1740

Isaac Leech

Signed Sealed & Delivered

in the Presence of

Matthew Purling

James Fraper

Tho[ma]s Bazett

Isaac Leech, of St Helena, sold to John Bazett gentleman, of the same island, ten acres of freehold land, for £100 0s 0d in current money paid to him at the sealing. The ground passed with everything that went with it, and with all Isaac Leech's own right and interest in it, to John Bazett and his heirs for good. Isaac Leech promised, for himself and his heirs, to defend John Bazett's ownership against anyone who might challenge it. He signed and sealed the deed on 6 December 1740. The witnesses were Matthew Purling, James Draper and Thomas Bazett.

This repeats the Isaac Leech sale of ten acres at High Hill to John Bazett already recorded on an earlier page, the same date, sum, parties and witnesses. As a plain purchase of farmland at the standard rate of £10 an acre, with no obvious course passed over for another, it calls for no interpretation or speculation.

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Know all Men by these Presents That I Joseph Bates of the Island St Helena Planter

for & in Consideration of the Sum of Two Hundred pounds of Currant Money of the Said Island to me

in hand paid at & before the Insealing & Delivery hereof by Richard Mason of the Said Island

Planter, Have Given, Granted Enfeoffed & Confirmed & by these Presents do Give, Grant

Enfeoffe & Confirm unto him the Said Richard Mason his Heirs, Executors, Administrators

& Assigns all that House or Tenement Lying in James Valley & Scituate between the

Houses of Said Rich[ar]d Mason & Nathan Sample, with all & Singular Chambers

Rooms, Lights, Ways, Water Courses, Waters, Easements, Proffits, Commodities and

Appurtenances to the Said House or Tenement belonging or Appertaining To have

and to hold the Said hereby Bargained House or Tenement, unto him the Said

Rich[ar]d Mason, his Heirs, Executors, Administrators & Assigns forever to do & Dispose

thereof as he shall think fit or Proper. And I the Said Joseph Bates do hereby for my

Self my Heirs Executors Administrators & Assigns, Covenant Promise & Agree to and

with the Said Rich[ar]d Mason his Heirs, Executors, Administrators & Assigns that he

they & every of them Shall & may from time to time & at all times hereafter have

hold, Occupy & Possess the Said hereby Bargained House or Tenement as aforesaid

forever, Without any Lett hindrance or Molestation by or from Me, or by or from any other

Person or Persons whatsoever, And Against all Manner of Persons do hereby Warrant to

Save & Defend him the Said Rich[ar]d Mason his Heirs & Assigns And against all manner

of Claim or Demand of in or unto the Said House or Tenement made or to be made by

any Person or Persons whatsoever, Warranting the same to be Free & Clear of & form

all manner of Incumbrances whatsoever In Witness whereof I the Said Joseph

Bates have hereunto sett my hand & Seale in St Helena this 15th day of July 1741

Signed Sealed & Delivered Joseph Bates

in the Presence of

Fra[nci]s Wrangham Sen[io]r

Fra[nci]s Wrangham Jun[io]r

Joseph Bates, planter, of St Helena, sold to Richard Mason, planter, of the same island, a house in James Valley, for £200 0s 0d in current money paid to him at the sealing. The house stood between the houses of Richard Mason and Nathan Sample, and passed with all its chambers, rooms, lights, ways, watercourses, waters, easements, profits and everything else that went with it. It went to Richard Mason and his heirs for good, to hold and dispose of as he saw fit. Joseph Bates promised, for himself and his heirs, that Richard Mason and his heirs should hold the house from then on free of any trouble from Joseph Bates or from anyone else, and he bound himself to defend Richard Mason's ownership against every challenge, warranting the house clear of any debt or charge. He signed and sealed the deed at St Helena on 15 July 1741. The witnesses were Francis Wrangham senior and Francis Wrangham junior.

Interpretations

The sale moved a James Valley house from Joseph Bates to Richard Mason, the buyer already holding the house next door, since the deed places the property between Richard Mason's own house and that of Nathan Sample. The purchase enlarged Mason's foothold in that stretch of the town, adding a second adjoining building to the one he already held. Joseph Bates appears across the register as an active dealer in town property, here on the selling side. Richard Mason is named among those who owed money to George Gabriel Powell in the 1739 estate schedule, marking him as a figure of some standing in the settlement.

The price of £200 0s 0d for a single town house sits well above the value of bare rural acreage and reflects the worth of built property in James Valley, where ground was scarce and houses carried their chambers, rooms and shared watercourses. The full warranty against any debt or charge gave Mason the assurance that no hidden claim burdened the house he bought.

Speculations

The record shows Richard Mason buying the house that stood directly beside his own, ground that held more value to the neighbour on either side than to any outside buyer. He took it to widen his holding along that part of James Valley, since a house sharing a wall with his own was worth more to him than to a stranger, and buying it joined the two under one hand. Choosing to acquire the adjoining house outright, rather than let it stay in other hands, gave Mason a larger and continuous presence in the town and removed a neighbouring owner from beside his door.

65

31V

Know all Men by these Presents That I Joseph Desfountain of the Island

St Helena for & in Consideration of the Sum of Thirty five pounds of Currant

Money to me this day in hand paid by John Leech of the Said Island Serjeant, Have

Granted Enfeoffed & Confirmed & by these Presents do give Grant Enfeoffed and Confirm

unto him the Said John Leech all those Twenty three Acres of Leasehold Land within

Mentioned together with all the Rights & Appurtenances thereunto belonging of all and

Singular the Premises & the Right, Title, Interest, Claim and Demand whatsoever

of Me the Said Joseph Desfountain of, in & to the Same, Having first Obtained

Liberty of the Governour & Council So to do as will appear P[er] Consultation of the

of the first day of September AD 1741 To have and to hold the Said within

Mentioned Twenty three Acres of Leasehold Land during the Term of the Lease yet to

come with all the Rights thereunto belonging & beforementioned to be Granted unto him

the Said John Leech his Heirs Executors & Assigns, And I the Said Joseph Desfountain

for My self, my Heirs Executors And Assigns the Said Bargained Premises unto

him the Said John Leech his Heirs &c Against all Manner of Persons whatsoever

Shall & Will Warrant And for ever Defend by these Presents In Witness

Whereof I have hereunto Set my hand & Seale in St Helena this Third day of

September AD 1741

Joseph Desfountain

Signed Sealed & Delivered

in the Presence of

John French Sen[io]r

Tho[ma]s French

Joseph Desfountain, of St Helena, sold to John Leech, sergeant, of the same island, his interest in twenty-three acres of leasehold land, for £35 0s 0d in current money paid to him at the sealing. The ground passed with everything that went with it, and with all Joseph Desfountain's own right and interest in it, to John Leech and his heirs. He first obtained leave from the Governor and Council to make the sale, as set out in a consultation of 1 September 1741. John Leech and his heirs were to hold the twenty-three acres for the rest of the lease still to run. Joseph Desfountain promised, for himself and his heirs, to defend John Leech's ownership against anyone who might challenge it. He signed and sealed the deed at St Helena on 3 September 1741. The witnesses were John French senior and Thomas French.

Interpretations

This sale passed a leasehold interest, Joseph Desfountain handing on the unexpired term of a Company lease of twenty-three acres rather than the ground itself. The council's leave, recorded by reference to the consultation of 1 September 1741, was the required step before any Company leaseholder could pass his ground to another. This is very probably the Deep Valley leasehold Joseph Desfountain took by assignment from Henry Multon in December 1739, now sold on to John Leech after a little under two years.

The modest price of £35 0s 0d for twenty-three acres of leasehold marks this as a transfer of the bare term, without the heavy weight of standing crops or buildings that lifted other leasehold sales to far higher sums. John Leech, named a sergeant here, connects to the Isaac and John Leech active in the land dealings around the Bazett estate and the Pleasant Valley grant. Joseph Desfountain, of Huguenot descent, appears again moving Deep Valley ground between holders.

Speculations

The record shows Joseph Desfountain selling on his Deep Valley leasehold within about two years of taking it, first securing the council's leave before the sale. He needed the consent because the ground was held on a Company lease that barred any transfer without it, and the sale could not bind John Leech's hold on the term unless the Company first approved it. Choosing to route the disposal through a formal consultation, rather than pass the interest by private deed alone, met the condition tied to the lease and gave John Leech a hold on the unexpired term that the Company would recognise.

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Know all Men by these Presents That I Joseph Bates of the Island St Helena

Planter for & in Consideration of the Sum of One Hundred & forty Seven pounds of Currant

Money to me in hand paid at & before the Insealing & Delivery hereof Have Given, Granted

Bargained Sold & Assigned & do by these Presents for my Self my Heirs Assigns & Executors

Give Grant, Bargain, Sell, Assign & Deliver unto John Swailes of the Said Island his

Heirs Executors Administrators & Assigns all & Singular that piece or parcell of

Leasehold Land Scituate in a Branch of Sandy Bay Valley Containing Three

Acres Butting North South & West upon the Hon[ora]ble Companys Waste Land & towards

the East upon the Lands of Joshua Johnson, Together with all & Singular the Wood

Water Trees Plantations & all the Rights Comodities & Appurtenances thereunto

belonging, having first Obtained Liberty of the Worshipfull the Governour & Council

So to do, To have & to hold all & Singular the Said Hereby Bargained Premises

& every part & Parcell thereof unto him the Said John Swailes & his Heirs Det[erminab]le during

the Term of the Lease And I the Said Joseph Bates do for my Self my Heirs Executors

Administrators, Covenant Promise & Agree to & with the Said John Swailes his Heirs

Executors, Administrators & Assigns that he they & every of them Shall & may from

time to time & at all times hereafter have hold Occupy & Possess the Said hereby

Bargained Premises During the Term of the Lease as aforesaid, without any Lett

Hindrance or Molestation by or from Me, or by or from any other Person or Persons

Whatsoever, And Against all manner of Persons whatsoever do hereby Warrant to save

& Defend him the Said John Swailes his Heirs & Assigns And Against all Manner

of Claim or Demand of in or unto the Said Premises made or to be made by any

Person or Persons whatsoever, Warranting the Same to be free & Clear of & from

all Manner of Incumbrances whatsoever In Witness whereof I the Said Joseph

Bates have hereunto set my hand & Seale in St Helena this 15th day of May

Anno Domini 1741 Joseph Bates

Signed Sealed & Delivered

in the Presence of Us

Orlando Bagley

Valentine Greenough

William Worrall

Joseph Bates, planter, of St Helena, sold to John Swindles, of the same island, his interest in three acres of leasehold land in a branch of Sandy Bay Valley, for £147 0s 0d in current money paid to him at the sealing. The ground was bounded north, south and west by the Company's waste land, and east by the land of Joshua Johnson. It passed with all its wood, water, houses and plantations, and everything else that went with it, to John Swindles and his heirs. Joseph Bates first obtained leave from the Governor and Council to make the sale. John Swindles and his heirs were to hold the three acres for the rest of the lease still to run. Joseph Bates promised, for himself and his heirs, that John Swindles and his heirs should hold the ground from then on free of any trouble from Joseph Bates or from anyone else, and he bound himself to defend John Swindles's ownership against every challenge, warranting the ground clear of any debt or charge. He signed and sealed the deed at St Helena on 15 May 1741. The witnesses were Orlando Bagley, Valentine Greenwich and William Worrall.

Interpretations

This sale passed a leasehold interest, Joseph Bates handing on the unexpired term of a Company lease of only three acres in Sandy Bay Valley. The very high price of £147 0s 0d for so small a parcel cannot rest on the ground itself, and must reflect the houses, plantations and standing wood the deed carries forward, together with the water on the land. A three-acre term of bare ground would fetch a fraction of this sum, so the value lay almost wholly in what stood on it. The council's leave, mentioned in the deed, was the usual step before a leaseholder could pass his ground on.

The parcel lay hemmed by the Company's waste on three sides and Joshua Johnson's land on the fourth, marking it as a developed pocket within open ground. Joseph Bates appears again as an active dealer, here selling a small but valuable improved holding. John Swindles connects to the wider circle of Sandy Bay holders, taking a compact but well-built parcel.

Speculations

The record shows a mere three acres of leasehold sold for £147 0s 0d, a sum so far beyond any acreage value that the ground alone cannot explain it. The high price was paid because the parcel carried houses, plantations and standing wood that made it a small working holding, and John Swindles bought the improvements far more than the land. Choosing to pass the developed pocket whole, with its buildings and timber intact, rather than let Joseph Bates strip or surrender it, kept a valuable improved parcel in productive use and gave the buyer a ready-made holding on ground that years of cultivation had built up.

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32V

Know all Men by these Presents That I Ebenezar Leech of the Island St

Helena for & in Consideration of the Sum of Sixty pounds of Currant Money to Me in

hand paid at & before the Insealing & delivery hereof HAVE Given, Granted

Bargained, Sold, Assigned, & do by these Presents for my Self my Heirs Executors

Administrators & Assigns, Give, Grant Bargain, Sell Assign & deliver unto Henry

Multon of the Said Island his Heirs, Executors, Administrators & Assigns all &

Singular that peice or parcel of Leasehold Land Containing fifteen Acres

Butting & Bounding North upon the Lands of John Worrall, East upon the Lands

of the Honble Company, South upon the Lands of John Worrall And West upon

the Lands of the said Ebenezer Leech, As also that peice or parcel of Land

Containing Eight Acres Butting & Bounding North upon the Lands of Ebenezer

Leech, East upon the Honble Companys Land, South upon the Lands of John

Worrall & West upon the Lands of John Purling, together with all & Singular

the Wood, Water, Houses, Plantations, and all other the Rights Commodities

and Appurtenances thereunto belonging Scituate in a Branch of Deep Valley

having first Obtained Liberty of the Worshipfull the Governour & Council

to Dispose of my Property in the same during the Term of the Leases yet

to come. To have and to hold all & Singular the said hereby

Bargained Premises & every part & Parcell thereof unto him the said Henry

Multon & his Heirs &c &c of the said Ebenezar Leech do for my Self my Heirs

Executors &c Covenant & Agree to & with the said Henry Multon his Heirs &c

that he they & every of them shall & may from time to time & at all times hereafter

have hold Occupy & Enjoy the said hereby Bargained Premises, during the term

of the Lease as aforesaid, without any Lett hindrance of Molestation by or

from any Person or Persons whatsoever And against all Persons do hereby

Warrant to Defend him the said Henry Multon his Heirs &c in the Quiet

Possession of the Premises, In Witness whereof I the said Ebenezar Leech has

hereunto Sett his hand & Seale in St Helena this 7 day of Feb[ruar]y 1734

Signed Sealed & Delivered Ebenezar Leech

in the Presence of Us Mark

His

Henry Beale

Joseph Desfountain

Ebenezer Leech, of St Helena, sold to Henry Multon, of the same island, his interest in two parcels of leasehold land in a branch of Deep Valley, for £60 0s 0d in current money paid to him at the sealing. The first parcel of fifteen acres was bounded north by the land of John Worrall, east by the Company's land, south by the land of John Worrall, and west by Ebenezer Leech's own land. The second parcel of eight acres was bounded north by Ebenezer Leech's land, east by the Company's land, south by the land of John Worrall, and west by the land of John Purling. Both passed with all their wood, water, houses, plantations and everything else that went with them, to Henry Multon and his heirs. Ebenezer Leech first obtained leave from the Governor and Council to sell his interest in the ground for the rest of the lease still to run. Henry Multon and his heirs were to hold both parcels for that remaining term. Ebenezer Leech promised, for himself and his heirs, that Henry Multon and his heirs should hold the ground from then on free of any trouble from anyone, and he bound himself to defend Henry Multon's quiet ownership of it. He signed and sealed the deed at St Helena on 7 February 1734, setting his mark. The witnesses were Henry Beale and Joseph Desfountain.

Interpretations

This sale passed two parcels of leasehold in Deep Valley from Ebenezer Leech to Henry Multon, twenty-three acres in all carrying houses, plantations and standing wood. The two grounds together match the twenty-three-acre Deep Valley leasehold that Henry Multon later assigned to Joseph Desfountain in December 1739, so this deed of February 1734 records how Multon first came by that ground. The chain runs Leech to Multon here, then Multon to Desfountain, then Desfountain to John Leech in 1741, a single leasehold moving through four hands across seven years.

The price of £60 0s 0d for twenty-three acres reflects the standing improvements as much as the ground, the houses, plantations and wood the deed carries forward. The boundaries name the neighbouring holders who fixed the two parcels, John Worrall on several sides, John Purling and Ebenezer Leech himself, placing the ground among the Worrall, Purling and Leech holdings that recur across the Deep Valley deeds. The council's leave was the usual step before a leaseholder could pass his ground on.

Speculations

The record shows Ebenezer Leech selling two Deep Valley parcels together in one deed, both bounded in part by his own remaining land. He sold them as a pair because they lay adjoining and formed a single block of improved ground, and passing them together as one holding was simpler than splitting a developed parcel between separate sales. Choosing to convey both grounds with their houses, plantations and wood intact to a single buyer, rather than break up a working holding, kept the cultivated land whole and gave Henry Multon a ready-made estate that the chain of later sales shows retained its value through every hand it passed to.

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Know all Men by these Presents That I James Vaugn of the Island St Helena

for and in Consideration of the Sum of Ten pounds of Currant Money of this Island

to me in hand paid by John Godwin of the Said Island do hereby Assign Sell and

make over all my Right Title & Claim to and in the within Mentioned Nine Acres of

Leasehold Land and all other the Premises thereunto belonging, unto him the Said

John Godwin and his Heirs for ever, having first Obtained Liberty of the

Worshipfull the Governour & Council So to do, as will appear in Consultation of the

23 December 1740 to do & dispose of as he or they shall think fitt without any

Manner of Interruption or Molestation from any Person or Persons whatsoever

provided the Said John Godwin shall duely Comply with the Conditions of the

within Lease, In Witness whereof I have hereunto sett my hand and

Seal in St Helena this 13 Day of February 1741

James Vaugn

Signed Sealed & Delivered

in the Presence of Us

Geo[rge] Gab[riel] Powell

J Wrangham Jun[io]r

Know all Men by these Presents that I George Gabriel Powell fourth of Council

of the Island St Helena for and in Consideration of the Sum of Eighty pounds of good &

Lawfull Money to me in hand paid by Benjamin Pledger of the Said Island have

Bargained, Sold & Delivered & by these Presents do Sell, Bargain & deliver

unto him the Said Benjamin Pledger his Heirs &c one Dwelling House Situate and being

in James Valley Adjoying Northwards to the Dwelling House of John Desfountain and

Southwards to the Honble Companys Waste Land, with all its Appurtenances thereunto

belonging To have and to hold the Said hereby Bargained House unto the Said

Benjamin Pledger his Heirs &c for ever, without any manner of Lett hindrance

or Molestation of me the Said Geo[rge] Gab[riel] Powell my heirs, &c and against all manner

of Persons do hereby Warrant to Defend & keep harmless him the Said Benjamin

Pledger his Heirs &c in the Quiet Possession of the Premises and every part thereof

In Witness whereof I have hereunto Sett my hand & Seal this tenth day

of July, One Thousand Seven Hundred & forty G G Powell

Signed Sealed & Delivered

in the Presence of Us

Matt[hew] Purling

Richard Bagley

James Vaughan, of St Helena, sold to John Goodwin, of the same island, his interest in nine acres of leasehold land, for £10 0s 0d in current money paid to him at the sealing. The ground passed with everything that went with it, and with all James Vaughan's own right and interest in it, to John Goodwin and his heirs for good. He first obtained leave from the Governor and Council to make the sale, as set out in a consultation of 22 December 1740. John Goodwin and his heirs were to hold and dispose of the ground as they saw fit, free of any trouble from anyone, so long as John Goodwin kept to the conditions of the lease. James Vaughan signed and sealed the deed at St Helena on 13 February 1741. The witnesses were George Gabriel Powell and Francis Wrangham junior.

George Gabriel Powell, fourth of Council, of St Helena, sold to Benjamin Pledger, of the same island, a house in James Valley, for £80 0s 0d in good and lawful money paid to him at the sealing. The house stood next to the house of John Desfountain on the north-west, and next to the Company's waste land on the south-east. It passed with everything that went with it to Benjamin Pledger and his heirs for good, free of any trouble from George Gabriel Powell or his heirs. He bound himself to defend Benjamin Pledger's quiet ownership of the house and every part of it against every challenge. He signed and sealed the deed on 10 July 1740. The witnesses were Matthew Purling and Richard Bagley.

Interpretations

The first sale passed a small leasehold interest, James Vaughan handing on the unexpired term of a Company lease of nine acres for the modest sum of £10 0s 0d. The low price marks this as a transfer of bare ground without the standing improvements that lifted other leasehold sales far higher. The council's leave, recorded by reference to the consultation of 22 December 1740, was the usual step before a leaseholder could pass his ground on. John Goodwin, the buyer, continued to gather ground across the island through these years.

The second sale moved a James Valley house from George Gabriel Powell to Benjamin Pledger for £80 0s 0d. Powell is here styled fourth of Council, marking his standing among the island's senior men, the same George Gabriel Powell who sold his great estate to Governor John Goodwin in September 1739. Benjamin Pledger, the buyer, appears across the register building up both town and country holdings, including the Prosperous Bay ground he took from the Bradleys and the East Division parcels the Company confirmed to him in January 1738. The house stood beside John Desfountain's, of the Huguenot family, and the Company's waste.

Speculations

Both sales here follow patterns already accounted for across the register, a plain transfer of bare leasehold at a low price and a straightforward sale of a town house, neither showing an obvious course passed over for another. So neither calls for speculation.

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33V

Know all Men by these Presents That I Ebenezar Leech of the Island St Helena

for & in Consideration of the Sum of Fifty pounds of good & Lawfull Money of this

Island to me in hand paid by Orlando Bagley of the Said Island do hereby

Assign Sell and make over all my Right Title and Interest to and in the within mentioned

fourteen Acres of Land and all other the Appurtenances thereunto belonging unto him

the said Orlando Bagley & his Heirs for ever, to do and Dispose thereof do he or they may

think fitt without any manner of Interruption or Molestation from any Person or Persons

whatsoever, In Witness whereof I have hereunto sett my hand and Seal in St

Helena this 31 day of December 1740

The Mark

Signed Sealed & Delivered Of

in the Presence of Us Ebenezar Leech

G G Powell

J Wrangham Jun[io]r

Know all Men by these Presents That I Ebenezar Leech of the Island St Helena

for and in Consideration of the Sum of Twenty five pounds of good & Currant Money

of the Said Island to me in hand paid by Orlando Bagley of the Said Island do

hereby Assign Sell and make over all my Right Title & Interest to and in the

within Mentioned Eleven Acres of Land and all other the Appurtenances thereunto

belonging unto him the Said Orlando Bagley and his Heirs for ever, to do and

dispose of as he or they shall think fitt without any manner of Interruption or

Molestation from any Person or Persons whatsoever, In Witness whereof I

have hereunto set my hand and Seal in St Helena this 31 day of December 1740

The Mark

Signed Sealed & Delivered Ebenezar Leech

in the Presence of Us

G G Powell

J Wrangham Jun[io]r

It is hereby Covenanted and agreed between us John Swailes and

Mary Swailes Relict of Daniel Griffith deceased and Executor to the last Will and

Testament of said Daniel Griffith on the one part and Thomas Greentree Executor to the

last Will and Testament of the said Daniel Griffith on the other part That the aforesaid

John Swailes who hath lately Intermarried with Mary the aforesaid Relict of the deceased

Daniel Griffith do keep and Maintain the Orphans Owen, Hellena, Elizabeth and Mary

Griffith in Sufficient food & Raiment untill they shall Severally arrive to the Age of

Twenty one Years or Marriage, And to give them such Education as is Generally given

to Children on this Island particularly to Instruct them in the faith & fear of Almighty

God, and further it is hereby Covenanted & Agreed that the Said John Swailes his

Heirs, Executors, &c do pay unto each of the aforesaid children Owen, Hellena, Elizabeth

& Mara Griffith as they shall Severally attain to the Age of Twenty one Years or Marriage

the

Know all Men by these Presents That I Ebenezar Leech of the Island St Helena

for & in Consideration of the Sum of Fifty pounds of good & Lawfull Money of this

Island to me in hand paid by Orlando Bagley of the Said Island do hereby

Assign Sell and make over all my Right Title and Interest to and in the within mentioned

fourteen Acres of Land and all other the Appurtenances thereunto belonging unto him

the said Orlando Bagley & his Heirs for ever, to do and Dispose thereof do he or they may

think fitt without any manner of Interruption or Molestation from any Person or Persons

whatsoever, In Witness whereof I have hereunto sett my hand and Seal in St

Helena this 31 day of December 1740

The Mark

Signed Sealed & Delivered Of

in the Presence of Us Ebenezar Leech

G G Powell

J Wrangham Jun[io]r

Know all Men by these Presents That I Ebenezar Leech of the Island St Helena

for and in Consideration of the Sum of Twenty five pounds of good & Currant Money

of the Said Island to me in hand paid by Orlando Bagley of the Said Island do

hereby Assign Sell and make over all my Right Title & Interest to and in the

within Mentioned Eleven Acres of Land and all other the Appurtenances thereunto

belonging unto him the Said Orlando Bagley and his Heirs for ever, to do and

dispose of as he or they shall think fitt without any manner of Interruption or

Molestation from any Person or Persons whatsoever, In Witness whereof I

have hereunto set my hand and Seal in St Helena this 31 day of December 1740

The Mark

Signed Sealed & Delivered Ebenezar Leech

in the Presence of Us

G G Powell

J Wrangham Jun[io]r

It is hereby Covenanted and agreed between us John Swailes and

Mary Swailes Relict of Daniel Griffith deceased and Executor to the last Will and

Testament of said Daniel Griffith on the one part and Thomas Greentree Executor to the

last Will and Testament of the said Daniel Griffith on the other part That the aforesaid

John Swailes who hath lately Intermarried with Mary the aforesaid Relict of the deceased

Daniel Griffith do keep and Maintain the Orphans Owen, Hellena, Elizabeth and Mary

Griffith in Sufficient food & Raiment untill they shall Severally arrive to the Age of

Twenty one Years or Marriage, And to give them such Education as is Generally given

to Children on this Island particularly to Instruct them in the faith & fear of Almighty

God, and further it is hereby Covenanted & Agreed that the Said John Swailes his

Heirs, Executors, &c do pay unto each of the aforesaid children Owen, Hellena, Elizabeth

& Mara Griffith as they shall Severally attain to the Age of Twenty one Years or Marriage

the

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the full Sum of Twenty pounds Currant Money of this Island. And in case of the Death of

any of the aforesaid Children before they attain to the Age of Twenty one Years That then

the Moity of the deceased shall go and Descend and be Equally Avided amongst the Surviving

Children of the Said Danial Griffith Deceased; And further it is hereby Covenanted & agreed

that in Case the aforesaid Executors shall think Proper to send one or more of the aforesaid

Children to England or elsewhere, & the said John Swailes having their fortune in Possession, Then

he the said John Swailes shall pay at each Child, going hence the Sum of Twenty pounds their

Advaded as aforesaid, And that he the Said John Swailes doth hereby Obligate himself to pay

and discharge All just Debts due from the Estate of the Said deceased Danial Griffith For

and in Consideration that he the Said John Swailes shall be Possessed of, for himself

his Heirs &c, all and every part of the Estate of him the said Daniel Griffith deceased as well

what he did Possessed of, as that which Will be coming due at the death of Elizabeth Greentree

the Relict of James Greentree deceased in Right of his Wife Mary the Daughter of said James

Greentree deceased Accruing to the Terms of the Will of him the said James Greentree

deceased, id est a Childs part Witness my hand and Seal in St Helena this

Twenty Second day of December Anno Domini 1741

Thomas Greentree

Signed and Sealed

in the Presence of Us

Joshua Johnson

James Greentree

Joseph Powell

It is hereby Covenanted and agreed between us John Swailes and Mary Swailes

Relict of Daniel Griffith deceased & Executor to the last Will & Testament of said Daniel

Griffith on the one part, And Thomas Greentree Executor to the last Will & Testament of said

Daniel Griffith on the other part That the aforesaid John Swailes who hath lately Intermarried

with Mary the aforesaid Relict of the deceased Daniel Griffith do keep and Maintain the Orphans

Owen Helena, Elizabeth & Mary Griffith in Sufficient food & Raiment untill they Twenty one arrive

to the age of 21 Years or Marriage, And to give them such Education as is Generally given to

Children on this Island Particularly to Instruct them in the faith & fear of Almighty God

did further it is hereby Covenanted & Agreed that he the Said John Swailes his Heirs, Executors &c

to pay unto each of the aforesaid Children Owen, Helena, Elizabeth & Mary Griffith as they shall

Severally attain to the Age of 21 Years or Marriage the full Sum of Twenty pounds Currant Money

of this Island, And in Case of the Death of any of the aforesaid Children before they attain to

the age of Twenty one Years That then the Moity of the deceased shall go and Descend & be

Equally Avided amongst the Surviving Children of the said Daniel Griffith deceased And

further it is hereby Covenanted & Agreed that in Case the aforesaid Executors shall think proper

to send one or more of the aforesaid Children to England or elsewhere, & the said John Swailes

having their fortune in Possession, Then then he the said John Swailes shall pay at each

Child, going hence the Sum of Twenty pounds their Advaded as aforesaid, And that he the

Said John Swailes doth hereby Obligate himself to pay & discharge all just Debts due from the

Estate of the Said deed Daniel Griffith. For and in Consideration that he the said John

Swailes shall be Possessed of, for himself his Heirs &c, all & every part of the Estate of him the

Said Daniel Griffith Deceased as well what he did Possessed of, as that which Will be Comeing

due at the Death of Elizabeth Greentree the Relict of James Greentree deceased in Right of his

Wife Mary the Daughter of said James Greentree deceased Accruing to the Terms of the Will

of him the said James Greentree deceased id est a Childs part Witness our hands & Seale

in St Helena this Twenty Second day of December Anno Domini 1741

John Swailes

Signed and Sealed Mary Swailes

in the Presence of Us

Joshua Johnson

Joseph Powell

James Greentree

The sum owed to each Griffith child was £20 0s 0d in current money of the island. If any of the children died before reaching twenty-one, that child's share was to be divided equally among the surviving children of the late Daniel Griffith. It was further agreed that if the executor thought it best to send one or more of the children to England or elsewhere, John Swindles, having their inheritance in his hands, was to pay £20 0s 0d for each child leaving the island. John Swindles also bound himself to pay all the debts owed by the estate of the late Daniel Griffith. In return, John Swindles was to keep for himself and his heirs all the property of Daniel Griffith he took charge of, together with whatever would come due at the death of Elizabeth Greentree, widow of the late James Greentree, in right of his wife Mary, the daughter of James Greentree, under the terms of James Greentree's will, being one child's share. Thomas Greentree signed and sealed the agreement at St Helena on 22 December 1741. The witnesses were Joshua Johnson, James Greentree and Joseph Powell.

This deed sets out the same agreement between John Swindles and his wife Mary, the widow of the late Daniel Griffith and executrix of his will, of the one part, and Thomas Greentree, executor of the will of the late Daniel Griffith, of the other part. John Swindles, who had lately married Mary, agreed to keep and maintain the orphans Owen, Helena, Elizabeth and Mary Griffith, with sufficient food and clothing, until they should each reach the age of twenty-one years or marry, and to give them such education as was usually given to children on the island, and in particular to instruct them in the faith and fear of God. John Swindles and his heirs bound themselves to pay to each of the children £20 0s 0d as they reached twenty-one or married. If any child died before then, that share was to be divided among the surviving children. If the executor chose to send one or more of the children to England or elsewhere, John Swindles was to pay £20 0s 0d for each child leaving the island. He also bound himself to pay all the debts of Daniel Griffith's estate. In return, he was to keep all the property of the late Daniel Griffith he took charge of, together with the one child's share due at the death of Elizabeth Greentree, widow of James Greentree, in right of his wife Mary, under James Greentree's will. John Swindles and Mary signed and sealed the agreement at St Helena on 22 December 1741. The witnesses were Joshua Johnson, Joseph Powell and James Greentree.

Interpretations

The two documents are the two counterparts of one bargain, the first executed by the executor Thomas Greentree and the second by John Swindles and his wife, each side sealing its own part. This is why the terms repeat, since an agreement of this kind was drawn in duplicate so that each party held a sealed copy binding the other. The naming of Thomas Greentree as executor of Daniel Griffith, and the child's share owed through Elizabeth Greentree and the late James Greentree, ties the Griffith, Greentree and Swindles families together through marriage and inheritance.

The settlement reveals the full shape of the exchange behind the stepfather's undertaking. John Swindles took on the children's keep, their education, their £20 0s 0d portions and all Daniel Griffith's debts, and in return he kept the whole of Griffith's property and a further inheritance coming to his wife Mary through the Greentree line. The provision for a child sent to England shows the island's families reaching back to the mother country for a child's advancement, the £20 0s 0d following the child rather than staying with the stepfather. The rule dividing a dead child's share among the survivors kept the inheritance within the family whatever befell any one child.

Speculations

The record shows the whole arrangement drawn twice and sealed by each side separately, where a single signed deed might have seemed to suffice. It was made in duplicate because each party needed a sealed copy in its own hands to enforce the other's promises, the executor holding Swindles's undertaking and Swindles holding the executor's release of the estate to him. Choosing to execute matching counterparts, one sealed by the executor and one by the stepfather and his wife, gave both sides independent proof of a bargain that balanced the children's maintenance and portions against the property Swindles received, so that neither could later deny the terms binding it.

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Know all men by these presents that I James Vaughn of the Island

St Helena Soldier, for & in Consideration of the Sum of Eighty pounds Currant

Money of the Saide Island to me in hand Paid at & before the Insealing & Delivery

hereof by John Godwin of the Said Island Planter, the Receipt whereof I do

Hereby Achnowledge, HAVE by these Presents, DO for my Self, my Heirs, Executors

Administrators or assigns, Bargaind & Sold & by these presents do Bargain & Sell

make over & deliver unto him the Said John Godwin his Heirs & assigns for ever

All & Singular those Ten acres of freehold Land lying in the East Division of the

together with fifteen acres of Leasehold land Butting & Bounding Towards the North

upon the Honble Comps waste Land, towards the South upon the Lands of Jn[o] Godwin

towards the East partly upon the Honble Companies waste Land & partly upon

the Lands of Jona[than] Doveton & towards the west partly upon the Honble Comp[anie]s

waste Lands & partly upon the Lands belonging to the Estate of John Young

Orphans & all & Singular the wood, Water, Water Courses, Houses, Buildings,

Edifices, Sheds, Yams, Plantations, & Fences & all other the Rights Commodities

& appurtenances thereunto belonging To have & to hold all & Singular the

Said hereby Bargaind premisses, & every Part & Parcel thereof unto him the Said

Jn[o] godwin his Heirs Executors, Adm[i]rs or assigns, & I the Said James Vaughn

do hereby for my Self my Heirs, Ex[ecuto]rs Adm[i]rs & assigns, Promise & Agree to & with

the Said Jn[o] Godwin his heirs Ex[ecuto]rs Adm[i]rs or assigns that he they & every of them

Shall may & do from time to time & at all times hereafter have hold Occupy &

Enjoy the Said hereby Bargaind Premisses, having first Obtaind Liberty

of the Gov[erno]r & Council so to do, as will appear more at Large in Consultation

of the 28th April 1741, without any Lett hindrance or molestation by or from

me, or by or from any other persons or persons whatsoever & against all manner

of persons do hereby Warrant to Save harmless & Defend him the Said Jn[o] Godwin

his heirs Ex[ecuto]rs Adm[i]rs or assigns, & against all manner of Claim or Demand

of in, or unto the Said premisses made or to be made by any person or

persons whatsoever, Warranting the Same to be free & Clear of & from all manner

of Incumbrances whatsoever, In Witness whereof I the Said James Vaughn

have hereunto sett my hand & Seal in St Helena this fifth day of April

in the year of our Lord one thousand Seven Hundred forty two

Signd Sealed & Delivered James Vaughn

In the presence of Us

Charles Steward

Rich[ar]d Bagley

Joseph Powell

Rec[eive]d of Mr Jn[o] Godwin the Sum of Eighty

eight pounds in full Payment & Satisfaction for the Purchase of the above

mentioned Parcell of Land & in full of all other Acc[oun]ts P[er] me

James Vaughn

Witness Charles Steward

Rich[ar]d Bagley

Joseph Powell

James Vaughan, soldier, of St Helena, sold to John Goodwin, planter, of the same island, ten acres of freehold land and fifteen acres of leasehold land in the East Division, for £88 0s 0d in current money paid to him at the sealing. The ground was bounded north by the Company's waste land, south by the land of John Goodwin, east partly by the Company's waste land and partly by the land of Jonas Doveton, and west partly by the Company's waste land and partly by the land belonging to the estate of the Young orphans. It passed with all its wood, water, houses, buildings, sheds, yams, plantations and fences, and everything else that went with it, to John Goodwin and his heirs. James Vaughan first obtained leave from the Governor and Council to make the sale, as set out in a consultation of 28 April 1741. He promised, for himself and his heirs, that John Goodwin and his heirs should hold and enjoy the ground from then on, free of any trouble from him or anyone else, and he bound himself to defend John Goodwin's ownership against every challenge, warranting the ground clear of any debt or charge. He signed and sealed the deed at St Helena on 5 April 1742. The witnesses were Charles Steward, Richard Bagley and Joseph Powell.

James Vaughan acknowledged receipt from John Goodwin of £88 0s 0d in full payment for the ground set out above, and in settlement of all other accounts between them, and set his hand to the receipt. The witnesses were Charles Steward, Richard Bagley and Joseph Powell.

Interpretations

This sale combined freehold and leasehold in one conveyance, ten acres held outright and fifteen on a Company lease passing together to John Goodwin. The single price of £88 0s 0d covered both forms of tenure and the standing improvements the deed carries forward, the houses, sheds, yams and plantations that made the ground a working holding. This is a larger and more developed parcel than the nine-acre leasehold Vaughan sold to John Goodwin in February 1741, so the two deeds show Vaughan steadily passing his ground to the same buyer. The council's leave, needed for the leasehold portion, was recorded by reference to the consultation of 28 April 1741.

The boundaries place the ground among the East Division holdings, bounded by the Company's waste, Jonas Doveton's land, John Goodwin's own ground and the estate of the Young orphans, that last the Prior's Estate leased for the orphans' benefit in 1740. The parcel adjoined land John Goodwin already held, so the purchase added to a block he was building up. The receipt's settlement of all accounts between the two men shows the payment closing a wider reckoning than the land alone.

Speculations

The record shows the £88 0s 0d recorded as clearing not just the land but all other accounts between James Vaughan and John Goodwin. The payment was cast this way because the two men had further dealings beyond the sale, and folding the whole reckoning into one settlement closed everything between them at a stroke. Choosing to record the purchase money as discharging all accounts, rather than the land alone, let the sale double as a general settlement and left neither man with any outstanding claim on the other once the ground changed hands.

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Know all men by these Presents That I Joseph Bates of the Island St Helena

Planter for and in Consideration of the Sum of Forty five pounds of Currant Money of the

said Island to me in Hand paid at and before the Insealing and delivery hereof by Ebenezar

Leech of the Said Island, Have given, granted, Enfeoffed and Confirmed and by these

Presents do give, grant, Enfeoffe and Confirm unto him the Said Ebenezar Leech his

Heirs, Executors, Administrators and Assigns all that House or Tenement lying in

James Vally and Scituate between the House of John Bagly and Frances Fnifse

with all and Singular Chambers, Rooms, Lights, Ways, water Courses, Water Easements

Proffits, Comodities and Appurtenances to the said House or Tenement belonging or

Appertaining, To have and to hold the said hereby bargained House or Tenement

unto him the Said Ebenezar Leech his Heirs Executors, Administrators and Assigns for

ever to do and dispose thereof as he shall think Proper, and I the said Joseph Bates

do hereby for my Self my Heirs Executors, Administrators, and Assigns, Covenant, Promise

and agree to and with the said Ebenezar Leech his Heirs Executors Administrators and

Assigns that He they and every one of them shall and may from time to time and at

all times hereafter have, hold, occupy and possess the said hereby bargained House or

Tenement as aforesaid for ever without any Lett hindrance or Molestation by or from me

or by or from any other Person or Persons whatsoever and against all manner of Persons

do hereby Warrant to save and defend him the Said Ebenezar Leech his Heirs and Assigns

and against all Manner of Claim or demand of in or unto the Said House or Tenement

made or to be made by any Person or Persons whatsoever Warning the same to be free

and Clear of & from all manner of Incumbrances whatsoever, In Witness

whereof I the Said Joseph Bates have hereunto set my Hand and Seal in St Helena

this 28 Day of May 1742 Joseph Bates

Signed Sealed & Delivered

in the Presence of Us

J Wrangham Jun[io]r

Tho[ma]s French

Joseph Purcell

Joseph Bates, planter, of St Helena, sold to Ebenezer Leech, of the same island, a house in James Valley, for £45 0s 0d in current money paid to him at the sealing. The house stood between the houses of John Bagly and Frances Ridge, and passed with all its chambers, rooms, lights, ways, watercourses, waters, easements, profits and everything else that went with it. It went to Ebenezer Leech and his heirs for good, to hold and dispose of as he saw fit, free of any trouble from Joseph Bates or from anyone else. He bound himself to defend Ebenezer Leech's ownership of the house against every challenge, warranting it clear of any debt or charge. He signed and sealed the deed at St Helena on 28 May 1742. The witnesses were Francis Wrangham junior, Thomas French and Joseph Purcell.

Interpretations

The sale moved a James Valley house from Joseph Bates to Ebenezer Leech, the buyer here putting money into town property having sold off rural leasehold and freehold ground to Orlando Bagley and Henry Multon in the preceding years. Joseph Bates appears once more as an active dealer in the settlement's houses, having also sold the house between Richard Mason and Nathan Sample to Mason in July 1741. The house here stood between those of John Bagly and Frances Ridge, fixing it among the packed buildings of the valley.

The price of £45 0s 0d for a town house sits well below the £80 0s 0d and £200 0s 0d paid for other James Valley houses in these years, which suggests a smaller building or one in poorer repair. The full warranty against any debt or charge gave Ebenezer Leech the usual assurance that no hidden claim burdened the property. The buyer, having drawn cash from his land sales, turned it here to acquiring a house in the town.

Speculations

This is a plain sale of a single town house at a modest price, with no sign that an obvious course was passed over for another, so it calls for no speculation.

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Know all men by these presents that I Joseph Bates of this Island

Planter have freely & Absolutely given & Do hereby give & make over to my well Beloved

Daughter Margaret Bates for her & her Assigns Sundry God Caws moveing me hereunto

all my Right & Title to & for the following Particulars viz[t]

Four Black Slave Men named January, Pompey, Marlborough & Isbey

Two Black Slave Women named Hannah & Amy Together with all & Every the

Yams & Suckers that now are Standing & growing upon the Land which I hire of

Joseph Corter as well as what grows upon the Land which I hire of the Honble

Company in Sandy Bay, And this to be as good as any Obligation Whatsoever

In Witness my hand in this Island St Helena this Twentieth Day of October

in the Year of our Lord One thousand Seven hundred & forty one

Witness Joseph Bates

William Worrall

Martin Harper

Island St Helena 30th Sep[tembe]r 1731

We the Under Written the Governour & Council of the

Island St Helena do Hereby Certifie that upon Ballancing

the Honble Company Books of Accompts of this Island the 30th

of Sep[tembe]r 1731 there appears to be Due to Capt Tho[ma]s Cason of the

Said Island the Sum of onethousand Sixhundred Pounds as may be

more Particularly Seen in the Books Letter X folio 49 continued at

Interest according to the Honble Companys Instructions in the 70th &

31 Paragraph of their Gen[era]l Letter P[er] Ship Drake Witness our

hands this 30th Day of Sep[tembe]r 1731

E Byfeld

£1600

Jn[o] Alexander

Jn[o] Goodwin

D Crispe

Joseph Bates, planter, of St Helena, freely gave to his beloved daughter Margaret Bates, for her and her assigns, various goods, out of natural love and affection. He gave her all his right and title to the following. Four black men slaves named January, Pompey, Marlborough and Ibby. Two black women slaves named Hannah and Amy. Together with all the yams and suckers then standing and growing on the land he held from Joseph Coles, and on the land he held from the Company in Sandy Bay. He declared the gift as good as any obligation whatever. He set his hand at St Helena on 20 October 1741. The witnesses were William Worrall and Martin Harper.

At St Helena on 30 September 1731 the Governor and Council of the island certified that, on balancing the Company's books of account for the island on 30 September 1731, there appeared to be due to Captain Thomas Cason of the island the sum of £1,600 0s 0d, as could be seen more particularly in the account books at Letter L, folio 49, continued at interest according to the Company's instructions in the 31st paragraph of their general letter sent by the ship Drake. They set their hands on 30 September 1731. The signatories were E. Byfield, John Alexander, John Goodwin and D. Crispe.

Interpretations

The first document was a deed of gift, Joseph Bates passing slaves and standing crops to his daughter Margaret out of affection rather than for any payment. Slaves were held and transferred as property on the island, and here six of them, four men and two women, passed to a daughter as an outright gift alongside the yams growing on ground Bates held from Joseph Coles and from the Company in Sandy Bay. This shows how a planter provided for a child by settling human and agricultural property directly on her, the gift declared as binding as any sealed obligation.

The second document was a Company certificate of debt, the Governor and Council confirming that £1,600 0s 0d was owed to Captain Thomas Cason on the island's books, carrying interest under the Company's own instructions. This was a formal acknowledgement that the Company owed a substantial sum to a private man, recorded against a precise folio in its accounts and governed by directions sent out in a general letter by the ship Drake. Such certificates gave a creditor a documented and interest-bearing claim on the Company, the paper credit on which much island business turned.

The reckoning of the debt at interest, tied to a numbered paragraph of the Company's general letter, shows the close control the Company kept over its island accounts from London. Captain Thomas Cason appears across the register as a substantial figure, and the naming of Governor John Goodwin among the signatories dates the certificate firmly within his tenure.

Speculations

The record shows Joseph Bates settling six slaves and his standing crops on his daughter by a deed of gift, rather than leaving them to pass to her under his will after his death. He made the gift in his lifetime because a settlement made and witnessed while he lived put the property beyond dispute and gave his daughter a secure title at once, which a will could not do until he died and might face challenge. Choosing to convey the slaves and crops directly by a present gift, declared as binding as any obligation, rather than defer the provision to his estate, let Joseph Bates secure his daughter's inheritance immediately and free it from the uncertainty that awaited property left to descend at death.

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Know all Men by these Presents that I George Gabriel Powell of the

Island St Helena Second of Council for and in Consideration of the same of Three

Hundred Pounds Current Money of this Island to me in hand paid at & before the

Insealing and Delivery hereof by Margaret Godwin of the said Island Widow the

Receipt whereof I do hereby Acknowledge HAVE and by these Presents Do for

myself my Heirs Executors Administrators or Assigns Bargaind and Sold and by

these Presents Do Bargain and Sell make over and Deliver unto her the said

Margaret Godwin her Heirs and Assigns for ever All and Singular those Ten

Acres of freehold Land lying in the West Division of this Island together with

Twenty Acres of Leasehold Land more or less Butting and Bounding towards the

North partly upon the Lands of Frances Wrangham and Partly upon the

Honourable Companys Waste Lands towards the South upon the Lands of Richard

Godwin towards the East upon the Lands of Frances Wrangham and towards

the West upon the Honourable Companys Waste Lands together with one Freehold

Scituate upon the Freehold Land and all and Singular the Wood Water Water

Courses Houses Buildings Sheds Edifices Yams Plantations Fruit Trees or

Trees of any kind Fences and all other the Rights Commodities and

Appurtenances thereunto belonging, To have and to hold all and

Singular the said hereby Bargained premises and every Part and parcel thereof

unto her the said Margaret Godwin her Heirs Executors Administrators

and Assigns And I the said George Gabriel Powell do for myself my Heirs

Executors Administrators and Assigns promise and agree to and with the said

Margaret Godwin her Heirs Executors Administrators and Assigns that he

they and every of them shall may and Do from time to time and at all times

hereafter have hold occupy and Enjoy the said hereby Bargained premises

without any Lett hindrance or Molestation by or from me and by and from any

other Person or Persons whatsoever and against all manner of Persons do

hereby Warrant to save harmless and Defend her the said Margaret Godwin her

Heirs Executors Administrators or Assigns and against all manner of Claim

or Demand of in or unto the said Premises made or to be made by any Person

or Persons whatsoever any thing the same sold Clear of and from all manner of

Incumbrances whatsoever In Witness whereof the said George Gabriel

Powell have hereunto set my hand and Seal in St Helena this 2 Day of June

in the Year of our Lord One Thousand Seven Hundred and Forty two

G G Powell

Signed Sealed & Delivered

in the Presence of Us

Charles Steward

Jam[e]s Doveton

Joseph Powell

Received for Payment for the Above Agreement Eight Setts of Exchange upon Cap[tai]n

Richard Steward for £200

In Cash 100

300

Witness

Charles Steward as witness this 2 Day of June Anno Domini 1742 G G Powell

James Doveton Pay recd by me in Cash

George Gabriel Powell, second of Council, of St Helena, sold to Margaret Goodwin, widow, of the same island, ten acres of freehold land and twenty acres of leasehold land, more or less, in the West Division, for £300 0s 0d in current money paid to him at the sealing. The ground was bounded north partly by the land of Francis Wrangham and partly by the Company's waste land, south by the land of Richard Goodwin, east by the land of Francis Wrangham, and west by the Company's waste land. It passed with all its wood, water, watercourses, houses, buildings, sheds, yams, plantations, fruit trees, trees of every kind, fences and everything else that went with it, to Margaret Goodwin and her heirs for good. George Gabriel Powell promised, for himself and his heirs, that Margaret Goodwin and her heirs should hold and enjoy the ground from then on, free of any trouble from him or anyone else, and he bound himself to defend her ownership against every challenge, warranting the ground clear of any debt or charge. He signed and sealed the deed at St Helena on 2 June 1742. The witnesses were Charles Steward, James Doveton and Joseph Powell.

Margaret Goodwin paid the £300 0s 0d for the ground as follows. Bills of exchange on the Company, payable to Charles Steward, £200 0s 0d. Cash, £100 0s 0d. Total, £300 0s 0d. George Gabriel Powell acknowledged receipt of the whole and set his hand to it at St Helena on 2 June 1742. The witnesses were Charles Steward and James Doveton.

Interpretations

This sale moved a mixed parcel of freehold and leasehold from George Gabriel Powell to the widow Margaret Goodwin, ten acres held outright and twenty on a Company lease. Powell is styled second of Council here, a rise from the fourth of Council of two years earlier, marking his climb among the island's senior men. Margaret Goodwin, a widow buying land in her own name, connects to the Goodwin family whose members hold ground on the surrounding bounds, Richard Goodwin lying to the south of this very parcel. The ground carried houses, sheds, yams, plantations and fruit trees, the improvements of a developed holding.

The price of £300 0s 0d was settled partly in bills of exchange on the Company and partly in coin, the bills made out not to Powell but to Charles Steward. This shows the buyer directing part of the purchase money straight to a third party, the same practice seen in Powell's own great estate sale of 1739, where bills went to his creditors rather than to himself. The West Division ground here adjoined land held by Francis Wrangham and Richard Goodwin, placing it among the settled holdings of that quarter.

Speculations

The record shows part of the price paid by bills of exchange made out to Charles Steward rather than to the seller George Gabriel Powell. The bills were assigned to a third party because the payment settled a debt or account owed to Steward at the same time as it bought the land, directing the money where it was owed in one step. Choosing to route £200 0s 0d of the price through bills payable to Steward, rather than pay the whole to Powell to pass on himself, folded the settlement of a separate obligation into the purchase and let one transaction clear both the sale and the debt tied to it.

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36V

Know all Men by these Presents that we the Governour and

Council of the Island St Helena do by virtue of Power and Authority given us by the

Honourable the United Company of Merchants of England Trading to the East Indies

to make Sale of such part or parts of the Estate of the Deceased John Goodwin Esq[ui]r

late their Servant at their Island as will be Sufficient to answer and make good

such a Sum of Money as it hath appeared the said late John Goodwin Esq[ui]r hath Indebted

of the Property or belonging to the Estate of the said Honourable the United Company

of Merchants of England Trading to the East Indies Have, for and in Consideration

of the Sum of Two Hundred & four pounds and Seven pence half Penny of good and

Currant Money of the said Island Have Given, Granted, Bargained, Sold and

Delivered and do by these Presents Give, Grant, Bargain Sell and Deliver unto

Francis Wrangham Sen[io]r of the said Island Planter All those pieces or Parcells

of Land containing in the whole Thirty two Acres and half of an Acre that is to say

Twenty One Acres and half thereof Scituate in the West Division of the said Island

Butting and Bounding East on the Honourable Companys Pasture Land East upon

the Lands of Martin Harper South upon the Lands of Joseph Powell and

North upon the Lands of him the said Francis Wrangham Other Ten Acres

thereof Scituate in the South Division of the said Island Butting and Bounding

South and West upon the Lands of Captain John Alexander Deceased East

upon the Lands of Simon Whalys Orphans and upon the North to the Main Ridge

the other One Acre thereof Scituate in the said South Division Butting and

Bounding West upon the Lands of him the said Francis Wrangham East upon

the Lands of Joseph Faddings Orphans South upon the Lands of John Bagley

and upon the North to the Main Ridge with all and Singular the Rights

Priviledges Commodities and Appurtenances thereunto belonging and appertaining

To have and to hold be said hereby Bargained Premises to him the said

Francis Wrangham his Heirs Executors Administrators and Assigns for ever

to do and Dispose thereof as he they or either of them shall think fit or proper

Upon Condition that he the said Francis Wrangham his Heirs Executors

Administrators and Assigns shall and do bear true Faith and Allegiance to

our Sovereign Lord King George his Heirs and Successors and to him the said

Honourable Company and their Successors and shall duly Observe and Obey all

Laws and Constitutions of the said Island And We the Governour and

Council of the Island aforesaid for and in behalf and in the Name of the said

Honourable Company their Heirs and Successors do Covenant promise and

Agree to and with him the said Francis Wrangham, his Heirs Executors

Administrators and Assigns that he they and every of them shall Peaceably and

Quietly possess and Enjoy from henceforth & at all times hereafter and every

part and parcell thereof Yielding and Paying therefore Yearly and every

Year unto him the said Honourable Company and their Successors Heirs or

Assigns the Sum of One Shilling of Rent in at or upon the Feast of St Michael

the Archangel Yearly together with all and Singular the Rights Priviledges

Commodities and Appurtenances thereunto belonging or appertaining or that they

Yiel[ding]

The Governor and Council of St Helena, acting on power the Company had given them, could sell off enough of the late John Goodwin's estate to cover a debt he had left owing to the Company. It had turned out that he owed the Company money from the property he left behind. For £204 0s 7½d in island money, the Governor and Council sold to Francis Wrangham senior, planter, of the island, several pieces of land coming to thirty-two acres and a half in all.

The first piece, twenty-one acres and a half, lay in the West Division. It sat against the Company's pasture land to the east, Joseph Powell's land to the south, Wrangham's own land to the north, and Martin Draper's land nearby. The second piece, ten acres, lay in the South Division, against the late Captain John Alexander's land to the south and west, the land of Simon Whaley's orphans to the east, and the Main Ridge to the north. The third piece, one acre, also lay in the South Division, against Wrangham's own land to the west, the land of Joseph Eastings's orphans to the east, John Bagley's land to the south, and the Main Ridge to the north. All three pieces passed to Francis Wrangham and his heirs for good, with everything that went with them, to hold and use as they saw fit.

The sale came with the usual terms: Wrangham and his heirs were to stay loyal to King George and the Company, and to obey the island's laws. The Governor and Council, in the Company's name, promised that Wrangham and his heirs would hold the ground in peace, paying the Company a yearly rent of 1 shilling an acre each Michaelmas, along with everything that belonged to the land. The remainder of the deed cannot be read.

Interpretations

This was a sale forced by debt, the Governor and Council selling the dead man's land to pay what he owed the Company. The man was Governor John Goodwin himself, who had bought the great Powell estate for £5,539 6s 4d in 1739 and dealt in ground all over the island, now dead and leaving the Company unpaid. It shows how the Company recovered money owed to it even by its own chief officer once he had died, selling his land to settle the account.

The three pieces lay scattered across the West and South Divisions, marked out by the ground of neighbours, Joseph Powell, the late Captain John Alexander, the orphans of Simon Whaley and Joseph Eastings, and John Bagley. Francis Wrangham already held land next to two of them, so buying these rounded out what he had. The yearly rent of 1 shilling an acre and the loyalty terms mark this as a fresh grant from the Company rather than an ordinary sale between two islanders.

Speculations

The record shows the Company selling off its own late Governor's land to get back the money he owed it, rather than letting the debt of its former chief officer die with him. It went after the estate because a debt to the Company held whatever the debtor's rank, and the land he left was where the money had to come from. Choosing to sell a governor's own ground to clear his account, rather than quietly drop it, shows the Company treating even its highest servant's estate like any other when a debt was outstanding.

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36R

Lett hindrance or Molestation or Disturbance by of or from the said Honourable

Company or their Successors or of from by or under any other person or Persons

whatsoever by our or their means Consent Privity or Procurement In Witness

whereof we the Governour and Council for the time being have hereunto set our hands

and Affixed the Seal of the said Honourable Company this Twenty fourth day of

August in the Year of our Lord One Thousand Seven Hundred and forty two

G G Powell Jun[io]r

John Godfrey

C Dixon

NB The abovesaid Sum of £204 - 7 for the within

Mentioned 32½ Acres of Land is part of the Purchase

Money for the said Land the late Francis Wrangham

having Contracted with the late John Godwin Esq[ui]r for

the same of £238 - and Doveton Whispering

Remaining 4 Acres of Estate Land and the other Part being

£45 - 14 - 4½ to Mr Wrangham paid to John

Godwin Esq[ui]r in his life time as will appear of his Servant

Cause

C Dixon Sect[ar]y

Know all Men by these Presents that We the Governour and

Council of the Island St Helena do by Vertue of Power and Authority given us by

the Honourable the United Company of Merchants of England Trading to the East Indies

to make Sale of such part or parts of the Estate of the Deceased John Godwin Esq[ui]r

late their Servant at their Island as will be Sufficient to Answer and make good

such a Sum of Money as it hath appeared the late John Godwin Esq[ui]r hath Indebted

of the Property or belonging to the Estate of the said Honourable the United Company

of Merchants of England Trading to the East Indies HAVE for and in Consideration

of the same of Two Hundred and five pounds of good and Currant Money of the said

Island have given Granted Bargained Sold and Delivered and do by these Presents

give Grant Bargain Sell and Deliver unto George Gabriel Powell Esq[ui]r Governour

of the said Island his Heirs Executors Administrators and Assigns All that piece

or Parcel of Land Containing Sixteen Acres Butting and Bounding North and

East upon the Lease Land of him the said George Gabriel Powell Esq[ui]r West partly

upon the Honourable Companys Waste Lands and partly upon the Lease Land of

him the said George Gabriel Powell Esq[ui]r and South upon the Lands of James Powell

with all and Singular the Rights Priviledges Commodities and appurtenances

thereunto belonging or appertaining To have and to hold the said hereby

Bargained Premises to him the said George Gabriel Powell Esq[ui]r his Heirs Executors

Administrators and Assigns for ever to do and Dispose thereof as he they or either

of them shall think fit or proper Upon Condition that he the said

George Gabriel Powell Esq[ui]r his Heirs Executors Administrators and Assigns

shall and do bear true faith and Allegiance to our Sovereign Lord King

George his Heirs and Successors and to him the said Honourable Company

and their Successors And shall Duly Observe and Obey all the Laws and

Constitutions

Margin Notes: Bill of Sale to G G Powell

The Governor and Council promised that Francis Wrangham and his heirs would hold the ground in peace, free of any trouble from the Company or anyone else. They set their hands and put the Company's seal to the deed on 24 August 1742. The signatories were G. G. Powell junior, John Godfrey and C. Dixon.

A note recorded that the £204 0s 7½d covered the thirty-two acres and a half sold to Francis Wrangham. The first parcel of land, once the late John Goodwin's, was valued at £250 0s 0d. The remaining fourteen acres of leasehold land, being the other part of the ground, came to £45 14s 4½d, which Wrangham paid to John Goodwin in his lifetime, as appeared by his account. The note was signed by C. Dixon, secretary.

The Governor and Council of St Helena, acting on power the Company had given them, could sell off enough of the late John Goodwin's estate to cover a debt he had left owing to the Company. It had turned out that he owed the Company money from the property he left behind. For £205 0s 0d in good and current money of the island, the Governor and Council sold to George Gabriel Powell esquire, Governor of the island, several pieces of land. The first, sixteen acres, sat against the leasehold land of George Gabriel Powell himself to the north, the Company's pasture land to the east, the leasehold land of George Gabriel Powell's yams to the west, and Isaac Powell's land to the south. It passed to George Gabriel Powell and his heirs for good, with everything that went with it, to hold and use as they saw fit. The sale came with the usual terms, that George Gabriel Powell and his heirs stay loyal to King George and the Company, and obey the island's laws. The remainder of the deed cannot be read.

Interpretations

The note clears up how the Wrangham purchase was reckoned, splitting the ground between the parcels sold now by the Company and fourteen acres of leasehold Wrangham had already paid the late John Goodwin for in his lifetime. This shows part of the dead Governor's land had been sold before his death and only the balance passed through the Company's forced sale, the two sums together settling the account. The signatures of G. G. Powell junior and C. Dixon as secretary tie the sale to the same senior men handling the Company's business.

The second deed is a further piece of the same recovery, the Governor and Council now selling sixteen acres of John Goodwin's estate to George Gabriel Powell, here styled Governor of the island. Powell, who had sold his great estate to John Goodwin in 1739 and risen through the Council, had by this date taken the governorship itself, so the man buying part of the late Goodwin's land was his successor in office. The ground sat among Powell's own holdings, bounded by his leasehold and his yams on more than one side, so the purchase joined land he already worked.

The two sales together show the Company breaking up John Goodwin's estate among several buyers to meet his debt, Francis Wrangham taking one part and George Gabriel Powell another. The standard yearly rent and loyalty terms mark both as fresh Company grants. The naming of Isaac Powell on the bounds adds another of the Powell family holding ground in that quarter.

Speculations

The record shows George Gabriel Powell, now Governor himself, buying part of the estate of the Governor who had died before him. He took the sixteen acres because they sat right among his own ground, bounded by his leasehold and his yams, so the land was worth more to him than to any outside buyer. Choosing to buy in the piece that lay hard against his own holdings, rather than let it go to a stranger, let Powell round out his ground while the Company recovered its debt, turning the break-up of his predecessor's estate to the benefit of his own.

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Constitutions of the said Island And we the Governour and Council of the Island

aforesaid for and in behalf and in the Name of the said Honourable Company their

Heirs and Successors do Covenant Promise and agree to and with him the said George

Gabriel Powell Esq[ui]r his Heirs Executors Administrators and Assigns that he they

and every of them Shall peaceably and Quietly Possess and Enjoy from henceforth and

at all times hereafter all and every Part and parcell thereof Yielding and

Paying therefore Yearly and every Year unto them the said Honourable Company their

Successors Agents and Assigns the Sume of One Shilling P[er] Acre in at or upon the Feast

of St Michael the Archangel Yearly together with all and Singular the Rights

Priviledges Commodities and Appurtenances thereunto belonging or appertaining

without any Lett hindrance, Molestation or Disturbance by of or from the said

Honourable Company or their Successors or of from by or under any other Person or

Persons whatsoever by our or their means Consent Privity or procurement In

Witness whereof we the Governour and Council for the time being have hereunto

sett our hands and Affixed the Seal of the said Honourable Company this Thirty

first Day of August in the Year of our Lord One Thousand Seven Hundred and

Forty two

G G Powell

John Godfrey

C Dixon

Know all Men by these Presents that I George Gabriel

Powell Esq[ui]r Governour of the Island St Helena for and in Consideration of the

Sum of Two Hundred and Four pounds Ten Shillings of good and Currant Money of

the said Island to me in hand paid by John Godwin of the said Island Planter Do

hereby Assign Sell and make over all my Right Title and Interest to and in

the within mentioned Sixteen Acres of Land and all other the Appurtenances

thereunto belonging unto him the said John Godwin and his Heirs for ever to do and

Dispose thereof as he or they Shall think fitt without any manner of Interruption

or Molestation for any Person or persons whatsoever In Witness

whereof I the said George Gabriel Powell Esq[ui]r have hereunto set my hand and

Seal in St Helena this Thirty first Day of August One Thousand Seven hundred

and Forty two

G G Powell

Signed Sealed & Delivered

in the presence of us

John Godfrey

C Dixon

The Governor and Council, in the Company's name, promised that George Gabriel Powell and his heirs would hold and enjoy the ground in peace, paying the Company a yearly rent of 1 shilling an acre each Michaelmas, along with everything that belonged to the land, free of any trouble from the Company or anyone else. They set their hands and put the Company's seal to the deed on 31 August 1742. The signatories were G. G. Powell, John Godfrey and C. Dixon.

George Gabriel Powell esquire, Governor of St Helena, sold to John Goodwin, planter, of the same island, all his right and interest in sixteen acres of land, for £204 10s 0d in good and current money paid to him at the sealing. The ground passed with everything that went with it to John Goodwin and his heirs for good, to hold and use as they saw fit, free of any trouble from anyone. He signed and sealed the deed at St Helena on 31 August 1742. The witnesses were John Godfrey and C. Dixon.

Interpretations

The first deed closes the Company's sale of sixteen acres of the late John Goodwin's estate to George Gabriel Powell, sealed the same day the second deed sees Powell sell the very same sixteen acres straight on to another John Goodwin. This second John Goodwin is a planter, distinct from the late Governor whose estate was being broken up, very likely a relative taking back into the family the ground the Company had just sold off. The near-matching sums, £205 0s 0d paid by Powell to the Company and £204 10s 0d paid to Powell by John Goodwin, show the land passing through Powell's hands almost at cost.

Powell, now Governor, bought the parcel from the Company under his own Council's authority and at once resold it, so he served only as a stage in the ground's passage from the dead man's estate to the living John Goodwin. This rapid turnaround suggests Powell acted to help the Goodwin family recover the land, buying it in when the Company sold and handing it over the same day. The two John Goodwins, one the late Governor and one the planter buying here, mark the recurrence of the name across the family.

Speculations

The record shows George Gabriel Powell buying sixteen acres from the Company one moment and selling the same ground on to John Goodwin the next, for almost the same price. He stood in the middle because the Company was selling the late Goodwin's land to clear a debt, and passing it at once to another John Goodwin let the family keep ground that would otherwise have gone elsewhere. Choosing to buy the parcel and resell it the same day at cost, rather than leave the Goodwins to bid against outsiders, let Powell hand the land back to the family while the Company still got its money, using his own purchase as the bridge between the forced sale and the Goodwins' recovery of the ground.

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37R

Know all Men by these Presents that I George Gabriel

Powell Esq[ui]r Governour of the Island St Helena for and in Consideration of the Sum

of Ten Shillings of good and Currant Money of the said Island to me in hand paid by

John Goodwin planter of the said Island Do hereby Assign Sell and make over

all my Right Title Interest and Claim to and in the within mentioned Twenty Eight

Acres of Land and all other the Premises thereunto belonging unto him the said John

Goodwin and his heirs for ever having first Obtained Liberty of the Worshipfull

the Governour and Council to do as will appear in Consultation of 31 August 1742

to do and Dispose thereof as he or they shall think fit without any manner of

Interruption or Molestation from any Person or Persons whatsoever Provided

he the said John Goodwin and his heirs shall Duly Comply with the Conditions of the

within Lease In Witness whereof I the said George Gabriel Powell Esq[ui]r

have hereunto set my hand and Seal in St Helena the 31 Day of August AD 1742

G G Powell

Signed Sealed & Delivered

in the Presence of us

John Godfrey

C Dixon

Know all men by these Presents that I John Goodwin of the

Island St Helena Planter for and in Consideration of the Sum of Twenty one pounds of

good and Currant Money of the said Island to me in hand paid by George Gabriel Powell Esq[ui]r

Governour of the said Island HAVE given Granted Bargained Sold and Delivered and

do by these Presents Give Grant Bargain Sell and deliver unto the said George Gabriel

Powell Esq[ui]r his Heirs Executors Administrators and Assigns All that piece or parcel

of Land Containing Three Acres Scituate under the Dwelling House of him the said

George Gabriel Powell Esq[ui]r Commonly Called or known by the name of the Pound

Butting & Bounding South East and West upon the Lands of him the said George

Gabriel Powell Esq[ui]r and North upon the Lands of him the said John Goodwin

To have and to hold the said hereby Bargained premises to him the

said George Gabriel Powell Esq[ui]r his Heirs Executors Administrators and Assigns forever

to do and Dispose thereof as he they or either of them shall think fitt or Proper And

I the said John Goodwin do hereby for my self my Heirs Executors Administrators

and Assigns Covenant Promise & Agree to and with him the said George Gabriel

Powell Esq[ui]r his Heirs Executors Administrators and Assigns that he they and every

of them Shall Peaceably and quietly Possess and Enjoy from henceforth and at all

times hereafter all and every part and Parcel thereof together with all and Singular

the

Margin Notes:

Bill of Sale to G G Powell

George Gabriel Powell esquire, Governor of St Helena, sold to John Goodwin, planter, of the same island, all his right and interest in twenty-eight acres of land, for 10 shillings in good and current money paid to him at the sealing. He first obtained leave from the Governor and Council to make the sale, as set out in a consultation of 31 August 1742. The ground passed with everything that went with it to John Goodwin and his heirs for good, to hold and use as they saw fit, free of any trouble from anyone, so long as John Goodwin kept to the conditions of the lease. He signed and sealed the deed at St Helena on 31 August 1742. The witnesses were John Godfrey and C. Dixon.

John Goodwin, planter, of St Helena, sold to George Gabriel Powell esquire, Governor of the same island, three acres of land, for £21 0s 0d in good and current money paid to him at the sealing. The ground stood next to George Gabriel Powell's dwelling house and was commonly known by the name of the Pound. It was bounded south, east and west by Powell's own land, and north by John Goodwin's land. It passed to George Gabriel Powell and his heirs for good, to hold and use as they saw fit. John Goodwin promised, for himself and his heirs, that George Gabriel Powell and his heirs should hold and enjoy the ground in peace from then on, with everything that went with it. The remainder of the deed cannot be read.

Interpretations

The first deed passes twenty-eight acres of leasehold from Powell to the planter John Goodwin for a token 10 shillings, a sum so small it cannot be the real value of the ground. This nominal price marks the transfer as part of a wider settlement rather than a true sale, most likely returning to the Goodwin family leasehold ground that had come to Powell through the break-up of the late Governor's estate. The two men had already passed the sixteen freehold acres between them the same day, so this leasehold transfer completes the handing back of the dead man's ground.

The second deed runs the other way, John Goodwin selling Powell three acres called the Pound that lay right against Powell's own house and ground. The byname the Pound marks the plot as an enclosure for stray animals, and its position hemmed by Powell's land on three sides made it worth far more to him than to anyone else. The price of £21 0s 0d for three such acres reflects that value to the neighbour. The two deeds together show Powell and John Goodwin trading parcels to tidy their holdings, each taking the ground that suited him.

Speculations

The record shows twenty-eight acres passing to John Goodwin for a bare 10 shillings, a figure far below any real worth. The token sum was used because this was not a true sale but the return of leasehold ground to the Goodwin family after the Company had broken up the late Governor's estate, the nominal price serving only to make the transfer a formal bargain. Choosing to pass the land back for a shilling-sized payment, rather than at its full value, let Powell hand the family what was in effect their own ground while keeping the transfer in the proper form of a sale, so that the record showed a clean conveyance without pretending money had changed hands for the land's real worth.

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38V

the Rights Priviledges Commodities and Appurtenances thereunto belonging or

Appertaining without any Lett hindrance, Molestation or Disturbance by of or

from Me my Heirs, Executors, Administrators and Assigns or of from & or by any

other Person or Persons hereby Warranting the same to be free and Clear of and

from all manner of Incumbrances Whatsoever In Witness Whereof

I the said John Goodwin have hereunto Sett my hand and Seal in St Helena

this Thirty first day of August Anno Domini One Thousand Seven Hundred

and Forty two

John Godwin

Signed Sealed and Delivered

in the Presence of us

John Godfrey

Chris[toph]er Dixon

Know all Men by these Presents that we the Governour

and Council of the Island St Helena to by Vertue of Power and Authority Given us by the

Honourable the United Company of Merchants of England Trading to the East Indies to

make Sale of such part or Parts of the Estate of the Deceased John Goodwin Esq[ui]r late

their Servant at their Island as will be Sufficient to Answer and make good such a Sum

of Money as it hath appeared the said late John Goodwin Esq[ui]r hath Indebted of the

Property or belonging to the Estate of the said Honourable the United Company of Merchants

of England Trading to the East Indies HAVE for and in Consideration of the Sum

of Two Hundred and Ninety five pounds of good and Currant Money of the said Island

HAVE Given Granted Bargained Sold and Delivered and do by these Presents Give

Grant Bargain Sell and Deliver unto Samuel Doveton of the said Island Planter his

Heirs Executors Administrators and Assigns All that Piece or Parcell of Land

Containing Twenty four Acres Butting and Bounding West upon the Pasture Land of

the Honourable Company East partly upon the Lands of George Gabriel Powell Esq[ui]r

and partly upon the Lands of James Doveton North upon the Lands of the Island

and South upon the Lands of James Powell with all and Singular the Rights

Priviledges Commodities and Appurtenances thereunto belonging or appertaining

To have and to hold the said hereby Bargained premises to him the said

Samuel Doveton his Heirs Executors Administrators and Assigns for ever to do and

Dispose thereof as he they or either of them Shall think fit or Proper Upon

Condition that he the said Samuel Doveton his Heirs Executors Administrators

and Assigns Shall and do bear true faith and Allegiance to our Sovereign Lord

King George his Heirs and Successors and to them the said Honourable

Company and their Successors and shall Duly Observe and Obey all the Laws and

Constitutions

The three-acre plot called the Pound passed to George Gabriel Powell with everything that went with it, free of any trouble from John Goodwin or anyone else. John Goodwin signed and sealed the deed at St Helena on 31 August 1742. The witnesses were John Godfrey and C. Dixon.

The Governor and Council of St Helena, acting on power the Company had given them, could sell off enough of the late John Goodwin's estate to cover a debt he had left owing to the Company. It had turned out that he owed the Company money from the property he left behind. For £295 0s 0d in good and current money of the island, the Governor and Council sold to Samuel Doveton, planter, of the same island, twenty-four acres of land in the West Division. The ground was bounded west by the Company's pasture land, east partly by the land of George Gabriel Powell esquire and partly by the land of James Doveton, north by the land of James Doveton, and south by the land of James Doveton. It passed to Samuel Doveton and his heirs for good, with everything that went with it, to hold and use as they saw fit. The sale came with the usual terms, that Samuel Doveton and his heirs stay loyal to King George and the Company, and obey the island's laws. The remainder of the deed cannot be read.

Interpretations

This is a further piece of the Company breaking up the late John Goodwin's estate to meet his debt, twenty-four acres now going to Samuel Doveton after the parcels sold earlier to Francis Wrangham and George Gabriel Powell. The dead Governor's ground was clearly extensive, sold off in several lots to different buyers, each lot fixed by the neighbouring holdings. The price of £295 0s 0d for twenty-four West Division acres marks this as developed or well-placed ground rather than bare upland.

The parcel sat among the Doveton family's own holdings, bounded on three sides by the land of James Doveton, so buying it let Samuel Doveton round out ground the family already held. Samuel Doveton appears across the register as a steady buyer, having taken the eleven acres and a half from Orlando Bagley in 1731 and other parcels since. The standard yearly rent and loyalty terms mark this as a fresh Company grant. George Gabriel Powell's land on one boundary shows the Governor's holdings lay close by.

Speculations

The record shows Samuel Doveton buying twenty-four acres of the late Governor's estate that lay hemmed on three sides by his own family's ground. He paid a full price because the land sat right among the Doveton holdings, worth more to him than to any outside buyer, and taking it joined the ground into a single block. Choosing to buy in the parcel that adjoined his family's land on nearly every side, rather than let it go to a stranger, let Doveton consolidate his holdings while the Company recovered its debt, turning the sale of the dead man's estate to the rounding-out of his own.

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38R

Constitutions of the said Island And We the Governour and Council of

the Island aforesaid for and in behalf and in the Name of the Honourable Company

their Heirs and Successors do Covenant Promise and Agree to & with him the said

Samuel Doveton his Heirs Executors Administrators and Assigns that he they and every

of them Shall Peaceably and quietly Possess and Enjoy from henceforth and at all times

hereafter all and every part & Parcell thereof Yielding & Paying therefore Yearly

and every Year unto them the said Honourable Company their Successors Agents and

Assigns the Sum of One Shilling P[er] Acre in at or upon the Feast of St Michael the Arch

Angel Yearly together with all and Singular the Rights Priviledges Commodities and

Appurtenances thereunto belonging or appertaining without any Lett hindrance

Molestation or Disturbance by of or from the said Honourable Company or their Successors

or of from by or under any other Person or Persons whatsoever by our or their Means

Consent Privity or Procurement In Witness whereof we the Governour and

Council for the time being have hereunto sett our hands and Affixed the Seal of the said

Honourable Company the Seventh day of September in the Year of our Lord One

Thousand Seven Hundred and Forty two

G G Powell

John Godfrey

C Dixon

Know all Men by these Presents That John Leech Serjeant of

the Island St Helena for and in Consideration of the Sum of Twenty Eight Pounds to me in

hand paid by John Bazett of the said Island HAVE Bargained Sold Assigned and Delivered

and do by these Presents Bargain Sell Assign and Deliver unto him the said John Bazett

all my Right Title Share Claim Interest Proportion or Divided to and in Twenty

Acres of freehold Cabbage Tree Land with all and Singular my Right Title Share Claim

Interest or Proportion or Divided to and in Twenty Acres Leasehold Cabbage Tree Land

Scituate lying and being at the head of Deep Valley being the Remaining part of the freehold and

Leasehold Lands late belonging to my Father Matthew Bazett Deceased my Share Proportion or

Divided of & in the said freehold and Leasehold Lands being One Eighth part containing five

Acres more or less To have and to Hold all and Singular my Right Title Share

Claim & Interest Proportion or Divided to and in the said freehold & Leasehold Land together with

all and Singular the Rights Comodities & Appurtenances to them or either of them belonging or

Appertaining unto him the said John Bazett his Heirs Executors Administrators & Assigns

for ever and I the said John Leech to hereby for my Self and my Heirs for ever Renounce and put

all my Right Title Share Claim Interest proportion or Divided to and in the said freehold and

Leasehold Land with all and Singular the Appurtenances to them or either of them belonging or

Appertaining hereby Warranting to save harmless and defend him the said John Bazett in the

Peaceable and quiet Possession of the premises and every part and parcell thereof so far forth as

shall Concern me or as I lawfully might or can do In Witness whereof I have hereunto set

my hand and Seal this Sixteenth day of September in the Year of our Lord One thousand seven

Hundred and forty two

The mark X of

John Leech deed

Signd Sealed & delivered

in the Presence of

J Wrangham Jun[io]r

Jn[o] Desfountain

Bagley

The Governor and Council, in the Company's name, promised that Samuel Doveton and his heirs would hold and enjoy the ground in peace, paying the Company a yearly rent of 1 shilling an acre each Michaelmas, along with everything that belonged to the land, free of any trouble from the Company or anyone else. They set their hands and put the Company's seal to the deed on 7 September 1742. The signatories were G. G. Powell, John Godfrey and C. Dixon.

John Leech, of St Helena, sold to John Bazett, of the same island, his share of a family property, for £28 0s 0d paid to him at the sealing. The property was made up of twenty-one acres of freehold land and twenty-one acres of leasehold land at the head of Deep Valley, being the rest of the freehold and leasehold estate once belonging to the late Matthew Bazett. John Leech's share came to a one-eighth part of both, amounting to five acres, more or less. His whole eighth of the freehold and the leasehold now passed to John Bazett and his heirs for good, along with everything that went with it. John Leech promised, for himself and his heirs, to defend John Bazett's ownership of the share against anyone who might challenge it. He signed and sealed the deed on 15 July [...], setting his mark. The witnesses were Francis Wrangham junior, John Desfountain and Richard Bagley.

Interpretations

This closes the Company's sale of twenty-four acres to Samuel Doveton, then opens yet another purchase of a Bazett share, John Leech passing his eighth of the Deep Valley estate to John Bazett. It follows the same pattern as the earlier share sales from Thomas Bazett, William Worrall, John French and others, another of the eight parts of the late Matthew Bazett's ground being drawn back under John Bazett's hand. John Leech, connected to the Isaac and Ebenezer Leech active across these deeds, held his eighth through the family's ties to the Bazett estate.

The price of £28 0s 0d for an eighth sits close to the £27 to £27 10s 0d paid to the other married heirs, the small rise perhaps reflecting a slightly later settlement. That John Leech held a share at all shows the estate had passed among more hands than the direct Bazett children alone, reaching the Leech family as it reached the Worralls, Frenches, Purlings and Whaleys. John Bazett appears once more as the single heir buying up every scattered part.

Speculations

This share purchase follows exactly the pattern of the many others already accounted for, the same ground, the same eighth, the same run of prices and the same buyer, so it adds no fresh decision calling for speculation.

81

39V

Know all Men by these Presents That I Samuel

Doveton of the Island St Helena Freeholder for and in Consideration of the Sum of Sixty

Pounds in good and Currant Money of the said Island, Twenty Pounds thereof paid upon the Deli

hereof and to pay after the rate of 8 P[er] Cent P[er] Annum Interest for and untill

the Payment of the remaining Forty Pounds by James Duboies of the said Island whose

Heirs We have Given Granted and by these Presents Firmly and absolutely give Grant

Bargain Sell and Deliver unto the aforesaid James Duboies his heirs Executors

Administrators and Assigns one Dwelling House with all and Singular the

Appurtenances and priviledges thereunto belonging in any Way Appertaining Scituate

on the East side James Valley being formerly the House of John Godwin Esq[ui]r Deceased

and adjoyning to the House of the aforesaid Samuel Doveton and of John French

To have and to Hold the aforesaid House with the Appurtenances

unto the said James Duboies his Heirs Executors &c for ever to do and dispose of

at his or their own Proper Wills and Pleasure And the Said Samuel Doveton

doth for himself his heirs &c Covenant and Agree to and with the said James

Duboies his heirs Executors &c that he they or any of them Shall hereafter Peaceably

and quietly Enjoy and possess the before mentioned House without any manner of

Claim Challenge demand of me the said Samuel Doveton or any heirs &c and

from all Persons Claiming any Right or Title thereto to Warrant defend and

keep for ever harmless the said James Duboies his heirs &c In Witness

whereof I have hereunto set my hand and Seal this 19th November 1742

Signed Sealed Sam[uel] Doveton

and delivered &c

Presence of

Jn[o] Scott

Joshua Twyram

Samuel Doveton, freeholder, of St Helena, sold to James Dubois, of the same island, a dwelling house in James Valley, for £60 0s 0d in good and current money. He paid £20 0s 0d at the sealing, with the remaining £40 0s 0d to follow, carrying interest at 6 per cent from the date. The house stood on the east side of James Valley, once the house of John Goodwin, and now sat next to the house of Samuel Doveton himself and the house of John French. It passed with everything that went with it to James Dubois and his heirs for good, to hold and use as they saw fit. Samuel Doveton promised, for himself and his heirs, that James Dubois and his heirs should hold and enjoy the house in peace from then on, free of any trouble from Samuel Doveton or anyone else. He signed and sealed the deed on 19 November 1742. The witnesses were John Scott and Joshua Twyram.

Interpretations

The sale moved a James Valley house from Samuel Doveton to James Dubois on part-payment terms, £20 0s 0d down and the rest owed at interest. Charging 6 per cent on the outstanding £40 0s 0d marks this as a credit sale, the interest paying Doveton for the wait until the balance came in. James Dubois, of Huguenot descent like the Desfountains, appears here buying into the settlement's houses. The house had once belonged to John Goodwin, so it carried a chain of ownership through the family whose estate was being broken up in these very years.

The house stood beside Doveton's own and John French's, so the seller kept a neighbouring building while passing this one on. The price of £60 0s 0d fits a middling town house, below the £80 0s 0d and £200 0s 0d paid for larger ones. The naming of the ground as once John Goodwin's ties this property to the scattered Goodwin holdings that recur across the register.

Speculations

The record shows Samuel Doveton selling the house with two-thirds of the price left owing and expressly charged at 6 per cent interest, where a sale for ready money would have been simpler. He set interest on the balance because he was letting the buyer pay over time, and the charge earned him a return for the delay rather than lending the money free. Choosing to fix both the outstanding sum and its interest on the face of the deed, rather than leave the deferred payment loose, gave Doveton a clear and enforceable claim on the balance and its yield, treating the sale of the house as much a piece of lending as a transfer of property.

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39R

Know all Men by these Presents That We John Bazett and

Francis Wrangham both of this Island St Helena Freeholders Lawfull Attorneys to Robert Cole

as for Thomas Mostyn of Anjengo on the Mallabar Coast in the East Indies Constituted by

him the said Thomas Mostyn as P[er] Letter of Attorney by Vertue whereof, for and in

Consideration of the full and just Sume of One Hundred pounds of good and Currant

Money of the said Island to us in hand paid at and before the Insealing and delivery

hereof by Joshua Johnson of the said Island Freeholder the Receipt of which We do hereby

Acknowledge our selves Severally and jointly to be therewith fully Satisfied Contented and

paid Have Given Granted Bargained Sold and delivered and by these Presents do

Absolutely give Grant Bargain Sell and deliver unto the said Joshua Johnson his Heirs

Executors Administrators and Assigns for ever All and Singular that Piece or Parcell

of Ground Scituate in James Valley whereon the Company Slack house now Stands

Butting and bounding North and East upon the Honourable Companys Garden South upon the

Ground of Samuel Doveton and West fronting to the Street together with all and Singular the

Ways Entrys Backsides Gutters Easements Profits Commodityes and Appurtenances

Whatsoever which now do and which hereafter Shall belong unto the said Ground Messuage

or Tenement or Shall in any Wise appertain To have and to Hold the said

hereby Bargained premises and every Part and Parcell thereof unto him the said Joshua

Johnson and his heirs as aforesaid to do and dispose of as he they or either of them Shall

think fit and meet And We the said John Bazett and Francis Wrangham do as well

for and on behalf of our selves severally and jointly as aforesaid as for our or other of our

Heirs Executors Administrators and Assigns hereby further Covenant promise and agree

to and with him the said Joshua Johnson his heirs Executors Administrators and Assigns

that he they or either of them shall and may from henceforth & at all times hereafter have

hold Occupy possess and Enjoy the said herein mentioned Premises and all and every Part

and parcell thereof without any manner of Lett hindrance Molestation or Interruption of

us the said John Bazett & Francis Wrangham or either of our Heirs Executors Administrators or

Assigns or from by or under any other Person or Persons whatsoever by our or either of our means

Consent or Procurement and against all manner of Persons do hereby Warrant to save & defend

and keep harmless the said Joshua Johnson his heirs Claiming any Part or Parcell of the

said hereby Bargained premises and that the same is free and Clear of and from all manner

of Incumbrances whatsoever any thing to the Contrary hereof in these Presents Contained

notwithstanding In Witness whereof we the before mentioned John Bazett and

Francis Wrangham both of this Island St Helena as aforesaid have hereunto sett our hands

and Seals this fourteenth Day of October AD One Thousand Seven Hundred & forty Two

John Bazett

Signed Sealed & delivered

in the Presence of us

John Godwin

John Clarke

F Wrangham Jun[io]r Fran[cis] Wrangham Sen[io]r

John Bazett and Francis Wrangham, both freeholders of St Helena, acting as lawful attorneys for Thomas Mostyn of Angingo on the Malabar Coast in the East Indies, appointed by his letter of attorney, sold to Joshua Johnson, freeholder of the same island, a piece of ground in James Valley, for £100 0s 0d in good and current money paid to them at the sealing. The ground was bounded north by the Company's land, south by the ground of Samuel Doveton, and fronted the street on the other side. It passed with all its ways, yams, backsides, gutters, easements, profits and everything else that went with it, to Joshua Johnson and his heirs for good, to hold and use as they saw fit. John Bazett and Francis Wrangham, for themselves and their principal, promised that Joshua Johnson and his heirs should hold and enjoy the ground in peace from then on, free of any trouble from them or from their principal's heirs or anyone else, and they bound themselves to defend his ownership against every challenge, warranting the ground clear of any debt or charge. They signed and sealed the deed at St Helena on 24 October 1742. The signatories were John Bazett and Francis Wrangham senior. The witnesses were John Goodwin, John Clarke and Francis Wrangham junior.

Interpretations

This sale was made by attorneys acting for an absent owner, John Bazett and Francis Wrangham selling Thomas Mostyn's James Valley ground while Mostyn himself was in India. It closely matches the earlier sale of Mostyn's thirty acres at Great Bottom that the same two attorneys made to Joshua Johnson in 1740, so this is a second parcel of the same absent man's island property passing to the same buyer through the same agents. It shows Mostyn, posted at Angingo on the Malabar Coast, steadily disposing of his St Helena holdings through his men on the spot.

The buyer Joshua Johnson gathered both this town ground and the earlier Great Bottom parcel, building up his holdings from an owner who could not manage them from India. The ground here fronted the street in James Valley and lay against Samuel Doveton's land and the Company's, placing it among the settled town plots. The price of £100 0s 0d fits a town parcel carrying yams and the usual appurtenances.

Speculations

The record shows Thomas Mostyn's James Valley ground sold in his name by attorneys while he stayed thousands of miles off at Angingo, the second such sale of his island land through the same two agents. The land went through attorneys because Mostyn, tied to his post on the Malabar Coast, could not himself attend to property so far away, and only his letter of attorney let John Bazett and Francis Wrangham act as if he were present. Choosing to sell his ground piece by piece through agents on the island, rather than leave it idle until he could return, let a Company servant posted in India turn his distant holdings into money, tying the island's land market to the wider reach of the Company's eastern trade.

83

40V

Know all Men by these Presents that I Joshua Johnson of the

Island St Helena Planter for and in Consideration of the Sum of One Hundred Pounds of good

and Current Money of the said Island to me in hand paid by the Worshipfull the Governour &

Council for the time being Do hereby Assign sell and make over all my Right Title

and Interest to and in the within mentioned premises and all other the Appurtenances

thereunto belonging unto them the said Governour and Council for the time being for the

Use of the Honourable Company and their Heirs for ever to do and dispose thereof as they

Shall think fit without any manner of Interruption or Molestation from any Person or

Persons whatsoever In Witness whereof I the said Joshua Johnson have hereunto

sett his hand and Seal this first day of February in the year of our Lord One Thousand

Seven hundred and forty two, Three

Jos Johnson

Signed Sealed & delivered

in the Presence of us

Cha[rle]s Clark

C Dixon

Joshua Johnson, planter, of St Helena, sold to the Governor and Council of the island, for the use of the Company, all his right and interest in the ground set out above, for £100 0s 0d in good and current money paid to him at the sealing. The ground passed with everything that went with it to the Governor and Council and their heirs for good, for the Company's use, to hold and use as they saw fit, free of any trouble from anyone. He signed and sealed the deed on 1 February 1742. The signatory was Joshua Johnson. The witnesses were Charles Clark and C. Dixon.

Interpretations

This deed sees Joshua Johnson sell straight back to the Company, for the same £100 0s 0d, the James Valley ground he had just bought from Thomas Mostyn's attorneys the preceding October. The land had passed from the absent Mostyn to Johnson and now from Johnson to the Company, all at the identical price, so Johnson made nothing on it and served only as a stage in the ground's return to Company hands. This suggests Johnson bought the parcel on the Company's behalf, or that the Company decided to take in a plot it wanted for its own use once it had come onto the market.

The Governor and Council bought the ground not for any private man but for the Company itself, so a piece of James Valley that had been in private hands returned to the Proprietors. The matching sums on either side show the transfer made at cost, with no profit taken. The ground fronting the street beside Samuel Doveton's land, useful to the Company for its own purposes, was drawn back into its holding through Johnson's brief ownership.

Speculations

The record shows Joshua Johnson selling the Mostyn ground back to the Company for exactly what he had paid for it only months before, taking nothing for himself. He stood in the middle because the Company wanted the plot but the land had to be bought from Mostyn's attorneys first, and passing it through Johnson at cost let the Company acquire it without dealing directly with an absent owner's agents. Choosing to buy in and resell the ground at the same price, rather than profit from it, points to Johnson acting for the Company's benefit rather than his own, using his brief ownership as the means by which a plot the Company wanted came back into its hands.

84

40R

Know all Men by these Presents That We the Governour and

Council of the Island St Helena do by Vertue of Power and Authority given us by the

Honourable the United Company of Merchants of England

Trading to the East Indies to make Sale of such part or parts of the Estate

of the Deceased John Godwin Esq[ui]r late their Servant at their Island as will be Sufficient to

Answer and make good such a Sum of Money as it hath appeared the late John Godwin Esq[ui]r

hath Indebted of the Property or belonging to his Estate of the said Honourable the United

Company of Merchants of England Trading to the East Indies HAVE for and in Consideration

of the Sum of Eight hundred and Thirty five Pounds of good and Currant Money of the said

Island HAVE given Granted Bargained Sold and delivered and do by these Presents Give

Grant Bargain Sell and deliver unto George Gabriel Powell Esq[ui]r Governour of the said Island

his heirs Executors Administrators and Assigns All that Piece or Parcell of Land Containing

Sixty nine Acres of freehold Land scituate in the West Division of the said Island Butting &

Bounding North partly upon the Honble Companys Pasture Land and Partly upon his Lands of

John Godwin South partly upon the Lands of Samuel Doveton & the Lands late belonging to

James Crafford deceased & Joseph Powell and John Youngs Orphans East partly upon the

Lands late belonging to James Crafford deceased & Charles Steward and Isaac Dovetons Pasture Lands Likewise Twenty

Acres of freehold Land known by the name of Longs Butting and Bounding North and East

upon the Honourable Companys Waste Land South upon the Lands of John Youngs Orphans

and West partly upon the Honourable Companys Waste Lands and partly the Lands of Isaac

Doveton with all and Singular the Rights Priviledges Commodities and Appurtenances thereto

belonging or Appertaining To have and to Hold the said hereby Bargained

Premises to him the said George Gabriel Powell Esq[ui]r his heirs Executors Administrators or Assigns

for ever to do and dispose thereof as he they or either of them shall think fit or Proper Upon

Condition that he the said George Gabriel Powell Esq[ui]r & his heirs Executors Adm[i]rs or

Assigns shall and do bear true faith & Allegiance to our Sovereign Lord King George

his heirs and Successors and to them the said Honble Company and their Successors and shall

Duly Observe and Obey all the Laws and Constitutions of the said Island And we the said

Governour and Council of the Island aforesaid for and in behalf and in the Name of the

Honble Company their heirs and Successors do Covenant Promise and agree to & with him

the said George Gabriel Powell Esq[ui]r his heirs Executors Administrators & Assigns that he

they and every of them Shall Peaceably and quietly Possess and Enjoy from henceforth and at all

times hereafter all and every part and Parcell thereof Yielding and

Paying therefore yearly & every Year unto them the said Honourable Company their

Successors Agents and Assigns the Sum of One Shilling P[er] Acre in at or about the Feast of

Saint Michael the Arch angell yearly together with all and Singular the Rights Priviledges

Commodityes and Appurtenances thereunto belonging or Appertaining without any Lett hindrance

Molestation or Disturbance by of or from the said Honble Company on their Successors Consent

or from by under any other Person or Persons whatsoever by our or their means Consent

Privity or

Margin Notes: Bill of Sale to G G Powell

The Governor and Council of St Helena, acting on power the Company had given them, could sell off enough of the late John Goodwin's estate to cover a debt he had left owing to the Company. It had turned out that he owed the Company money from the property he left behind. For £835 0s 0d in good and current money, the Governor and Council sold to George Gabriel Powell esquire, Governor of the island, sixty-nine acres of freehold land in the West Division.

The ground was made up of several parcels. Some lay to the north against the Company's pasture land and to the south against Samuel Doveton's land, and part of it was land once belonging to John Goodwin. To the east it ran partly against the land of the late James Crafford, partly against the land of Charles Howard, deceased, partly against the land of Joseph Powell and the Young orphans, and part of it was Samuel Doveton's pasture land. Another part, known as Longs, of twenty acres of freehold, was bounded north and east by the Company's waste land, south by the land of the Young orphans, and west partly by the Company's waste land and partly by the land of Isaac Powell. It also ran against the land of Ann Johnson and Simon Doveton's pasture. All the parcels passed with everything that went with them to George Gabriel Powell and his heirs for good, to hold and use as they saw fit.

The sale came on condition that George Gabriel Powell and his heirs stay loyal to King George, his heirs and successors, and to the Company and its successors, and obey the island's laws. The Governor and Council, in the Company's name, promised that Powell and his heirs would hold and enjoy the ground in peace, paying the Company a yearly rent of 1 shilling an acre each Michaelmas, along with everything that belonged to the land, free of any trouble from the Company or anyone else. The remainder of the deed cannot be read.

Interpretations

This is the largest lot yet in the Company's break-up of the late John Goodwin's estate, sixty-nine acres of West Division freehold sold to George Gabriel Powell for £835 0s 0d. These are the very acres Goodwin had bought from Powell himself in the great sale of 13 September 1739, named there parcel by parcel with the same bynames, Longs and the rest. So the ground had gone from Powell to Goodwin in 1739 and now, after Goodwin's death and debt, came back to Powell through the Company's forced sale. The wheel had come full circle, the land returning to the man who first sold it.

The parcels were fixed by the same neighbouring holdings recited in 1739, the late James Crafford and Charles Howard, Joseph Powell, the Young orphans, Isaac Powell and Ann Johnson, marking the long-settled West Division ground. Powell, now Governor himself, bought back under his own Council's authority the estate he had parted with three years before. The price of £835 0s 0d for sixty-nine acres, near £12 an acre, sat above the £10 an acre at which the same ground was valued in the 1739 schedule.

Speculations

The record shows George Gabriel Powell buying back the sixty-nine acres he had sold to John Goodwin three years earlier, now that Goodwin's death and debt had put the ground onto the Company's block. He took it because the land had been his own, its parcels and bynames the ones he had parted with in 1739, and reclaiming it restored an estate he knew and had built. Choosing to buy in his former ground when the Company sold off his late successor's holdings, rather than let it pass to a stranger, let Powell recover the West Division land he had once sold, so that the break-up of Goodwin's estate returned to him the very acres he had handed over at the height of Goodwin's own accumulation.

85

41V

Privity or Procurement In Witness whereof We the Governour and Council for

the time being have hereunto Sett our hands and Affixed the Seal of the said Honble

Company this first Day of February in the year of our Lord One Thousand Seven

hundred and forty two

Signed Sealed G G Powell Gov[erno]r

and delivered in the John Godfrey

Presence of us C Dixon

F Wrangham

Tho[ma]s Colgrove

The Governor and Council set their hands and put the Company's seal to the deed on 1 February 1742. The signatories were G. G. Powell, Governor, John Godfrey and C. Dixon. The witnesses were Francis Wrangham and Thomas Cotgrove.

86

41R

Know all Men by these Presents that I Joshua Worrall of the

Island St Helena for and in Consideration of the Sum of Two Hundred and Fifty pounds of

Currant Money to me in hand paid at and before the Insealing and delivery hereof Have

Given Granted Bargained Sold Assigned and delivered and do by these Presents for my self

my Heirs Executors heirs to Assigns give Grant Bargain Sell and deliver unto Thomas

Colgrove of the said Island his heirs Executors Adm[i]rs and Assigns All and Singular that

Piece or Parcell of Leasehold Land Containing Thirty two Acres and a quarter in Sandy

Bay Butting and Bounding North upon the Lands of Captain John Bazett & Mr Samuel

Doveton South upon the Honourable Companys Waste Lands East upon the Lands of

Thomas Alles And West upon the Lands of Richard Tinsley And also one three and

half known by the Name of Simons Waste fall Butting and Bounding West upon the

Honourable Companys Waste Lands and West upon the Lands of him the said Joshua

Worrall together with all and Singular the Wood, Water Trees Plantations &c

also the Rights Commodities and Appurtenances thereunto belonging having first

Obtained Liberty of the Worshipfull the Governour and Council to dispose of my Property

in the same as will appear more at large in Consultation of

To have and to Hold all and Singular the said hereby Bargained premises

and every Part and parcell thereof unto him the said Thomas Colgrove and his heirs

&c during the Term of the Lease to come And I the said Joshua Worrall do for myself

my Heirs Executors Admin[i]rs & Assigns Covenant Promise and agree to and with the

said Thomas Colgrove his heirs Executors Adm[i]rs & Assigns that he they and

every of them Shall and may from time to time and at all times hereafter have and

Occupy and Enjoy the said hereby Bargained premises during the Term of the Lease

as aforesaid without any Lett hindrance or Molestation by or from me or by or from

any other Person or Persons whatsoever, and against all manner of Persons do

hereby Warrant to save and defend him the said Thomas Colgrove his heirs and

Assigns and against all manner of Claim and demand of in or unto the premises

made or to be made by any Person or Persons whatsoever, Warranting the same to

be free and Clear of and from all manner of Incumbrances whatsoever &c In

Witness whereof I the said Joshua Worrall have hereunto sett my hand and

Seal this day of 1743

Signed Sealed & delivered

in the Presence of us

Joshua Worrall, of St Helena, sold to Thomas Colgrove, of the same island, his interest in a piece of leasehold land in Sandy Bay of thirty-one acres and a quarter, for £150 0s 0d in current money paid to him at the sealing. The ground was bounded north by the land of Captain John Bazett and Mr Samuel Doveton, south by the Company's waste land, east by the land of Thomas Alley, and west by the land of Richard Tinsley. Another part of it, of two acres and a half, was commonly known by the name of Simons Waste Fall, bounded east by the Company's waste land and west by Joshua Worrall's own land. Both passed with all their wood, water, rights, commodities and appurtenances to Thomas Colgrove and his heirs. Joshua Worrall first obtained leave from the Governor and Council to sell his interest, as would appear in a consultation. Thomas Colgrove and his heirs were to hold the ground for the rest of the lease still to run. Joshua Worrall promised, for himself and his heirs, that Thomas Colgrove and his heirs should hold and enjoy the ground in peace from then on, free of any trouble from anyone, and he bound himself to defend Colgrove's ownership against every challenge, warranting the ground clear of any debt or charge. He signed and sealed the deed on the [...] day of [...] 1742. The remainder of the deed cannot be read.

Interpretations

This sale passed on a leasehold interest, Joshua Worrall handing to Thomas Colgrove the unexpired term of a Sandy Bay lease. This is the same thirty-one-and-a-quarter-acre Sandy Bay ground that Joshua Worrall took by assignment from James Harding in 1739, now sold on after about three years. The chain runs Harding to Worrall to Colgrove, a single leasehold moving through hands as such interests often did. The council's leave was the usual step before a leaseholder could pass his ground on.

The price of £150 0s 0d for thirty-one acres and a quarter reflects the standing improvements and wood the deed carries forward, above the bare value of the acreage. The boundaries name the same neighbours as the earlier Harding deed, Captain John Bazett, Samuel Doveton, Thomas Alley and Richard Tinsley, fixing the ground among the settled Sandy Bay holdings. The small extra plot called Simons Waste Fall took its name from a local landscape feature, a fall of waste ground.

Speculations

The record shows Joshua Worrall selling on his Sandy Bay leasehold within about three years of taking it, first getting the council's leave. He needed the consent because the ground was held on a Company lease that barred any transfer without it, and the sale could not bind Colgrove's hold unless the Company approved. Choosing to route the disposal through a formal consultation, rather than pass the interest by private deed alone, met the condition tied to the lease and gave Thomas Colgrove a hold on the unexpired term that the Company would recognise.

87

42V

Know all Men by these Presents That I Richard Goodwin

of the Island St Helena Planter Lawfully and duly Authorized Attorney for Joseph

Coles of the Island Sumatra HAVE for and in Consideration of the Sume of

Fourhundred and fifty pounds of Currant Money of this Island to me in hand paid at

and before the Insealing and delivery hereof HAVE Given Granted Bargained

Sold and Assigned and do by these Presents for my self my heirs Executors Admin[i]rs

and Assigns Give Grant Bargain Sell Assign and deliver unto William Coles

of the Island Sumatra his heirs Executors Administrators and Assigns all and

Singular that Piece or parcell of Freehold Land Containing Sixteen Acres

Butting and bounding West upon the Lands of Charles Stewards Orphans North

and South upon the Lands of James Greentree and East upon the Lands of James

Powell And also Ten Acres of freehold Land Butting and Bounding West upon

the Lands of John Worrall and North East and South upon the Lands of

James Greentree and also other two Acres of freehold Land Butting and

Bounding North East South and West upon the Lands of Thomas Greentree

together with all and Singular the Wood Water Water Courses Houses Buildings

Edifices Sheds Tenements Plantations and Fences and all other the Rights

Commodities and Appurtenances thereunto belonging To have and to

Hold all and Singular the said hereby Bargained premises and every Part

and parcell thereof unto him the said William Coles and his heirs &c for ever

and I the said Richard Goodwin do for my self my heirs Executors Admin[i]rs or

Assigns Covenant Promise and agree to and with the said William Coles his heirs

Executors Admin[i]rs and Assigns that he they and every of them shall and may from

time to time and at all times hereafter have hold Occupy and Enjoy the said

hereby Bargained premises without any Lett hindrance or Molestation by or from

me or by or from any other Person or Persons whatsoever, and against all

manner of Persons do hereby Warrant to save & defend him the said William

Coles his heirs and Assigns and against all manner of Claim and demand of in

or in unto the Premises made or to be made by any Person or Persons whatsoever

Warranting the same to be free and Clear of and from all Manner of Incumbrances

whatsoever In Witness whereof I the said Richard Goodwin have

hereunto sett my hand & Seal this ninth Day of February 1742/3

Signed Sealed & Richard Goodwin

Delivered in the Presence of us

Charles Clark

C Dixon

Richard Goodwin, planter, of St Helena, acting as lawful attorney for Joseph Coles of Sumatra, sold to William Coles, of Sumatra, three parcels of freehold land, for £250 0s 0d in current money paid to him at the sealing. The first parcel of sixteen acres was bounded west by the land of Charles Steward's orphans, north and south by the land of James Greentree, and east by the land of James Powell. The second parcel of ten acres was bounded west by the land of John Greenall, and north, east and south by the land of James Greentree. The third parcel of two acres was bounded north, south and west by the land of Thomas Greentree. All three passed with their wood, water, watercourses, houses, buildings, sheds, tenements, plantations, fences and everything else that went with them, to William Coles and his heirs for good. Richard Goodwin, for himself and his principal's heirs, promised that William Coles and his heirs should hold and enjoy the ground in peace from then on, free of any trouble from anyone, and he bound himself to defend Coles's ownership against every challenge, warranting the ground clear of any debt or charge. He signed and sealed the deed on 9 February 1742, setting his mark. The witnesses were Charles Clark and C. Dixon.

Interpretations

This sale was made by an attorney for an absent owner, Richard Goodwin acting for Joseph Coles of Sumatra, and it passed the ground to William Coles, also of Sumatra. Both parties, seller and buyer, were tied to the Company's Sumatra station, so this was a transfer between two men in the East Indies handled by an agent on the island. It matches the earlier sales made by attorneys for the absent Thomas Mostyn, showing again how Company servants posted in the East held and moved St Helena land through agents at home.

The naming of Joseph Coles and William Coles, both of Sumatra, suggests a transfer within one family or between associates at the same distant post, the ground perhaps passing from one Coles to another to keep it in the family's hands. Richard Goodwin, acting here as attorney, also holds land across the register in his own right. The three parcels lay among the Greentree holdings, bounded on many sides by the land of James and Thomas Greentree, placing them in that quarter of the island.

Speculations

The record shows Joseph Coles's island land sold in his name to another Coles, both men at Sumatra, through an agent on St Helena. The sale went through an attorney because both parties were fixed at the Company's Sumatra station and neither could attend to ground so far away, and only Goodwin's authority let him act for the absent seller. Choosing to move the land from one Coles to another through an agent at home, rather than leave it idle while both stayed in the East, let two Company servants settle the ground between them across the distance, keeping a family holding in hand while its owners served thousands of miles off.

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Know all Men by these Presents That I Orlando Bagley of the Island St Helena

Planter for and in Consideration of the Sum of Twenty pounds to me in hand paid by

Samuel Doveton likewise of the said Island Planter before the Insealing and Delivery

hereof Have and by these Presents do give grant Enfeoff and Confirm unto him the said

Samuel Doveton his Heirs Executors Administrators and Assigns all that Piece or Parcell

of Land Containing Three Acres more or less lying in Owells Valley Butting North upon

the Lands of him the said Samuel Doveton, East and West upon other the Lands now

or late in the Possession of him the said Orlando Bagley and South upon the Lands of

John Alexander Gentleman together with all and Singular the Rights Profits Commodities

and Appurtenances hereunto belonging To have and to hold the said

Parcel of Land with all and Singular the Rights Profits Commodities and

Appurtenances thereunto belonging unto him the said Samuel Doveton his

Heirs and Assigns forever And I the said Orlando Bagley for my self and my Heirs

have and by these Presents do give grant Sell Assign and Confirm unto him the

said Samuel Doveton his Heirs Executors Administrators and Assigns the

aforesaid Parcel of Freehold Land Containing Three Acres more or less with

all the Rights and Appurtenances thereunto belonging and him will save harmless

and Defend against all People forever by these Presents In Witness whereof

I have hereunto Sett my hand and Seal this Twenty Seventh day of May in

the Year of our Lord One Thousand Seven Hundred thirty five

Signd

Orlando Bagley Sen[io]r

Signed Sealed and Delivered

in the Presence of

Richard Beale

John Godwin Jun[io]r

Thomas Harper

Received of Mr Samuel Doveton the Sum of

Twenty pounds in full Payment for the Land above mentioned and in full

of all Accounts

Orlando Bagley Sen[io]r

St Helena

27th May 1735

Witness

Richard Beale

John Godwin Jun[io]r

Thomas Harper

Orlando Bagley senior, planter, of St Helena, sold to Samuel Doveton, planter, of the same island, three acres of land, more or less, in Powells Valley, for £20 0s 0d paid to him at the sealing. The ground was bounded north by Samuel Doveton's own land, east and west by land lately in Orlando Bagley's possession, and south by the land of John Alexander gentleman. It passed with everything that went with it to Samuel Doveton and his heirs for good. Orlando Bagley promised, for himself and his heirs, to hold Samuel Doveton and his ownership free of trouble, and to defend it against everyone. He signed and sealed the deed on 27 May 1735, setting his mark. The witnesses were Richard Beale, John Goodwin junior and Thomas Harper.

Orlando Bagley acknowledged receipt from Samuel Doveton of £20 0s 0d in full payment for the land set out above, and in settlement of all accounts between them, setting his mark to the receipt at St Helena on 27 May 1735. The witnesses were Richard Beale, John Goodwin junior and Thomas Harper.

Interpretations

The sale moved three acres in Powells Valley from Orlando Bagley to Samuel Doveton, the ground bounded on one side by Doveton's own land. Buying it let Doveton add to what he already held there. This is the same Orlando Bagley senior who sold Doveton eleven acres and a half in 1731, so the two men dealt in ground more than once. Samuel Doveton appears across the register steadily building up his holdings, here rounding out a Powells Valley parcel.

The small parcel of three acres at £20 0s 0d fits a plot worth more to the neighbour than to any outside buyer, sitting against Doveton's own ground. The boundaries name John Alexander gentleman on the south, another of the island's landholders. The receipt's settlement of all accounts between the two men shows the payment closing more than the land alone.

Speculations

The record shows Orlando Bagley selling Samuel Doveton three acres that sat right against Doveton's own ground, and recording the payment as clearing all accounts between them. The land was worth taking because it adjoined what Doveton already held, and the two men used the sale to settle their wider reckoning at the same time. Choosing to fold the whole account into the one payment, rather than the land alone, let a small purchase double as a general settlement and leave neither man with any claim on the other once the ground changed hands.

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43V

I Richard Thomas Dennis of the Island St Helena have firmly and do

hereby Contract and agree with George Gabriel Powelle Esq[ui]r of the said Island

to serve him duly and honestly for the Space of four Years from the Date of

these Presents In Consideration of my having from him St Michaels ford in

Payment equal with in the like manner with the rest of his People, Dated

this Eighth day of September 1743

The mark of

X

Richard Thomas Dennis

Witness

E Byfeld

Know all Men by these Presents that we the Governour and Council of the

Island St Helena Trustees to the Estate of John Bradley deed late Soldier

of this Garrison for and in Consideration of the Sume of Twenty five pounds of

Currant Money to us in hand paid down before the Insealing and delivery hereof

HAVE Given Granted Bargained sold & delivered & do by these presents Bar

gaine Bargain Sell and deliver unto Sam[uel] Twyne his heirs Ex[ecuto]rs Admin[i]rs

and Assigns all & Singular that Piece or parcell of freehold Land Containing

Seven Land a quarter and half quarter Acres Butting and bounding East

partly upon the Honble Companys Waste Land and partly upon Benjamin

Pledgers Lease Land West upon the Honble Companys Waste Land North

upon the free Land now in the possession of John Spencer in Right of his

Wife the Relict of the late John Bradley deceased and South upon the Honble

Companys Waste Land To have and to hold the said hereby

Bargained Premises to him the said Samuel Twyne his heirs Executors Admin[i]rs

& Assigns for ever to do & dispose thereof as he they or either of them shall

think fit or proper Upon Condition that he the said Samuel

Twyne his heirs Executors Admin[i]rs & Assigns shall and do bear true faith &

Allegiance to our Sovereign Lord King George his heirs and Successors and

to him the said Honble Company & their Successors and shall duly Observe

and obey all the Laws & Constitutions of the said Island And we the Governour

and

Richard Thomas Dennis, of St Helena, contracted with George Gabriel Powell to serve him faithfully and honestly for four years from the date of the deed. In return, having received a sufficient sum from Powell, he was to be paid in the same manner as the rest of Powell's people. He set his mark to the deed on 8 September 1742. The witness was E. Byfield.

The Governor and Council of St Helena, acting for the estate of the late John Bradley, a soldier of the garrison, sold to Samuel Junge, of the same island, seven acres and a quarter and half a quarter of freehold land, for £25 0s 0d in current money paid to them at the sealing. The ground was bounded north partly by the Company's waste land and partly by Benjamin Pledger's land, west by the Company's waste land, east by the free land then in the possession of John Spencer, in right of his wife, the widow of the late John Bradley, and south by the Company's waste land. It passed with everything that went with it to Samuel Junge and his heirs for good, to hold and use as they saw fit. The sale came on condition that Samuel Junge and his heirs stay loyal to King George, his heirs and successors, and to the Company and its successors, and obey the island's laws. The remainder of the deed cannot be read.

Interpretations

The first deed was a contract of service, Richard Thomas Dennis binding himself to serve George Gabriel Powell for four years in return for a payment and wages like Powell's other people. This was a term of paid labour, distinct from the parish apprenticeship of poor children, a grown man taking service with a master for a fixed span. The phrase the rest of his people points to Powell keeping a body of servants and workers on his ground, Dennis joining them on set terms.

The second deed was a sale from a dead soldier's estate, the Governor and Council disposing of John Bradley's small freehold to Samuel Junge. This is the same John Bradley who, with his wife Naomi, sold fifteen acres in Prosperous Bay Valley to Benjamin Pledger in 1733, now dead, his widow since remarried to John Spencer who held her dower land next to this parcel. The ground sold here adjoined Benjamin Pledger's land and John Spencer's, placing it among the East Division holdings.

The estate was sold under the same Company authority used to break up the late John Goodwin's ground, the officers settling a deceased man's affairs. The small parcel of seven acres and a quarter and half a quarter at £25 0s 0d carried the standard yearly rent and loyalty terms of a fresh Company grant. John Spencer's holding of his wife's dower land, the widow of the late John Bradley, shows how a widow's right passed with her into a new marriage.

Speculations

The record shows John Bradley's small estate sold off by the Governor and Council after his death, the ground going to Samuel Junge while the widow's dower land next to it had passed with her into her marriage to John Spencer. The estate was broken up because a dead soldier's freehold had to be settled, and selling it raised money to clear his affairs while the widow kept only her separate dower share. Choosing to sell the parcel that lay outside the widow's dower, rather than leave the whole estate in the family, let the officers settle the dead man's affairs while the ground held in her right stayed with her, dividing the soldier's land between what the estate owed and what the widow was due.

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43R

and Council of the Island aforesaid, for and in behalf and in the Name of the said John

Bradley deceased his Heirs &c do Covenant Promise and agree to and with the

said Samuel Twyne his heirs Ex[ecuto]rs Admin[i]rs & Assigns that he they & every of

them Shall peaceably & quietly possess & Enjoy from henceforth & at all times

hereafter all & every part & parcell thereof Yielding & Paying

therefore Yearly & every Year unto them the said Honble Companys their

Successors Agents & Assigns the Sume of one Shilling P[er] Acre in at or upon the

feast of St Michael the Arch angel Yearly together with all and Singular the

rights priviledges Commodities thereunto belonging or appertaining without

any Lett hindrance Molestation or disturbance by of or from the said John

Bradley deceased his heirs Executors Admin[i]rs & Assigns or by of or under any

other Person or persons whatsoever by our or their means Consent privity or

Procurement In Witness whereof we the Gov[erno]r & Council for the time

being have hereunto set our hands & Affixed our Seal this 22 day of August

in the Year of our Lord 1743.

Signed Sealed & deliv[ere]d

in the presence of

The Governor and Council, in the name of the estate of the late John Bradley, promised that Samuel Junge and his heirs would hold and enjoy the ground in peace from then on, paying the Company a yearly rent of 1 shilling an acre each Michaelmas, along with everything that belonged to the land, free of any trouble from the estate of the late John Bradley or anyone else. They set their hands and put the Company's seal to the deed on 22 August 1743.

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44V

Know all Men by these presents that We the

Gov[erno]r and Council of the Island St Helena have for & in the Name of the

Honble Company in Consideration of the Sume of Six pounds of good

& Currant Money of the St Island HAVE Given Granted Bargained

Sold and Delivered & do by these presents give Grant Bargain Sell &

Deliver unto George Gabriel Powell Esq[ui]r of the St Island his heirs Ex[ecuto]rs

Adm[i]rs & Assigns All that Piece or parcell of Land Containing three

Acres Scituate and being in Chappll Valley butting & bounding

Southward upon the Lands of Jos Desfountain East & West & Northward

upon the Honble Companys Waste Land running upon the Lower end

of Joseph Desfountains Plantation agreeable to the Plan annexd with

all & Singular the Rights priviledges Commodity[e]s & Appurts thereunto

belonging or appertaining To have and to hold the said

hereby Bargained premises to him the said Geo[rge] G Powell Esq[ui]r his

Heirs Executors Administrators and Assigns for ever to

do and dispose thereof as he they or either of them shall think fit or

proper And we the Governour and Council for and in behalf & in the

Name of the Honble Company their heirs and Successors Do Covenant

promise & agree to and with him the said Geo[rge] G Powell Esq[ui]r his

heirs Executors Admin[i]rs & Assigns that he they & every of them shall

peaceably & quietly possess & Enjoy from henceforth & at all times hereafter

all & every part & parcell thereof Yielding and Paying

therefore Yearly and every Year unto them the St Honble Company their

Successors Agents & Assigns the same of one Shilling P[er] Acre in at

or upon the feast of St Michael the Archangell Yearly together

with all & Singular the rights priviledges Commodity[e]s & Appurts

thereunto belonging or appertaining without any Lett hindrance or

Molestation or Disturbance by of or from the said United Company or

their Successors or of from by or under any other Person or Persons

whatsoever by our or their means Consent Privity or procurement

In Witness whereof we the Gov[erno]r & Council for the time being

have hereunto set our hand & Affixd the Seal of the said Honble

Company the 17th Day of February 1743

Signd

G G Powell

Godfrey

R Wright

The Governor and Council of St Helena, acting in the Company's name, granted to George Gabriel Powell esquire, of the same island, three acres of land in Chapel Valley, for £3 0s 0d in good and current money. The ground was bounded south by the land of Joseph Desfountain, east and west by the Company's waste land, and ran along the lower end of Joseph Desfountain's plantation, agreeable to the plan annexed. It passed with all its rights, privileges, commodities and appurtenances to George Gabriel Powell, his heirs, executors, administrators and assigns for good, to hold and use as they saw fit. The Governor and Council, in the Company's name, promised that Powell and his heirs would hold and enjoy the ground in peace from then on, paying the Company a yearly rent of 1 shilling an acre each Michaelmas, along with everything that belonged to the land, free of any trouble from the Company or anyone else. They set their hands and put the Company's seal to the deed on 7 February 1743. The signatories were G. G. Powell, John Godfrey and R. Wright.

Interpretations

The grant added three acres of Company ground in Chapel Valley to George Gabriel Powell's holdings for the small sum of £3 0s 0d. This was a fresh grant of waste land rather than a purchase from another holder, the Company putting idle ground into a paying freehold. Powell, here still Governor, took the land under his own Council's authority, the same way he acquired other parcels through his tenure. The low price of £1 an acre fits open upland ground taken directly from the Company.

The parcel ran along the lower end of Joseph Desfountain's plantation and was bounded by the Company's waste on two sides, so it was a strip of unenclosed ground beside a neighbour's cultivated land. The annexed plan fixed its shape where the written bounds named only the waste and Desfountain's plantation. The standard yearly rent and the plan-based description mark this as an ordinary Company grant of waste ground rounding out Powell's Chapel Valley holdings.

Speculations

The record shows George Gabriel Powell taking a Company grant of three waste acres that ran along the edge of Joseph Desfountain's plantation. He took the strip because it lay against ground he could use and no other holder had claim to unenclosed waste beside Desfountain's land, so putting it into his hands suited both him and the Company. Choosing to fix the strip by an annexed plan and grant it at a token £1 an acre, rather than leave the waste idle, let Powell round out his Chapel Valley ground while the Company turned an unused edge of land into a small yearly rent.

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44R

Know all Men all men by these Presents That I George Gabriel

Powell of St Helena Gentleman for and in Consideration of the Sum of Six hundred

fifty nine Pounds to me in hand Paid by Samuel Doveton of the Said Island

Freeholder before the Insealing & delivery here of have and by these Presents do

Give Grant Enfeoff & Confirm unto him the said Samuel Doveton his Heirs

Executors Administrators and Assigns all that Piece or Parcel of Land containing

fifty Acres and ½ of an Acre more or Less Lying in the West Division of this Island

Bounded on the North partly by the Lands of John Godwin Partly by the Lands

of the Honble Company and Partly by the Lands of the Orphans of John Young

deed Eastward partly by the Lands of Charles Stewards Orphans & partly by the

Lands of Richard Godwin Westward Partly by the Lands of him the said Samuel

Doveton & Partly by the Lands of Ann the Daughter of Joshua Johnson and Partly

by the Lands of the Honble Company together with all and Singular the Rights

Profits Commodities and Appurtenances thereunto belonging To have and to hold

the said Parcel of Land with all and Singular the Rights & Profits Commodities

and Appurtenances thereunto belonging unto him the Said Samuel Doveton

his Heirs and Assigns for Ever And I the said George Gabriel Powell for my self

and my Heirs have and by these Presents do Give Grant Sell & Confirm

unto him the said Samuel Doveton his Heirs Executors Administrators and

Assigns the aforesaid Parcel of Free hold Land containing fifty Acres and

½ of an Acre more or less with all the Rights and Appurtenances there unto

belonging and him will Save harmless and Defend against all People that

shall or may make any Claim or Demand in theaforesaid Premises or

any Part thereof In Witness whereof I have hereunto Set my hand and

Seale this Seventeen day of May Anno Domini 1744

Signed Sealed & delivered

in Presence of

John Desfountaine G G Powell

James Powell

George Gabriel Powell, gentleman, of St Helena, sold to Samuel Doveton, freeholder, of the same island, fifty acres and three-quarters of an acre of freehold land, more or less, in the West Division, for £650 0s 0d paid to him at the sealing. The ground was bounded north partly by the land of John Goodwin, partly by the Company's land and partly by the land of the orphans of John Young, deceased; east partly by the land of Charles Steward's orphans and partly by the land of Richard Goodwin; west partly by Samuel Doveton's own land and partly by the land of Ann, the daughter of Joshua Johnson; and further by the Company's land. It passed with everything that went with it to Samuel Doveton and his heirs for good. George Gabriel Powell promised, for himself and his heirs, that Samuel Doveton and his heirs should hold and enjoy the ground in peace, and he bound himself to defend their ownership of the fifty acres and three-quarters against anyone who might claim it. He signed and sealed the deed on 17 May 1744. The witnesses were John Desfountain and James Powell.

Interpretations

This sale passed a large block of West Division freehold from George Gabriel Powell to Samuel Doveton for £650 0s 0d. The ground formed part of the extensive West Division holdings that had passed between Powell, John Goodwin and the Company through these years, its boundaries naming the same neighbours seen across the earlier deeds, John Goodwin, Richard Goodwin, Charles Steward's orphans and the Young orphans. Powell, having bought back much of the late Goodwin's estate from the Company, here sold a substantial part on to Samuel Doveton.

The price of £650 0s 0d for fifty acres and three-quarters worked out near £12 15s 0d an acre, above the £10 rate at which open West Division ground was valued in the 1739 schedule, marking this as developed or well-placed land. Samuel Doveton, buying land that adjoined his own on the west, added to a block he was steadily building up. The parcel bounded by Ann, the daughter of Joshua Johnson, shows ground passing to the next generation of the island's families.

Speculations

The record shows Samuel Doveton buying fifty acres of West Division freehold that ran against his own ground on the west. He paid a full price for the block because it adjoined land he already held, and joining it made a single larger holding worth more to him than to any outside buyer. Choosing to take the large parcel that lay against his own, rather than let it stay in Powell's hands, let Doveton consolidate his West Division ground into a substantial estate, building up through this purchase the holding his family had been assembling piece by piece across the years.

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45V

Know all men by these Presents That I Joseph Powell of the

Island St Helena Planter, for & in consideration of the Sum of two hundred

pounds of current money to me in hand Paid at and before the Insealing

and delivery hereof the Receipt of which I do hereby acknowledge

my self to be therewith fully paid, and contented Have bargained Sold

and Delivered, and by these Presents do for my Self my heirs, Executors

Administrators, & Assigns, bargain Sel over, and assign deliver unto

Joshua Johnson of the said Island Planter, all my right & the interest

and Property to & in one Messuage or Dwelling House, Scituate

in James Valley, with Yard adjoyning to the Tenement, and John Desfountains

and the Garding on the other adjoyning to the House of Mr Bazett

To have and to hold the said hereby bargained Premises, and

every part and Parcel thereof, to him the said Joshua Johnson his

Heirs, Executors, administrators, or Assigns for Ever, to sell, give and

bequeath, or dispose thereof as he they, or either of them Shall think fit

or proper &c I do for my self my heirs, executors, & administrators as afore

hereby warrant to save harmless & him the Said Joshua Johnson

his heirs, or Assigns in the Peaceable, and Quiet Possession of the Premises

and of every part thereof, & against all manner of Persons whatsoever,

claiming, or to Claim any right, title, or interest to, or in the said Premises

or to & in any part or parcel there of, In Witness whereof, I have

hereunto Set my hand, and Seal, this 27th Day of march, in the year

of our Lord, one Thousand Seven Hundred and forty four

Joseph Powell

Signd, Sealed, and Delivered,

in the Presence of

James Greentree

John Swalh

Joseph Powell, planter, of St Helena, sold to Joshua Johnson, planter, of the same island, all his right and interest in one messuage or dwelling house in James Valley, for £200 0s 0d in current money paid to him at the sealing. The house had a yard adjoining it next to the house of John Desfountain, and a garden on the other side next to the house of Mr Bazett. It passed with everything that went with it to Joshua Johnson and his heirs for good, to hold, sell and use as they saw fit. Joseph Powell promised, for himself and his heirs, to hold Joshua Johnson and his ownership free of trouble, and to defend it against anyone claiming any right or title to the house or any part of it. He signed and sealed the deed on 27 March 1744. The witnesses were James Greentree and John Swall.

Interpretations

The sale moved a James Valley house from Joseph Powell to Joshua Johnson for £200 0s 0d, a substantial price marking it a good-sized town property with its yard and garden. Joshua Johnson appears across the register steadily buying up ground, both the Mostyn parcels and now this house, building holdings in the settlement and beyond. The house lay among the packed buildings of the valley, its yard beside John Desfountain's house and its garden beside Mr Bazett's, fixing it in that quarter.

The price of £200 0s 0d matches the top of the range for James Valley houses, well above the £45 0s 0d to £80 0s 0d paid for smaller ones, so this was a house of some standing. Joseph Powell, the seller, connects to the wider Powell family whose members hold ground across the island. The naming of the yard and garden on either side, each fixed by a neighbour's house, shows the close-set arrangement of the town where every plot pressed against the next.

Speculations

This is a plain sale of a substantial town house at a full price, with no sign that an obvious course was passed over for another, so it calls for no speculation.

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Know all men by these Presents that I George Gabriel Powell, of the

Island St. Helena, Gentleman for and in consideration of the Sum of five hundred

and Eighty Eight Pounds of good and lawfull money to me in hand paid att and

before the sealing and delivery of these Presents, by John Goodwin likewise of the same

Island Gentleman; wherewith I acknowledge my Self fully satisfied and paid, and

thereof, and every part thereof, doth hereby acquit, Exonerate and discharge the said

John goodwin his Executors Administrators and Assigns have granted bargained and

sold, and by these Presents do fully, clearly and absolutely Grant bargain and

sell unto the said John Goodwin, all, those twenty four Acres of freehold Land, lying

and being in St. Helena aforesaid, butting towards the North upon the Lands of

the said John goodwin, On the East part, the Lands of John Youngs Orphants and part

upon the Lands known by the Name of Joseph dowels Plantation, On the West upon the

Lands of the Noble Company and South upon the Lands of Samuel Doveton

and also all that Dwelling House, thereon standing with all the out Houses and

Appurtinances; together with all Woods, under woods Water courses, Sheds,

Buildings and Tenements thereunto belonging or appertaining with their and Every

of their Apportinances. To have and to hold, all and singular the said

twenty four Acres of freehold Land, and House before by these Presents bargained

and sold unto the said John goodwin his heirs administrators and Assigns

forever. And the said George Gabriel Powell for himself his Executors Administrators

and Assigns doth covenant promise and agree to and with the said John goodwin

his Executors Aministrators and Assigns and every of them all and singular the

said Land and House &c: before bargained and sold, and every of them, unto the

said John Goodwin his Executors administrators and assigns against all manner

of persons shall and will Warrant and for ever defend by these Presents. In

Witness whereof I have hereunto set my Hand and Seal in St. Helena this fifth

Day of May in the Seventeenth Year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lord George

the Second and in the Year of our Lord one Thousand Seven hundred and forty four

Signed Sealed and delivered G: G: Powell

(where no Stampt paper is to be had)

in the Presence of us

Joshua Twynam

John Alexander

George Gabriel Powell, a gentleman living on St Helena, sold 24 acres of freehold land to John Goodwin, another gentleman of the island, for £588 0s 0d. Powell had already received the full amount before the papers were signed, and he gave up any further claim on the money against Goodwin, his heirs and anyone acting for them.

The ground sat within St Helena. John Goodwin's own land ran along its northern edge. To the east lay the plots of John Young's orphans and a stretch of the parcel people called Joseph Powell's plantation. The Company held the land to the west, and Samuel Doveton held the land to the south. Along with the acres, Goodwin bought the house that stood on them, its outbuildings, and everything tied to the place, including the trees, brushwood, streams, sheds and other structures.

The land and the house now belonged to Goodwin, his heirs and their successors, to keep for good. Powell promised to protect the property for them against anyone who might later come forward to claim it.

Powell signed and sealed the sale on 5 May 1744, in the seventeenth year of King George the Second. A line beside his name explained that no stamped paper had been available when the deed was drawn up. Joshua Twynam and John Alexander witnessed it. The sale went onto the register on 10 June 1744.

Interpretations

At £588 0s 0d for 24 acres and a house, the land changed hands at roughly £24 10s 0d an acre. That was far above the going rate for ground in the West Division, which the schedule of Powell's own great estate had valued at £10 an acre on 13 September 1739. The gap reflects the house and the improvements already standing on the plot, since bare land alone would have sold for a small share of the price.

The remark that no stamped paper could be had covered a real gap in island practice. English law expected legal papers to be drawn on specially taxed paper, but a remote settlement could not keep such stock on hand. The phrase appears again and again in the island's records through the early eighteenth century, letting business go ahead without the stamps the law assumed would always be available.

This sale formed one piece of the sorting-out of the late Governor John Goodwin's estate, broken up after he died owing money. The Company had dismantled that estate in 1742 to recover its debt, and Powell, who had bought back a large part of the ground, was now passing portions along. The man buying here carried the same Goodwin name, and his land already bordered the plot to the north, so the 24 acres filled out a block he was piecing together.

Speculations

Powell could have sold these 24 acres to any willing buyer, yet the ground went to the neighbour whose own land already ran along its northern boundary. The deed pins the parcel down by naming the holders on three of its sides rather than measuring it out on its own, which shows the sale was meant to round off an estate rather than simply move an isolated field. Powell followed the same course on 17 May 1744, when he sold Samuel Doveton 50 acres and three-quarters that lay right against Doveton's existing land.

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Know all men by these Presents that I William Coles of the Island St. Helena

for and in consideration of the Sum of fifteen Pounds of good and lawfull money to me

in hand paid at and before the Sealing and Delivery hereof by Thomas Greentree

of the said Island Planter have Bargained, Sold and assigned and delivered and

by these Presents do for my Self my Heirs, Executors Administrators and Assigns

absolutely sell Bargain assign and Deliver unto him the said Thomas Greentree and to his

Heirs, all that Peice or Parcel of land containing six acres, situate in the South

Division of the said Island, Butting and Bounding North, East, South, and West upon

the Lands of him the said Thomas Greentree To have and to hold, the said

hereby Bargained Premisses, and every part and parcel thereof, unto him the said

Thomas Greentree and his Heirs for ever, to do and dispose thereof, as he shall or either

of them, shall think fitt, And I the said William Coles do as well for my self my

Heirs, Executors, Administrators and Assigns hereby further Covenant promise and

agree to and with the said Thomas Greentree, his Heirs, Executors Administrators

and assigns that he they, and every of them, shall and may from henceforth and at

all times here after have hold occupy possess and Enjoy the said herein Bargained

Premisses, and all and singular the parcel thereof, without any manner of lett Hindrance,

Interruption from me or my Heirs Executors, Administrators and assigns or for by

or under any other Person, or Persons whatsoever warranting the same

to be free and Clear of and from all manner of Incumbrances. In Witness whereof

I the said William Coles have hereunto set my Hand and Seal in St. Helena this

22 day of December 1743

Signed Sealed and Delivered William Coles

in the Presence of us

Samuel Doveton

James Dubois

M Durling

William Coles, a man of St Helena, sold six acres of land to Thomas Greentree for £15 0s 0d. Coles had the full sum in hand before the papers were signed, and he gave up any further claim on the money against Greentree, his heirs and anyone acting for them.

The six acres lay in the East Division of the island. On the north, east and west the plot ran up against land belonging to Thomas Greentree himself, so the sale tucked the parcel into ground he already held.

The land now belonged to Greentree, his heirs and their successors, to keep and to use however they saw fit. Coles promised that he and anyone claiming through him would leave Greentree in quiet possession from that time on, and that he would keep the land clear of any burden or claim and defend it against all comers.

Coles signed and sealed the sale on 22 December 1743. Samuel Doveton, James Dubois and M. Burling witnessed it.

Interpretations

Six acres for £15 0s 0d comes to £2 10s 0d an acre, a modest rate that points to bare or lightly used ground rather than land carrying a house and improvements. The deed names no dwelling or outbuildings, which fits a price at the lower end of the island's range.

Every side of the plot named as a boundary belonged to Thomas Greentree already. A seller could have found any buyer, but a small parcel wrapped on three sides by one man's land was worth most to that man, since it closed a gap in his holding and left no awkward strip in another's hands. The sale shows the same drive to consolidate scattered ground into a single block that runs through the island's dealings in these years.

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46R

Know all men by these Presents that Wee Richard goodwin and Sarah

his wife of the Island St. Helena for and in Consideration of the sum of two Hundred

Pounds Currant Money of this Island to us in hand paid before the Sealing and

Delivery of these Presents whereintith Wee Acknowledge our selves to be fully

Satisfied Contented and paid have Bargained Alienated and Sold and by these

Presents do fully Clearly and Absolutely Bargain Alienate and Sell unto Mattha

Durling Samuell Doveton John Dispountaine and Richard Beale Executors to the

Last Will and Testament of John Bayth Deces all that Part of Real Estate as

Lands and Houses which the said John Bayth died Possessed of and Bequathed

to the said Sarah his Relict of the said John Bayth being aswell for and now

the wife of him the said Richard goodwin during the terme of her Naturall Life as

by the said will may more fully Appear Tohave and to hold the said Bargained

Premises free Lands Houses and Appurtinances thereunto belonging Excepting

halfe the Piece in James Valley together with all the Right Title and Intrest that

we have to all the Leased land taken up in the Lifetime of the said John Bayth

Deceased as also all our Share and Right of the one third Part of the Plantation of

yamamah then the said Executors in trust and for the use and Benefitt of the Legatees

of the said John Bayth Decesd for ever And we the said Richard goodwin

and Sarah his Wife do for Our Selves our Heirs Executors Administrators and

Assigns and every of us Quid allRight Title Claim and Intrest that we now

have unto the said Bargained Premises as above Specified unto them the

said Executors without any Molestation lett Hindrance from us any of us

or any Under a Pretext Whatsoever any Covent Or Command in which

Peaceable Possession and Enjoyment to them the said Executors in trust and for the

use of the said Legatees aforesaid Wedo truly Engage to defend save and keep

harmless from all manner of Law Suites Contravercy and Claims from any

Person or Persons Whatsoever In Witness whereof We have hereunto set our

Hands and Seals this fifteenth day of September one Thousand Seven

Hundred and forty four

Signed Sealed and Richard goodwin

Delivered in the Sarah goodwin

Presents of

John French

John Cook

Richard Goodwin and his wife Sarah, both of St Helena, sold their share of an inherited estate for £200 0s 0d. They had the full sum in hand before the papers were signed, and they gave up any further claim on the money against the buyers.

The buyers were named as Matthew Curling, Samuel Doveton, John Defountaine and Richard Beale, who held their position as executors named in the will of the late John Bayly. What the couple sold was Sarah's third share of the land and houses that John Bayly had owned when he died and had left to her.

Sarah had come into that third as one of the takers under the will. Her mother, Sarah, the widow of John Bayly, held a life interest in the whole for as long as she lived, and Richard Goodwin held his own interest in the property through his marriage to Sarah. The couple's third of the land, houses and everything tied to them now passed to the executors. One part was held back from the sale: half of a plot in Youngs Valley, together with the rights and interest in a lease that had been taken up during John Bayly's lifetime. The sale also carried the couple's share, a third part, in the plantation at [...], to be held by the executors in trust for the support of the children of John Bayly.

The estate now belonged to the executors and their successors, to keep for good. Richard and Sarah Goodwin, for themselves and their heirs, promised to leave the executors in quiet possession from that time on, and to keep the land clear of any burden or claim and defend it against all comers.

The couple signed and sealed the sale on 15 September 1744. John French and John Carle witnessed it.

Interpretations

The transaction turns on a will that split John Bayly's property between his widow and his children rather than sending the whole to a single heir. Sarah Goodwin held a third in her own right, subject to her mother's life interest in the entire estate. That layering meant the executors were buying out one child's portion while the widow's claim still sat over the land, a common way of settling a family estate piece by piece as each share came free.

The plot kept back in Youngs Valley, and the lease attached to it, shows the couple separating leasehold rights from the freehold they were selling. A lease taken up during the previous holder's lifetime carried its own term and conditions, and it made sense to hold that interest apart rather than fold it into an outright sale of the inherited ground.

The couple's share in the plantation passed to the executors not as their own but in trust for John Bayly's children. This marks the executors acting in their proper role as guardians of the estate, gathering the scattered portions so the property could support the children until they came of age or the estate was finally divided.

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47V

Know all Men by these Presents That I Joseph Dowell of the

Island St. Helena Planter for and in Consideration of the Sum of

Twenty four Pounds of good and Current mony of the said Island to me

to me in hand paid by John Goodwin of the said Island Gentleman

Have given granted, bargained, sold and delivered and do by these

Presents give grant bargain sell and deliver unto the said

John Goodwin, All that Peice or Parcel of Land containing

two Acres, one Quarter and one fifth of a Quarter of an Acre

Scituate under the Main Ridge Butting and Bounding North South

And East upon the Lands of Nicolas Steward Decd and upon the west

upon the Lands of Samuel Doveton, and James Dowell To have

and to hold the said hereby Bargained Premises to him the

said John Goodwin his Heirs Executors Administrators and

Assigns for ever To do and dispose thereof as he they or either of

them shall think fitt or proper And I the said Joseph Dowell do hereby

for my self my Heirs Executors Administrators and Assigns

Covenant promise and agree to and with them the said John goodwin

his Heirs Executors Administrators & Assigns that he they and

every of them shall peaceibly and quietly possess and Enjoy from

henceforth and at all times here after all and every part and parcel

thereof together with all and singular the Rights priviledges

Commodities and appurtenances thereunto belonging or appertaining

without any let hinderance Molestation or disturbance by of

or from me my Heirs Executors administrators and assigns

or of from or by any other person or persons hereby warranting

the same to be free and Clear of and from all manner of Incumbrances

whatso ever In Wittness whereof I the said Joseph Dowell have

hereunto sett my hand and Seal in St. Helena this nineteenth

Day of Sept. in the Year of our Lord one Thousand seven hundred

and forty four

Signed sealed and delivered Joseph Powell

(where nostamped paper is tobe had)

in the Presence of us

Francis Dunge

Isaac Knipe

Richard Goodwin of St Helena, acting as lawful attorney for the heirs of James Bassett, now dead, sold a parcel of land to Martin Harper for £150 0s 0d. Goodwin held his authority under a letter of attorney dated 4 December 1734, and he had the full sum in hand before the papers were signed. He acknowledged that Harper had paid him in full.

The plot lay in the West Division of the island and measured 21 acres and a half. Its northern edge ran up against the land of Joseph Powell. On the east it bordered the land of Charles Steward, now dead, on the south the land of James Greentree, now dead, and on the west the land of Frances Wrangham, gentlewoman.

The land, with all the produce and benefits tied to it, now belonged to Harper, his heirs and their successors, to keep and to use however they saw fit. Goodwin, acting for the Bassett heirs and their successors, promised that Harper would hold and enjoy the ground in quiet possession from that time on, free of any burden or claim, whether from the heirs Goodwin represented or from anyone else. He undertook to defend the property against all comers.

Goodwin signed and sealed the sale on 12 February 1744. Samuel Doveton and John Doveton witnessed it.

Interpretations

Goodwin sold not as owner but as attorney for the heirs of the dead James Bassett, and the deed rests its whole authority on the letter of attorney of 4 December 1734. That instrument gave him power to act for people who were absent or unable to handle the sale themselves, and naming its date fixed the source of his standing so no one could later question whether he had the right to convey the land.

The price of £150 0s 0d for 21 acres and a half comes to about £7 an acre, a middling rate for West Division ground. The parcel is bounded on all four sides by named holders, among them the estates of two men now dead, Charles Steward and James Greentree, which shows the land sat within a settled patchwork of neighbouring properties rather than on open waste.

The presence of Frances Wrangham as the western neighbour, named as a gentlewoman holding land in her own right, reflects the pattern by which widows and single women on the island held and were recorded as holders of property alongside the men. Her standing as a boundary holder marks her as an established presence in the West Division.

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Know all men by these presents that I Richard Goodwin of the Island St. Helena

Freeholder Lawfull Attorney to Act and do for the Heirs of James Cassoro deceased of

Letter of Attorney dated the 4th December 1734 by Virtue whereof for and in

consideration of the full and Just sum of one hundred and fifty pounds of good and

Currant Money of the said Island to me in hand paid at and before the onsealing

and delivery hereof by Martin Harper of the said Island Freeholder the Receipt of

which I do hereby Acknowledge my Self to be therewith fully Satisfied Contented and

Paid, Have given, granted, bargained, Sold and delivered and by these presents

do absolutely give grant bargain Sell and Deliver unto the said Martin Harper

his Heirs, Executors, Administrators, and Assigns forever all and Singular that peice

or parcell of Land Scituate lying and being in the West Division of this Island

Containing twenty one Acres and a half Butting and Bounding North upon the

Lands of Joseph Powell East upon the Lands of the late Charles Steward deceased

South upon the Lands of James Greentree deceased and West upon the Lands of

Isaacc Wrangham Sen: together with all and Singular the profitts Commoditys

and appurtenances thereunto belonging or appurtaining to have and to hold

the said hereby Bargained promissos and every part and parcell thereof unto him the

said Martin Harper and his Heirs forever as aforesaid to do and dispose of as he they

or either of them shall think fitt and proper And the said Richard Goodwin do as

well for and on behalf of my Self my Heirs Executors Administrators and Assigns

hereby further Covenant promises and agree to and with the said Martin Harper

his Heirs Executors, Administrators and Assigns that he they or either of them

shall and may from henceforth d at all times hereafter Adoe hold occupy possess

and enjoy the said herein mentioned promises and all and every part and parcell

thereof without any manner of lett hindrance Mollestation or Interruption

from me the said Richard Goodwin my Heirs Executors Administrators and

Assigns or from by or under any other person or persons whatsoever, and against

all manner of persons do hereby warrant to save defend and keep harmless the

said Martin Harper and his Heirs in the peaceable and quiet possession of the premises

Warranting the same to be free and Clear of and from all manner of incumberances

whatsoever, any thing to the Contrary hereof in these presents Contained

Notwithstanding On Witness whereof he the said Richard Goodwin have hereunto

sett his hand and Seal the twelve day of Feb: ry one thousand Seven hundred forty

four

Signd Seald Delivered in the presence of Rich Goodwin

Samuel Doveton

John Doveton

Richard Goodwin of St Helena, acting as lawful attorney for the heirs of James Bassett, now dead, sold a parcel of land to Martin Harper for £150 0s 0d. Goodwin held his authority under a letter of attorney dated 4 December 1734, and he had the full sum in hand before the papers were signed. He acknowledged that Harper had paid him in full.

The plot lay in the West Division of the island and measured 21 acres and a half. Its northern edge ran up against the land of Joseph Powell. On the east it bordered the land of Charles Steward, now dead, on the south the land of James Greentree, now dead, and on the west the land of Frances Wrangham, gentlewoman.

The land, with all the produce and benefits tied to it, now belonged to Harper, his heirs and their successors, to keep and to use however they saw fit. Goodwin, acting for the Bassett heirs and their successors, promised that Harper would hold and enjoy the ground in quiet possession from that time on, free of any burden or claim, whether from the heirs Goodwin represented or from anyone else. He undertook to defend the property against all comers.

Goodwin signed and sealed the sale on 12 February 1744. Samuel Doveton and John Doveton witnessed it.

Interpretations

Goodwin sold not as owner but as attorney for the heirs of the dead James Bassett, and the deed draws its whole authority from the letter of attorney of 4 December 1734. That instrument let him act for people who were absent or otherwise unable to manage the sale themselves, and fixing its date pinned down the source of his standing so no one could later dispute his right to convey the land.

At £150 0s 0d for 21 acres and a half, the ground sold at about £7 an acre, a middling rate for the West Division. Named holders bound the parcel on all four sides, two of them the estates of men now dead, Charles Steward and James Greentree, which places the land inside a settled run of neighbouring properties rather than on open ground.

Frances Wrangham held the western boundary in her own name, recorded as a gentlewoman. Her standing as a neighbouring holder reflects the island's practice of recognising widows and single women as holders of property alongside the men, and marks her as an established figure in the West Division.

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48V

Know all Men By these Presents That I Joshua Johnson

of the Island Sant Helena Planter for and in Consideration of the sum

of two Hundred and Thirty five Pounds of good and Currant Money of the said

Island to me in hand paid by Francis Wrangham Senior of the said Island

Planter as before the Sealing and Delivery of these Presents Have

given granted to bargained Sold and Delivered and by these Presents Do

Give Grant Bargain Sell and deliver unto the said Francis Wrangham

his Heirs Executors Administrators and Assigns All Those Twenty Acres

of Free Land Scituate lying and being at the Lower Part of James Vall town

Plain in the aforesaid Island Butting East and North on Lands belonging

to James Greentree Southern Land belonging to the said Joshua Johnson

and West on Land belonging to Joseph Powell And All Ways Waters

Watercourses Rights Members and Appurtenances to the said Twenty Acres

of Land or to any of them thereof belonging or Appurtaining And Also All

That Tenement or Building Scituate in James Valley late in the

Possession of Joseph Powell with the Yard Adjoyning to Thomas

Greentree and John Dispountain and the Garden or Spott of Ground

Opposite the said House Adjoyning to the House of Sarah Bayth Widow

and All the Appurtenances thereunto belonging And All My Right

Title and Intirest of me in to the same To have and to hold

the said Hereby Bargained Premisses and Every part and Parcell

thereof unto them the said Francis Wrangham His Heirs Executors

Administrators and Assigns for ever Provided Allways Neverthelefs

And it is the true intent and Meaning of these Presents and of the

Parties hereto That if the said Joshua Johnson his Heirs Executors

Administrators or Assigns or any of them do and shall well and Truly

Pay or Cause to be paid unto the said Francis Wrangham His Heirs

Executors Administrators or Assigns the said Sum of two hundred

and Thirty five Pounds of Lawfull Money as aforesaid with Intirest

for the same at ten Pounds per Annum on the fifteenth day

of June next Ensuning the date hereof without any Deduction or

Abatement Then this present Deed or Writing shall be Void and of

none Effect otherwayes to be and remain in full force and Vertue any

thing herein Contained to the Contrary hereof Notwithstanding In

Witness Whereof he the said Joshua Johnson hath hereunto set

his hand and Seal this fortyeth day of June in the Year of our Lord

one Thousand Seven Hundred and forty four

Sealed and delivered in the presence of Jos. Johnson

Richard Goodwin

Wm Wright

Joshua Johnson, a planter of St Helena, sold his land and a building in the town to Francis Wrangham for £235 0s 0d. Johnson had the full sum in hand, paid by Wrangham before the papers were signed.

The land came to 20 acres of freehold, lying at the lower part of Fryer Valley. Its eastern and northern edges ran up against ground belonging to James Greentree. On the south it bordered land held by Johnson himself, and on the west land belonging to Joseph Powell. The sale carried every right of water and watercourse and all the other benefits tied to the ground. It also took in a house or building in James Valley then held by Joseph Powell, standing next to the house of Thomas Greentree and John Defountaine, together with the garden or plot of ground opposite that house, which lay beside the house of Sarah Bayly, widow. Johnson passed over his whole right and interest in all of it.

The property now belonged to Wrangham, his heirs and their successors, to keep for good. One condition was attached. If Johnson, his heirs or their successors paid Wrangham £235 0s 0d, matching the sum already named, along with interest at 6 per cent a year from 24 June next, on the appointed day and without deduction, then the whole deed would fall void and count for nothing.

Johnson signed and sealed the arrangement on 40 [...] June 1744. Richard Goodwin and R. Wright witnessed it.

Interpretations

Behind the language of an outright sale, this deed was a mortgage. The repayment clause, matching the purchase sum and carrying interest at 6 per cent from 24 June, meant Johnson could recover the whole property by paying the money back on the fixed day. Wrangham advanced £235 0s 0d and took the land and the town house as security, and the transaction would only harden into a true sale if Johnson failed to repay. This was the standard way of raising money against land on the island, dressed as a conveyance so that title passed at once and the lender was protected.

The property fell into two parts, rural and urban. The 20 acres sat in Fryer Valley, bounded on three sides by the Greentree and Powell holdings and on the fourth by Johnson's own remaining land. The second part was a house in James Valley, wedged among the crowded town plots, each fixed by a neighbour's dwelling, with a separate garden across the way beside the widow Sarah Bayly's house. Pledging both together gave Wrangham a spread of security across country ground and town building alike.

The interest was set to run from 24 June, the feast of the Nativity of St John the Baptist and one of the usual quarter days for reckoning rents and debts. Tying the repayment and the interest to that fixed date gave both parties a firm point from which to count, following the metropolitan calendar of quarter days that governed such obligations in England.

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Know all Men by these Presents that I Benjamin Pledger

of the Island Sant Helena Planter Trustee appointed by the Worshipfull

Governour and Councill of the said Island for and on the behalf of the Orphans

of Joseph Hayes of the said Island Planter deceased who died intestate for

and in consideration of the sum of Seventy five Pounds of God and lawfull

money to me in hand paid at and before the Ensealing and delivery hereof by

John Collins of the said Island Soldier have given granted assigned and

Confirmed and by these Presents do give grant enfeoffe and confirm unto

him the said John Collins his Heirs Executors Administrators and Assigns

all that Housed Tenement containing Sixty five feet and a half in the Back

and Fourteen feet and three quarters in the front lying in James Valley

and Scituate between the Houses of Ebenezar Neale and Gabriel Harper

with all and Singular Chambers Rooms Lights Ways Watercourses Water

Easements Profitts Commodities and Appurtenances to the said House or

Tenement with him the said John Collins His Heirs Executors Administrators

and Assigns for ever to do and dispose thereof as he shall think fitt or proper And I

the said Benjamine Pledger do hereby for my self my Heirs Executors

Administrators and Assigns covenant promise and agree to and with the said

John Collins his Heirs Executors Administrators and Assigns that he they and

every one of them shall and may from time to time and at all times hereafter

have hold occupy and Possess the said hereby bargained House or Tenement

as aforesaid free and without any lett hindrance or Molestation by or from

me or by or from any other person or persons whatsoever and by and all

manner of Persons do hereby warrant to save and defend unto the said John

Collins his Heirs and Assigns and Against all Manner of Claim or

demand of Vit or unto the said House or Tenement made unto or made by

my Persons whatsoever warranting the same to be free and Clear of and from

all Manner of incumberances whatsoever In Witness whereof I the

said Benjamin Pledger have hereunto set my Hand and Seal in Sant

Helena this Sixth day of January in the Nineteenth Year of the reign

of our Soveraign Lord George the Second by the grace of God of Great

Brittain France and Ireland King defender of the Faith and so forth

and in the Year of our Lord one Thousand Seven Hundred and forty

Signed Sealed and Delivered Benj. Pledger

in the presence of us

C. Dixon

Tho. French

Benjamin Pledger, a planter of St Helena, sold a house in the town to John Collins for £75 0s 0d. Pledger acted as a trustee appointed by the Governor and Council of the island, standing in for the heirs of Joseph Hayes, a planter who had died leaving no will. He had the full sum in hand, paid by Collins before the papers were signed.

The property was a house measuring 65 feet and a half at the back and 14 feet and three quarters at the front. It stood in James Valley, set between the house of Ebenezer Peatt and that of Gabriel Harper. The sale carried every right of light, water and watercourse, along with all the benefits and appurtenances tied to the building.

The house now belonged to Collins, his heirs and their successors, to keep and to use however they saw fit. Pledger, for himself and his heirs, promised to leave Collins in quiet possession from that time on, free of any burden or claim, whether from Pledger or from anyone else, and undertook to defend the property against all comers.

Pledger signed and sealed the sale on 30 January 1740, in the thirteenth year of the reign of King George the Second. C. Dixon and Thomas French witnessed it.

Interpretations

Pledger sold not on his own account but as a trustee named by the Governor and Council to act for the heirs of Joseph Hayes, who had died without a will. When a man died leaving no instructions and his heirs could not or would not manage the estate, the council would appoint a trusted planter to gather and dispose of the property on their behalf. The £75 0s 0d raised here would have gone toward settling the dead man's affairs and providing for those entitled, with the council's appointment giving Pledger the standing to pass clear title.

The house was recorded by its exact frontage and depth, 14 feet and three quarters at the front widening to 65 feet and a half at the back. That precision reflects the tight packing of the James Valley town plots, where each building pressed against its neighbours and was fixed by the houses of Ebenezer Peatt and Gabriel Harper on either side. In so crowded a settlement the measured dimensions marked out exactly what passed, since there was no open ground to define the boundaries.

The rights of light and water named in the sale carried real weight in a town of closely built houses. A right of light protected a building's windows from being shut off by a neighbour's construction, and the rights of water and watercourse secured access to supply and drainage down the narrow valley. Spelling them out ensured Collins took not just the walls but the practical use of the house within its cramped surroundings.

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49V

Know all Men by these Presents that I William Warren of the Island

Helena Planter for and in Consideration of the sum of three Hundred Pounds of

Currant Money to me in hand Paid by My Son John Warren Likewise of the

said Island Planter at and before the Ensealing and Delivery hereof Have

Bargained Sold assigned Infeoffed and delivered and by these presents

Do Bargain Sell assign Infeoffe sett and deliver unto him the said John Warren

his Heirs Executors Administrators and assigns All that Peice or Parcell of land Scituate

in Sandy Bay Containing forty five Acres and an half Abutting and bounding

South upon the Lands of Charles Kinnare East upon the Lands of Matthew Durling

West upon the Lands of Joseph Bates and North upon the Lands

of the Honourable Company together with all and Singular the Ways Waters

Watercourses Buildings Buildings House Edifice Yards Plantations trees and all

also the Rights Commodities and Appurtenances thereunto belonging To have

and to hold All and Singular the said hereby Bargained Premisas and

every Part and Parcell thereof unto him the said John Warren his Heirs

He And I the said William Warren do for my Self my Heirs Administrators

Do Promise and agree to and with the said John Warren his heirs &c that he

they and every of them shall may and do from time to time and at all times

hereafter have Hold Occupy and Injoy the said hereby Bargained Premisas

for ever without any lett Hindrance or Molestation by or from me or by or

from any Other Person or persons whatsoever and against All Manner

of Persons do hereby Warrant to save and defend him the said John

Warren his Heirs &c and against all Manner of Claim and Demand

of in or unto the said Premises made or to be made by any Person or Persons

whatsoever haveing Obtained Liberty of the Government and Councill sits

do as will Appeare upon reference being had to Consultation of 4th May

1742 Warranting the same to be free and Clear of and from All Manner

of Incumbrances Whatsoever In Witness whereof I the said William

Warren have hereunto set My Hand and Seale in St. Helena this

Eleventh Day of June 1748

Signed Sealed and Delivered Wm Worrall

in the Presence of us

William Buffett

I do hereby oblidge my self to Make over by Deed of Mortgage the within

the within mentioned forty two Acres and half unto Mr Charles Steward for

the summ of onehundred and fifty Pounds Currant Money of this

Island

William Worrall, a planter of St Helena, sold a parcel of land to John Warren, also a planter of the island, for £300 0s 0d. Worrall had the full sum in hand, paid by Warren before the papers were signed.

The land lay in Sandy Bay and measured 42 acres and a half. On the south it ran up against the land of Charles Pinniar, on the east the land of Matthew Pusling, on the west the land of Joseph Bates, and on the north the land of the Company. The sale carried every right of water and watercourse, along with the buildings, house, plantations, trees and all the other benefits tied to the ground.

The land now belonged to Warren, his heirs and their successors, to keep for good. Worrall, for himself and his heirs, promised to leave Warren in quiet possession from that time on, free of any burden or claim, whether from Worrall or from anyone else, and undertook to defend the property against all comers. He had obtained leave for the sale from the Governor and Council, as recorded in the consultation of 5 May 1742.

Worrall signed and sealed the sale on 11 June 1744. William Buffett witnessed it.

A note added below recorded that Warren bound himself to convey the 42 acres and a half by way of mortgage to Charles Steward for £150 0s 0d.

Interpretations

Worrall could not sell the land freely on his own decision. He first had to secure the leave of the Governor and Council, set down in the consultation of 5 May 1742, before the transfer could stand. This reflects the control the Company kept over dealings in island land, where holders needed official consent to pass their ground to another, and citing the consultation date fixed the authority behind the sale.

At £300 0s 0d for 42 acres and a half, the ground sold at about £7 an acre, a fair rate for Sandy Bay land carrying a house and plantations. Named holders bound the parcel on three sides, with the Company's own land to the north, which shows the plot sat at the settled edge of the district against unenclosed ground.

The note beneath the deed shows Warren mortgaging the very land he had just bought to Charles Steward for £150 0s 0d, half the price he had paid. A buyer raising money against fresh-bought ground was a common step, letting Warren fund part of his purchase or free up cash by pledging the land as security while keeping possession and use of it.

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Island to which he hath Lent me and thereby I have been Able to Make the within

Purchase the above summ is Payable together with the Intrest of 6 P Cent at the

Expiration of two Years from the Date hereof otherwise the Sum of the aforesaid

Deed of Sale to be void I bound my self to Make to Mr Steward with in 20 days

owning to Confirm with as Witness my Hand in St. Helena this 11th Day of June

1748

Witness Jams Worrall

G: G: Powell

William Buffett

This Indenture made this ninth day of March in the Year of our Lord

one Thousand Seven Hundred and Forty three Between Martin Harper of the Island

St. Helena Freeholder and Francis Wrangham Sen: of the said Island

Freeholder Witnesseth that the said Martin Harper for and in consideration

of the sum of One Hundred Pounds Currant Money of this Island to him in hand paid

by the aforesaid Francis Wrangham at and before the Ensealing and Delivery

hereof the receipt Money he doth acknowledge the Receipt thereof and every said Money hath

acquit and discharge the said Francis Wrangham his Executors Heirs and Assigns

and every of them by these Presents for ever hath granted Bargained and Sold

And by these Presents doth grant bargain and sell for him and his Heirs and

Assigns unto the said Francis Wrangham his Heirs and Assigns All that Peice

or Parcell of Land containing by Mensuration Twenty one Acres and an half

free hold Land Scituate in the West Division of the said Island Butting and

Bounding North upon the Lands of Joseph Powell East upon the Lands of

the Late Martin Steward deceased South upon the Lands of Isaacc and Martin Harper

and West upon the Lands of him the said Francis Wrangham And for the better

Explanation thereof nominate and Express that these said Twenty one Acres

and half of freehold Land which hereby I mortgage or Intend Land Twise all the

Right Title and Property whatsoever of him the said Martin Harper of or to

the said Bargained Premisses and of every Part and Parcell thereof as also all

Deeds and Writtings that Concern the said Premises in any thereof To have

and to hold all and Singular the said Parcell of Land Containing Twenty one

Acres and an half unto him the said Francis Wrangham his Heirs Executors

or Assigns from the day of the date of these Presents untill the twelfth day of

June which shall happen in the Year of Our Lord One Thousand Seven

Hundred and forty five without Impeachment Provided always and upon

The page carries two separate items, and each is rewritten in turn.

The first completes a bond by John Warren of St Helena. The purchase money was to be repaid together with interest at 6 per cent, running to the end of two years from the date of the bond. If Warren failed to repay by then, the deed of sale would take full effect. He bound himself to make the transfer to Charles Steward within 20 days of being asked to do so. Warren set his hand in St Helena on 11 June 1744. The witnesses were Joseph Powell and Stephen Buffett.

The second item was an indenture made on 9 March 1743 between Martin Harper of St Helena and Francis Wrangham, gentleman, of the island. Harper mortgaged a parcel of land to Wrangham for £100 0s 0d, which he had in hand before the papers were signed. He acknowledged the payment in full and released Wrangham from any further claim on it.

The land measured 21 acres and a half of freehold by a recent survey, lying in the West Division of the island. On the north it ran up against the land of Joseph Powell, on the east the land of Martin Steward, now dead, on the south the land of Wrangham himself and of Martin Harper, and on the west the land of Wrangham. For clearer identity the deed set out that these 21 acres and a half were the same ground Harper was pledging, with all his right, property and interest in it, together with every benefit tied to it.

Wrangham was to hold the 21 acres and a half from the date of the deed until 12 June in the year 1745, without hindrance, subject to a condition set out below.

Interpretations

Both items are mortgages rather than outright sales, and each hangs on a repayment clause that would undo the transfer. Warren's bond fixed a two-year window and a rate of 6 per cent, with the sale of land springing into force only if he failed to pay. Harper's indenture set a shorter term, running just over 15 months to 12 June 1745. In each the lender took land as security and would keep it for good only if the borrower defaulted, the standard device on the island for raising money against ground while passing formal title at once.

Harper's parcel is the same 21 acres and a half in the West Division that Richard Goodwin, acting for the Bassett heirs, had sold him on 12 February 1744 for £150 0s 0d. Within weeks of buying the land Harper pledged it to Francis Wrangham for £100 0s 0d, using the fresh purchase to raise most of its value back in cash. The boundaries match those of the earlier sale, save that Harper now appears as a holder on the south and Martin Steward, now dead, takes the place recorded before as Charles Steward's.

The deed notes that the acreage rested on a recent survey. Fixing the figure by a fresh measurement mattered when the land was to stand as security, since both borrower and lender needed the extent settled beyond dispute before money changed hands against it.

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Condition that the said Martin Harper his Heirs or Assigns do or any

of them do well and truly pay or Cause to be paid unto him the said Francis

Wrangham his Heirs or Assigns Yea the Sum of one hundred Pounds

with Intrest at the Rate of five P Cent P Annum clear of all Taxes charges

or Assignments whatsoever in it or upon the said Ninth day June aforesaid

Two Hundred and forty five as aforesaid That then this Present grand

Bargain and Sale of all and every of the Premises Cease and be Utterly

Void or no Effect or else the same shall stand in full force and Vertue any thing

in these Presents to the contrary Notwithstanding In Witness whereof

he the said Martin Harper hath hereunto sett his hand and Seale the day

and Year aforesaid Martin Harper

Signed Sealed and Delivered

In the Presence of us

Edwin Black

F. Wrangham Junr.

Know all Men by these presents that I Francis Wrangham

Senr. of the Island St. Helena for and in Consideration of the sum of one

Hundred Pounds of good and Currant Money of the said Island Have and by

these Presents do for my self my Heirs Executors Administrators and Assigns

Make over and deliver unto Francis Steward Junr. of Greenwichin the

County of Surry Grannin all my Right Title and Intirest to and in the

within Mentioned Twentyone Acres and an half free hold Land with all

the Appurtenances thereunto belonging To have and to hold unto him the

said Francis Steward for the term and on Conditions in the within Deed

Mentioned In Witness Whereof I the said Francis Wrangham have here

unto sett his hand and Seale this 26 day of June 1744

Signed & Sealed Fra. Wrangham

in the Presence of us

Francis Steward Junr.

F. Wrangham Junr.

If Harper, his heirs or their successors paid Wrangham £100 0s 0d, together with interest at 6 per cent a year and free of all taxes and charges, on the appointed 9 June in the year 1745, then the sale set out in the earlier deed would fall void and count for nothing. If the money was not paid, the deed would stand in full force. Harper set his hand and seal on the day already named. The witnesses were Edward Black and F. Wrangham junior.

Francis Wrangham junior of St Helena then made a further deed. For £100 0s 0d, which he had received, he transferred to Francis Steward junior of Greenwich, in the county of Surrey, the debt owing to him along with its interest, and the same 21 acres and a half of freehold land described before, with all the benefits tied to it. Steward was to hold the land on the same terms and subject to the same condition already set out. Wrangham signed and sealed the transfer on 26 June 1744. The witnesses were Francis Steward junior and F. Wrangham junior.

Interpretations

The two deeds together trace a mortgage debt passing out of the island. Harper's condition fixed 9 June 1745 as the day for repaying the £100 0s 0d with interest, the borrower keeping the right to recover his land by paying on time. Wrangham then assigned the whole benefit of that debt, and the security behind it, to Francis Steward of Greenwich. By this step the money owed by an island planter became an asset held by a man in England, the land in the West Division standing as security for a creditor across the sea.

Steward took not the land outright but the lender's position, the right to be repaid and to keep the ground only if Harper defaulted. Naming him as of Greenwich in Surrey marks him as a party settled in the metropolis, and the assignment shows how obligations raised on St Helena could be moved to distant holders through the paper that carried the debt.

The requirement that repayment be made free of all taxes and charges shifted the burden of any levy on the transaction onto Harper. Setting this out protected the creditor's return, ensuring the £100 0s 0d and its interest reached him whole rather than reduced by charges laid on the land or the payment.

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Know all men by these Presents That I Joshua Johnson of the

Island St. Helena Planter for and in consideration of the Sum of two Hundred

Pounds of Currant money to me in hand paid at and before the Sealing and delivery

hereof the receipt of which I do hereby Acknowledge and my self to be therewith

fully paid and contented have bargained sold and delivered and by these

Presents do for my self my Heirs Executors Administrators assigns bargain

set over and assign deliver unto Joseph Dowell of the said Island Planter

all my right Title Intrest and property to and in one Messuage or dwelling

House Situate in James Valley with Garden Yard and all other Appurtinances

thereunto belonging lying between the Houses now or late belonging to John

French, Richard Beale To have and to hold the said hereby bargained

premises and every part and parcell thereof to him the said Joseph Dowell

his heirs Executors Administrators or Assigns for ever to sell give bequeath

or dispose thereof as he they or either of them shall think fitt or proper

And Doe for my self my Heirs Executors Administrators or Assigns hereby

warrant to save harmless defend him the said Joseph Dowell his Heirs or

Assigns in the Peaceable and quiet Possession of the premises And of every

part thereof against all manner of Demands whatsoever Claiming or Challenging

any right Title or Intrest to or in the said premises or to or in any part

or parcel thereof In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and

Seal this Day of March in the year of our Lord one thousand seven

hundred and forty four

Signed Sealed and delivered Jos: Johnson

in the Presence of

James Greentree

John Swaith N.B. the day of the month is not in the original

Bill of Sale

Joshua Johnson, a planter of St Helena, sold a house in the town to Joseph Powell, also a planter of the island, for £200 0s 0d. Johnson had the full sum in hand before the papers were signed, and he acknowledged the payment in full.

Johnson passed over his whole right and interest in a house in James Valley, together with its garden, yard and all the benefits tied to it. The house stood between the dwellings of Gabriel French and Richard Beale.

The house now belonged to Powell, his heirs and their successors, to keep and to use however they saw fit. Johnson, for himself and his heirs, promised to defend Powell in quiet possession from that time on, against any claim or demand from anyone asserting a right to the property or any part of it.

Johnson signed and sealed the sale in March 1744. James Greentree and John Twaite witnessed it. A note recorded that the day of the month did not appear in the original bill of sale.

Interpretations

The house was fixed only by the dwellings of Gabriel French and Richard Beale on either side, with no measurements given. In the crowded run of James Valley plots a building was often identified by its neighbours alone, each house pressed against the next down the narrow valley, so the names of the adjoining holders marked out exactly what changed hands.

The price of £200 0s 0d matched the top of the range for James Valley houses and marks this as a dwelling of some standing, its garden and yard adding to the value. The sale carried Johnson's whole interest rather than a share, so Powell took the property outright.

The clerk's note that the day of the month was missing from the original shows the register keeper recording the sale as he found it, without supplying a date the source did not give. Leaving the gap open rather than filling it kept the entry faithful to the paper before him.

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Know all men by these Presents That I Joseph Dowell of the

Island St. Helena Planter for and in Consideration of the Sum

of one Hundred and Twenty Seven pounds of lawfull money

to me in hand paid at and before the Insealing and delivery

hereof by John Godwin likewise of the said Island the Receipt

of which I do hereby acknowledge my self therewith to be fully

paid and Contented Have bargained sold and delivered and

and by these Presents do for my self my Heirs Executors

Administrators or assigns bargain sell over and assign

all my right Title to the within mentioned House and

all the Appurtinances thereunto belonging to be Quietly

Enjoyed by him and his Heirs forever In Wittness whereof

I have hereunto sett my Hand and Seal this Seventeenth

Day of Sep. in the Year of our Lord one Thousand Seven

Hundred and forty four

Signed Sealed and Joseph Dowell

Delivered (where no stampt

paper is to be had) in the

Presence of

John Cook

Sam: Dowell

Know all men by these Presents that I George Gab: Powell

of the Island St. Helena Attorney for the Administrators & Creditors of James

Cassoro decd for and in Consideration of the sum of one Hundred Eighty three

Pounds nineteen Shillings & 7 in good and Currant Money of the said Island

to me in hand paid at and before the Insealing & delivery hereof By Richard

Godwin of Man in Island the Receipt of which I do hereby Acknowledge

have Alienated Bargained Sold and Delivered and by these Presents do

delivered Bargain Sell and deliver unto the said Richard Godwin and his

Heirs for Ever all and Singular that Peice or Parcel of Land containing four

Acres and three Quarters of an Acre Butting & Bounding North upon the Lands

of John Youngs Orphdens West Partly upon Lands of Charles Stewards

Orphdens and Partly upon the Lands of Samuel Doveton together with all and

Singular the Ways Waters Sewers Wharfs & Priviledges thereunto belonging

or Appurtaining To have and to hold the said hereby Bargain

Premisses & every Part & Parcel thereof Unto himselfe & Richard Godwin

Joseph Powell, a planter of St Helena, sold his interest in a house to John Goodwin, also of the island, for £127 0s 0d. Powell had the full sum in hand before the papers were signed, and he acknowledged the payment in full.

Powell passed over his whole right in the house described within, together with all the benefits tied to it, so that Goodwin and his heirs might hold it in quiet possession for good.

Powell signed and sealed the sale on 17 September 1744. A line beside his name recorded that no stamped paper had been available when the deed was drawn up. John Carle and Samuel Powell witnessed it.

George Gabriel Powell of St Helena, acting as attorney for the administrators and creditors of James Bassett, now dead, sold a parcel of land to Richard Goodwin for £182 19s 0d. Powell had the full sum in hand before the papers were signed, and he acknowledged the payment in full.

The plot measured 42 acres and three quarters. On the north it ran up against the land of John Young's orphans, on the west partly against the land of Charles Steward, and partly against the land of Samuel Doveton. The sale carried every right of water and watercourse, along with all the benefits tied to the ground.

The land now belonged to Goodwin, his heirs and their successors, to keep for good.

Interpretations

George Gabriel Powell sold not as owner but as attorney for the administrators and creditors of the dead James Bassett. When a man died in debt, the creditors had a claim on his estate, and an attorney appointed to act for them could sell the land to raise money toward what was owed. The £182 19s 0d raised here would have gone toward settling Bassett's debts, with the sale routed through Powell so clear title could pass to the buyer.

At £182 19s 0d for 42 acres and three quarters, the ground sold at a little over £4 an acre, a modest rate that points to plain or lightly improved land. The odd shillings in the price suggest a figure reached by measured survey and calculation rather than a round bargain struck between the parties.

The same Bassett estate had already yielded a sale of 21 acres and a half to Martin Harper on 12 February 1744, handled by Richard Goodwin as attorney. Here a further and larger parcel passed to that same Richard Goodwin, now as buyer, with George Gabriel Powell acting for the creditors. The estate of the dead man was being broken up and sold off piece by piece to meet the claims against it.

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his Heirs & Assigns for Ever to do and dispose thereof as he they or either of them shall

think Proper without any manner of Lett hindrance or Molestation from any

Manner of Person or Persons whatsoever In Witness whereof I have hereunto

Sett my Hand and Seale in the Name of the Administrators & Creditors of the said

In St. Helena this Eighteenth day of June 1744

Signed Sealed Delivered G: G: Powell

in the Presence of us Attorney for the

Jonathan Cope Bond Creditors of

James Powell James Cassoro decd

Know all Men by these Presents that Joseph Powell of the said Island

Saint Helena Planter for and in Consideration of the sum of two Hundred

Pounds of Lawfull Money of the said Island Hath granted Bargained

Sold Aliened Transferd and Sett over And by these Presents Doth grant Bargain

Sell Aliegn Transfer and Sell over unto James Greentree of the said Island

Planter his Heirs and Assigns All those two Acres Acres of Free Land Scituate

lying and being in the said Island at the Head of James Valley Butting and

Bounding East West and South upon certain Land belonging to the said

James Greentree and Susanna Greentree and South upon what Land belonging

to the Honble East Indian Company And Also All that Messuage or

Tenement or Dwelling House Standing and being in the said Island together

with allways Waters Watercourses Woods Waste Houses Outhouses Edifices

Lands & Buildings on the same with the same being Part thereof belonging

or any wise Appertaining with their and Every of their Rights Members and

Appurtenances To have and To hold the said hereby Bargained

Premisses and every Part and Parcell thereof unto him the said

James Greentree his Heirs and Assigns To his and their use for ever And the

said Joseph Powell doth hereby for him self his Heirs Executors administrators

and Assigns Covenant Promise and Agree to and with the said James Greentree

his Heirs and Assigns that he the said James Greentree his Heirs and assigns

shall and may from time to time and at all times hereafter have hold

Occupy Possess and Enjoy the afore Bargained Premisses and every Part

thereof without any Lett Lett Hindrance or Molestation of the said Joseph

Powell his Heirs Executors administrators or assigns or any other Person or

Persons Claiming or to Claime by from or Under him whom or any of them and

that the said Joseph Powell his Heirs Executors Adms & Assigns shall and

will Save harmless and keep Indemnified the said James Greentree

his Heirs and Assigns of from and Against all Claimes Demands or the said

Premisses whatsoever In Witness Whereof the said Joseph Powell hath

hereunto Sett his Hand and Seale this twenty Ninth day of June in the

Year of our Lord one Thousand Seven hundred and forty four

Sealed and delivered Sett Greentree Joseph Powell

in the Presence of Susanna Green

Benjamin Mason

The land now belonged to Richard Goodwin, his heirs and their successors, to keep and to use however they saw fit, free of any hindrance or claim from anyone. George Gabriel Powell set his hand and seal in St Helena on 18 June 1744, acting for the administrators and creditors of the dead James Bassett. Jonathan Cape and James Powell witnessed it.

Joseph Powell, a planter of St Helena, sold a parcel of land and a house to James Greentree for £200 0s 0d. Powell had the full sum in hand before the papers were signed, and he passed over the property to Greentree, his heirs and their successors.

The plot measured two acres of freehold, lying at the head of Lemon Valley. On the east, west and south it ran up against land belonging to James Greentree and Susanna Greentree, and on the south also against land of the Company. The sale carried a house or dwelling standing on the ground, together with every right of water and watercourse, and all the sheds, outhouses, buildings and other benefits tied to it.

The land and the house now belonged to Greentree, his heirs and their successors, to keep for good. Joseph Powell, for himself and his heirs, promised to leave Greentree in quiet possession from that time on, free of any burden or claim, whether from Powell or from anyone else, and undertook to defend the property against all comers.

Powell signed and sealed the sale on 20 June 1744. Sib Greentree, Francis Junge and Benjamin Mason witnessed it.

Interpretations

The two acres were bounded on three sides by the land of James and Susanna Greentree, the very buyer and a member of his household, with the Company's ground on the fourth. A plot wrapped almost entirely by one family's holding was worth most to that family, since buying it closed a gap and left no awkward strip in another's hands. The sale rounded off the Greentree ground at the head of Lemon Valley into a single block.

At £200 0s 0d for two acres carrying a house, the price ran far above any rate for bare land, which fixes the value in the dwelling and its outbuildings rather than the acreage. The sheds, house and watercourses named in the deed account for the sum, since two acres of open ground alone would have fetched a small fraction of it.

The appearance of Susanna Greentree as a holder alongside James reflects the island's practice of recording women as holders of land in their own right. Her name among the bounding neighbours marks her as an established presence in the family's Lemon Valley ground.

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Know all Men by these Presents that I John Godwin of the Island

St. Helena Gentleman for and in Consideration of the sum of Twenty Nine Pounds of

Currant Money to me in hand paid and before the Ensealing and Delivery

hereof by Richard Godwin likewise of the said Island the Receipt of which

I do hereby acknowledge my self to be therewith fully paid and satisfied Have and

bargained sold and delivered and by these Presents Do

for my Self my Heirs &c: Aliened Bargain Sell assigned Deliver unto him

the said Richard Godwin his Heirs Executors Administrators & Assigns All and

Singular that Peice or Parcell of Freehold Land containing five Acres

Part and Parcell of ten Acres of Land formerly belonging to Walter Morris

lying upon and part the House of him the said Richard Goodwin now Standett

to have & to hold the same three Acres of Land or in this Mans favor And also one

other Peice or Parcell of Free Land containing five Acres adjoyning to the other

three Before mentioned Parcell of three Acres of freehold Land whereto I have leave to

Aliegn as will Appear by one Consultation of the 24 October 1727 to have and to

hold unto him the said Richard Godwin his Heirs & Assigns untill the Expiration

of the said Lease with all and all Enter Rights Commodities & Appurtinances

belonging or either of the said Peice or Parcell of Land belonging without any Lett

Hindrance or Molestation by or from me my Heirs &c: Administrators or

Assigns or from or by any other Person or Persons whatsoever by any Means Coment

Privity Command Requerill Manner of Persons do hereby Warrant Delivered

Bienefits & Defend the said Herein Richard Goodwin his Heirs or Assigns in

the Peaceble & Quiet Possession of the Premises & of every Part thereof In

Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand & Seal this 29 day of

April in the Year of our Lord one Thousand Seven hundred &c: forty

Signed Sealed John Goodwin

Delivered in the Presence of us

Joshua Johnson

James Wright

Know all Men by these Presents that I Samuel Doveton of the

Island St. Helena Planter for and Consideration of the sum of one Hundred

and forty Pounds of God and Currant Money of the said Island to me in hand

paid by John Warren Planter of the said Island Do hereby

Aliegn Sell Make over all my Right Title Intrest and Claim to and in the

within Mentioned Twenty Seven and Half Acres of Lease Land and all that the

Premises

John Goodwin of St Helena sold two parcels of land to Richard Goodwin for £29 0s 0d. John Goodwin had the full sum in hand before the papers were signed, and he acknowledged the payment in full, passing over the property to Richard Goodwin, his heirs and their successors.

The first parcel measured two acres of freehold, part of a larger holding that had once belonged to Walter Morris and lay near a house now held by Richard Goodwin himself. Richard Goodwin was to hold these two acres to himself and his heirs.

The second parcel measured five acres of leasehold, lying next to the first. Richard Goodwin held this ground under a lease, as set out in a consultation of 24 October 1737, and was to hold it for the remainder of the lease's term, with all the produce, benefits and appurtenances tied to it. John Goodwin promised to leave Richard Goodwin in quiet possession of both parcels from that time on, free of any burden or claim, whether from himself or from anyone else, and undertook to defend the property against all comers.

John Goodwin signed and sealed the sale on 29 June 1744. Joshua Johnson and James Wright witnessed it.

Jonathan Doveton, a planter of St Helena, transferred his interest in a leasehold to Martin Harper, a planter of the island, for £150 0s 0d. Doveton had the full sum in hand before the papers were signed. He passed over his whole right and interest in 27 acres and a half of leasehold land described within, together with everything belonging to it.

Interpretations

The sale from John Goodwin joined two kinds of tenure in a single bargain, two acres held outright as freehold and five acres held under a lease. The freehold passed to Richard Goodwin and his heirs for good, while the leasehold could pass only for the years left on its term, as fixed by the consultation of 24 October 1737. Naming that consultation pinned down the source and length of the lease, so the buyer knew exactly what he took and for how long.

The first parcel is traced back to Walter Morris as its earlier holder, and the transfer set it beside a house Richard Goodwin already held. Ground that once formed part of another man's holding and now lay against the buyer's own property was worth most to him, since it closed out a fragment and rounded off his ground.

The modest price of £29 0s 0d for seven acres of mixed tenure reflects both the small acreage and the limited nature of the leasehold, which carried only the remainder of a term rather than a lasting title. Land held for a fixed span of years was worth less than freehold, and the price gathered both parcels into one low sum.

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Premises thereunto belonging unto him the said Gabriel Harper his Heirs for

ever Having first Obtained Liberty of the Worshipfull the Gov: and Councill

as I do which Appears in Consultation of the 17 of April 1744 to do & dispose

of as he & they Shall think fitt without any Manner of Interruption or

Molestations from any Person or Persons whatsoever & besides the said Gabriel

Harper Shall truly comply with the Conditions of the within Lease

In Witness whereof I have hereunto Set my Hand and Seal in

St. Helena this 21 April 1744

Signed Sealed and delivered Samuel Doveton

in the Presence of us

Richard Winter

John Dispountain

Know all Men by these Presents that I Matthew Durling of the Island

St. Helena Executor to the last Will and Testament of Peter Dorling deced by

Vertue of the Law and Authority granted in one Consultation bearing date the

13 May 1741 and for and in consideration of the sum of fifty five Pounds

to me before the delivery hereof by John Lock likewise of the said Island Have

and by these Presents do for my self and on behalf of my Wife Brothers Executors

of Peter deced for my self my Heirs administrators Do assign that Assign and

and deliver All the Right Title or Interest that each or either of us have to and in

that Peice or Parcell of Land containing Seventy three Acres lying in the Right

Devision of the said Island in that part Called James Valley To have and to

hold the said Parcell of Land unto him the said Joseph Lock his Heirs and

Assigns for and during All the Space or Sum of Years yet to Come as expresed in the

said Lease In Witness whereof I the said Matthew Durling have

Set my hand and Seal this Seventy first day of Feb: ry one Thousand

Seven hundred & forty four

Signed Sealed and Delivered Signed Matthew Durling

in the Presence of us

John Cook

Joseph Kendall

The 27 acres and a half of leasehold, with all the benefits tied to it, now belonged to Gabriel Harper and his heirs, to keep and to use however they saw fit, free of any burden or claim from anyone. Doveton had first secured leave for the transfer from the Governor and Council, as recorded in the consultation of 17 April 1744, and Harper was bound to keep to the conditions of the lease. Doveton signed and sealed the transfer in St Helena on 26 April 1744. Richard Winter and John Defountaine witnessed it.

Matthew Pinching of St Helena, executor named in the will of John Ware, now dead, sold a parcel of leasehold to John Lack for £100 0s 0d. Pinching acted under authority granted to him in a consultation of 30 April 1741, and he had the full sum in hand before the papers were signed. He passed over, for himself and on behalf of Ware's other heirs and executors, their whole right and interest in the ground to Lack and his heirs.

The plot measured 23 acres of leasehold, lying in the East Division of the island, part of a larger holding known as Deep Valley. Lack was to hold the ground for the remainder of the lease's term, subject to the yearly rent set out in the lease. Pinching signed and sealed the sale on 21 February 1744. John Carle and Joseph Kendall witnessed it.

Interpretations

Doveton could not pass on his leasehold freely. He needed the leave of the Governor and Council, entered in the consultation of 17 April 1744, before the transfer could stand, and Harper had to take on the conditions already fixed in the lease. This reflects the control the Company kept over leasehold ground, where a tenant could not simply hand his interest to another without official consent and without binding the new holder to the same terms.

Pinching sold not on his own account but as executor for the dead John Ware, acting for the estate under authority granted in the consultation of 30 April 1741. An executor gathering in and disposing of a dead man's leasehold needed a clear grant of power to do so, and citing the consultation fixed the source of his standing so the sale could pass good title.

Both parcels were leasehold rather than freehold, so each passed only for the years left on its term and remained subject to the yearly rent owed to the Company. Land held under lease carried a lesser interest than freehold, since the holder took the use of the ground for a span of years while the Company kept the ultimate title and the right to its rent.

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Know all men by these Presents that I John Goodwin of the Island

St. Helena Gentleman for and in Consideration of the sum of three Hundred and

Eighty Pounds currant money of the said Island to me in hand paid at and before the

Insealing and delivery thereof by Richard Goodwin of the said Island Planter

the Receipt of which I do hereby Acknowledge have and by these Presents

Do for my self my Heirs Executors Administrators or Assigns bargained

and Sell and by these Presents do bargain and Sell grant give and deliver unto

him the said Richard Goodwin his Heirs and Assigns for ever All and Singular

those twelve acres of freehold Land lying in the West Devision of this Island

together with all and Singular the Profits Commodities and Appurtenances

accounts belonging or appertaining to have to hold the hereby

bargained Premisses and every Part and Parcel thereof unto him the

Richard Goodwin his Heirs Executors Administrators or Assigns And you

and John Goodwin do hereby for my self my Heirs Executors Administrators or

Assigns Promise and agree to and with the said Richard Goodwin his Heirs Executors

Administrators or Assigns that he May and every of them shall may and do from

Time to time and at all times hereafter use hold occupy and Enjoy the said

hereby Bargained Premisses and all and every Part and Parcel thereof without

any manner of Lett Hindrance Molestation by or from me or by or from any

futter Executor or Heirs whatsoever and against All manner of Persons

do hereby warrant to save harmless me Defend him the said Richard

Goodwin his Heirs Executors Administrators or Assigns and against all Manner

of Claims or demand of in or unto these Premisses made or to be made by any Person

or Persons whatsoever Warranting me have to be free and Clear of and from

all Manner of Incumbrances whatsoever So Witness whereof I the said

John Goodwin do hereunto sett my hand and Seal this thirtieth day of

March in the Seventeenth Year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lord George

the Second and in the Year of our Lord 1743

Signed sealed & Delivered John Goodwin

Where no stampt paper is to be had

in the Presence of us

John Cook

Francis Wrangham Junr.

Joseph Dowell

St. Helena June 10th 1743 Received of Mr Richard

Goodwin the sum of Three Hundred & Eighty Pounds for the within Mentioned

Premisses as also for twelve Acres of Freehold Land which is Adjoyning to the aforesaid Land

Witness John Goodwin

Francis Wrangham Junr.

John Cook

Jos: Dowell

John Goodwin, a gentleman of St Helena, sold a parcel of land to Richard Goodwin, a planter of the island, for £380 0s 0d. John Goodwin had the full sum in hand before the papers were signed, and he acknowledged the payment in full, passing over the property to Richard Goodwin, his heirs and their successors.

The plot came to three parcels of freehold, lying in the West Division of the island, together with all the produce, benefits and appurtenances tied to the ground. Richard Goodwin was to hold the land to himself and his heirs for good. John Goodwin, for himself and his heirs, promised to leave Richard Goodwin in quiet possession from that time on, free of any burden or claim, whether from himself or from anyone else, and undertook to defend the property against all comers.

John Goodwin signed and sealed the sale on 30 [...] 1743, in the reign of King George the Second. A line beside his name recorded that no stamped paper had been available when the deed was drawn up. John Carle, Francis Wrangham junior and Joseph Doveton witnessed it.

A receipt added below recorded that on 30 [...] 1743 John Goodwin received from Richard Goodwin £380 0s 0d for the land described, together with 12 acres of leasehold lying next to it. Francis Wrangham junior, John Carle and Joseph Doveton witnessed the receipt.

Interpretations

The receipt reveals that the bargain took in more than the deed itself set out. Alongside the three parcels of freehold sold for £380 0s 0d, Richard Goodwin also gained 12 acres of leasehold lying next to them. Recording the leasehold in the receipt rather than the body of the deed kept the two kinds of tenure apart, since the freehold passed for good while the leasehold carried only the years left on its term.

At £380 0s 0d for three parcels of West Division freehold, with 12 acres of adjoining leasehold folded in, the price marks a substantial holding of developed or well-placed ground. The land bought here adjoined other Goodwin property, part of a steady gathering of West Division ground into the family's hands across these years.

The note that no stamped paper could be had gave formal cover for the absence of the taxed paper that English law required for legal instruments. A remote island could not keep such stock on hand, and the phrase recurs across St Helena's records through these years, letting deeds stand despite the missing stamps.

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Know all Men by these presents That I John Goodwin of the Island

Saint Helena Gentleman for and in Consideration of the Sum of Twenty Shillings

of Lawfull Money of the said Island to me in hand paid by Richard Goodwin

of the said Island Planter (the receipt whereof I do hereby Acknowledge) at or

before the Insealing & Delivery of these presents Have by these presents do

Assign Transfer & Sett over unto the said Richard Goodwin his Executors

Administrators and Assigns All my Right Title and Interest of in and to

Twelve Acres of Lease Land part of the within mentioned forty six Acres

which were late in the possession of Margaret Goodwin Widow with the

Appurtenances To have and to hold unto the said Richard Goodwin his

Executors Administrators and Assigns for and during All the term thereof &

remainder of the Term within Granted Subject to the said Conditions in the

said Lease mentioned In Witness Whereof I the said John Goodwin have

hereunto Set my hand & Seal this Sixteenth day of Aprill in the

Seventeenth Year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lord George the Second by

the Grace of God of Great Britain France and Ireland King Defender

of the Faith and so forth And in the Year of our Lord 1745

Signed John Goodwin

Sealed & Delivered

in the presence of

Robt Wright

Jno: Dowall

Mem. leave for this assignment is granted

in Consultation of 26 day of February 1744

Know all Men by these Presents that I Samuel Doveton Planter of

the Island St. Helena for and in Consideration of the Sum of one hundred & fifty

Pounds of the Currant Money of the said Island to me in hand paid by James Doveton

of the said Island likewise Planter at the Insealing & Delivery of these presents the receipt

Whereof I do hereby Acknowledge and my Self therewith to be fully paid & satisfied

Have granth bargained & Sold and Assign unto the said James Sett his Heirs

and Assigns all that Messuage or dwelling house Situate in James Valley next

or aside to the Black House In The other Side next Adjoining to the

Messuage or dwelling House belonging to James deced together with all and

Singular the Buildings, Wash Yard and Passages Waterworks to the said

Messuage

John Goodwin, a gentleman of St Helena, transferred his interest in a leasehold to Richard Goodwin, a planter of the island, for £1 0s 0d. John Goodwin had the sum in hand before the papers were signed, and he acknowledged the payment in full.

John Goodwin passed over his whole right and interest in 12 acres of leasehold land, part of the larger holding of 46 acres described in the earlier deed. This ground had once been held by Margaret Legg, widow. Richard Goodwin was to hold the 12 acres, together with everything belonging to them, to himself and his heirs for the remainder of the lease's term, subject to the conditions fixed in the lease.

John Goodwin signed and sealed the transfer on 16 April 1745, in the eighteenth year of the reign of King George the Second. Robert Wright and John Doveton witnessed it. A note recorded that leave for the transfer had been granted in a consultation of 26 February 1744.

Samuel Doveton, a planter of St Helena, sold a house in the town for £150 0s 0d. Doveton had the full sum in hand before the papers were signed, and he acknowledged the payment in full, passing over the property to James Sedd, his heirs and their successors.

Doveton conveyed a house in James Valley, standing next to the Black River on one side, and on the other next to a house belonging to James [...], together with all the sheds, buildings and other benefits tied to it.

Interpretations

The nominal price of £1 0s 0d marks this not as a fresh bargain but as a step completing the earlier sale of the West Division ground. The 12 acres of leasehold formed part of the same 46-acre holding that John Goodwin had conveyed to Richard Goodwin, and the receipt on that deed had already noted the leasehold passing alongside the freehold. This transfer put the leasehold interest formally into Richard Goodwin's hands for the token sum, since the real payment had been made in the principal sale.

Leave for the transfer had to be secured from the Governor and Council, recorded in the consultation of 26 February 1744, before the leasehold could pass. The Company kept close control over its leasehold ground, and a tenant could not hand his interest to another without official consent and without binding the new holder to the terms already fixed in the lease.

The 12 acres are traced back to Margaret Legg, widow, as their earlier holder, showing the ground's descent before it reached the Goodwins. Naming her fixed the chain of title, so the leasehold could pass with a clear record of who had held it and under what terms.

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Messuage or dwelling House & all Appurtenances thereunto belonging or appertaining

& all my Right Title & Interest in and to the same To have & to hold

the said House Premises with there Every of there Rights Members unto him

the said James Sett his Heirs & Assigns for ever and I the said Samuel

Doveton do hereby for My self my Heirs Executors Administrators & Assigns

Covenant Promise and Agree to and with the said James Sett his Heirs and Assigns

that he they & every of them shall and may from time to Time & at all times

hereafter have hold Occupy Possess & Quietly Enjoy the said Bargained

Premises free without any Lett Trouble And Molestation or disturbance from

me the said Samuel Doveton or by my Means Consent or Procurement or my Heirs

or Assigns or any other Person or Persons whatsoever Claiming or to Claim from

or Under me than every of them In Witness Whereof I have hereunto

Set my hand & Seal this eleventh day of Aprill in the Seventeenth Year

of the reign of our Sovereign Lord George the Second King of Great Britain

&c: and in the Year of our Lord 1745

Signed Sealed & Delivered Sam: Doveton

in the Presence of us

Tho Greentree

Martin Harper

Matthew Bagott

Received of James Sett the sum of one Hundred

& fifty Pounds in full Payment & Satisfaction for the Above mentioned

House Witness my hand this fifteenth day of Aprill 1745

Witness Sam: Doveton

Tho: Greentree

Martin Harper

Matthew Bagott

Know all men by these presents that we Richard Goodwin Samuel Doveton

and John Doveton planters of the Island Saint Helena and Executor to the last Will

and Testament of Jonathan Doveton decd planter of the said Island for and in

Consideration of the sum of fifty six Pounds thirteen Shillings and seven pence

of good and Currant money of the said Island to us in hand paid by James Sett

of the said Island Lieutenant at or before the ensealing and delivery hereof the

receipt whereof we do hereby acknowledge our selves therewith to be fully satisfied

Contented and paid Have Given, granted Bargained & Sold and by these

presents do Give grant Bargain Sell and Confirm unto the said James

Sett & his Heirs forever, all that one third part or Share to a Dwelling House

in James Valley & the Ground thereunto belonging Adjoyning to a House

The house, with all the benefits tied to it and Doveton's whole right and interest in it, now belonged to James Sedd, his heirs and their successors, to keep for good. Samuel Doveton, for himself and his heirs, promised to leave Sedd in quiet possession from that time on, free of any burden or claim, whether from himself or from anyone else, and undertook to defend the property against all comers.

Doveton signed and sealed the sale on 15 April 1745, in the eighteenth year of the reign of King George the Second. Thomas Greentree, Martin Harper and Matthew Bayly witnessed it. A receipt added below recorded that on 15 April 1745 Doveton received from James Sedd £150 0s 0d in full payment for the house. Thomas Greentree, Martin Harper and Matthew Bayly witnessed the receipt.

Richard Goodwin, Samuel Doveton and John Doveton, planters of St Helena and executors named in the will of Jonathan Doveton, now dead, sold a share of a house to James Scott for £56 13s 4d. They held the full sum in hand, paid by Scott, lieutenant of the island, before the papers were signed, and they acknowledged the payment in full. They passed over the property to Scott and his heirs for good.

What the executors sold was a one third part or share in a dwelling house in James Valley, together with the ground belonging to it, standing next to another house.

Interpretations

The three men sold not as owners but as executors named in the will of the dead Jonathan Doveton, gathering and disposing of his estate. When a man left a will and property to be divided, his executors held the power to sell what he had owned and to settle his affairs. The sale of this one third share converted part of the estate into cash, with the executors passing clear title through their office.

The odd figure of £56 13s 4d marks the price of a fractional interest rather than a whole. One third of a house did not lend itself to a round sum, and the pounds, shillings and pence reflect a share valued by calculation against the worth of the entire dwelling. A buyer taking a third part gained a defined stake in the property held in common with the other owners.

The buyer, James Scott, is named as lieutenant of the island, marking a garrison officer acquiring an interest in town property. The purchase of a share rather than a whole house shows how James Valley dwellings could be held in divided parts, a stake passing to a new holder while the remaining shares stayed with others.

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of Charles Steward dec: late belonging to Mr Jonathan Doveton dec by him

bequeathed to his Daughter equally by his last Will and Testament dated the 14 Day

of January last which said Share now belongs to Ann Daughter of the said Jonathan

Doveton a Minor and for whom we are in trust and Act and all our right Titles

and Interest in or to the same with the appurtenances thereunto belonging To

have and to hold the said one third part of the above said House and

premisses with there and every of there appurtenances unto him the said James

Sett his Heirs and Assigns for ever And we the said Richard Goodwin

Samuel Doveton and John Doveton do hereby for our Selves our Heirs Executors

and Administrators Covenant Promise and agree to and with the said James

Sett his Heirs Executors Administrators and Assigns that he they or either of

them or their Heirs shall and may from time to time and at all time hereafter have

hold occupy possess and quietly enjoy the said hereby bargained premisses without

any lett molestation trouble suit Interruption or Disturbance of us the said

Executors or by our means Consent or procurement or ours Heirs or Assigns or

any other person or persons whatsoever Claiming or to Claim by form or under

us them or any of them In Witness whereof we have hereunto sett our hands &

Seales this fifteenth day of April in the seventeenth Year of the reign of our

Sovereign Lord George the second King of Great Brittain &c and in the Year of

our Lord one thousand seven hundred and forty five

Signed

Signed Sealed and Rich Goodwin

Delivered in the presence of Sam: Doveton

Tho: Greentree John Doveton

Martin Harper

Bazett

Received of Mr James Scott the sum of fifty six pounds thirteen Shillings and

four pence in full payment & Satisfaction for the one third part of the House

abovementioned Witness our hands this fifteenth day of April one thousand

seven hundred and forty five

Rich Goodwin

Sam: Doveton

Witness Tho: Greentree John Doveton

Martin Harper

Matt: Bazett

The house had once belonged to Charles Steward, now dead, and then to Jonathan Doveton, who left it by his will, dated 14 January last, in equal shares to his daughter. The one third share now sold had come to Ann, daughter of Jonathan Doveton, still a minor, for whom the executors acted as trustees. They passed over their whole right and interest in the share, with everything belonging to it, to James Scott, his heirs and their successors, to keep for good.

Richard Goodwin, Samuel Doveton and John Doveton, for themselves and their heirs, promised to leave Scott in quiet possession from that time on, free of any burden, claim or disturbance, whether from the executors themselves, from anyone claiming through them, or from any other person. They set their hands and seals on 15 April 1745, in the eighteenth year of the reign of King George the Second. Thomas Greentree, Martin Harper and Matthew Bazett witnessed it.

A receipt added below recorded that on 15 April 1745 the executors received from James Scott £56 13s 4d in full payment for the one third share of the house. Thomas Greentree, Martin Harper and Matthew Bazett witnessed the receipt.

Interpretations

The share sold here belonged not to the executors but to a child, Ann, daughter of the dead Jonathan Doveton, for whom they acted as trustees. When property passed to a minor, adults held it in trust and managed it on the child's behalf until she came of age. The executors selling her third share turned the property into money that could be kept for her benefit, with their trust role giving them the standing to pass clear title.

The house is traced through two earlier holders, first Charles Steward and then Jonathan Doveton, before its division under Doveton's will of 14 January last. Setting out this chain fixed how the property had descended and how it came to be split into shares, so the buyer knew the source of the interest he took.

The buyer gained a defined one third stake in the dwelling rather than the whole, a fraction of a house held in common with the other owners. James Valley property was often held in such divided parts, and a share could pass to a new holder while the remaining portions stayed with others, the price of £56 13s 4d fixed by calculation against the worth of the entire house.

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Know all Men by these presents That I James Scott of the Island

Saint Helena Lieutenant & Martha Scott my Wife Daughter of Jonathan

Doveton deceased for & in consideration of the Sum of One Hundred and

Seventy Pounds of good & Currant Money of the said Island to us in

hand paid by Samuel Doveton of the said Island Planter at or before the

Sealing & delivery of these presents The receipt Whereof We do hereby

Acknowledge and Our Selves therewith to be fully paid & Satisfied Have

granted bargained sold and Confirmed and by these presents Do Give

grant Bargain Sell & Confirm unto the said Samuel Doveton his Heirs

Assigns All that Messuage or dwelling House Scituate in James

Valley and the Ground thereunto belonging Adjoyning to a House of Charles

Steward deceased formerly belonging to Mr Jonathan Doveton deced

& by the said Jonathan Doveton bequeathed by his last Will and Testament

dated the fourteenth day of January last to his three Daughters

Equally two Shares of which the said James Scott hath purchased

One from Mr Richard Goodwin who Intermaried with One Other of

the Daughters by Bill of Sale dated the fifteenth day of Aprill One

Thousand Seven hundred & forty five And the Third & last share

from the Executors of the said Jonathan Doveton by Bill of Sale

dated the fifteenth day of Aprill One Thousand Seven hundred &

forty five Together with the Yard Water Watercourses Rights the

Members & Appurtenances thereunto belonging And all our Right

Title & Interest in or to the same To have and to hold

the said House & premisses with their & Every of their Appurte:

unto the said Samuel Doveton his Heirs and Assigns for ever And

We the said James Scott & Martha Scott do hereby for Our Selves

Our Heirs Executors Administrators & Assigns Covenant promise &

Agree to and with the said Samuel Doveton his Heirs and Assigns

that he they or either of them Shall and May from time to time and

at all times hereafter have hold Occupy possess and quietly Enjoy

the said Bargained premisses without any Lett Suit Trouble

Molestation or disturbance from us the said James Scott and

Martha Scott or by our means Consent or procurement or our

Heirs or assigns or any Other person or persons Whatsoever

Claiming or to claim by from or Under us them or any of them

In Witness Whereof We have hereunto Sett our hands and Seals

this fifteenth day of April in the Seventeenth Year of the Reign of

Our

James Scott, lieutenant of St Helena, and his wife Martha, daughter of Jonathan Doveton, now dead, sold a house in the town to Samuel Doveton for £170 0s 0d. They had the full sum in hand, paid by Samuel Doveton, a planter of the island, before the papers were signed, and they acknowledged the payment in full. They passed over the property to Samuel Doveton, his heirs and their successors, to keep for good.

The house stood in James Valley, with the ground belonging to it, next to a house that had once belonged to Charles Steward, now dead, and had earlier been held by Jonathan Doveton. Jonathan Doveton had left the property by his will, dated 14 January last, in equal shares among his three daughters. Scott had bought two of those shares. One he had from Richard Goodwin, who had married one of the daughters, by a bill of sale dated 15 April 1745. The third and last share he had from the executors of Jonathan Doveton, by a bill of sale dated 15 April 1745. The sale carried the yard, the rights of water and watercourse, and all the other benefits tied to the house, along with the whole right and interest Scott and Martha held in it.

The house now belonged to Samuel Doveton, his heirs and their successors. James Scott and Martha Scott, for themselves and their heirs, promised to leave Samuel Doveton in quiet possession from that time on, free of any burden, claim or disturbance, whether from themselves, from anyone claiming through them, or from any other person. They set their hands and seals on 15 April 1745, in the eighteenth year of the reign of King George the Second.

Interpretations

The deed shows Scott gathering a house held in scattered shares into a single whole before passing it on. Jonathan Doveton's will had split the property equally among his three daughters, and Scott, married to one of them, bought up the two shares he did not already hold through his wife. One came from Richard Goodwin, married to another daughter, and the third from the executors acting for the estate. Only once the whole was in his hands could Scott sell the complete house to Samuel Doveton, the fractional interests reassembled into one title.

The price of £170 0s 0d for the entire dwelling stands against the £56 13s 4d paid for a single third share days earlier, and the two figures square closely, three thirds valued near the whole. The rounding of the full price against the odd sum of the fraction reflects how a house held in common was priced both in parts and entire.

Both bills of sale that fed this transfer carried the same date, 15 April 1745, the same day the present deed was sealed. Assembling the two purchased shares and the onward sale in a single coordinated step let Scott clear the divided title and pass a clean whole to the buyer at once, rather than leaving the house split among several hands.

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Sovereign Lord George the Second by the Grace of God of Great Brittain

France & Ireland King defender of the Faith so forth And in the Year of our

Lord 1745

Signed Sealed & delivered James Scott

in the Presence of Martha Scott

Richard Goodwin

Thomas Greentree

James Powell

Received of Mr Samuel Doveton the Sum of One Hundred & Seventy Pounds

in full Payment and Satisfaction for the House within mentioned Witness our

Hands this fifteenth day of April One Thousand Seven hundred & forty five

James Scott

Martha Scott

Witness

Richard Goodwin

Thomas Greentree

James Powell

Know all Men by these presents That I Richard Goodwin Planter of the

Island Saint Helena and Sarah my Wife Daughter of Jonathan

Doveton deceased for and in Consideration of the Sum of fifty six Pounds

Thirteen Shillings & four Pence of good & Currant Money of the said

Island to us in hand paid by James Scott of the said Island Lieu:

at or before the Insealing and delivery hereof the Receipt Whereof We

do hereby Acknowledge And Ourselves therewith to be fully Satisfied

Contented & paid Have given Granted Bargained & Sold And by these

presents DO Give grant Bargain Sell and Confirm unto the said

James Scott & his Heirs for ever All That One Third part or Share to

a Dwelling house in James Valley And the Ground thereunto belonging

Adjoyning to a house of Charles Steward deceased late belonging to

Mr Jonathan Doveton deceased and by him bequeathed to his Daughters

Equally by his Last Will & Testament dated the fourteenth day of

January Last And All our Right & Title in or to the same & every part

thereof with the Appurtenances To have and to hold the said House &

premisses with their & Every of their Appurtenances unto him the said

James

James Scott and Martha Scott set their hands and seals on 15 April 1745, in the eighteenth year of the reign of King George the Second. Richard Goodwin, Thomas Greentree and James Powell witnessed it. A receipt added below recorded that on 15 April 1745 the couple received from Samuel Doveton £170 0s 0d in full payment for the house. Richard Goodwin, Thomas Greentree and James Powell witnessed the receipt.

Richard Goodwin, a planter of St Helena, and his wife Sarah, daughter of Jonathan Doveton, now dead, sold a share of a house to James Scott for £56 13s 4d. They had the full sum in hand, paid by Scott, lieutenant of the island, before the papers were signed, and they acknowledged the payment in full. They passed over the property to Scott and his heirs for good.

What the couple sold was a one third part or share in a dwelling house in James Valley, together with the ground belonging to it. The house stood next to a house that had once belonged to Charles Steward, now dead, and had earlier been held by Jonathan Doveton, who left it by his will, dated 14 January last, in equal shares among his three daughters. The sale carried the couple's whole right and interest in the share, with everything belonging to it. Scott was to hold the third part and the ground to himself and his heirs for good.

Interpretations

Sarah Goodwin's share came to her as one of the three daughters among whom Jonathan Doveton had split the house under his will of 14 January last. She held it in her own right by inheritance, and her husband Richard sold it jointly with her, his interest flowing through the marriage. The sale of her third share to James Scott was one of the pieces by which Scott gathered the divided house into a single title.

This deed is the counterpart to the two earlier transfers on the same day. Scott bought Sarah Goodwin's share here, took the third share from the executors by a separate bill, and then sold the assembled whole to Samuel Doveton for £170 0s 0d, all dated 15 April 1745. The matching sums and shared date show a single settlement clearing the fractured ownership in one coordinated step.

The price of £56 13s 4d for a one third share reflects a fraction valued by calculation against the worth of the whole house. Three such shares, priced near £170 0s 0d entire, square closely, showing how a James Valley dwelling held in common was reckoned both in its parts and as a whole when the divided interests were bought up and reunited.

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James Scott his Heirs & Assigns for Ever And We the said Richard Goodwin and

Sarah Goodwin Do hereby for Ourselves Our Heirs Executors and Administrators

Covenant Promise and agree to and with the said James Scott his Heirs Executors

Administrators and Assigns That He they or either of them or their Heirs

Shall & May from time to time & at all times hereafter have hold Occupy

possess and quietly Enjoy the said hereby bargained premisses without any

Manner of Molestation Trouble or Interruption of Us the said Richard Goodwin

& Sarah Goodwin or by Our means Consent or Procurement or our

Heirs or assigns or any Other person or persons Whatsoever claiming

or to claim by from or Under Us them or any of them In Witness

Whereof We have hereunto Set our hands and Seals this fifteenth

day of April in the Seventeenth Year of the Reign of our Sovereign

Lord George the Second King of great Brittain &c. And in the Year of

our Lord 1745

Signed Sealed & delivered in Richard Goodwin

Presence of John French Sarah Goodwin

Thomas Greentree

Samuel Doveton

Know all men by these Presents that I Samuel Doveton of St. Helena

Planter for and in Consideration of the Sum of Twenty pounds of Currant Money

of the said Island to me in hand paid by James Doveton of the said

Island Planter at or before the Insealing and delivery of these Presents

the receipt whereof I do hereby acknowledge Have and by these presents

Do bargain sell assign transfer by Virtue of Leave and Authority first

had from the Worshipfull Governour and Council as will appear in

a Consultation of 26 May 1744 All the within mentioned Land and

premises with the appurtenances and all my right Title and Intrest in

and to the same which vested by my intermarriage with one of the

Daughters and Cohirs of the within named Jonathan Doveton otherwise

howsoever together with the said Lease To have and to hold unto him the

said Sam: Doveton his Heirs Executors administrators and assigns

for & during all the Term by the said Lease granted Subject to the

Covenants Rents and Conditions therein contained In Witness where

I have hereunto sett my hand and Seal this eighth day of Aprill in the

Seventeenth year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lord George the Third King of

great Brittain &c and in the year of our Lord 1745

Sealed & delivered Thomas Greentree Ja: Scott

in the presence of Martin Harper

Matthew Bazett

The one third share and the ground now belonged to James Scott, his heirs and their successors, to keep for good. Richard Goodwin and Sarah Goodwin, for themselves and their heirs, promised to leave Scott in quiet possession from that time on, free of any burden, claim or disturbance, whether from themselves, from anyone claiming through them, or from any other person. They set their hands and seals on 15 April 1745, in the eighteenth year of the reign of King George the Second. John French, Thomas Greentree and Samuel Doveton witnessed it.

James Scott of St Helena transferred his interest in a leasehold to Samuel Doveton, a planter of the island, for £20 0s 0d. Scott had the sum in hand before the papers were signed, and he acknowledged the payment in full. He passed over his whole right and interest in the leasehold land described within, which had come to him through his marriage to one of the daughters and heirs of Jonathan Doveton, now dead. The transfer carried the lease itself and everything belonging to it, and Scott held authority for it from the Governor and Council, as recorded in a consultation of 26 February 1744.

Samuel Doveton was to hold the leasehold, his heirs and their successors, for the remainder of the lease's term, subject to the covenants, rents and conditions fixed in the lease. Scott set his hand and seal on 8 April 1745, in the eighteenth year of the reign of King George the Second. Thomas Greentree, Martin Harper and Matthew Bazett witnessed it.

Interpretations

Scott's interest in the leasehold, like the house shares, came to him through his marriage to a daughter and heir of the dead Jonathan Doveton. The estate divided among the daughters took in both freehold house shares and this leasehold ground, and Scott held the leasehold in his wife's right. Passing it to Samuel Doveton was part of the same clearing of the Doveton estate, gathering its scattered pieces into single hands.

The transfer needed the leave of the Governor and Council, entered in the consultation of 26 February 1744, before it could stand. The Company kept close control over leasehold ground, and a tenant could not hand his interest to another without official consent and without binding the new holder to the covenants, rents and conditions already fixed in the lease.

The leasehold passed for a modest £20 0s 0d, far below the £170 0s 0d paid for the whole house days earlier. Land held under lease carried only the years left on its term and remained subject to the Company's rent, so it was worth much less than freehold. The low price marks the limited nature of the interest, a span of years rather than a lasting title.

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Know all Men by these presents that I Joseph Powell of the Island

St. Helena Planter for and in consideration of the sum of two Hundred Pounds of

lawfull money of the said Island Hath granted bargained and assigned

Transferred and sold over and by these presents Doth grant bargain sell

Assign Transfer and sell over unto James Greentree of the said Island

Planter his Heirs and Assigns All those ten Acres of free Land situate lying

and being in the said Island at the Head of Lemon Valley Butting and Bounding

East West and South upon certain Land belonging to the said James Greentree

and Susanna Greentree and North upon such Land belonging to the Honble

East India Company and also all that Messuage or Tenement or Dwelling House

Standing and being on the said Land together with all ways water Water

Cources woods waste Houses Outhouses Edifices Lands and buildings on the

same or to the same or any part thereof belonging or in any wise appurtaining

with there and every of their rights members and appurtenances To have

and to hold the said hereby bargained premisses and every part and parcell

thereof unto him the said James Greentree his Heirs and Assigns to his and

their use for ever and the said Joseph Powell doth hereby for himself his Heirs

Executors Administrators and Assigns Covenant promise and agree to and

with the said James Greentree his Heirs and Assigns That he the said James

Greentree his Heirs and Assigns shall and may from time to time and at all

times hereafter have hold occupy possess and enjoy the afore bargained

premisses and every part thereof without any lett suit hindrance or Molestation

of the said Joseph Powell his Heirs Executors Administrators or Assigns or any

other person or persons claiming or to claim by from or under him them of any

of them and that the said Joseph Powell his Heirs Executors Administrators &

Assigns shall and will save harmless and keeps indemnified the said James Greentree

his Heirs and Assigns of them and against all claims or demands of the said

premisses whatsoever In Witness whereof the said Joseph Powell hath

hereunto set his hand and Seale this twenty fifth day of June in the Year of

our Lord one thousand Seven hundred and forty four

Signd Jos: Powell

Sealed and Delivered Uriah Powell

in the presence of

Signed Tho: Greentree

John Farge

Benjamin Mason

Joseph Powell, a planter of St Helena, sold a parcel of land and a house to James Greentree, also a planter of the island, for £200 0s 0d. Powell passed over the property to Greentree, his heirs and their successors.

The plot measured ten acres of freehold, lying at the head of Lemon Valley. On the east, west and south it ran up against land belonging to James Greentree and Susanna Greentree, and on the north against land of the Company. The sale carried a house or dwelling standing on the ground, together with every right of water and watercourse, and all the sheds, outhouses, buildings and other benefits tied to it.

The land and the house now belonged to Greentree, his heirs and their successors, to keep for good. Joseph Powell, for himself and his heirs, promised to leave Greentree in quiet possession from that time on, free of any burden or claim, whether from Powell or from anyone else, and undertook to defend the property against all comers.

Powell signed and sealed the sale on 25 June 1744. Sarah Powell joined him in setting her hand and seal. Sib Greentree, John Junge and Benjamin Mason witnessed it.

Interpretations

The ten acres were bounded on three sides by the land of James and Susanna Greentree, the buyer and a member of his household, with the Company's ground on the fourth. A plot wrapped almost entirely by one family's holding was worth most to that family, since buying it closed a gap and left no awkward strip in another's hands. The sale rounded off the Greentree ground at the head of Lemon Valley into a single block.

At £200 0s 0d for ten acres carrying a house, the price fixed value in both the ground and the dwelling with its outbuildings. The sheds, house and watercourses named in the deed account for the sum, since bare land at the head of the valley would have fetched a good deal less.

Sarah Powell joined her husband in sealing the deed, adding her own hand and seal to the sale. A wife joining a conveyance in her own person barred any later claim of dower she might hold over the ground, so that a sale by the husband alone would not leave the buyer's title open to a widow's claim.

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57V

Island St. Helena

Know all men by these Presents that I Francis Dunge for & in

consideration of the Sum of sixty pounds of good and Currant Mony

of the said Island to me in hand paid by Daniel Bush of the said Island

Soldier DO hereby Attand make over all my Title Intrest and Claim

in and to the within mentioned House and all the other premisses

thereunto belonging unto him the said Daniel Bush to him and his

Heirs forever To do and dispose of as he or they shall think fitt without

any manner of Molestation or Interuption of any person or persons

whatsoever In Witness whereof I have hereunto Sett my Hand & Seal

this Twenty first Day of January Anno Domini 1746

Signed Sealed & Delivered Fran: Dunge

in the presence of

Matthias Brightwell

Daniel Bagley

John downes

The Bill of Sale & Endorsement relating to the above here

Know all Men by these presents that I Sarah Sutton of the Island Saint Helena

Widdow for and in consideration of the Sum of Eighty Pounds of good Currant Mony

of the said Island to me in hand paid at or before the Sealing and delivery hereof by

her in law Samuel Taylor, the receipt of which I do hereby Acknowledge my self

therewith to be fully Satisfied Contented Have given Granted Bargained sold and

delivered and by these presents do fully I absolutely give grant Bargain Sell and

deliver unto the said Samuel Taylor his Heirs Ex: Adm: Assigns for ever all that

Singular One dwelling House standing in James Valley in Southwark Street James

adjoyning to the houses of Martha Robinson Widow on the one part and the house of Ebe:

Harper Junior Carpenter on the Other part together with all the Ground Walls Yards

Walls & all the Ex: Appurtenances thereunto belonging To have and To hold the said hereby

Bargained houses and all other the Appurtenances thereunto belonging as aforesaid

unto him the said Samuel Taylor & his Heirs for Ever to do and dispose of as he they or

either of them shall think fitt And I the said Sarah Southhampton or my Heirs Ex:

Admr or Assigns or any of them hereby further Covenant & Agree to and with the said

Samuel Taylor his Heirs Ex: Admr or Assigns Neither of them That he they or

either of them or their Heirs Shall & may from time to time & at all times hereafter have

said Occupy Possess & Enjoy quietly the said hereby Bargained houses And all Other the

Premisses for Ever as aforesaid without any manner of Interruption Molestation or

Contradiction of me the said Sarah Southhampton my Heirs Ex: Admr or any Other Person or

Persons Whatsoever by my means Consent or Procurement and against all & all manner

of Persons do Warrant to Save defend & keep harmless the said Samuel Taylor his Heirs

from any Unlawfull Claim in and to the Premisses aforesaid or any Part thereof Warranting

the same to be free & Clear from any Incumbrances whatsoever Any thing to the Contrary

hereof Notwithstanding In Witness Whereof I the said Sarah Sutton hath hereunto

set her hand & seal this first day of June 1726

Signed Sarah her mark Sutton

Sealed Sealed & Delivered Richard Sutton Junr:

in the presence of us Richard Beale

Francis Junge transferred his interest in a house to Daniel Bush, a soldier of St Helena, for £60 0s 0d. Junge had the sum in hand before the papers were signed. He passed over his whole right and interest in the house described within, together with all the other benefits tied to it, to Bush and his heirs for good, to keep and to use however they saw fit, free of any hindrance or claim from anyone.

Junge set his hand and seal on 21 January 1746. Matthias Brightwell, Richard Bayley and John Downes witnessed it.

Sarah Sutton, widow of St Helena, sold a house in the town to Samuel Tayler for £80 0s 0d. She had the full sum in hand, paid by Tayler, before the papers were signed, and she acknowledged the payment in full. She passed over the property to Tayler, his heirs and their successors, to keep for good.

Sarah Sutton conveyed her whole right and interest in a house standing in James Valley, in Southwark Street, next to the house of Martha Robinson, widow, on one side, and the house of Charles Bayley junior, carpenter, on the other. The sale carried the ground, the yard, the sheds and all the other benefits tied to the house. Tayler was to hold the property to himself and his heirs for good. Sarah Sutton, for herself and her heirs, promised to leave Tayler in quiet possession from that time on, free of any burden or claim, whether from herself, from anyone claiming through her, or from any other person, and undertook to defend the property against all comers.

Sarah Sutton set her hand and seal on 1 June 1726. Richard Swallow junior and Richard Beale witnessed it.

Interpretations

Sarah Sutton, a widow, held and sold the James Valley house in her own name, marking the island's recognition of women as holders of urban property in their own right. Her conveyance ran with a full undertaking to defend the title, the same protection given in any sale between men, showing that a widow's dealing carried the same force as a man's.

The house was fixed by its neighbours on either side, the widow Martha Robinson's dwelling on one hand and the carpenter Charles Bayley's on the other, rather than by measurement. In the crowded run of Southwark Street each house pressed against the next, and naming the adjoining holders marked out exactly what passed in a stretch of town too tightly built to define by open bounds.

The two items on the page belong to different years, the Sutton sale of 1 June 1726 and the Junge transfer of 21 January 1746, gathered together because the register keeper entered the older bill of sale alongside a later one touching the same property. Recording the earlier deed fixed the chain of title behind the house, so its descent could be traced when the property changed hands again.

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Know all Men by these Presents that I Richard Gurling of the

Island St. Helena Planter for and in Consideration of the Sum of forty five Pounds

of good and lawfull mony of the said Island to me in hand paid by John Collins

of the said Island Soldier at and before the Insealing and delivery of these

presents Have given granted bargained sold and delivered And do by these

presents give grant bargain sell and deliver unto him the said John Collins

his Heirs Executors, Administrators, and assigns all that House or Tenement

Situat lying and being in James's balley between the House of Nathan Sample

and the House now in the Possession of Sarah Nueland Containing fifty seven

Feet in Front or thereabouts & fifty Feet in Depth or thereabouts To have and

to hold the said hereby bargained premisses with all and Singular the

Rights priviledges Commodities and appurtenances thereunto belonging unto

him the said John Collins his heirs Executors administrators and assigns

forever to do and dispose thereof as he or they shall think proper And I the said

Richard Gurling do hereby for my self my Heirs Executors Administrators

and assigns covenant promise and agree to and with the said John Collins

his heirs Executors administrators and assigns that he they and every one

of them shall and may from time to time and at all times hereafter have

hold Occupy possess and Enjoy the said hereby bargained House or Tenement

as aforesaid forever without any lett hindrance or Molestation by or from

me or by or from any other person or persons whatsoever and against

all manner of persons do hereby Warrant to save and defend him the said

John Collins his heirs and assigns and against all manner of Claim

or demand of In or unto the said house or Tenement Made or to be made

by any person or persons whatsoever warranting the same to be free

and clear of and from all manner of Incumbrances whatsoever In

Witness whereof I the said Richard Gurling have hereunto sett my hand

and Seal this Twenty first day of Jan: ry in the nineteenth year of the

reign of our Sovereign Lord George the second by the grace of God of great

Brittain France & Ireland King defender of the Faith & so forth and in the

year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and forty five

Sealed and Delivered Rich Gurling

in the presence of us

Da Wilson

Robt Meacock

Richard Gurling, a planter of St Helena, sold a house in the town to John Collins, a soldier of the island, for £45 0s 0d. Gurling had the full sum in hand before the papers were signed. He passed over the property to Collins, his heirs and their successors.

The house stood in James Valley, set between the house of Nathan Sample and the house then held by Sarah Rowland. It measured about 57 feet at the front and about 50 feet in depth. The sale carried every right, produce, benefit and appurtenance tied to the building.

The house now belonged to Collins, his heirs and their successors, to keep and to use however they saw fit. Gurling, for himself and his heirs, promised to leave Collins in quiet possession from that time on, free of any burden, claim or demand, whether from Gurling or from anyone else, and undertook to defend the property against all comers.

Gurling signed and sealed the sale on 21 January 1745, in the nineteenth year of the reign of King George the Second. David Wilson and Robert Meacock witnessed it.

Interpretations

The house was recorded by its frontage and depth, about 57 feet across the front and 50 feet deep, and fixed between the dwellings of Nathan Sample and Sarah Rowland. In the crowded run of James Valley the measured dimensions and the names of the flanking houses together marked out exactly what passed, since there was no open ground to define the plot in a stretch of town built up wall to wall.

At £45 0s 0d the house sold at the lower end of the range for James Valley dwellings, below the £200 0s 0d paid for the larger houses of some standing. The modest price points to a smaller or plainer building, its value resting in the frontage and the rights of use rather than in extensive ground or outbuildings.

Sarah Rowland held the neighbouring house in her own name, one more instance of a woman recorded as a holder of town property on the island. Her standing as an adjoining holder marks her as an established presence in that stretch of Southwark Street.

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58V

Island St. Helena

Know all Men by these Presents That I Samuel Taylor for & in

Consideration of the Sum of Eighty Pounds in good Currant Money of

the said Island to me in hand paid or Secured to be paid by Francis Dunge

of the said Island Armourer do hereby Assign Sett Make over All my

right Title Interest & Claim in & to the within mentioned house & all

Other the Premisses thereunto belonging unto him the said Francis

Dunge & his Heirs for ever to do & dispose of as he or they shall

think fitt without any manner of Molestation or interruption of

any Person or Persons whatsoever In Witness whereof I have

hereunto Sett my hand & Seal this Second day of March Anno Dom

1726 Signed Sam: Taylor

Sealed Signed & Delivered

in the Presence of

Richard Swallow Junr:

Richard Beale

Walter Morris

Know all Men by these Presents that I John Goodwin of the

Island Saint Helena Gentleman for & in Consideration of the sum of

Ten Shillings of good Currant money of the said Island to me in hand

paid by Richard Gurling of the said Island Planter do hereby Assign sett

& make over All my right Title Interest & Claim to & in the within

mentioned Twenty Eight Acres of Land & all the Premisses thereunto

belonging unto him the said Richard Gurling & his Heirs during his his

Yet to come in the said Lease Having Obtained Liberty of the Govern:

& Councill so to do in Consultation of the 1 day of October 1745 to sett

dispose thereof as he or they shall think fitt without any manner

of interruption or Molestation from any Person or Persons

Whatsoever Provided he the said Richard Gurling & his Heirs

Shall duely comply with the Conditions of the within Lease In

Witness Whereof I the said John Goodwin have hereunto sett my

hand & Seal in Saint Helena this 1 day of february 1745/6

Signed Sealed & delivered John Goodwin

in the presence of us

Joshua Twynam

Jos: Darvall

Tho: French

Samuel Tayler transferred his interest in a house to Francis Junge for £80 0s 0d. Tayler had the sum in hand before the papers were signed. He passed over his whole right and interest in the house described within, together with all the other benefits tied to it, to Junge and his heirs for good, to keep and to use however they saw fit, free of any hindrance or claim from anyone.

Tayler set his hand and seal on 2 March 1726. Richard Swallow junior, Richard Beale and Walter Morris witnessed it.

John Goodwin, a gentleman of St Helena, transferred his interest in a leasehold to Richard Gurling for £10 0s 0d. Goodwin had the sum in hand before the papers were signed. He passed over his whole right and interest in 28 acres of leasehold land described within, together with all the benefits tied to it, to Gurling and his heirs for the remainder of the lease's term. Goodwin had secured leave for the transfer from the Governor and Council, as recorded in a consultation of 1 October 1745, and Gurling was bound to keep to the conditions of the lease.

Goodwin set his hand and seal on 1 February 1745. Joshua Twynam, Joseph Doveton and Thomas French witnessed it.

Interpretations

The transfer of the leasehold needed the leave of the Governor and Council, entered in the consultation of 1 October 1745, before it could stand, and Gurling had to take on the conditions already fixed in the lease. The Company kept close control over its leasehold ground, and a tenant could not hand his interest to another without official consent and without binding the new holder to the same terms.

The 28 acres passed for a modest £10 0s 0d, a low sum reflecting the limited nature of the leasehold. Land held under lease carried only the years left on its term and remained subject to the Company's rent, so it was worth far less than freehold. The price marks a span of years rather than a lasting title.

The two items on the page fall in different years, the Tayler transfer of 2 March 1726 and the Goodwin transfer of 1 February 1745, entered together by the register keeper as parts of the record touching the ground and the town property. Setting the earlier deed beside the later one fixed the chain of title, so the descent of each holding could be traced when it changed hands again.

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58R

Know all Men by these Presents That I John Goodwin of the Island

St. Helena for & in Consideration of the sum of ten Shillings of good &

Current money of the said Island to me in hand paid by Richard Gurling

of the said Island Planter do hereby Assign Sett and make over all my right

Title Interest & Claim to & in the within mentioned Six Acres of Land & all

the Premisses thereunto belonging unto him the said Richard Gurling &

his Heirs during the time yet to come in the said Lease Having

Obtained Liberty of the Governour & Councill so to do in Consultation of

the 1 day of October 1745 to do & dispose thereof as he or they shall

think fitt without any manner of Interruption or Molestation from any

Person or Persons whatsoever Provided he the said Richard

Gurling & his Heirs Shall duely comply with the Conditions of the

within Lease In Witness whereof I the said John Goodwin have

hereunto sett my hand & Seale in St. Helena aforesaid this 1 day of

february 1745/6

Signed Sealed & Delivered John Goodwin

in the Presence of us

Joshua Twynam

Jos: Darvall

Tho: French

Know all Men by these Presents That I John Goodwin of the said

St. Helena Gentleman for & in Consideration of the sum of ten Shillings

of good & Current money of the said Island to me in hand paid by

Richard Gurling of the said Island Planter do hereby Assign Sett &

make over All my right Title Interest & Claim to & in the within

mentioned Nine Acres of Land and all the Premisses thereunto belonging

unto him the said Richard Gurling & his Heirs during the time yet to come

in the said Lease Having Obtained Liberty of the Governour & Councill

so to do in Consultation of the 1 day of October 1745 to do & dispose

thereof as he or they shall think fitt without any manner of Interuption

or Molestation from any Person or Persons Whatsoever Provided he the

said Richard Gurling & his Heirs shall duely comply with the Conditions

of the within Lease In Witness Whereof I the said John Goodwin

have hereunto sett my hand & Seale in St. Helena this 1 day of

february 1745/6

Signed Sealed & delivered John Goodwin

in the Presence of us Joshua Twynam

Jos: Darvall

Tho: French

John Goodwin of St Helena transferred his interest in a leasehold to Richard Gurling, a planter of the island, for £20 0s 0d. Goodwin had the sum in hand before the papers were signed. He passed over his whole right and interest in six acres of leasehold land described within, together with all the benefits tied to it, to Gurling and his heirs for the remainder of the lease's term. Goodwin had secured leave for the transfer from the Governor and Council, as recorded in a consultation of 1 October 1745, and Gurling was bound to keep to the conditions of the lease.

Goodwin set his hand and seal on 1 February 1745. Joshua Twynam, Joseph Doveton and Thomas French witnessed it.

John Goodwin, a gentleman of St Helena, transferred his interest in a further leasehold to Richard Gurling, a planter of the island, for £10 0s 0d. Goodwin had the sum in hand before the papers were signed. He passed over his whole right and interest in nine acres of leasehold land described within, together with all the benefits tied to it, to Gurling and his heirs for the remainder of the lease's term. Goodwin had secured leave for the transfer from the Governor and Council, as recorded in a consultation of 1 October 1745, and Gurling was bound to keep to the conditions of the lease.

Goodwin set his hand and seal on 1 February 1745. Joshua Twynam, Joseph Doveton and Thomas French witnessed it.

Interpretations

Both transfers moved leasehold ground from Goodwin to Gurling, and each rested on the same leave of the Governor and Council entered in the consultation of 1 October 1745. The Company kept close control over its leasehold land, and a tenant could not hand his interest to another without official consent and without binding the new holder to the conditions already fixed in the lease.

The two parcels passed for £20 0s 0d and £10 0s 0d, modest sums that reflect the limited nature of the leasehold. Land held under lease carried only the years left on its term and remained subject to the Company's rent, so it was worth far less than freehold. The prices mark spans of years rather than lasting titles.

Both deeds bear the same date, 1 October 1745 for the leave and 1 February 1745 for the sealing, and pass to the same buyer under the same terms. Handling the parcels together in a single coordinated step let Goodwin move his leasehold ground into Gurling's hands at once, gathering separate pieces under one holder rather than leaving them scattered.

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59V

Know all Men by these Presents that I John Goodwin of the Island

St. Helena Gentleman for & in Consideration of the sum of four Shillings of

good & lawfull money of the said Island to me in hand paid by Richard

Gurling of the said Island Planter do hereby Assign sett & make over all

my right Title Interest & Claim to & in the within mentioned three Acres

of Land & all the Premisses thereunto belonging unto him the said Richard

Gurling & his Heirs during the time yet to come in the said Lease

Having Obtained Liberty of the Governour & Councill so to do in

Consultation of the first day of October 1745 to do & dispose thereof

as he or they shall think fitt without any manner of Interruption or

Molestation from any Person or Persons whatsoever Provided

the said Richard Gurling and his Heirs shall duly comply with the Conditions

of the within Lease In Witness whereof I the said John Goodwin have

hereunto sett my hand & Seal in Saint Helena this 1 day of febry

1745/6

Signed Sealed & Delivered John Goodwin

in the Presence of Us

Joshua Twynam

Jos: Darvall

Tho: French

Know all Men by these Presents That I John Goodwin of the Island St. Helena

Gentleman for and in Consideration of the sum of five hundred pounds of good

and Lawfull money to me in hand paid at and before the making and

Delivery of these Presents by Richard Gurling likewise of the said Island

Planter wherewith I acknowledge my self fully Satisfied and paid and thereof

and of Every Part thereof doth hereby acquitt Exonerate and discharge the said

Richard Gurling his Ex: Admr: and assigns have granted Bargained sold and

and by these Presents do fully clearly and absolutely grant Bargain and sell

unto the said Richard Gurling all those Twenty six Acres of freehold Land lying and

being in St. Helena aforesaid sixteen Acres of which known by the name of

Francis Butting towards the North upon Lease Land belonging to him the said

John Goodwin towards the South upon the Land of James Powell towards the East

and West partly upon the Honourable Companys Wast Land and partly upon the

Lease Land of him the said John Goodwin and also all that Dwelling house thereon

Standing with all the Outhouses thereunto belonging tw also those ten Acres of

freehold Land known by the Name of Vaughan's together with all Woods Underwoods

Water Watercourses Sheds buildings and Tenements thereunto belonging or

Appertaining with their and Every of their Appurtenances To have and to hold

All & singular the said Twenty six Acres of freehold Land and house before by these

Presents bargained and sold unto the said Richard Gurling his Heirs Administrators and

John Goodwin, a gentleman of St Helena, transferred his interest in a leasehold to Richard Gurling, a planter of the island, for £4 0s 0d. Goodwin had the sum in hand before the papers were signed. He passed over his whole right and interest in three acres of leasehold land described within, together with all the benefits tied to it, to Gurling and his heirs for the remainder of the lease's term. Goodwin had secured leave for the transfer from the Governor and Council, as recorded in a consultation of 1 October 1745, and Gurling was bound to keep to the conditions of the lease.

Goodwin set his hand and seal on 1 February 1745. Joshua Twynam, Joseph Doveton and Thomas French witnessed it.

John Goodwin, a gentleman of St Helena, sold a parcel of land and a house to Richard Gurling, a planter of the island, for £500 0s 0d. Goodwin had the full sum in hand before the papers were signed, and he acknowledged the payment in full, releasing Gurling, his heirs and their successors from any further claim on the money.

The plot measured 26 acres of freehold, lying in St Helena and known by the name of Vaughan. On the north it ran up against leasehold land held by Goodwin himself, on the south the land of James Powell, and on the east and west partly the Company's land and partly leasehold land held by Goodwin. The sale carried a house standing on the ground, together with all its outhouses, ten acres of freehold land, and every wood, underwood, watercourse, shed, building and other benefit tied to it.

The 26 acres of freehold and the house now belonged to Gurling, his heirs and their successors.

Interpretations

The parcel is identified by the byname Vaughan rather than by measured metes alone, carrying the name of an earlier holder. On the island a plot often kept the name of a family that had once held it, and using the byname fixed the ground's identity in the local memory even as it passed to a new owner.

The description sets the freehold against Goodwin's own leasehold on three of its sides, showing that he held both kinds of tenure in the same quarter and that the sale carved a freehold block out from among his leased ground. Selling the freehold while keeping the surrounding leasehold let him pass the built and improved ground to Gurling while retaining the leased land around it.

The price of £500 0s 0d marks a substantial holding, taking in 26 acres, a house with outbuildings and a further ten acres of freehold. This was a large transaction against the run of the register, and the sum fixed the value in the developed ground and its buildings rather than in bare acreage.

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59R

Assigns for ever And the said Goodwin for himself his heirs Administrators

and assigns doth Covenant Promise and Agree to and with the said Richard

Gurling his Executors Administrators and assigns by these presents that

he the said John Goodwin his Executors Administrators and assigns and

Every of them all and singular the said Land and house &c: before bargained

and sold and Every of them unto the said Richard Gurling his Executors

Administrators and assigns against all manner of Persons shall and will

Warrant & for ever defend by these Presents In Witness whereof I have

hereunto sett my hand and Seal in St. Helena this first day of february in the

Year of our Lord One Thousand seven hundred and forty five

Signed sealed and Delivered John Goodwin

in the Presence of us

Joshua Twynam

Jos: Darvall

Tho: French

Know all Men by these Presents that I Samuel Doveton of the Island St.

Helena Planter for & in Consn of the sum of two Hundred forty three pounds to me in

hand paid by Gabriel Harper of the said Island Planter before the Insealing and

delivery hereof have and by these presents Do give grant infeoffe and confirm unto

him the said Gabriel Harper his Heirs Executors Administrators and assigns all that

Piece or Parcell of Land Containing Eleven Acres more or lefs Lying in Dowell's Valley

butting East upon the Freehold Lands of the late John Alexander Orphans West

partly upon the Leave Lands of the said Gabriel Harper & partly upon the Lands

of the late John Bazetts Orphans North upon the Leave Lands of the said Gabriel Harper

& South upon the Lands of Francis Wrangham Senior together with all & singular

the Rights Proffits Commodities & Appurtenances hereunto belonging To have

and to hold the said Parcell of Land with all & singular the eight Proffits

Commodities & Appurtenances thereunto belonging unto him the said Gabriel

Harper his Heirs & Assigns for ever And I the said Samuel Doveton for myself &

my Heirs have & by these presents do give grant sett & confirm unto him the said

Gabriel Harper his Heirs Executors & Assigns the aforesaid Parcell of Lease Land

Land containing Eleven Acres more or less with all the rights & Appurtenances

thereunto belonging & him will save harmless & defend against All People

for ever that shall or may make any Claim or demand on the said Premisses

or any Part thereof In Witness I have hereunto sett my hand & seal this twenty

forth day of May in the Year of our Lord One Thousand Seven hundred & forty

five Samuel Doveton

Signed Sealed & delivered in the

presence of Richard Beale

Jno: Dispountain

The 26 acres of freehold and the house now belonged to Richard Gurling, his heirs and their successors, to keep for good. John Goodwin, for himself and his heirs, promised to leave Gurling in quiet possession from that time on, free of any burden or claim, whether from himself or from anyone else, and undertook to defend the property against all comers. Goodwin set his hand and seal on 1 February 1745. Joshua Twynam, Joseph Doveton and Thomas French witnessed it.

Samuel Doveton, a planter of St Helena, sold a parcel of land to Gabriel Harper, also a planter of the island, for £243 0s 0d. Doveton had the full sum in hand before the papers were signed. He passed over the property to Harper, his heirs and their successors.

The plot measured eleven acres, lying in Powells Valley. On the east it ran up against the freehold land of John Alexander's orphans, now dead. On the west it bordered partly leasehold land held by Gabriel Harper and partly leasehold land of John Bazett's orphans, now dead. On the north it ran against the leasehold land of Doveton himself, and on the south the land of Francis Wrangham junior. The sale carried every right, produce, benefit and appurtenance tied to the ground.

The eleven acres now belonged to Harper, his heirs and their successors, to keep for good. Samuel Doveton, for himself and his heirs, promised to leave Harper in quiet possession from that time on, free of any claim or demand, whether from himself or from anyone else, and undertook to defend the property against all comers. Doveton set his hand and seal on 24 May 1745. Richard Beale and John Defountaine witnessed it.

Interpretations

The eleven acres were bounded on every side by named holders, among them the orphans of two dead men, John Alexander and John Bazett, and the leasehold ground of the buyer himself. This dense patchwork of neighbouring properties, freehold and leasehold together, shows how tightly held the ground in Powells Valley had become, each plot fixed against the estates around it rather than lying open.

At £243 0s 0d for eleven acres, the ground sold at over £22 an acre, a high rate that points to developed or well-placed land rather than bare pasture. The parcel bordered Harper's own leasehold on the west, so buying it rounded off his ground in the valley, and the price reflects the value of land that completed a holding.

The land of two sets of orphans bordered the plot, the children of the dead John Alexander and John Bazett holding ground in the valley. Such estates were kept and recorded in the children's names, held for them until they came of age, and their appearance as boundary holders shows how the property of the dead passed into the hands of the next generation while its bounds stayed fixed in the record.

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60V

Island St. Helena

Know all Men by these Presents That John Alexander of St.

Helena Planter son of John Steward or late of Saint Helena aforesaid

Gentleman deceased for & in Consideration of the Sum of seventy seven

& five Shillings of Currant Money of the said Island to him in hand paid by

Thomas Greentree and Richard Beale of St. Helena Planters Ex: of the last

Will & Testament of Elizabeth Ryder of the aforesaid before at me or before

before the Insealing and delivery hereof the receipt whereof the said John

Alexander doth hereby Acknowledge and thereof & of Every part thereof

doth hereby acquitt Release and discharge the said Thomas Greentree

Richard Beale their Ex: Admrs & assigns hath granted Bargained sold

Released and confirmed and by these presents Doth grant Bargain sell

Release & Confirm unto the said Thomas Greentree and Richard Beale

their Ex: aforesaid their heirs admrs and assigns All that Piece or

Parcell of Land containing eight Acres more or less part of ten Acres

late in the possession of Thomas Swallow deceased and that of the said

John Alexander Steward lying & being in Sandy Bay in the said Island

bounding North on the said Richard Beale and Thomas Andrews

Orphans East upon Land late Thomas Perkins West upon Francis

Wrangham Senr. and Samuel Doveton & South upon Robert Wright

Together with all ways Waters Watercources sfences Trees Woods

Underwoods Proffits Commodities & Appurtenances thereunto

belonging and all the right Title Interest and property of him the said

John Alexander his Heirs or Assigns of in and to the same and all

Deeds Evidences and writings relating to or concerning the same

To have and to hold the said Peice or parcell of Land and

Premisses with their & Every of their Appurtenances unto them

the said Thomas Greentree and Richard Beale as heirs aforesaid

their Ex: Admrs & Assigns In Trust to and for the proper

Use and Behoof of Margarett of Helena daughter of the said

Elizabeth Ryder their Heirs and Assigns for ever And the said

John Alexander doth hereby for himself his Heirs Exrs and Admrs

Covenant Promise and agree to and with the said Thomas Greentree

and Richard Beale as heirs aforesaid their heirs Admrs and Assigns

that they the said Thomas Greentree and Richard Beale as heirs

aforesaid their heirs Admrs or assigns shall & may from time to

time and at all times hereafter quietly & peaceably have hold

Occupy possess and enjoy all and Singular the aforesaid hereby

Bargained & sold with all the appurts without any Molestation Interruption

or disturbance of him the said John Alexander his Heirs Exrs Devised

or assigns or from any Other person or persons Claiming or to

Claim by form or Under him them or any of them &c. that the said

said John Alexander his heirs Admrs or Assigns shall and will save

harmless & keep indemnified the aforesaid Premisses & the said Thomas

Greentree & Richard Beale their heirs heirs & Assigns of & from all

Claims & demands whatsoever concerning the same In Witness

Whereof the said John Alexander hath hereunto sett his hand & Seale

this Twenty second day of May in the Nineteenth Year of the reign

John Alexander, a planter of St Helena and son of John Alexander, gentleman, late of the island and now dead, sold a parcel of land for £77 0s 0d. He had the full sum in hand, paid by Thomas Greentree and Richard Beale, planters of St Helena and executors named in the will of Elizabeth Ryder, before the papers were signed. He acknowledged the payment in full and released the two executors from any further claim on the money. He passed over the property to Greentree and Beale, their heirs and their successors, acting as executors for the estate.

The plot measured about eight acres, part of a larger holding of ten acres, and had once been held by Thomas Swallow, now dead. It formed part of the ground earlier belonging to John Alexander, and lay in Sandy Bay. On the north it ran up against land belonging to Richard Beale and Thomas Anderson's orphans. On the east it bordered land that had once been held by Thomas Perkins, on the west the land of Francis Wrangham junior and Samuel Doveton, and on the south the land of Robert Wright. The sale carried every right of water and watercourse, the fences, trees, produce, benefits and appurtenances tied to the ground, along with all the deeds and writings touching it, and the whole right and interest John Alexander held in the property.

The land now belonged to Greentree and Beale, their heirs and their successors, held by them as executors for the benefit and behalf of Margaret, daughter of Elizabeth Ryder. John Alexander, for himself and his heirs, promised to leave the executors in quiet possession from that time on, free of any burden, claim or disturbance, whether from himself, from anyone claiming through him, or from any other person, and undertook to keep them free from any loss and to defend the property against all comers. He set his hand and seal on 22 May 1745, in the nineteenth year of the reign of King George the Second.

Interpretations

The land passed to Greentree and Beale not on their own account but as executors of the dead Elizabeth Ryder, holding it for the benefit of her daughter Margaret. When property was to be settled on a child, executors or trustees took it and managed it on the child's behalf. Here the executors bought the parcel into the estate, so the ground could be held for Margaret Ryder until she came of age or married.

The parcel was described as about eight acres out of a larger ten, once held by the dead Thomas Swallow and forming part of the earlier Alexander ground. Tracing the plot through its former holders and setting it as a portion of a larger holding fixed exactly what passed, in ground whose bounds ran against a crowd of named neighbours on all four sides.

The sale carried not only the land but all the deeds and writings touching it, handed over with the ground itself. Passing the title papers along with the property let the executors hold a full record of how the land had descended, so the estate's claim to it could be defended and its history traced when it next changed hands.

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of our Sovereign Lord George the Second by the Grace of God of Great

Brittain France & Ireland King defender of the Faith and so forth and

in the Year of our Lord 1746

Sealed & delivered (where no Stampt John Alexander

Paper is to be had) in the Presence of

R. Wright

Sam: Doveton

Pd. St. Helena

Know all men by these presents That R: D: Beale & Samuel

Alexander Ex: of John Alexander deceased for & in Consideration of

the sum of Twelve pounds of Lawfull Money of the said Island to

them in hand paid by Thomas Greentree Ex: of James Ryder

deceased The Receipt whereof is hereby Acknowledged Have and

by these presents DO bargain Sell and Confirm unto Richard

Thomas Greentree his heirs Admrs and assigns as heirs aforesaid

All that Peice or Parcell of Land Containing two acres more or

less part of ten Acres called Swallows situate lying and being in

Sandy Bay in the said Island bounded East & North on the said

Sandy Bay deirs free Lands and South and West on Other part of

the said Land called Swallows late in the possession of John

Alexander Together with all their right Title & Interest in or to

the same as heirs aforesaid To have and To hold the said

Two Acres of Land hereby Bargained & Sold & Every part and

Parcell thereof with their & Every of their Appurtenances unto him

the said Thomas Greentree his heirs Admrs & assigns In Trust

& to the use and Behoof of the Children of the said James Ryder

their Heirs & Assigns for ever And the said Richard Beale &

Samuel Alexander as heirs aforesaid Do for themselves their

heirs Admrs & assigns Covenant Promise & Agree to & with the said

Thomas Greentree his heirs Admrs and assigns That he the said

Thomas Greentree his heirs Admrs and assigns Shall and may

from time to time & at all times hereafter peaceably and quietly

have hold Occupy possess & Enjoy the said two acres of Land &

Premisses hereby bargained & Sold with the Appurtenances

free from all Incumbrances & without the lett Suit Hindrance

Molestation or disturbance of them the said Richard Beale

and Samuel Alexander as heirs aforesaid their heirs Admrs or

Assigns or of or from any Person or Persons Claiming to to

Claim by from or Under them or heirs aforesaid or any or either

of them In Witness Whereof the said Richard Beale & Samuel

Alexander have hereunto sett their hands & Seale this fourteenth

day of July on the Twentieth Year of the reign of our Sovereign

Lord George the Second by the Grace of God of Great Brittain

France and Ireland King defender of the Faith &c so forth &c in the

Year of our Lord 1746

Richard Beale

Sealed & delivered in the Sam: Alexander

the Presence of us Sam: Doveton

Rich Goodwin

John Alexander set his hand and seal on 22 May 1745, in the nineteenth year of the reign of King George the Second. A line beside his name recorded that no stamped paper had been available when the deed was drawn up. Robert Wright and Samuel Doveton witnessed it.

Richard Beale and Samuel Alexander, executors named in the will of John Alexander, now dead, sold a parcel of land to Thomas Greentree for £12 0s 0d. They had the full sum in hand, paid by Greentree, an executor named in the will of James Ryder, now dead, before the papers were signed, and they acknowledged the payment in full. They passed over the property to Greentree, his heirs and their successors, acting as executors for the estate.

The plot measured about two acres, part of a larger holding of ten acres known as Swallow's, lying in Sandy Bay. On the east and north it ran up against the freehold land of James Ryder, now dead, and on the south and west against another part of the same ground, which had once been held by John Alexander and was known as Swallow's. The sale carried every benefit and appurtenance tied to the land, along with the whole right and interest the executors held in it.

The two acres now belonged to Greentree, his heirs and their successors, held by them as executors for the benefit and behalf of the children of the dead James Ryder. Richard Beale and Samuel Alexander, for themselves and their heirs, promised to leave Greentree in quiet possession from that time on, free of any burden, claim or disturbance, whether from themselves, from anyone claiming through them, or from any other person. They set their hands and seals on 19 July 1746, in the twentieth year of the reign of King George the Second. Samuel Doveton and Richard Goodwin witnessed it.

Interpretations

The two sales dovetail across the same Sandy Bay ground. John Alexander's son had sold about eight acres of Swallow's land to Greentree and Beale as executors for the Ryder estate on 22 May 1745, and here the executors of John Alexander sold the remaining two acres of the same ten-acre holding to Greentree for the Ryder children. Together the deeds gathered the whole of Swallow's land into the hands of the Ryder estate, closing out the divided parcel piece by piece.

Greentree took the ground not for himself but as executor for the children of the dead James Ryder, holding it on their behalf until they came of age. Setting the purchase in trust for the children shows the estate being built up in their name, the land kept whole and defended for the next generation rather than sold away.

The parcel is traced through its earlier holders and its byname, Swallow's, part of ground once held by John Alexander. Naming the former holders and carrying the byname fixed the plot's identity and its place within the larger ten-acre holding, so exactly what passed was clear even as the land was split and reassembled among neighbouring estates.

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Island Saint Helena

Know all Men by these Presents That I Martin Harper Heir

of Thomas Harper later of this Island deceased for & in Consideracion

of the Sum of Thirteen pounds of Lawfull Money of the said Island to

me in hand paid by Elisha Isaacke of the said Island the receipt of

Which is hereby Acknowledged Have and by these presents Do bargain

Sell & Confirm unto the said Elisha Isaacke his Heirs & Assigns All

that Dwelling house with the Appurtenances thereto Lying & being

in James's Valley in Southwark deirs between the houses of Richard

Tinsley & William Burnham To have and to hold the said house

with all & Singular the premisses & Appurtenances thereunto

belonging unto him the said Elisha Isaacke his Heirs and Assigns

for ever And I the said Martin Harper as Executor aforesaid Do

hereby for myself my heirs Admrs & Assigns Covenant Promise

and Agree to and with the said Elisha Isaacke his Heirs & Assigns

That he the said Elisha Isaacke his Heirs & Assigns Shall & may

from time to time & at all times hereafter have hold Occupy possess

& quietly Enjoy all & Singular the hereby bargained Premisses with

the Appurtenances free & Clear from all Incumbrances & without

any Lett Suit Molestation of me the said Martin Harper my heirs

Admrs & Assigns as heir aforesaid or of or from any Person or

Persons Claiming or to Claim by from or Under me as heir and

them or any of them In Witness Whereof I the said Martin Harper

have hereunto Set my hand & Seal this fourteenth day of August

in the Twentieth Year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lord George the

Second by the Grace of God of Great Brittain France and Ireland

King defender of the Faith &c so forth & in the Year of the Lord

1746

Martin Harper

Sealed & delivered

in the Presence of us

James Powell

Gab: Harper

Martin Harper, executor named in the will of Thomas Harper, late of St Helena and now dead, sold a house in the town to Elisha Isaacke of the island for £13 0s 0d. Harper had the full sum in hand before the papers were signed, and he acknowledged the payment in full. He passed over the property to Isaacke, his heirs and their successors, acting as executor for the estate.

The house stood in James Valley, in Southwark Street, set between the houses of Richard Tinsley and William Burnham. The sale carried all the benefits and appurtenances tied to it.

The house now belonged to Isaacke, his heirs and their successors, to keep for good. Martin Harper, acting as executor and for himself and his heirs, promised to leave Isaacke in quiet possession from that time on, free of any burden or claim, whether from Harper or from anyone else, and undertook to defend the property against all comers. He set his hand and seal on 14 August 1746, in the twentieth year of the reign of King George the Second. James Powell and Gabriel Harper witnessed it.

Interpretations

Harper sold not on his own account but as executor of the dead Thomas Harper, disposing of the estate's property. An executor gathering in and selling a dead man's goods converted the property into money to settle his affairs and provide for those entitled, and the executor's office gave Harper the standing to pass clear title to the house.

The house was fixed only by its neighbours, the dwellings of Richard Tinsley and William Burnham on either side, with no measurement given. In the tightly built run of Southwark Street each house pressed against the next, and naming the flanking holders marked out exactly what passed in a stretch of town too crowded to define by open bounds.

At £13 0s 0d the house sold at the low end of the range for James Valley dwellings, far below the £200 0s 0d paid for the larger houses of some standing. The modest price points to a small or plain building, its value resting in the frontage and its place in the street rather than in extensive ground or outbuildings.

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Island St. Helena

Know all Men by these presents That Joseph Powell of the

Island St. Helena planter in Consideration of the sum of Two hundred & fifty

pounds of Current Money of the said Island to him in hand paid by Thomas

Easthope Lieutenant at or before the Insealing and delivery of these presents

The receipt Whereof is hereby Acknowledged Hath & by these presents Doth

give Grant Bargain sold Sell unto the said Thomas Easthope his heirs &

assigns All that Peice or Parcell of Land Containing fourteen acres more or less to be

Scituate lying & being near the Main Ridge on the said Island bounding East on

Land belonging to the Orphans of Charles Steward deceased West & North on

Land belonging to Samuel Doveton & South on Land belonging to James

Greentree with the Appurtenances together with all Ways Waters Watercources

Woods sfences Proffits Comodities or Appurtenances to the same & Every part

thereof belonging or Appurtaining together with all the right Title and Interest

of him the said Joseph Powell of in or to the same To have and to hold

the said hereby bargained premisses with their & Every of their Appurtenances

unto him the said Thomas Easthope his heirs & assigns for Ever And the said

Joseph Powell doth hereby for himself his heirs heirs Admrs & assigns

Covenant Promise & Agree to & with the said Thomas Easthope his heirs &

assigns Shall & May from henceforth & for all times hereafter have hold

Occupy possess & quietly Enjoy the said Land & premisses hereby bargained

& Sold with the Appurtenances without any Interruption Molestation or

disturbance of him the said Joseph Powell or of or from any person or

persons Claiming or to Claim by from or Under him them or any of them

And also that he the said Joseph Powell Shall and Will save harmless

& keep indempnified the said Thomas Easthope his heirs & assigns from

all Claims and Demands whatsoever relating to or concerning the said Land

In Witness Whereof the said Joseph Powell hath hereunto set his hand

and Seal this day of July No 3 in the Nineteenth Year of the reign of our

Sovereign Lord George the Second by the grace of God of the faith Dev forth & in the Year of

France & Ireland King Defender of the Faith &c so forth & in the Year of

our Lord One Thousand Seven hundred & forty six

Joseph Powell

Sealed & delivered where no

Stamp paper is to be had in the

presence of us

J. Barton

John French Junr:

Joseph Powell, a planter of St Helena, sold a parcel of land to Thomas Easthope, lieutenant of the island, for £250 0s 0d. Powell had the full sum in hand before the papers were signed, and he acknowledged the payment in full. He passed over the property to Easthope, his heirs and their successors.

The plot measured nineteen acres, lying near the Main Ridge. On the east it ran up against land belonging to the orphans of Charles Steward, now dead. On the west and north it bordered land belonging to Samuel Doveton, and on the south the land of James Greentree. The sale carried every right of water and watercourse, the woods, fences, produce, benefits and appurtenances tied to the ground, along with the whole right and interest Powell held in it.

The nineteen acres now belonged to Easthope, his heirs and their successors, to keep for good. Joseph Powell, for himself and his heirs, promised to leave Easthope in quiet possession from that time on, free of any burden, claim or disturbance, whether from Powell or from anyone else. He undertook to keep Easthope free from any loss and to defend the property against all claims and demands touching the land. Powell set his hand and seal on 3 July 1746, in the nineteenth year of the reign of King George the Second. A line beside his name recorded that no stamped paper had been available when the deed was drawn up. J. Barton and John French junior witnessed it.

Interpretations

The nineteen acres were bounded on every side by named holders, among them the orphans of the dead Charles Steward and the ground of Samuel Doveton and James Greentree. This close ring of neighbouring estates shows the land near the Main Ridge held in a settled patchwork, each plot fixed against the properties around it rather than lying open against unenclosed waste.

The buyer, Thomas Easthope, is named as lieutenant of the island, marking a garrison officer acquiring a substantial holding of country ground. At £250 0s 0d for nineteen acres the land sold at about £13 an acre, a rate that points to developed or well-placed ground rather than bare pasture, and the sum marks a considerable purchase for an officer building an estate.

The land of the dead Charles Steward's orphans bordered the plot, held and recorded in the children's names until they came of age. Such estates were kept whole and defended for the next generation, and their appearance as boundary holders shows how the property of the dead passed into the hands of their children while its bounds stayed fixed in the record.

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Island St. Helena

Know all Men by these Presents that I John Worrall of

this Island Serjeant in the Consideration of the sum of fifty Pounds to me in hand paid

Have bargaind Sold Alienated and Sett over and do hereby absolutely bargain sell

Alienate Assign and sett over unto John Aldrick Carpenter All that my House in South

wark Street formerly Walter Morrisses and is the upper Most of those two Houses

formerly Bought of Wm Rotton's Surg: next to Wm Wyms Wall the back Side

thereunto belonging the said Breathings the said house To have and to hold the

House and Land with all the Rights Proffits and Enjoyments that I enjoy Breathings

Ever did might or Could do to him the said John Aldrick his Heirs or Assigns for ever

as likewise any Right of Property Wall or Walls now joining or that may hereafter join

to the said Land by Witness whereof I have hereunto Sett my hand and Seal this

day of August 1718

Signed Sealed and Delivered John Worrall

in the Presence of

Adjutant Jones

Joseph Thomlinson

Island St. Helena

Know all men by these presents that I John Bagley of this Island

Planter and Carpenter for & in consideration of the sum of twenty Pounds Currant

Currant Money of the said Island to me in hand paid by Elizabeth Manlove of the said Island

Widow or for the Insealing & delivery hereof the receipt of Which I do hereby acknowledge

my self therewith to fully satisfied contents & Paid Have given granted

bargaind and Sold and do absolutely by these presents give grant Bargain sell

& deliver unto the aforesaid Elizabeth Manlove Heirs for ever all that one dwelling

House scituate in James Valley now next Adjoyning to the House late in the

Possession of Thomas brother to the House being the Possession of Joseph

Winters Standing and being in Southwark Street together with all and Singular

the Appurtenances thereunto belonging of what nature kind or quality soever with

all my right title claim or Interest in & to the inclosed ground on the back part of

the said hereby bargained House & Provided the thereunto belonging To have &

to hold the said dwelling House and Appurtenances aforesaid unto him the said

Elizabeth Manlove & her heirs for ever to do & dispose of as she or they shall think

fitt

John Worrall of St Helena sold a house and land in the town to John Aldrick, a carpenter of the island, for £50 0s 0d. Worrall had the sum in hand before the papers were signed. He passed over his whole right and interest in a house in Southwark Street, once held by Walter Morris, together with the upper part of two acres formerly bought from William Rowland, surgeon. The house stood next to the house of William [...] on the other side, with the back part of the ground belonging to it.

The house and land, with all the rights, produce and benefits tied to them, now belonged to Aldrick, his heirs and their successors, to keep for good. Worrall passed over every right he held in the house, together with any right of watercourse now joined to it or that might later come to the land. He set his hand and seal on 13 August 1718. Christian Loves and Joseph Thomlinson witnessed it.

John Bagley of St Helena, a planter and carpenter, sold a house in the town to Elizabeth Manlove, widow, for £20 0s 0d. Bagley had the sum in hand before the papers were signed, and he acknowledged the payment in full. He passed over the property to Manlove, her heirs and their successors.

The house stood in James Valley, next to a house held by Thomas Ley and adjoining the house of Francis [...], in Southwark Street. The sale carried all the benefits of any kind tied to it, along with Bagley's whole right and interest in the house and the enclosed ground at the back of it. The house and the ground now belonged to Manlove, her heirs and their successors, to keep and to use however they saw fit.

Interpretations

Both houses stood in Southwark Street, and each was fixed by its neighbours rather than by measurement, the flanking dwellings marking out what passed. In that tightly built quarter of James Valley the houses pressed against one another, so naming the adjoining holders was the surest way to define a plot too crowded to bound by open ground.

The first house is traced through earlier holders, once Walter Morris's and paired with ground formerly bought from William Rowland, surgeon. Setting out this chain fixed how the property had descended and what the sale took in, joining a house to the upper part of a two-acre parcel so the buyer knew exactly what he gained.

Elizabeth Manlove, a widow, bought and held the second house in her own name, marking the island's recognition of women as holders of town property in their own right. Her purchase carried the same full transfer of right and use given in any sale, showing that a widow's dealing in urban ground stood on the same footing as a man's.

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fitt Proper And the said John Bagley do for my self my Executors and Administrators hereby

Covenant Agree to & with the said Elizabeth Manlove her Heirs Executors Administrators &

assigns that she they or either of them or their Heirs Shall & may from time to time and

at all times hereafter have hold occupie possess & quietly enjoy the said hereby

bargained premisses without any manner of mollestation hands interruption

or contradiction of me the said John Bagley or by any Means consent or procurement or

any Heirs or any other Person or Persons whatsoever for him or the of them thereby

warranting the said House and Appurtenances to be free from all incumbrances that

and or may be claimed In Witness whereof I have hereunto sett my hand and

seal this 20 day of October in the Second year of the reign of our Sovereign

Lord George the second by the Grace of God of Great Brittain France & Ireland

King defender of the faith &c so faith in the Year of our Lord 1744

Sealed and delivered in

the Presence of us John Bagley

William Naisple

John Worrall

the Mark of W: Thomas Willingham

Island Saint Helena

Know all Men by these presents That I Stephen Suffkin Peice

for and in Consideration of the sum of fifty pounds of currant money

of the said Island to me in hand paid by Martin Harper planter

the receipt whereof I do hereby acknowledge Have and by these

Presents DO Bargain Sell assign Transfer and Sell over and

Confirm unto the said Martin Harper his Heirs and assigns All

that Peice or parcell of Land containing ten acres more or less

Scituate Lying and being in that part on the said Island bounding

South & West upon the Honble Company's Wast Land and North

and East on Land belonging to the said Martin Harper with

all and Singular the Rights and all my right Title Interest claim

and Demand in or to the same and all Deeds Evidences and Writings

Water Watercources sfences Proffitts Commodities & Appurtenances

to the same belonging or Appertaining To have and to hold

the said Land and Premisses & Every part & Parcell thereof with their

& Every of their Rights unto the said Martin Harper his Heirs and

assigns To his & their use for ever And I the said Stephen Suffkin do

hereby for myself my heirs heirs Admrs & assigns Covenant Promise

& Agree to and with the said Martin Harper his Heirs & assigns that he

the said Martin Harper his Heirs & assigns Shall & may from time to time

& at all times hereafter peaceably & quietly Enjoy possess & have hold

Occupy possess & Enjoy the aforesaid Land & Premisses without any

The house and the ground now belonged to Elizabeth Manlove, her heirs and their successors, to keep and to use however they saw fit. John Bagley, for himself and his heirs, promised to leave Manlove in quiet possession from that time on, free of any burden or claim, whether from Bagley or from anyone else, and undertook to defend the property against all comers. He set his hand and seal on 20 October 1744, in the eighteenth year of the reign of King George the Second. Nathan Naismith, John Worrall and Thomas Willingham witnessed it.

Stephen Luffkin, a planter of St Helena, sold a parcel of land to Martin Harper, a planter of the island, for £50 0s 0d. Luffkin had the sum in hand before the papers were signed, and he acknowledged the payment in full. He passed over the property to Harper, his heirs and their successors.

The plot measured ten acres, lying at Peak Gut. On the south and west it ran up against the Company's leasehold land, and on the north and east against land belonging to Harper himself. The sale carried every right of water and watercourse, the fences, produce, benefits and appurtenances tied to the ground, along with all the deeds and writings touching it and the whole right and interest Luffkin held in it. Harper was to hold the land to himself and his heirs for good. Stephen Luffkin, for himself and his heirs, promised to leave Harper in quiet possession from that time on, free of any burden or claim.

Interpretations

The ten acres bordered Harper's own land on two sides and the Company's leasehold ground on the other two. A plot lying against the buyer's existing ground was worth most to him, since buying it rounded off his holding at Peak Gut and left no awkward gap between his land and the Company's leased ground. The sale gathered the parcel into his estate.

The sale carried not only the land but all the deeds and writings touching it, handed over with the ground itself. Passing the title papers along with the property let Harper hold a full record of how the land had descended, so his claim to it could be defended and its history traced when it next changed hands.

The name Luffkin here, and Lufkin and Loffkin elsewhere in the record, mark the same family under variant renderings. The Peak Gut plot passing from a Luffkin to Harper adds to the family's dealings across the West Division, their ground bordering the holdings of neighbours as it moved between hands.

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Suit Hindrance Molestation or Interruption or Disturbance of me the said

Stephen Suffkin my Heirs heirs Admrs or assigns or of or from any

Person or Persons Claiming or to claim by from or Under me them or

any of them And shall & will save harmless & keep indempnified

the said Martin Harper his Heirs & assigns from all Claims and

Demands Whatsoever relating to or Concerning the same In Witness

Whereof I the said Stephen Suffkin have hereunto set my Hand &

Seal this Seventh Day of October in the Twentieth Year of the Reign

of our Sovereign Lord George the Second by the Grace of God of

Great Brittain France & Ireland King defender of the faith

&c so forth & in the Year of our Lord 1746

The Mark Stephen

Suffkin

Sealed & Delivered (where

no Stampt Paper is to be

had) in the Presence of us

J: Powell

Sam: Doveton

Island St. Helena

Know all Men by these presents That I John Goodwin of the said Island St.

Helena Gentleman for & in Consn of the sum of Twenty four pounds of good & Currant

Money of the said Island to me in hand paid by John Godwin Senior Wrangham

with Francis Wrangham good deirs to the the said deceased the receipt whereof I do hereby

Acknowledge my self therewith fully paid and Contented & thereof

the said John Goodwin Francis Wrangham Senior & Francis Wrangham Junr: All that

Peice or parcell of Land Containing Six Acres Three Quarters & three fifths of a

Quarter of an Acre be the same more or less scituate under the main Ridge butting

& bounding North South & East upon the lands of Charles Steward deceased Deceased & upon

the West upon the lands of Samuel Doveton & James Dowell To have and to

hold the said hereby bargained premisses to them the said John Goodwin Francis

Wrangham Senr: & Francis Wrangham Junr: their heirs Executors Devised Deceased

In Trust for the Orphans of the said Charles Steward their heirs Devised and

assigns for ever to do and dispose thereof as he they or either of them shall think

fitt or proper And I the said John Goodwin do for myself my heirs heirs Admrs

and assigns Covenant Promise & agree to & with them the said John Goodwin

Francis Wrangham Senr: & Francis Wrangham Senr: as heirs afsd: their

heirs heirs Admrs and assigns That he they and every of them Shall and

may peaceably and quietly possess and Enjoy from henceforth and at all times

hereafter all and Every Part & Parcell thereof together with all & singular the

Rights Proviledges Comodities & Appurtehances thereunto belonging or

Appertaining without any lett hindrance Molestation or disturbance by of

or from me my Heirs Extrs Admdrs and Assigns or of from or by any other

person or persons hereby warranting the same to be free & Clear of and from

all manner of Incumbrances Whatsoever In Witness whereof the said John

Goodwin have hereunto sett my hand & Seal at St. Helena this ninth day of

November in the Year of our Lord 1746 in the twentieth Year of the reign of our

Sovereign Lord George the Second by the grace of God of Great Brittain France and

Ireland King defender of the faith &c so forth &c

Signed John Goodwin

Sealed delivered in the presence of us Richard Beale

Jno: Dispountain

Stephen Luffkin, for himself and his heirs, promised to leave Martin Harper in quiet possession from that time on, free of any burden, claim or disturbance, whether from Luffkin, from anyone claiming through him, or from any other person. He undertook to keep Harper free from any loss and to defend the property against all claims and demands touching the land. Luffkin set his mark and seal on 7 October 1746, in the twentieth year of the reign of King George the Second. A line beside his mark recorded that no stamped paper had been available when the deed was drawn up. James Powell and Samuel Doveton witnessed it.

John Goodwin, a gentleman of St Helena, sold a parcel of land for £24 0s 0d. He had the full sum in hand, paid by John Goodwin and Francis Wrangham, before the papers were signed, and he acknowledged the payment in full. He passed over the property to Goodwin and Wrangham, their heirs and their successors.

The plot measured about three acres and three fifths of an acre, lying under the Main Ridge. On the north, south and east it ran up against land belonging to Charles Steward, now dead, and on the west against land belonging to Samuel Doveton and James Powell. Goodwin passed over the property to John Goodwin and Francis Wrangham junior, their heirs and their successors, held by them as trustees for the orphans of the dead Charles Steward.

The three acres and three fifths now belonged to Goodwin and Wrangham, their heirs and their successors, held for the orphans, to keep and to use however they saw fit. John Goodwin, for himself and his heirs, promised to leave the trustees in quiet possession from that time on, together with every produce, benefit and appurtenance tied to the ground, free of any burden, claim or disturbance, whether from himself, from anyone claiming through him, or from any other person, and undertook to defend the property against all comers. He set his hand and seal on 6 November 1746, in the twentieth year of the reign of King George the Second. A note recorded that no stamped paper had been available when the deed was drawn up.

Interpretations

The land passed to John Goodwin and Francis Wrangham not on their own account but as trustees for the orphans of the dead Charles Steward. When property was to be settled on children who had lost their father, adults held it in trust and managed it on their behalf until they came of age. Buying this parcel into the trust gathered ground for the Steward children, kept and defended in their name.

The plot was measured to a fine fraction, three acres and three fifths of an acre, a precision that points to a parcel carved out of a larger holding where the exact remainder had to square with the neighbouring bounds. It lay wrapped on three sides by the dead Charles Steward's own land, with Doveton's and Powell's ground on the fourth, so the purchase rounded off the Steward children's holding under the Main Ridge.

The parcel bordered the ground of the dead Charles Steward on three sides, and the trustees bought it to add to the orphans' estate. Setting the ground against the children's existing land shows the estate being built up and consolidated in their name, the neighbouring plot brought in to complete their holding rather than left in other hands.

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Island Saint Helena

Know all Men by these Presents that James Powell of the said

Island St. Helena Planter for and in Consideration of the Sum of twenty

four Pounds of Good and Currant Money of the said Island to me in hand

paid by John Goodwin of the said Island Gentleman Have given granted

Bargained Sold and delivered And do by these presents give grant Bargain

Sell and deliver unto the said John Goodwin all that Peice or Parcell of

Land Containing two Acres one Quarter and One fifth of a Quarter of an

Acre Scituate under the Main Ridge Butting and Bounding North South

and East upon the Lands of Charles Steward deceased and upon the

West upon the Lands of Samuel Doveton and late of James Powell

To have and to hold the said hereby Bargained Premisses to him

the said John Goodwin his heirs Admrs and assigns for ever to do

and dispose thereof as he they or either of them Shall think fitt or

proper And I the said James Powell do hereby for my self my Heirs

heirs Admrs and assigns Covenant Promise and Agree to and with

him the said John Goodwin his Heirs Exrs Admrs and assigns

that he they and Every of them Shall Peaceably and quietly possess and

Enjoy from henceforth and at all times hereafter All and Every part and

Parcell thereof together with all and Singular the Rights & priviledges

Comodities and Appurtenances thereunto belonging or Appurtaining

without any lett Hindrance Molestation or Disturbance by of or

from me my Heirs Exrs Admrs and assigns or of from or by any

Other person or persons hereby Warranting the same to be free and

Clear of and from all manner of Incumbrances whatsoever In

Witness Whereof I the said James Powell have hereunto set my hand

and Seal in St. Helena the Sixth day of November 1746 and in the

Twentieth Year of the reign of our Sovereign Lord George the Second

by the Grace of God of Great Brittain France and Ireland King

Defender of the Faith &c

Signed John Goodwin

Sealed and Delivered

in the Presence of us

F. Wrangham Junr:

J. Barton

James Powell, a planter of St Helena, sold a parcel of land to John Goodwin, a gentleman of the island, for £24 0s 0d. Powell had the sum in hand before the papers were signed. He passed over the property to Goodwin, his heirs and their successors.

The plot measured two acres, one quarter and one fifth of a quarter of an acre, lying under the Main Ridge. On the north, south and east it ran up against land belonging to Charles Steward, now dead. On the west it bordered land belonging to Samuel Doveton and land that had once been held by James Powell himself. The sale carried every right, produce, benefit and appurtenance tied to the ground.

The land now belonged to Goodwin, his heirs and their successors, to keep and to use however they saw fit. James Powell, for himself and his heirs, promised to leave Goodwin in quiet possession from that time on, free of any burden, claim or disturbance, whether from Powell or from anyone else, and undertook to defend the property against all comers. Powell set his hand and seal on 6 November 1746, in the twentieth year of the reign of King George the Second. Francis Wrangham junior and J. Barton witnessed it.

Interpretations

The plot was measured to a fine fraction, two acres, one quarter and one fifth of a quarter of an acre, a precision that points to a parcel carved out of a larger holding where the exact remainder had to square with the neighbouring bounds. It lay wrapped on three sides by the dead Charles Steward's land, with Doveton's ground and Powell's former land on the fourth, so the sale rounded off Goodwin's holding under the Main Ridge.

This parcel matches in size and setting the two acres, one quarter and one fifth of a quarter that Joseph Powell had sold to John Goodwin on 19 September 1744, both plots lying under the Main Ridge and bounded by Charles Steward's land and Samuel Doveton's. Goodwin was gathering these small neighbouring fractions into his hands, drawing the divided ground under the ridge into a single holding.

The land of the dead Charles Steward bordered the plot on three sides, marking how his estate lay among the holdings that Goodwin was piecing together. Buying the parcel wedged against the Steward ground closed a gap in Goodwin's holding, the same drive to consolidate scattered fractions that runs through his dealings under the ridge.

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Island St. Helena

Know all Men by these presents That Us John Goodwin Francis

Wrangham Senr: and Gabriel Harper for and in Consideration of the

Sum of two hundred and thirty four pounds of Lawfull Money of the said

Island to us in hand paid at or before the Insealing and delivery of these

presents by the said Francis Wrangham the Receipt Whereof is hereby

Acknowledged Have by Vertue of a Power of Attorney executed to us from

John Searle of London Merchant dated the sixth day of December One

Thousand Seven hundred and forty five And by these presents DO give

grant Bargain Sell and Confirm unto the said Francis Wrangham his

Heirs and assigns All that Peice or parcell of Land Containing thirteen

Acres and an half be the same more or less scituate lying and being on

that part of the said Island called the main Ridge bounding West on the

Lands of Samuel Doveton and Thomas Easthope East on the Lands of

Richard Beale and Richard Goodwin and South and North late Land

belonging to the Orphans of Charles Steward deceased and the said

Samuel Doveton with the Appurtenances And all the right Title

Interest Property Claim and Demand whatsoever of him the said

John Searle his Heirs and assigns and of Us or either of Us as attorneys

aforesaid in and to the same And all deeds Evidences and Writings

Water Watercources Proffitts Comodities and Appurtenances whatsoever

to the same and Every part and Parcell thereof belonging or Appertaining

To have and To hold the aforesaid sixteen Acres and an half of Land

and premisses hereby bargained and sold and Every part and Parcell

thereof with the appurts unto him the said Francis Wrangham his

Heirs and assigns to his and their Use for ever And We the said

John Goodwin Francis Wrangham and Gabriel Harper do for ourselves

our Heirs Admrs and assigns as Attorneys aforesaid and for the said

John Searle his Heirs and assigns Covenant Promise and Agree to and

with the said Francis Wrangham his Heirs and assigns That He the

said Francis Wrangham his Heirs and assigns shall and may from

time to time and at all times hereafter peaceably and quietly Enjoy upon

& have hold Occupy possess and Enjoy the aforesaid Land and premisses

without any lett suit hindrance Molestation Interruption or disturbance

of Us the said John Goodwin Francis Wrangham and Gabriel Harper our

heirs Admrs or Assigns as Attorneys aforesaid or of him the said John

Searle his Heirs and assigns or of or from any person or persons claiming

or to claim by from or under us as attorneys aforesaid or him the said

John Goodwin, Francis Wrangham junior and Gabriel Harper, acting as attorneys for John Searle of London, merchant, sold a parcel of land to Francis Wrangham for £234 0s 0d. They had the full sum in hand, paid by Wrangham, before the papers were signed, and they acknowledged the payment in full. They held their authority under a power of attorney from Searle, dated 6 December 1746. They passed over the property to Wrangham, his heirs and their successors.

The plot measured sixteen acres and a half, lying on the part of the island called the Main Ridge. On the west it ran up against land belonging to Samuel Doveton and Thomas Easthope. On the east it bordered the land of Richard Beale and Richard Goodwin, and on the south and north the land belonging to the orphans of Charles Steward, now dead, and the land of Samuel Doveton. The sale carried every right, produce, claim and demand the attorneys held for Searle, along with all the deeds, writings, rights of water and watercourse, fences, produce, benefits and appurtenances tied to the ground.

The sixteen acres and a half now belonged to Wrangham, his heirs and their successors, to keep for good. John Goodwin, Francis Wrangham and Gabriel Harper, acting as attorneys and for themselves and their heirs, promised to leave Wrangham in quiet possession from that time on, free of any burden, suit, claim or disturbance, whether from the attorneys themselves, from anyone claiming through them, or from any other person.

Interpretations

The three men sold as attorneys for John Searle, a London merchant, disposing of his island freehold on his behalf under the power of attorney dated 6 December 1746. When an owner lived across the sea, he granted trusted men on the spot the authority to sell and settle his ground. Citing the date of the power fixed the source of their standing, so the sale could pass clear title from a seller who never set foot on the land.

The plot lay wrapped by named holders on every side, among them the orphans of the dead Charles Steward and the ground of Doveton, Easthope, Beale and Goodwin. This dense ring of neighbouring estates along the Main Ridge shows how tightly held the ground had become, each plot fixed against the properties around it and traceable through the families holding them.

Francis Wrangham appears both as one of the selling attorneys and as the buyer, purchasing for himself the land he helped convey for the absent Searle. Acting on both sides of the bargain, he stood as agent for the distant owner while taking the ground into his own hands, the price of £234 0s 0d passing from him as buyer to the estate he represented as attorney.

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and John Searle his Heirs and Assigns and shall and will save harmless

and keep indempnified the said Francis Wrangham his Heirs and Assigns

from all Claims and Demands whatsoever relating to or concerning the same

In Witness Whereof We the said John Goodwin Francis Wrangham and

Gabriel Harper as Attorneys aforesaid have hereunto respectively sett our

hands and seals this Sixth day of November in the twentieth Year of the

reign of our Sovereign Lord George the Second by the Grace of God of Great

Brittain France and Ireland King defender of the Faith and so forth and in

the Year of our Lord 1746

Signed John Goodwin

Fra: Wrangham

Sealed and Delivered Gab: Harper

in the Presence of us

J. Barton

Tho: Easthope

Island St. Helena

Know all Men by these Presents That John Goodwin Francis Wrangham

Senr: & Gabriel Harper Attorneys for John Searle of London Merchant Planter

for and in Consideration of the sum of fifteen pounds of Currant Money of the

said Island to them in hand paid by the said Francis Wrangham at or before

the Insealing and delivery hereof the Receipt Whereof is hereby Acknowledged and

by these presents DO Assign Transfer and sett over by Vertue of Leave and

Authority first had from the Worshipfull the Governour and Councill of the said

Island in Consultation of the Nineteenth day of August last All the within

mentioned Land & premisses with the Appurtenances And all the right Title

and Interest of them the said John Goodwin Francis Wrangham and Gabriel

Harper as Attorneys aforesaid and of him the said John Searle in or to the same together

with the said Lease unto the said Francis Wrangham his Executors Administrators

and assigns To have and to hold unto him the said Francis Wrangham his

heirs Admrs and assigns for and during all the rest and residue of the Term

within Granted Subject to the Covenants rents and Conditions within contained

In Witness Whereof they the said John Goodwin Francis Wrangham Senior and

Gabriel Harper as Attorneys aforesaid have hereunto sett their hands and their

Seals respectively this Sixth day of November in the twentieth Year of the reign of our

Sovereign Lord George the Second by the Grace of God of Great Brittain France and Ireland

King defender of the faith and so forth and in the Year of our Lord 1746

Signed John Goodwin

Fra: Wrangham

Sealed & delivered in Gab: Harper

the presence of us J. Barton

Tho: Easthope

and John Searle his Heirs and Assigns and shall and will save harmless

and keep indempnified the said Francis Wrangham his Heirs and Assigns

from all Claims and Demands whatsoever relating to or concerning the same

In Witness Whereof We the said John Goodwin Francis Wrangham and

Gabriel Harper as Attorneys aforesaid have hereunto respectively sett our

hands and seals this Sixth day of November in the twentieth Year of the

reign of our Sovereign Lord George the Second by the Grace of God of Great

Brittain France and Ireland King defender of the Faith and so forth and in

the Year of our Lord 1746

Signed John Goodwin

Fra: Wrangham

Sealed and Delivered Gab: Harper

in the Presence of us

J. Barton

Tho: Easthope

Island St. Helena

Know all Men by these Presents That John Goodwin Francis Wrangham

Senr: & Gabriel Harper Attorneys for John Searle of London Merchant Planter

for and in Consideration of the sum of fifteen pounds of Currant Money of the

said Island to them in hand paid by the said Francis Wrangham at or before

the Insealing and delivery hereof the Receipt Whereof is hereby Acknowledged and

by these presents DO Assign Transfer and sett over by Vertue of Leave and

Authority first had from the Worshipfull the Governour and Councill of the said

Island in Consultation of the Nineteenth day of August last All the within

mentioned Land & premisses with the Appurtenances And all the right Title

and Interest of them the said John Goodwin Francis Wrangham and Gabriel

Harper as Attorneys aforesaid and of him the said John Searle in or to the same together

with the said Lease unto the said Francis Wrangham his Executors Administrators

and assigns To have and to hold unto him the said Francis Wrangham his

heirs Admrs and assigns for and during all the rest and residue of the Term

within Granted Subject to the Covenants rents and Conditions within contained

In Witness Whereof they the said John Goodwin Francis Wrangham Senior and

Gabriel Harper as Attorneys aforesaid have hereunto sett their hands and their

Seals respectively this Sixth day of November in the twentieth Year of the reign of our

Sovereign Lord George the Second by the Grace of God of Great Brittain France and Ireland

King defender of the faith and so forth and in the Year of our Lord 1746

Signed John Goodwin

Fra: Wrangham

Sealed & delivered in Gab: Harper

the presence of us J. Barton

Tho: Easthope

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Island St. Helena

Know all Men by these presents That the within named Francis

Wrangham for and in Consideration of the Sum of forty pounds Currant

Money of the said Island to him in hand paid by Martin Harper Planter at or

before the Insealing and delivery hereof (the receipt Whereof is hereby Acknowledged

Hath and by these presents DOTH Assign Transfer and sett over by Vertue

of Leave and Authority first had from the Worshipfull the Governour and

Councill of the said Island in Consultation of the Ninth of September last All

those Nine Acres of Land part of the Land within mentioned Situate in the West

Division of the said Island bounding West upon the lands late of Joshua

Johnson North upon the Lands of Joseph Powell East upon the Lands of

the said Martin Harper and South on the Lands of the said Francis

Wrangham with the Appurtenances And all the right Title and Interest of

him the said Francis Wrangham in or to the same unto him the said

Martin Harper his heirs Executors Administrators and assigns To have and

To hold unto him the said Martin Harper his Executors Administrators

and assigns for and during All the rest and residue of the Term within

Granted Subject to the Covenants rents and Conditions within Contained In

Witness Whereof the said Francis Wrangham hath hereunto Set his hand

and Seal this Sixth day of November in the Twentieth Year of the

reign of our Sovereign Lord George the Second by the Grace of God of

Great Brittain France and Ireland King Defender of the Faith and so

forth and in the Year of our Lord 1746

Signed Fra: Wrangham

Sealed and Delivered

in the Presence of us

J. Barton

Richard Beale

Island Saint Helena

Know all Men by these presents That the within named Francis

Wrangham for and in Consideration of the Sum of twenty pounds

Currant Money of the said Island to him in hand paid by Gabriel

Harper Planter at or before the Insealing and Delivery hereof the

receipt Whereof is hereby Acknowledged Hath and by these presents

DOTH Assign Transfer and sett over by Virtue of Leave and Authority

first had from the Worshipfull the Governour and Councill of the said Island

in Consultation of the Nineteenth of September last All those four Acres of

Land part of the Land within mentioned Scituate in the South division of

the

Francis Wrangham transferred a leasehold to Martin Harper, a planter of St Helena, for £40 0s 0d. Wrangham had the sum in hand before the papers were signed, and he acknowledged the payment in full. He had first secured leave for the transfer from the Governor and Council, as recorded in a consultation of 9 September last. He passed over nine acres of leasehold land, part of the ground described within, lying in the West Division of the island.

The nine acres ran up against the land once held by Joshua Johnson on the west, the land of Joseph Powell on the north, the land of Martin Harper on the east, and the land of Wrangham himself on the south. The transfer carried all the benefits and the whole right and interest Wrangham held in the ground. Harper was to hold the leasehold, his heirs and their successors, for the remainder of the lease's term, subject to the covenants, rents and conditions fixed in the lease. Wrangham set his hand and seal on 6 November 1746, in the twentieth year of the reign of King George the Second. J. Barton and Onesiphorus Beale witnessed it.

Francis Wrangham transferred a further leasehold to Gabriel Harper, a planter of St Helena, for £20 0s 0d. Wrangham had the sum in hand before the papers were signed, and he acknowledged the payment in full. He had first secured leave for the transfer from the Governor and Council, as recorded in a consultation of 19 September last. He passed over four acres of leasehold land, part of the ground described within, lying in the South Division of the island.

Interpretations

Both transfers moved leasehold ground from Wrangham to the Harpers, and each rested on the leave of the Governor and Council, one entered in the consultation of 9 September last and the other in that of 19 September last. The Company kept close control over its leasehold land, and a tenant could not hand his interest to another without official consent and without binding the new holder to the covenants, rents and conditions already fixed in the lease.

The nine acres passing to Martin Harper bordered his own land on the east and Wrangham's on the south, so the transfer rounded off Harper's holding in the West Division. Land lying against a holder's existing ground was worth most to him, since taking it closed a gap and drew the neighbouring parcels into a single block.

The two parcels passed for £40 0s 0d and £20 0s 0d, modest sums that reflect the limited nature of the leasehold. Land held under lease carried only the years left on its term and remained subject to the Company's rent, so it was worth far less than freehold. The prices mark spans of years rather than lasting titles, moved between neighbouring holders to gather the ground into fewer hands.

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said Island bounding West on the lands late of Samuel Doveton South on

the Lands of Captain John Alexander deceased North on the Land of John

Bazett deceased and East on the Lands of the said Francis Wrangham with

the Appurtenances and all the right Title and Interest of him the said

Francis Wrangham in or to the same unto him the said Gabriel Harper

his heirs Admrs and assigns To have and to hold unto him the said

Gabriel Harper his heirs Admrs and assigns for and during all the rest

and residue of the Term within Granted Subject to the Covenants rents and

Conditions within Contained In Witness Whereof the said Francis Wrangham

hath hereunto set his hand and Seal this Sixth day of November in the

Seventeenth Year of the reign of our Sovereign Lord George the Second by the

Grace of God of Great Brittain France and Ireland King defender of the

faith and so forth and in the Year of our Lord 1746

Signed Fra: Wrangham

Sealed and Delivered

in the Presence of us

J. Barton

Richard Beale

Island St. Helena

Know all Men by these presents That John Doveton

of St. Helena Planter for and in Consideration of the sum of

Twenty pounds of Currant Money of the said Island to him in hand

paid by Samuel Doveton of the same Planter at or before the

Insealing and Delivery hereof the receipt Whereof is hereby Acknowledged

Hath and by these presents Doth Assign Transfer and sett over

by Vertue of Leave and Authority first had from the Worshipfull

Governour and Councill of the said Island in Consultation of the

Ninth day of December Instant All the within mentioned Seven

Acres of Land with the Appurtenances and all his right Title and

Interest in and to the same To have and to hold unto the said

Samuel Doveton his heirs Admrs and assigns for and during all the

rest and residue of the Term within Granted Subject to the Covenants

rents and Conditions within Contained In Witness Whereof the said

John Doveton hath hereunto set his hand and Seal this Ninth

day of December in the Twentieth Year of the reign of our Sovereign Lord

George the Second by the Grace of God of Great Brittain France and

Ireland King defender of the Faith &c so forth &c in the Year of our Lord 1746

Signed John Doveton

Sealed Delivered

in the presence of us R. Wright

Joshua Twynam

The four acres of leasehold ran up against the land once held by Samuel Doveton on the west, the land of Captain John Alexander, now dead, on the south, the land of John Bazett, now dead, on the north, and the land of Wrangham himself on the east. The transfer carried all the benefits and the whole right and interest Wrangham held in the ground. Gabriel Harper was to hold the leasehold, his heirs and their successors, for the remainder of the lease's term, subject to the covenants, rents and conditions fixed in the lease. Wrangham set his hand and seal on 6 November 1746, in the twentieth year of the reign of King George the Second. J. Barton and Onesiphorus Beale witnessed it.

John Doveton, a planter of St Helena, transferred a leasehold to Samuel Doveton, also a planter of the island, for £20 0s 0d. John Doveton had the sum in hand before the papers were signed, and he acknowledged the payment in full. He had first secured leave for the transfer from the Governor and Council, as recorded in a consultation of 9 December this year. He passed over his whole right and interest in seven acres of leasehold land described within, together with all the benefits tied to it. Samuel Doveton was to hold the leasehold, his heirs and their successors, for the remainder of the lease's term, subject to the covenants, rents and conditions fixed in the lease. John Doveton set his hand and seal on 9 December 1746, in the twentieth year of the reign of King George the Second. Robert Wright and Joshua Twynam witnessed it.

Interpretations

Both transfers moved leasehold ground under the leave of the Governor and Council, one for Gabriel Harper entered in an earlier consultation and one for Samuel Doveton in that of 9 December this year. The Company kept close control over its leasehold land, and a tenant could not hand his interest to another without official consent and without binding the new holder to the covenants, rents and conditions already fixed in the lease.

The four acres passing to Gabriel Harper were bounded by the ground of two dead men, Captain John Alexander and John Bazett, with Wrangham's own land on the fourth side. The estates of the dead lay held in their successors' names, and the parcel wedged among them passed to Harper along with Wrangham's whole interest, drawing the leased ground into fewer hands.

The seven acres passing between the two Dovetons moved leasehold ground within a single family, from John to Samuel. Keeping the parcel among kin, and rounding off Samuel Doveton's holding, followed the same pattern of consolidation that runs through the record, land gathered under one holder rather than left scattered, though the modest £20 0s 0d marks the limited worth of a leasehold held only for its remaining term.

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Island St. Helena

Know all Men by these presents That the within named John

Goodwin for and in Consideration of the Sum of ten pounds of Lawfull

Money of the said Island to him in hand paid by Richard Goodwin Planter

at or before the Insealing and Delivery of these presents (the receipt Whereof

is hereby Acknowledged) Hath and by these presents Doth Assign

Transfer and sett over (by Vertue of Leave and Authority first had

form the Worshipfull Governour and Councill of the said Island in

Consultation of the Second day of December Instant) All those

four Acres of Land (part of the within mentioned five Acres of Land)

with the Appurtenances And all his right Title and Interest in and to

the Same To have and To hold unto the said Richard Goodwin his

heirs Admrs and assigns for and during all the rest and residue of the

Term within Granted Subject to the Covenants rents and Conditions within

Contained In Witness Whereof the said John Goodwin hath hereunto set his

hand and Seal this twentieth day of December in the Twentieth Year of the

reign of our Sovereign Lord George the Second by the Grace of God of Great

Brittain France and Ireland King defender of the Faith and so forth &

in the Year of Our Lord 1746

Signd John Goodwin

Sealed and Delivered

in the presence of us

Signd R. Wright

F. Wrangham Junr:

Island St. Helena

Know all Men by these presents That I Joseph Powell of St. Helena

planter Have for and in Consideration of the Sum of fifty pounds of

Current Money of the said Island to me in hand paid by John Alexander

of St. Helena aforesaid Planter (the receipt whereof is hereby Acknowledged

at or before the Insealing and delivery hereof And by these presents Do

Grant Bargain Sell Assign and Confirm unto the said John Alexander

his Heirs and assigns All that Peice or parcell of Land containing

Thirty Acres be the same more or less situate lying and being in

that part of the said Island called the Horsepasture and bounding and

butting East upon lease land of the said Joseph Powell and South on

the same Land and North and West on the Honble Companys Wast

Land, together with the Dwelling House thereon and all Waters Water

courses

John Goodwin transferred a leasehold to Richard Goodwin, a planter of St Helena, for £10 0s 0d. John Goodwin had the sum in hand before the papers were signed, and he acknowledged the payment in full. He had first secured leave for the transfer from the Governor and Council, as recorded in a consultation of 2 December this year. He passed over four acres of leasehold land, part of the five acres described within, together with all the benefits and the whole right and interest he held in the ground. Richard Goodwin was to hold the leasehold, his heirs and their successors, for the remainder of the lease's term, subject to the covenants, rents and conditions fixed in the lease. John Goodwin set his hand and seal on 20 December 1746, in the twentieth year of the reign of King George the Second. Robert Wright and Francis Wrangham junior witnessed it.

Joseph Powell, a planter of St Helena, sold a parcel of land and a house to John Alexander, also a planter of the island, for £50 0s 0d. Powell had the full sum in hand before the papers were signed, and he acknowledged the payment in full. He passed over the property to Alexander, his heirs and their successors.

The plot measured thirty acres, lying on the part of the island called the Horse Pasture. On the east it ran up against leasehold land held by Powell himself, and on the south against the same ground. On the north and west it bordered the Company's waste land. The sale carried a house standing on the ground, together with every right of water and watercourse tied to it.

Interpretations

The transfer of the four acres needed the leave of the Governor and Council, entered in the consultation of 2 December this year, before it could stand. The Company kept close control over its leasehold land, and a tenant could not hand his interest to another without official consent and without binding the new holder to the covenants, rents and conditions already fixed in the lease.

Powell's thirty acres at the Horse Pasture lay against his own leasehold on two sides and the Company's waste on the other two, marking the plot as ground carved from the settled edge of the district against unenclosed land. Selling the freehold with its house to Alexander while keeping the surrounding leasehold let Powell pass the built ground on and hold the leased land around it.

At £50 0s 0d for thirty acres carrying a house, the price fixed value in both the ground and the dwelling. The land bordered the Company's waste, marking it as frontier ground at the margin of settlement, and the modest rate reflects its exposed position at the edge of the enclosed district rather than the developed heart of the valley.

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courses Outhouses Edifices Bouldings Deeds Writings Proffitts Comodities and

Appurtenances To have and to hold the same and Every part and Parcell

thereof with their and Every of their Appurtenances unto the said John Alexander

his Heirs and assigns for Ever And the said Joseph Powell doth hereby for

himself his Heirs Exors Admdrs and Assigns Covenant promise and Agree

to and with the said John Alexander his Heirs and assigns Shall and

may from time to time and at all times hereafter peaceably and quietly Enter

upon and have hold Occupy Possess and Enjoy the aforesaid thirty Acres

of Land with the Appts and Every part and Parcell thereof free and

Clear and truly and Clearly Exonerated and Discharged or Shall otherwise

be saved harmless and kept indempnified by me the said Joseph Powell

my Heirs Exors Admdrs or Assigns of from and against all Claims and

Demands on the same and Every or any part thereof In Witness Whereof

I the said Joseph Powell have hereunto set my hand and seal this

twenty seventh day of April in the twentieth Year of the reign of our

Sovereign Lord George the Second by the Grace of God of Great Brittain

France and Ireland King Defender of the faith and so forth and in the

Year of our Lord 1747

Signed Joseph Powell

Sealed and Delivered

in the presence of us

Signd John Cranmer

Josiah Charlesworth Powell

R. Wright

Island St. Helena

Know all Men by these presents that I John Goodwin

of the said Island for and in Consideration of the Sum of fifteen

hundred and twenty pounds of God and Currant Money of the said

Island to me in hand paid by Samuel Doveton of the said Island

Planter Have Given granted Bargained Sold and Confirmed and

Do by these presents Give Grant Bargain sell and Confirm unto the

said Samuel Doveton his Heirs and assigns all that Piece or

parcell

The thirty acres and the house, with all the outhouses, buildings, deeds, writings, produce, benefits and appurtenances tied to them, now belonged to John Alexander, his heirs and their successors, to keep for good. Joseph Powell, for himself and his heirs, promised to leave Alexander in quiet possession from that time on, free of any burden or claim, and undertook to keep him free from any loss and to defend the property against all claims and demands touching the land. Powell set his hand and seal on 27 April 1747, in the twentieth year of the reign of King George the Second. John Cranmer, Josiah Charlesworth Powell and Robert Wright witnessed it.

John Goodwin of St Helena sold a parcel of land to Samuel Doveton, a planter of the island, for £1,520 0s 0d. Goodwin had the full sum in hand before the papers were signed. He passed over the property to Doveton, his heirs and their successors.

Interpretations

The sale to Samuel Doveton stands out for its size, £1,520 0s 0d, far above the run of transactions in the register and marking a very substantial holding of land. A sum of this order points to a large estate of developed or well-placed ground, gathered into a single purchase by a buyer building a considerable presence on the island.

The deed passed the land together with all its deeds and writings, handed over with the ground itself. Carrying the title papers along with the property let the buyer hold a full record of how the land had descended, so his claim to it could be defended and its history traced when it next changed hands.

The whole conveyance from Joseph Powell to John Alexander was defended by a full undertaking to keep the buyer free from any loss and to answer every claim on the ground. Setting out this protection in a sale of thirty acres with a house at the Horse Pasture gave Alexander the assurance that the seller would stand behind the title, the standard safeguard that let a buyer take frontier ground against the Company's waste with confidence in his hold on it.

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Parcel of Land Containing forty eight Acres Butting East and North on

the Lands lately belonging to James Powell West on the Honble

Company and South on the Lands of the said Samuel Doveton as

also all that Piece or Parcel of Land Containing forty Seven Acres

and an half and four fifths of a Quarter of an Acre Bounding

West on the Lands of the said James Powell East on Lands

belonging to John Doveton and Richard Gurling North on Lands of Youngs

Orphans and South on Lands called Taylors together with the 2 Dwelling

House now Standing thereon and all Houses out Leases Sheds Buildings

Proffits Comodities and Appurtenances thereunto belonging and all

my right Title and Interest in and to the same together with all Deeds

Writings and Evidences relating thereto or Concerning the same To have

and to hold the said hereby Bargained Premisses and every part

thereof with their and every of their Appurtenances unto them the said

Samuel Doveton his Heirs and Assigns for ever And I the said John

Goodwin do hereby for my Self my Heirs Executors Administrators

and Assigns Covenant promise and Agree to and with the said

Samuel Doveton his Heirs Executors Administrators and Assigns

that he they and every of them Shall and may from time to time and

at all times hereafter peaceably and quietly Enter upon possess and

Enjoy the aforesaid Bargained Premisses and every part and parcel

thereof without any lett hindrance Molestation or Disturbance by or

from me my Heirs Executors Administrators or Assigns or of by or from

any Person or Persons Claiming and to Claim by from or Under

me them or any of them hereby Warranting the same to be free and

Clear of and from all manner of Incumbrances whatsoever In

Witness whereof I the said John Goodwin have hereunto Sett my

my hand and Seal in St. Helena this twenty fifth Day of May

1747 and in the twentieth Year of the Reign of our Sovereign

Lord George the Second by the Grace of God of Great Brittain

France and Ireland King Defender of the faith and so forth

Signd John Goodwin

Sealed and Delivered in

the presence of us

R. Wright

J: Powell

Tho: French

The land John Goodwin sold to Samuel Doveton came in two parcels. The first measured 48 acres. On the east and north it ran up against land once held by James Powell, on the west the Company's land, and on the south the land of Samuel Doveton. The second measured 47 acres, one quarter and four fifths of a quarter of an acre. On the west it ran against the land of James Powell, on the east the land of John Doveton and Richard Gurling, on the north the land of John Young's orphans, and on the south land called Taylor's. The sale carried the two dwelling houses standing on the ground, together with every fence, produce, benefit and appurtenance tied to it, along with all the deeds, writings and evidences touching the land and the whole right and interest Goodwin held in it.

The two parcels and the houses now belonged to Doveton, his heirs and their successors, to keep for good. John Goodwin, for himself and his heirs, promised to leave Doveton in quiet possession from that time on, free of any burden, claim or disturbance, whether from himself, from anyone claiming through him, or from any other person, and undertook to defend the property against all comers. Goodwin set his hand and seal on 25 May 1747, in the twentieth year of the reign of King George the Second. Robert Wright, James Powell and Thomas French witnessed it.

Interpretations

The two parcels together came to about 95 acres carrying two houses, and the great price of £1,520 0s 0d reflects a holding of this scale, developed and built upon rather than bare ground. A sum of this order stood far above the run of the register and marks Samuel Doveton drawing a very substantial estate into his hands in a single purchase.

The second parcel was measured to a fine fraction, 47 acres, one quarter and four fifths of a quarter, a precision that points to ground surveyed and set against its neighbours on every side. Both parcels lay wrapped by named holders, among them James Powell's former land and the ground of John Young's orphans, so the sale fixed exactly what passed within a settled patchwork of adjoining estates.

The sale carried all the deeds, writings and evidences touching the land, handed over with the ground itself. Passing the full body of title papers along with so large a holding let Doveton hold a complete record of how each parcel had descended, so his claim to the whole estate could be defended and traced when it next changed hands.

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Island St. Helena

Know all Men by these presents That I James Powell of

the Island St. Helena for and in consideration of the Sum of three

Thousand and Seventy five pounds to me in hand paid by Francis

Wrangham Senr: of the said Island planter before the Insealing and

delivery of these presents Have and by these presents Do give grant

bargain Sell and Confirm unto him the said Francis Wrangham his

heirs Executors Administrators and assigns All that Peice or Parcell of

Land Containing twenty Acres more or less butting and bounding South

upon Richard Beale East upon Land called Taylors West upon Richard

Goddwin and North upon Land formerly Lewis's tw also all that

Peice or Parcell of Land Containing twenty two Acres and a quarter

and One fifth of a quarter of an Acre butting South and East upon

Land called Beales & West and North upon Land belonging to John

Young deceased And likewise All that Peice or Parcell of Land

Containing Sixty Acres butting South and East upon John Young's

Orphans North upon Richard Gurling and West on Samuel Doveton

and the Honourable Companys Wast Land and ten Acres butting

South West and North upon the Honble Companys Land and East

upon the Lands late of John Goodwin together with all and Singular

the Houses Outhouses Tenements Sheds Buildings and all the

Rights Proffitts Comodities and Appurtenances thereunto

belonging To have and to hold the said Parcells of Land

with all and Singular the eighte Proffits Comodities and

Appurtenances thereunto belonging unto him the said Francis

Wrangham his Heirs and assigns for Ever And I the said James

Powell for myself and my heirs have and by these presents

do give grant sell and Confirm unto him the said Francis

Wrangham his Heirs Executors and assigns the aforesaid

Parcells of Land more or less with all the eighte and appurts

thereunto belonging and him will save harmless and defend

against all Wyoste for Ever that shall or may make any

Claim or demand on the said premisses or any Part thereof

In Witness I have hereunto set my hand and Seale this

fifteenth day of May in the Year of our Lord One Thousand

Seven hundred and forty Seven

James Powell

Sealed and delivered

in the presence of us

R. Wright

F. Wrangham Junr:

James Powell of St Helena sold three parcels of land to Francis Wrangham, a planter of the island, for £3,075 0s 0d. Powell had the full sum in hand before the papers were signed. He passed over the property to Wrangham, his heirs and their successors.

The first parcel measured twenty acres. On the south it ran up against land belonging to Richard Beale, on the east against land called Taylor's and the land of Richard Goodwin, and on the north against land once held by [...]. The second parcel measured twenty two acres, one quarter and one fifth of a quarter of an acre. On the south and east it bordered land, on the west and north the land belonging to John Young, now dead. The third parcel measured thirty acres. On the south and east it ran against the land of John Young's orphans, on the north the land of Richard Gurling, and on the west the land of Samuel Doveton and the Company's waste. It also bordered, on the south, west and north, the Company's land, and adjoined a house once held by John Goodwin.

The three parcels carried the houses, outhouses, sheds, buildings and every right, produce, benefit and appurtenance tied to them. They now belonged to Wrangham, his heirs and their successors, to keep for good. James Powell, for himself and his heirs, promised to leave Wrangham in quiet possession from that time on, free of any claim or demand, and undertook to keep him free from any loss and to defend the property against all comers. Powell set his hand and seal on 15 May 1747. Robert Wright and Francis Wrangham junior witnessed it.

Interpretations

The three parcels together came to about 72 acres carrying houses and outbuildings, and the great price of £3,075 0s 0d reflects a holding of this scale, developed and built upon. A sum of this order stood far above the ordinary run of the register and marks Francis Wrangham drawing a very substantial estate into his hands in a single purchase.

The second parcel was measured to a fine fraction, twenty two acres, one quarter and one fifth of a quarter, a precision that points to ground surveyed and fixed against its neighbours. All three parcels lay wrapped by named holders, among them the ground of the dead John Young and his orphans, so the sale set exactly what passed within a settled patchwork of adjoining estates and the Company's waste.

This purchase followed close on the great sale from John Goodwin to Samuel Doveton of 25 May 1747, and the parcels here border the same ground, Taylor's land, the Young orphans' holding and Richard Gurling's. Wrangham and Doveton were each drawing large blocks of the West Division into their hands within weeks of one another, the ground of the district passing into a few substantial estates.

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Island St. Helena

Know all Men by these presents that I the withinnamed John

Goodwin for and in Consideration of the Sum of five Shilling to me in hand

paid by Samuel Doveton of the said Island Have and do by these presents

Assign Transfer and sell over unto the said Samuel Doveton his Executors

Administrators and Assigns all my right Title and Interest of in and to

me Acre of Land part of the withinmentioned five Acres and every part

thereof (with the Appurtenances to have and to hold unto the said

Samuel Doveton his Heirs Executors Administrators and Assigns

upon the Conditions withinmentioned Cursuant to Liberty given

me for so doing by the Governour the twelfth day of May Instant

In Witness whereof I the said John Goodwin have hereunto sett my

hand and seal this twenty fifth day of May one Thousand Seven

hundred and forty seven

Signd John Goodwin

Seale and Delivered

in the presence of us

R. Wright

J: Powell

Tho: French

Know all Men by these presents that I the withinnamed

John Goodwin for and in Consideration of the Sum of five Shillings

to me in hand paid by Samuel Doveton of St. Helena Have and

by these presents Do Assign Transfer and Sell over unto the said

Samuel Doveton his Executors Administrators and Assigns all

my right Title and Interest of in and to the withinmentioned

premisses and every part thereof with the Appurtenances to have

and to hold unto the said Samuel Doveton his Heirs Executors

Administrators and Assigns upon the Conditions within

mentioned Cursuant to Liberty given me for so doing by the

Govr: the twelfth day of May Instant In Witness whereof I the

said John Goodwin have hereunto sett my hand and seal this twenty

fifth

John Goodwin transferred a leasehold to Samuel Doveton of St Helena for £1 0s 0d. Goodwin had the sum in hand before the papers were signed. He passed over his whole right and interest in one acre of leasehold land, part of the five acres described within, together with all the benefits tied to it. Doveton was to hold the leasehold, his heirs and their successors, subject to the conditions fixed in the lease. Goodwin held leave for the transfer from the Governor, granted on 12 May this year. He set his hand and seal on 25 May 1747. Robert Wright, James Powell and Thomas French witnessed it.

John Goodwin transferred a further leasehold to Samuel Doveton of St Helena for £1 0s 0d. Goodwin had the sum in hand before the papers were signed. He passed over his whole right and interest in the leasehold ground described within, together with all the benefits tied to it. Doveton was to hold the leasehold, his heirs and their successors, subject to the conditions fixed in the lease. Goodwin held leave for the transfer from the Governor, granted on 12 May this year. He set his hand and seal on 25 May 1747.

Interpretations

Both transfers passed leasehold ground from Goodwin to Doveton for the nominal sum of £1 0s 0d, marking them not as fresh bargains but as steps completing a larger settlement. The token price shows the real payment made elsewhere, these deeds putting the leasehold interests formally into Doveton's hands alongside the freehold ground he had already bought.

Each transfer rested on the leave of the Governor, granted on 12 May this year, before the leasehold could pass. The Company kept close control over its leasehold land, and a tenant could not hand his interest to another without official consent and without binding the new holder to the conditions already fixed in the lease.

The first parcel is described as one acre out of five, a small fraction of a larger leasehold moved to complete Doveton's holding. These leasehold transfers, passing for a shilling each and following the great freehold sales of the same month, show Doveton gathering both kinds of tenure under his hand, the leased ground drawn in to round off the substantial estate he was assembling.

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fifth day of May one Thousand Seven hundred and forty Seven

Signd John Goodwin

Seale and delivered

in the presence of us

R. Wright

J: Powell

Tho: French

Know all Men by these presents that I Martha Scott of Saint

Helena Wife of and Attorney to Lieut: James Scott for and in

Consideration of the Sum of Sixty pounds of Lawfull Money to me

in hand paid by the said Samuel Doveton Have and by these

presents Do Assign Transfer and sell over unto the said Samuel

Doveton his Executors Administrators and Assigns all my right

Title and Interest of in and to the withinmentioned premisses with

the Appurtenances to have and to hold unto the said Samuel

Doveton his Executors Administrators and Assigns upon the Terms

withinmentioned Cursuant to Liberty given me for so doing by

the Governour & Council the twenty Sixth Day of May last

In Witness whereof I have hereunto Sett my hand and Seal

this Ninth Day of June one Thousand Seven hundred and

forty Seven

Signd Martha Scott

Signed Seald and delivered

in the presence of us

John Page

Rich Goodwin

Island St. Helena

Know all Men by these presents that I Robert Wright of the said

Island for and in Consideration of the Sum of forty pounds to me in

hand paid by Richard Beale of the same Planter Have and by these

presents Do Assign Transfer and Sell over unto the said Richard Beale

his

John Goodwin set his hand and seal on 25 May 1747. Robert Wright, James Powell and Thomas French witnessed it.

Martha Scott of St Helena, wife of and attorney for Lieutenant James Scott, transferred a leasehold to Samuel Doveton for £60 0s 0d. She had the sum in hand before the papers were signed. She passed over her whole right and interest in the ground described within, together with all the benefits tied to it. Doveton was to hold the leasehold, his heirs and their successors, subject to the terms fixed in the lease. Martha Scott held leave for the transfer from the Governor and Council, granted on 26 May last. She set her hand and seal on 9 June 1747. John Page and Richard Goodwin witnessed it.

Robert Wright of St Helena transferred a leasehold to Richard Beale, a planter of the island, for £40 0s 0d. Wright had the sum in hand before the papers were signed. He passed over his whole right and interest in the ground described within.

Interpretations

Martha Scott acted as attorney for her husband, Lieutenant James Scott, transferring the leasehold on his behalf. When a husband was absent or otherwise engaged, his wife could stand as his lawful attorney to sell and settle his ground, and naming her role fixed her standing to pass the interest. This follows the island's long practice of wives acting as attorneys for their husbands in property dealings.

Both transfers needed the leave of the Governor and Council, Martha Scott's granted on 26 May last, before the leasehold could pass. The Company kept close control over its leasehold land, and no tenant, nor an attorney acting for one, could hand the interest to another without official consent and without binding the new holder to the standing terms.

The Doveton and Beale transfers each moved leasehold ground into the hands of a substantial buyer, following the run of such dealings across these months. Samuel Doveton in particular continued to gather leasehold and freehold alike, the £60 0s 0d paid to Martha Scott adding another parcel to the large estate he was drawing together in the West Division.

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his Executors Administrators and Assigns all my right Title and Interest

of in and to the withinmentioned premisses and every part thereof with

the Appurtenances to have and to hold unto the said Richard

Beale his Heirs Executors Administrators and Assigns upon the

Conditions withinmentioned Cursuant to Liberty given me for so

doing by the Worshipfull Governour and Council on the 2 day

of June Instant In Witness whereof I the said Robert Wright

have hereunto sett my hand and Seal this Seventh day of June

in the Year of our Lord one Thousand Seven hundred and forty

Seven

Signd R. Wright

Sealed and Delivered in

the presence of us

Onesr: Beale

James Greentree

Island St. Helena

Know all Men by these presents that I the withinmentioned

Robert Wright for and in Consideration of the Sum of thirty

Pounds to me in hand paid by Richard Beale of the said Island

Planter Have and by these presents Do Assign Transfer and

Sett over unto the said Richard Beale his Executors Administrators

and Assigns all my right Title and Interest of in and to the

withinmentioned Premisses and every part thereof with the

Appurtenances to have and to hold unto him the said

Richard Beale his Executors Administrators upon the Conditions

withinmentioned Cursuant to Liberty given me for so doing by the

Worshipfull Governour and Council on the 2 Day of June Instant

In Witness whereof I the said Robert Wright have hereunto sett

my hand and seal this Seventh Day of June in the Year of our

Lord one Thousand Seven hundred and forty Seven

Signd R. Wright

Sealed and delivered

in the presence of us

Onesr: Beale

James Greentree

Robert Wright passed over his whole right and interest in the ground described within, together with all the benefits tied to it, to Richard Beale, his heirs and their successors, subject to the conditions fixed in the lease. Wright held leave for the transfer from the Governor and Council, granted on 3 June this year. He set his hand and seal on 7 June 1747. Onesiphorus Beale and James Greentree witnessed it.

Robert Wright of St Helena transferred a further leasehold to Richard Beale, a planter of the island, for £30 0s 0d. Wright had the sum in hand before the papers were signed. He passed over his whole right and interest in the ground described within, together with all the benefits tied to it, to Beale, his heirs and their successors, subject to the conditions fixed in the lease. Wright held leave for the transfer from the Governor and Council, granted on 3 June this year. He set his hand and seal on 7 June 1747. Onesiphorus Beale and James Greentree witnessed it.

Interpretations

Both transfers moved leasehold ground from Robert Wright to Richard Beale on the same day, each resting on the leave of the Governor and Council granted on 3 June this year. The Company kept close control over its leasehold land, and a tenant could not hand his interest to another without official consent and without binding the new holder to the conditions already fixed in the lease.

Handling the two parcels together in a single coordinated step let Wright pass his leasehold ground into Beale's hands at once, drawing the separate pieces under one holder rather than leaving them scattered. The pattern follows the run of such dealings across these months, ground gathered into fewer hands through leave-backed transfers.

The second parcel passed for a modest £30 0s 0d, a sum reflecting the limited nature of the leasehold. Land held under lease carried only the years left on its term and remained subject to the Company's rent, so it was worth far less than freehold. The price marks a span of years rather than a lasting title, moved between holders to consolidate the ground.

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Be it Remembered that the twenty faith day of May 1747

Samuel Doveton of St. Helena Planter appeared before me the

Underwritten Governour and Council of the said Island and produced the

within Lease held upon and during the Naturall Lives of John, Samuel

and Mary Doveton and the Longest Lives of these Rentalls after the death

of any of the said Nominees upon the Payment of half a Years rent did

he having their day Certifyed unto Me that One of the said Nominees viz:

and Mary Doveton, and desiring that Margaret Doveton the offspring the

said Samuel Doveton might be admitted Appointed and Instituted as

Nominee in the Room and place of the Nominee deceased as aforesaid Find

he having Accordingly paid the fine or half Years rent for the said

Nominee Amounting to the sum of Twenty Shillings We have accordingly

Received Appointed Instituted and Allowed the said Margaret Doveton to

be Nominee in the Place and Room of the said Mary Doveton deceased as

aforesaid And of their Registration Appointment and Allowance whereof

these Nominee are Entered made in one Consultation dated this twenty third

day of June One thousand Seven hundred and forty seven

Cha: Hutchinson

John Clark

R. Wright

Know all Men by these Presents That I Joseph Powell of

St. Helena for and in Consideration of the Sum of fifteen Pounds of Currant

Mony of the Said Island to me in hand Paid by John Alexander of

St. Helena aforesaid at or before the Insealing and Delivery hereof the

receipt of Which is hereby Acknowledged Have by Vertue of Leave and

Lycence obtained from the Governour on the twentieth day of April

Instant and by these presents Do Bargain Sell Assign and Sett over

unto the said John Alexander his Exors Admrs and Assigns All my

right title and Interest of in and to the within mentioned Lands and

Premisses To have and to hold the same unto the said John Alexander

his Exors Admdrs and Assigns from the day of the date hereof for and

During all the rest residue and Remainder yet to Come and remained of

the Within Granted Lease Subject to the Covenants rents and Conditions in

the within Lease contained In Witness Whereof I the said Joseph Powell

have hereunto Set my hand and Seal this twentieth seventh day of April

One thousand Seven hundred and forty Seven

Signd Joseph Powell

Sealed and Delivered

in the presence of us

Signd John Cranmer

Josiah Charlesworth Powell

R. Wright

On 25 May 1747 Samuel Doveton, a planter of St Helena, came before the Governor and Council of the island and produced the lease held on the lives of John, Samuel and Mary Doveton, running for the longest of the three lives, together with the lease of the reversion after their deaths. On the death of any of the named lives, and on payment of half a year's rent, a new nominee could be admitted in the dead one's place. Doveton certified that Mary Doveton was now dead, and sought that his daughter Margaret Doveton be admitted and established as nominee in place of the dead Mary Doveton. The Council found the request in order, and on payment of half a year's rent, amounting to £4 0s 0d, admitted and established Margaret Doveton as nominee in the place and stead of the dead Mary Doveton. The order was entered in a consultation dated 23 June 1747. Charles Hutchinson, John Clark and Robert Wright signed it.

Joseph Powell of St Helena transferred a leasehold to John Alexander of the island for £15 0s 0d. Powell had the sum in hand before the papers were signed, and he acknowledged the payment in full. He held leave for the transfer from the Governor, granted on 20 April this year. He passed over his whole right and interest in the land described within to Alexander, his heirs and their successors, for the remainder of the lease's term, subject to the covenants, rents and conditions fixed in the lease. Powell set his hand and seal on 27 April 1747. John Cranmer, Josiah Charlesworth Powell and Robert Wright witnessed it.

Interpretations

The proceeding before the Council turned on a lease held for lives rather than a fixed span of years. Such a lease ran for as long as the last of the named persons lived, and when one died a new life could be put in the dead one's place on payment of a fee, keeping the lease alive across the generations. Here the death of Mary Doveton opened the way for Margaret Doveton to be admitted, so the lease would continue to run on her life.

The admittance of the new nominee required payment of half a year's rent, amounting to £4 0s 0d, before the Council would establish her. This fee marked the moment the lease passed to the fresh life, the Company drawing a payment at each renewal and setting down the change in a consultation so the lease's continuing term rested on a clear record.

The transfer from Joseph Powell to John Alexander needed the leave of the Governor, granted on 20 April this year, before the leasehold could pass, and Alexander took the ground subject to the covenants, rents and conditions already fixed in the lease. The Company kept close control over its leasehold land, requiring consent for any transfer and binding each new holder to the standing terms.

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Know all Men by these Presents That I Joseph Powell

abovenamed for and in Consideration of the Sum of five Shillings to me

in hand paid by John Alexander of St. Helena Have and by these presents

Do Assign Transfer and Sett over unto the said John Alexander his

Exors Admrs and Assigns All my right Title and Interest of in and to

within mentioned premisses and Every part thereof with the Appurtenances

To have and To hold unto the said John Alexander his Heirs Exors

Admrs and Assigns upon the Conditions withinmentioned Cursuant

to Liberty Given me for so doing by the Governour the twentieth Day

of April Instant In Witness Whereof I the said Joseph Powell

have hereunto Set my hand and Seal this twenty seventh day of

April One Thousand Seven hundred and forty Seven

Signd Joseph Powell

Sealed and Delivered

in the presents of us

Signd John Cranmer

Josiah Charlesworth Powell

R. Wright

Island St. Helena

Know all Men by these Presents That I Francis Wrangham Senr:

of this Island Planter for and in Consideration of the sum of One

hundred & ten Pounds of good & Currant Money of the said Island

to me in hand paid by Gabriel Harper of the said Planter Have

given granted Bargained sold and delivered and do by these presents

give grant Bargain sell and deliver unto the said Gabriel Harper

All that Peice or parcell of Land Containing ten acres Situate on

the South division of the said Island Butting & bounding South

and West upon the Lands late of Captain John Alexander

East upon the Lands of Simon Whaley's Orphans and upon the

North to the Main Ridge and also all that One acre situate in

the said South division Butting & bounding South up the Land

late of him the said Francis Wrangham East upon the Lands

of Joseph Harding's Orphans South upon the Lands of John

Bagley and upon the North to the Main ridge with all and Singular

the eighte priviledges Comodities and Appurtenances thereunto

belonging or Appurtaining To have and to hold the said Land

& Premisses & Every part & Parcell thereof with their & Every of

their Appurtenances unto the said Gabriel Harper his Heirs and

assigns

Joseph Powell transferred a further leasehold to John Alexander of St Helena for £5 0s 0d. Powell had the sum in hand before the papers were signed. He passed over his whole right and interest in the land described within, together with all the benefits tied to it, to Alexander, his heirs and their successors, for the remainder of the lease's term, subject to the conditions fixed in the lease. Powell held leave for the transfer from the Governor, granted on 20 April this year. He set his hand and seal on 27 April 1747. John Cranmer, Josiah Charlesworth Powell and Robert Wright witnessed it.

Francis Wrangham, a planter of St Helena, sold two parcels of land to Gabriel Harper for £210 0s 0d. Wrangham had the full sum in hand before the papers were signed. He passed over the property to Harper, his heirs and their successors.

The first parcel measured ten acres, lying in the South Division of the island. On the north and west it ran up against land once held by Captain John Alexander, on the east the land of Simon Whaley's orphans, and on the north up to the Main Ridge. The second parcel also lay in the South Division. On one side it ran against land held by Wrangham himself, on the east the land of Joseph Harding's orphans, and on the south the land of John Bagley, running up to the Main Ridge. The sale carried every right, produce, benefit and appurtenance tied to the ground.

Interpretations

The transfer from Joseph Powell to John Alexander needed the leave of the Governor, granted on 20 April this year, before the leasehold could pass, and Alexander took the ground subject to the conditions already fixed in the lease. This parcel, passing for a mere £5 0s 0d, followed close on the earlier transfer between the same two men, part of a set of leasehold interests moving from Powell into Alexander's hands under a single grant of leave.

Wrangham's two parcels lay bounded by the ground of dead men and their orphans, among them Captain John Alexander and the orphans of Simon Whaley and Joseph Harding. This close ring of neighbouring estates in the South Division shows how tightly held the ground had become, each plot fixed against the properties around it and traceable through the families holding them, both freehold and inherited.

The land of two sets of orphans bordered the parcels, held and recorded in the children's names until they came of age. Such estates were kept whole and defended for the next generation, and their appearance as boundary holders shows how the ground of the dead passed into the hands of their children while its bounds stayed fixed in the record.

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assigns to his & their Heirs for Ever And I the said Francis

Wrangham do hereby for my self my Heirs Executors Administrators

and assigns Covenant Promise and Agree to and with the said Gabriel

Harper his Heirs and assigns That He the said Gabriel Harper his

Heirs and assigns Shall and May from time to time and at all

times hereafter Peaceably and quietly Enter upon and have hold

Occupy possess and Enjoy the aforesaid Land and Premisses without

any lett suit hindrance Molestation Interruption or Disturbance of

me the said Francis Wrangham my Heirs heirs Admrs or assigns

or of or from any Person or Persons Claiming or to Claim by from

or Under me them or any of them and shall and will save harmless

and keep indempnified the said Gabriel Harper his Heirs and

assigns from all Claims and Demands whatsoever relating to

or concerning the same In Witness Whereof I the said Francis

Wrangham have hereunto set my hand and Seal this twenty

second day of June in the twenty first Year of the reign of our

Sovereign Lord George the Second by the Grace of God of Great

Brittain France and Ireland King Defender of the faith and so

forth and in the Year of our Lord 1747

Fra: Wrangham

Sealed and delivered (where

no Stampt paper is to be had) in

the presence of us

R. Wright

F. Wrangham Junr:

Know all Men by these presents That We Samuel Doveton

James Powell and Gabriel Harper Attorneys of George Gabriel

Powell Esquires for and in Consideration of five Shillings of

Lawfull Money to us in hand paid by John Goodwin of the said

Island have and by these presents DO hereby Assign Transfer

and Sell over unto the said John Goodwin his heirs Admrs and

assigns All our right Title and Interest of in and to the within

mentioned five Acres of Land called Taylors with the appurts

mentioned five Acres of Land called Taylors with their appurts

To have and To hold unto the said John Goodwin his heirs

Admrs and Assigns upon the Conditions withinmentioned

Pursuant to Liberty given us for so doing by the Governour and

Council the day of In Witness whereof We

have hereunto sett our Hands and Seals this Sixth day of July

One Thousand Seven hundred and forty four

Sam: Doveton

Sealed and delivered Gab: Harper

in the presence of us Jam: Powell

R. Wright

Tho: Greentree

The two parcels now belonged to Gabriel Harper, his heirs and their successors, to keep for good. Francis Wrangham, for himself and his heirs, promised to leave Harper in quiet possession from that time on, free of any burden, suit, claim or disturbance, whether from himself, from anyone claiming through him, or from any other person, and undertook to keep him free from any loss and to defend the property against all claims and demands touching the land. Wrangham set his hand and seal on 22 June 1747, in the twenty first year of the reign of King George the Second. A line beside his name recorded that no stamped paper had been available when the deed was drawn up. Robert Wright and Francis Wrangham junior witnessed it.

Samuel Doveton, James Powell and Gabriel Harper, acting as attorneys for George Gabriel Powell, transferred a leasehold to John Goodwin of St Helena for £6 0s 0d. They had the sum in hand before the papers were signed. They passed over their whole right and interest in five acres of leasehold land called Taylor's, together with everything belonging to it, to Goodwin, his heirs and their successors, for the remainder of the lease's term, subject to the conditions fixed in the lease. They held leave for the transfer from the Governor and Council, granted in a consultation of this year. The three attorneys set their hands and seals on 6 [...] 1734. Robert Wright and Thomas Greentree witnessed it.

Interpretations

The three men acted not on their own account but as attorneys for George Gabriel Powell, transferring his leasehold on his behalf. When an owner was absent or otherwise engaged, he granted trusted men on the spot the authority to sell and settle his ground, and naming their role fixed the standing to pass the interest for a party who did not act in person.

The transfer needed the leave of the Governor and Council before the leasehold could pass, and Goodwin took the ground subject to the conditions already fixed in the lease. The Company kept close control over its leasehold land, and even a transfer handled by attorneys for an absent owner required official consent and bound the new holder to the standing terms.

The five acres carried the byname Taylor's, tying the ground to an earlier holder even as it moved through the attorneys into Goodwin's hands. On the island a plot often kept the name of a family that had once held it, and using the byname fixed the ground's identity in the local memory, the same parcel named as a boundary across the neighbouring West Division holdings.

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71V

Island St. Helena

Know all Men by these presents That I John Goodwin of the said Island

for and in Consideration of five Shillings of lawfull Money of the

said Island to me in hand paid by Samuel Doveton of the same

Island Have and by these presents DO Assign Transfer & Sell

over unto the said Samuel Doveton his heirs Admrs and assigns

All my right Title and Interest of in and to the withinmentioned

five Acres of Land called Taylors To have and to hold unto

the said Samuel Doveton his heirs Admrs & assigns upon the

Terms within mentioned Pursuant to Liberty given me for so

doing by the Governour in the twelfth day of May One

In Witness whereof I the said John Goodwin have hereunto

sett my hand and Seal the Twentieth day of May One Thousand

Seven hundred and forty Seven

John Goodwin

Sealed and delivered

in the presence of us

R. Wright

Jno: Alexander

Island St. Helena

Know all Men by these presents That I Nathan Sample of the

said Island for and in Consideration of the sum of

of lawfull Money of the said Island to me in hand paid by Matthew

Whaley of the said Island at or before the insealing and delivery of

these presents The receipt whereof is hereby Acknowledged Have and

by these presents Do Assign Transfer and sett over unto the said

Matthew Whaley his heirs Admrs and assigns All my right Title

and Interest of in and to the within mentioned Peice of Ground and

house thereon Standing with their and Every of them Appurtenances

To have and to hold unto the said Matthew Whaley his heirs Admrs

and assigns upon the Terms within mentioned Pursuant to Liberty

given me for so doing by the Governour and Council the 23 day of

June 1747 In Witness Whereof I the said Nathan Sample have

hereunto set my hand and seal this 29th day of July One

Thousand Seven hundred and forty Seven

Nathan Sampell

Sealed and delivered

in the Presence of us

William Daves

Nphr: Willoughby

John Goodwin of St Helena transferred a leasehold to Samuel Doveton of the island for £1 0s 0d. Goodwin had the sum in hand before the papers were signed. He passed over his whole right and interest in five acres of leasehold land called Taylor's to Doveton, his heirs and their successors, subject to the terms fixed in the lease. Goodwin held leave for the transfer from the Governor, granted on 12 May this year. He set his hand and seal on 20 May 1747. Robert Wright and John Alexander witnessed it.

Nathan Sample of St Helena transferred a leasehold to Matthew Mudge for £[...] 0s 0d. Sample had the sum in hand, paid by Mudge, before the papers were signed, and he acknowledged the payment in full. He passed over his whole right and interest in a piece of ground described within, together with a house standing on it and all the benefits tied to it, to Mudge, his heirs and their successors, subject to the terms fixed in the lease. Sample held leave for the transfer from the Governor and Council, granted on 23 June this year. He set his hand and seal on 29 July 1747. William Davies and Onesiphorus Willoughby witnessed it.

Interpretations

The five acres called Taylor's passed from John Goodwin to Samuel Doveton for the nominal sum of £1 0s 0d, marking this not as a fresh bargain but as a step completing a larger settlement. The token price shows the real payment made elsewhere, this deed putting the leasehold interest formally into Doveton's hands as he gathered the ground of the district together. The same parcel had lately moved through the attorneys of George Gabriel Powell to John Goodwin, and here it passed on again to Doveton.

Both transfers rested on the leave of the Governor and Council, Goodwin's granted on 12 May this year and Sample's on 23 June, before the leasehold could pass. The Company kept close control over its leasehold land, and a tenant could not hand his interest to another without official consent and without binding the new holder to the terms already fixed in the lease.

The Taylor's parcel changed hands twice in quick succession, passing through Goodwin to Doveton by a shilling's payment. This rapid movement of the same leasehold through several holders, each transfer backed by a fresh grant of leave, shows the ground being drawn toward Doveton's growing estate, the small nominal sums marking steps in a settlement rather than true sales.

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71R

Know all Men by these presents That I John Alexander of St.

Helena Have and by these presents Do Sett Assign Transfer and

Sett over unto Joseph Powell of Saint Helena aforesaid for and in Consn

of the sum of fifty pounds to me on hand paid by the said Joseph the

Receipt Whereof is hereby Acknowledged All my right Title and Interest

of in and to the withinmentioned Premisses & Every part thereof

with the Appurtenances To have and To hold unto the said Joseph

Powell his Heirs Exors Admrs and assigns upon the Conditions within

mentioned Pursuant to Liberty had from the Govr: the twentieth day of

April Instant In Witness Whereof I the said John Alexander have

hereunto set my hand and Seal the Twenty seventh day of April in

the Year of our Lord One Thousand Seven hundred and forty Seven

John Alexander

Sealed and delivered

in the presence of us

John Cranmer

Josiah Charlesworth Powell

R. Wright

Know all men by these presents That I Joseph Powell of Saint

Helena Have and by these presents Do Sett Assign Transfer and

Sett over unto Francis Dunge of Saint Helena aforesaid for and in

Consideration of the sum of fifty Pounds to me in hand paid by

the said Francis Dunge The receipt whereof is hereby Acknowledge All

my right Title and Interest of in and to the withinmentioned Premisses

and Every part thereof with the Appurtenances To have and To

hold unto the said Francis Dunge his Heirs heirs Admrs and

assigns upon the Conditions withinmentioned Pursuant to Liberty had

from the Govr: and Council the 26th day of May last In Witness

Whereof I the said Joseph Powell have hereunto set my hand and

seal this first day of June One Thousand seven hundred

and forty Seven

Joseph Powell

Sealed and delivered

in the presence of us R. Wright

Tho: French

Endorsement on the back of a Leave to Francis Dunge dated 28

April 1731

Be it Remembered That Three Quarters of an acre part of the

Land Granted by the within Leave is the property of Martin Harper

and his Assigns by a Grant from Governour Goodwin and Skottow's

Council Witness my hand this 15th day of May 1747

Fra: Dunge

Witness

R. Wright

John Alexander of St Helena transferred a leasehold to Joseph Powell of the island for £50 0s 0d. Alexander had the sum in hand before the papers were signed, and he acknowledged the payment in full. He passed over his whole right and interest in the ground described within, together with all the benefits tied to it, to Powell, his heirs and their successors, subject to the conditions fixed in the lease. Alexander held leave for the transfer from the Governor, granted on 20 April this year. He set his hand and seal on 27 April 1747. John Cranmer, Josiah Charlesworth Powell and Robert Wright witnessed it.

Joseph Powell of St Helena transferred a leasehold to Francis Junge of the island for £50 0s 0d. Powell had the sum in hand before the papers were signed, and he acknowledged the payment in full. He passed over his whole right and interest in the ground described within, together with all the benefits tied to it, to Junge, his heirs and their successors, subject to the conditions fixed in the lease. Powell held leave for the transfer from the Governor and Council, granted on 26 May last. He set his hand and seal on 1 June 1747. Robert Wright and Thomas French witnessed it.

A note added on the back of a lease to Francis Junge, dated 28 April 1731, recorded that three quarters of an acre, part of the land granted under that lease, now lay in the hands of Martin Harper, who held it by assignment under a grant from Governor Goodwin and the Council. Francis Junge set his hand to the note on 15 May 1747. Robert Wright witnessed it.

Interpretations

The two leaseholds moved in a short chain, from John Alexander to Joseph Powell and then from Powell to Francis Junge, each passing for £50 0s 0d. Ground gathered under one holder was often passed on again as holdings were rearranged, and the matching prices show the leasehold changing hands at a steady value as it moved between the men within a few weeks.

Each transfer rested on the leave of the Governor and Council, Alexander's granted on 20 April this year and Powell's on 26 May last, before the leasehold could pass. The Company kept close control over its leasehold land, requiring consent for any transfer and binding each new holder to the conditions already fixed in the lease.

The note on the back of the older lease shows part of Junge's ground, three quarters of an acre, having passed to Martin Harper under a grant from Governor Goodwin. Endorsing the change on the original lease of 28 April 1731 kept the record of the parcel's division tied to the very paper that granted it, so the descent of even a small fraction could be traced when the ground next came into question.

147

72V

Know all Men by these presents That I Francis Dunge of St. Helena

Have and by these presents Do Sett Assign Transfer and Sett over unto

Joseph Powell of Saint Helena aforesaid for and in Consideration of the sum

of five pounds to me in hand paid by the said Joseph Powell The Receipt

Whereof is hereby Acknowledged All my right Title and Interest of in and to

All those Eight Acres of Land withinmentioned Situate in a Part of James

Valley with the Appurtenances To have and to hold unto the said

Joseph Powell his Heirs Executors Administrators and assigns upon the

Conditions withinmentioned Pursuant to Liberty had from the Governour

and Council the twenty Sixth day of May last In Witness Whereof

the said Francis Dunge have hereunto set my hand and Seal this first

day of June 1747

Fra: Dunge

Sealed and delivered

in the presence of us

R. Wright

Tho: French

Know all Men by these presents That I Francis Dunge of Saint

Helena Have and by these presents Do Sett Assign Transfer and sett

over unto Joseph Powell of Saint Helena aforesaid for and in Consideration

of the sum of five pounds to me in hand paid by the said Joseph Powell

The receipt Whereof is hereby Acknowledged All my right Title and Interest

of in and to the within mentioned Premisses and Every part thereof with

the Appurtenances to have and to hold unto the said Joseph Powell

his Heirs Executors Administrators and assigns upon the Conditions

within mentioned Pursuant to Liberty had from the Governour and Council

the 26th day of May last In Witness Whereof I the said Francis

Dunge have hereunto set my hand and Seal this First day of June

One thousand Seven hundred and forty Seven

Fra: Dunge

Sealed and delivered

in the presence of us

R. Wright

Tho: French

Know all Men by these presents That I Francis Dunge of St. Helena Have by

these presents Do Sett Assign Transfer and sett over unto Joseph Powell

of Saint Helena aforesaid for and in Consideration of the sum of five pounds

to me in hand paid by the said Joseph Powell the receipt Whereof is hereby

Acknowledge All my right Title and Interest of in and to the within mentioned

his Acre and an half of Land with the Appurtenances To have and To

hold unto the said Joseph Powell his Heirs heirs Admrs and assigns upon the

Conditions within mentioned Pursuant to Liberty granted by the Governour and

Council the 26th day of May last In Witness Whereof I the said Francis Dunge have

hereunto set my hand and seal this First day of June One thousand Seven hundred

and forty seven

Fra: Dunge

Sealed and delivered

in the presence of us R. Wright

Tho: French

Francis Junge of St Helena transferred a leasehold to Joseph Powell of the island for £5 0s 0d. Junge had the sum in hand before the papers were signed, and he acknowledged the payment in full. He passed over his whole right and interest in eight acres of leasehold land, part of the ground described within, lying in a part of Sharks Valley, together with all the benefits tied to it. Powell was to hold the leasehold, his heirs and their successors, subject to the conditions fixed in the lease. Junge held leave for the transfer from the Governor and Council, granted on 26 May last. He set his hand and seal on 1 June 1747. Robert Wright and Thomas French witnessed it.

Francis Junge of St Helena transferred a further leasehold to Joseph Powell of the island for £5 0s 0d. Junge had the sum in hand before the papers were signed, and he acknowledged the payment in full. He passed over his whole right and interest in the ground described within, together with all the benefits tied to it. Powell was to hold the leasehold, his heirs and their successors, subject to the conditions fixed in the lease. Junge held leave for the transfer from the Governor and Council, granted on 26 May last. He set his hand and seal on 1 June 1747. Robert Wright and Thomas French witnessed it.

Francis Junge of St Helena transferred a further leasehold to Joseph Powell of the island for £5 0s 0d. Junge had the sum in hand before the papers were signed, and he acknowledged the payment in full. He passed over his whole right and interest in half an acre of land described within, together with all the benefits tied to it. Powell was to hold the leasehold, his heirs and their successors, subject to the conditions fixed in the lease. Junge held leave for the transfer from the Governor and Council, granted on 26 May last. He set his hand and seal on 1 June 1747. Robert Wright and Thomas French witnessed it.

Interpretations

The three transfers moved leasehold ground from Francis Junge to Joseph Powell on the same day, each passing for £5 0s 0d and each resting on the leave of the Governor and Council granted on 26 May last. The Company kept close control over its leasehold land, and a tenant could not hand his interest to another without official consent and without binding the new holder to the conditions already fixed in the lease.

Handling three parcels together in a single coordinated step let Junge pass the whole of his leasehold ground into Powell's hands at once, drawing the separate pieces under one holder rather than leaving them scattered. The parcels ranged from eight acres down to half an acre, gathered under Powell in one settlement.

The first parcel is placed in Sharks Valley, the leasehold ground once held by Junge lying in that quarter. The three transfers, following close on the run of dealings by which Junge and Powell exchanged ground, show the same drive to consolidate that runs through the record, holdings reassembled under fewer hands even where each parcel was small and passed for a modest sum.

148

72R

Know all Men by these presents That I Joseph Powell of Saint

Helena Planter for & in Consideration of the sum of two hundred &

Seventy pounds to me in hand paid by Thomas Greentree of the

said Island before the Insealing & Delivery hereof Have and by

these presents Do Give Grant Bargain sell & Confirm unto him

the said Thomas Greentree his heirs Admrs and assigns All that

Peice or Parcell of Land Containing Eighteen acres more or less lying

under the High Peak on Sandy Bay side known by the Name of

John Nicholes bounding North and South on Francis Wrangham

East East on Thomas Easthope and West on the Honble Company

and the Orphans of James Ryder together with all and Singular

the Rights Proffits Comodities and appurtenances thereunto

belonging To have and To hold the said Parcel of Land with

all and Singular the Rights Proffits Comodities and Appurts

thereunto belonging unto him the said Thomas Greentree his

Heirs and assigns for Ever And I the said Joseph Powell for my

self & my Heirs have and by these presents Do give Grant

Sell and confirm unto him the said Thomas Greentree his heirs Exors

and assigns the aforesaid Parcel of Land Containing Eighteen acres more

or less with all the rights & Appurtenances thereunto belonging and

him will save harmless & defend agt all People for Ever that shall

or may make any Claim or Demand on the said premisses or any

Part thereof In Witness I have hereunto set my hand & seal this

third day of June in the Year of our Lord One thousand Seven

hundred and forty Seven

Joseph Powell

Signd Sealed & delivered

in the presence of us

Sam: Doveton

Rich Goodwin

Gab: Harper

Know all Men by these presents That I Richard Gurling

of Saint Helena for and in Consideration of the sum of one hundred

and fifteen pounds to me in hand paid by Thomas Greentree of

the said Island at or before the Insealing and delivery hereof The receipt

Whereof is hereby Acknowledged Have and by these presents Do give

grant Bargain sell and Confirm unto the said Thomas Greentree said

afsd: All those five acres of Freehold lying in Sandy with the Quarter part

of the House thereon because any property on any Intermarriage with

One

Joseph Powell, a planter of St Helena, sold a parcel of land to Thomas Greentree for £270 0s 0d. Powell had the full sum in hand before the papers were signed. He passed over the property to Greentree, his heirs and their successors.

The plot measured eighteen acres, lying under the King's Peak in Sandy Bay and known by the name of John Nicholes. On the north and south it ran up against land belonging to Francis Wrangham, on the east the land of Thomas Easthope, and on the west the land of the Company and the orphans of James Ryder. The sale carried every right, produce, benefit and appurtenance tied to the ground.

The eighteen acres now belonged to Greentree, his heirs and their successors, to keep for good. Joseph Powell, for himself and his heirs, promised to leave Greentree in quiet possession from that time on, together with every right, produce and benefit tied to the ground, and undertook to keep him free from any loss and to defend the property against all claims and demands touching the land. Powell set his hand and seal on 3 June 1747. Samuel Doveton, Richard Goodwin and Gabriel Harper witnessed it.

Richard Gurling of St Helena sold a parcel of land and a house to Thomas Greentree for £[...] 0s 0d. Gurling had the full sum in hand before the papers were signed, and he acknowledged the payment in full. He passed over the property to Greentree, his heirs and their successors.

The plot measured about twenty five acres of freehold, lying in Sandy Bay, together with a house standing on the ground, which had come to Gurling by his marriage.

Interpretations

The eighteen acres carried the byname John Nicholes, tying the ground to an earlier holder even as it passed to Greentree. On the island a plot often kept the name of a family that had once held it, and using the byname fixed the ground's identity in the local memory, the land under the King's Peak known by the name of the man who had held it before.

The plot lay bounded by named holders on every side, among them Francis Wrangham, Thomas Easthope and the orphans of James Ryder, with the Company's land on the west. This close ring of neighbouring estates in Sandy Bay shows how tightly held the ground had become, each plot fixed against the properties around it and traceable through the families holding them.

Gurling's Sandy Bay house came to him through his marriage, the ground held in right of his wife. Land brought into a household by marriage passed under the husband's control, and setting out that route fixed how the property had come to Gurling before he sold it on, the same pattern by which inherited and married ground moved between the island's families.

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73V

One of the daughters of the said James Ryder Together also with

the Quarter Part of the said James Ryder's Dwelling house Situate

in James's Valley with the appurts to the aforesaid Premisses belong:

To have and to hold unto the said Thomas Greentree his

Exors Admrs & assigns for Ever In Trust for Sarah, Mary

& Helena Daughters of the said James Ryder their Heirs and afsd:

And I the said Richard Gurling for my self & my Heirs and assigns

Covenant Promise and agree That the said Thomas Greentree

heirs aforesaid and his assigns Shall & may from time to time and

at all times hereafter Peaceably and quietly Enter upon & have hold

Occupy & Enjoy the aforebargained Premisses with the appurts

without any lett Hindrance or Molestation And that the said Peice

& Every part thereof are free & Clear from any Incumbrances

Whatsoever done by me or any Claiming under me In Witness

Whereof I the said Richard Gurling have hereunto set my hand

& Seal this fifteenth day of July In the Year of our Lord One

Thousand Seven hundred and forty Seven

Rich Gurling

Sealed and delivered

in the Presence of us

R. Wright

J: Powell

Island St. Helena

Know all Men by these presents that Us Matthew Gurling and

John Gurling Joint Heirs of John Gurling deceased for and in Consn

of the Sum of forty pounds of Lawfull Money of the said Island to us

in hand paid by the said Matthew Gurling Richard Beale Matthew

Bazett & Samuel Doveton Exors of John Bazett deceased The receipt

Whereof is hereby Acknowledged have & by these presents DO Sett Assign

Transfer and sett over unto the said Matthew Gurling Richard Beale

Matthew Bazett & Samuel Doveton as heirs aforesaid All our right

Title and Interest of in & to the within mentioned premisses with the afsd:

to have and to hold unto the said Matthew Gurling Richard Beale

Matthew Bazett and Samuel Doveton as heirs aforesaid their heirs

Admrs and assigns from the day of the date hereof for and during

and unto the full and rest Term of the within Lease yet to come and

Unexpired Subject to the rent Covenants and Conditions within contained

In Witness Whereof Us the said Matthew Gurling & John Gurling

have hereunto set our hands and Seals the Second day of May One

Thousand Seven hundred and forty Seven Pursuant to Liberty granted

The Sandy Bay ground had come to Richard Gurling by his marriage to one of the daughters of James Ryder. The sale also carried the quarter share of James Ryder's dwelling house in James Valley, together with the ground belonging to it. The land and the share of the house now belonged to Thomas Greentree, his heirs and their successors, held by them in trust for Sarah, Mary and Helena, daughters of James Ryder. Richard Gurling, for himself and his heirs, promised to leave Greentree in quiet possession from that time on, together with everything belonging to the ground, free of any burden or claim, whether from Gurling or from anyone claiming through him, and undertook that the property stood clear of any encumbrance. He set his hand and seal on 15 July 1747. Robert Wright and James Powell witnessed it.

Matthew Purling and John Purling, joint heirs of John Purling, now dead, transferred a leasehold to Matthew Purling, Richard Beale, Matthew Bazett and Samuel Doveton, executors named in the will of John Bazett, now dead, for £40 0s 0d. The two Purlings had the sum in hand before the papers were signed, and they acknowledged the payment in full. They passed over their whole right and interest in the ground described within to the four executors, their heirs and their successors, for the remainder of the lease's term, subject to the rents, covenants and conditions fixed in the lease. They held leave for the transfer from the Governor and Council. The two Purlings set their hands and seals on 2 May 1747.

Interpretations

The Sandy Bay land and the share of the James Valley house passed to Thomas Greentree not on his own account but in trust for Sarah, Mary and Helena, the daughters of James Ryder. When property was to be held for several children, a trustee took it and managed it on their behalf until they came of age or married. Gurling, who held the ground in right of his wife, one of those daughters, sold it into the trust so the estate could be kept whole for the sisters.

The land came to Gurling through his marriage to a Ryder daughter, and the sale into trust for all three sisters gathered the divided family interest under a single holder. Setting the ground and the house share into Greentree's hands for the children shows the estate being consolidated and defended in their name, the married and inherited portions drawn together rather than left scattered.

The Purling transfer moved leasehold ground from the heirs of one dead man, John Purling, to the executors of another, John Bazett, both estates managed by named successors. Such dealings between the representatives of the dead show how leasehold interests passed among the families through their trustees and executors, the ground kept within the connected Purling and Bazett lines under the leave of the Council.

150

73R

as by the Govr: for so doing the twenty Second day of April last

M. Durling

Sealed and delivered M. Durling for Jno: Durling

in the Presence of us

R. Wright

Sam: Falconer

Know all Men by these presents That Us Matthew Gurling & John

Gurling Joint Heirs of John Gurling deceased Have for and in Consideration

of the Sum of Twelve pounds & ten Shillings to us in hand paid by the said

Matthew Gurling Richard Beale and Matthew Bazett & Samuel Doveton

heirs of John Bazett deceased The receipt Whereof is hereby Acknowledged

and by these presents DO Sett Assign Transfer and Sell over unto the

said Matthew Gurling Richard Beale Matthew Bazett and Samuel

Doveton as heirs aforesaid their heirs Admrs and assigns All those two

Acres and a half of land Part of the Land within mentioned with the appurts

To have and to hold the said two Acres and an half of Land with

the appurts unto the said Matthew Gurling Richard Beale Matthew

Bazett and Samuel Doveton their heirs Admrs and assigns from the

day of the date hereof for and during all the rest residue & Remainder

yet to come and Unexpired of the Term within granted Subject to the

Covenants Rents and Conditions within Contained Pursuant to Liberty

had from the Governour The twenty third day of April last for so

doing In Witness Whereof Us the said Matthew and John Gurling

have hereunto set our hands and Seals the Second day of May One

Thousand Seven hundred and forty Seven

M. Durling

Sealed and delivered M. Durling for Jno: Durling

in the presence of us

R. Wright

Tho: Easthope

Island St. Helena

Know all Men by these presents That the withinnamed

Matthew Gurling and John Gurling have and by these presents

Do Sett Assign Transfer and sett over unto Joseph Whaley Junior

of the said Island his Heirs heirs Admrs and assigns for and in

Consideration of the Sum of twelve pounds and ten Shillings of

Current Money of the said Island to us in hand paid by the said Joseph

Whaley at or before the Insealing and delivery hereof The receipt

Whereof is hereby Acknowledged All our right Title and Interest

of in & to the within mentioned four Acres of Land Part of the within

The two Purlings held leave for the transfer from the Governor, granted on 22 April last. They set their hands and seals on 2 May 1747. Robert Wright and Samuel Falconer witnessed it.

Matthew Purling and John Purling, joint heirs of John Purling, now dead, transferred a leasehold to Matthew Purling, Richard Beale, Matthew Bazett and Samuel Doveton, executors named in the will of John Bazett, now dead, for £12 10s 0d. The two Purlings had the sum in hand before the papers were signed, and they acknowledged the payment in full. They passed over their whole right and interest in two acres and a half of land, part of the ground described within, to the four executors, their heirs and their successors, for the remainder of the lease's term, subject to the covenants, rents and conditions fixed in the lease. They held leave for the transfer from the Governor, granted on 22 April last. The two Purlings set their hands and seals on 2 May 1747. Robert Wright and Thomas Easthope witnessed it.

Matthew Purling and John Purling transferred a further leasehold to Joseph Whaley junior of St Helena for £12 10s 0d. They had the sum in hand before the papers were signed, and they acknowledged the payment in full. They passed over their whole right and interest in four acres of land, part of the ground described within, to Whaley, his heirs and their successors, subject to the terms fixed in the lease.

Interpretations

The three transfers moved leasehold ground from the Purling heirs to various holders, each resting on the leave of the Governor granted on 22 April last. The Company kept close control over its leasehold land, and a tenant could not hand his interest to another without official consent and without binding the new holder to the covenants, rents and conditions already fixed in the lease.

Two of the transfers passed ground to the executors of the dead John Bazett, among them Matthew Purling himself acting on both sides as heir and executor. Such dealings between the representatives of the dead show how leasehold interests moved among the connected Purling and Bazett families through their heirs and executors, the ground kept within the joined lines.

The parcels passed for even sums of £12 10s 0d each, matching prices that fixed the leasehold at a steady value as it was split and distributed among the holders. Dividing the ground into two-and-a-half and four-acre pieces, each passing at the same rate, shows the estate being parcelled out among the executors and Joseph Whaley in a single coordinated settlement.

151

74V

granted Premisses Situate under the Main Ridge next to Sandy Bay

with the appurts To have and to hold the same unto the said Joseph

Whaley his Exors Admrs and assigns for and during all the rest

residue & Remainder of the Term within Granted yet to come and

Unexpired Subject to the Covenants rents and Conditions within contained

Pursuant to Liberty had from the Govr: the Twenty third day of April

last In Witness Whereof Us the said Matthew Gurling and John

Gurling have hereunto set our hands and Seals the Second day of

May One Thousand Seven hundred and forty Seven

M. Durling

Sealed and delivered M. Durling for Jno: Durling

in the presence of us

R. Wright

Sam: Falconer

Island St. Helena

Know all Men by these presents That I Matthew Whaley of the said

Island for and in Consideration of the Sum of One hundred pounds of good

and Currant Money of the said Island to me in hand paid by Nathan

Sampell of the said Island Gunners Mate at and before the insealing and

Delivery hereof The receipt Whereof is hereby Acknowledged Have given

granted Bargained sold and delivered and Do by these presents give

grant Bargain sell and deliver unto the said Nathan Sampell his

Heirs heirs Admrs or assigns All that peice or parcell of Land containing

twenty five Acres more or less Scituate at the Head of James Valley Butting

and bounding North upon the Lands of Thomas Hayes East upon the

Honble Companys Wast Land and South and West upon Lands late

belonging to John Gurling deceased with the Appurtenances To have

and to hold the said hereby bargained premisses unto him the said

Nathan Sample his heirs Admrs and assigns for Ever to do and dispose

thereof as he they or either of them shall think fitt or proper And I the

said Matthew Whaley do hereby for myself my Heirs heirs Admrs

and assigns Covenant promise and Agree to and with the said Nathan

Sample his Heirs heirs Admrs and assigns that He they and Every

of them Shall peaceably and quietly Possess and Enjoy from henceforth

and at all times hereafter all and Every part and Parcell thereof with all

and Singular the Rights priviledges Comodities and Appurtenances

thereunto belonging or appurtaining without any lett Hindrance

Molestation or disturbance by of or from me my Heirs heirs Admrs

and assigns or of from or by any other person or persons hereby Warranting

The four acres of leasehold lay under the Main Ridge near Sandy Bay. Whaley was to hold the ground, his heirs and their successors, for the remainder of the lease's term, subject to the covenants, rents and conditions fixed in the lease. The two Purlings held leave for the transfer from the Governor, granted on 22 April last. They set their hands and seals on 2 May 1747. Robert Wright and Samuel Falconer witnessed it.

Matthew Mudge of St Helena sold a parcel of land to Nathan Sample, gunner's mate of the island, for £100 0s 0d. Mudge had the full sum in hand before the papers were signed, and he acknowledged the payment in full. He passed over the property to Sample, his heirs and their successors.

The plot measured about twenty five acres, lying at the head of Fisher Valley. On the north it ran up against the land of Thomas Hayes, on the east the Company's leasehold land, and on the south and west land once held by John Purling, now dead. The sale carried every right, produce, benefit and appurtenance tied to the ground.

The twenty five acres now belonged to Sample, his heirs and their successors, to keep and to use however they saw fit. Matthew Mudge, for himself and his heirs, promised to leave Sample in quiet possession from that time on, together with every right, produce and benefit tied to the ground, free of any burden, claim or disturbance, whether from Mudge, from anyone claiming through him, or from any other person.

Interpretations

The twenty five acres passed to Nathan Sample, named as gunner's mate of the island, marking a garrison officer acquiring a substantial holding of country ground. At £100 0s 0d for twenty five acres the land sold at about £4 an acre, a middling rate for ground at the head of Fisher Valley, and the sum marks a considerable purchase for a man in the Company's service.

The plot lay bounded by named holders on every side, among them Thomas Hayes and the ground of the dead John Purling, with the Company's leasehold on the east. This ring of neighbouring estates shows the land at the head of Fisher Valley held in a settled patchwork, each plot fixed against the properties around it and traceable through the holders and their successors.

The land of the dead John Purling bordered the plot on two sides, the ground held and recorded in the name of the man who had held it before. Naming the former holder fixed how the parcel lay within the wider run of Fisher Valley ground, so exactly what passed was clear even as the land moved between hands and the neighbouring estates shifted to their successors.

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the same to be free and Clear of & from all manner of Incumbrances

Whatsoever In Witness Whereof I the said Matthew Mudge have hereunto

set my hand and Seal in St. Helena this day of July No 22 in the twenty first

Year of the reign of our Sovereign Lord George the Second by the Grace of God

of Great Brittain France and Ireland King Defender of the Faith and so forth

and in the Year of our Lord 1747

Matthew Mudge

Sealed and delivered

in the presence of us

Da: Wilson Witness

Andr: Bloxman Witness

Island St. Helena

Know all Men by these presents That Us Matthew Gurling and John Gurling

Joint Heirs of John Gurling deceased for and in Consideration of the Sum of Thirty

Pounds to us in hand paid at or before the Insealing and delivery hereof The

receipt Whereof is hereby Acknowledged Have and by these presents DO give grant

Bargain sell assign and Confirm unto the said Matthew Gurling Richard Beale

Samuel Doveton and Matthew Bazett heirs of John Bazett decd their heirs Admrs

& assigns All that Peice or parcell of Land containing two Acres and an half Situate

near Diana's Peak & bounding Every Way on the Land late of the said John Bazett

and was formerly Devidgett Bagetts with the appurts To have and to hold unto the

said Matthew Gurling Richard Beale Samuel Doveton and Matthew Bazett as heirs afsd:

their heirs Admrs and assigns In Trust for and for the use and Benefit of the

Children of the said John Bazett their Heirs and assigns for Ever And the said

Matthew Gurling and John Gurling do hereby for our selves and Each of our Heirs

of our Heirs heirs Admrs and assigns Covenant Promise and Agree to and with the

said Matthew Gurling Richard Beale Samuel Doveton and Matthew Bazett as heirs

aforesaid their heirs Admrs and assigns That it shall and May so long as for the

said Matthew Gurling Richard Beale Samuel Doveton and Matthew Bazett as

heirs aforesaid their heirs Admrs or assigns peaceably and quietly to enter upon

Possess and Enjoy from time to time and at all times hereafter the said hereby bargained

Premisses with their and Every of their Appurtenances without any lett suit

Molestation or disturbance of or from the said Matthew Gurling and John Gurling

or either of Us Our or either of Our heirs Heirs Admrs or assigns or of or from any

Person or Persons Claiming or to Claim by from or Under Us or either of Us And that

the said Premisses are free and Clear or shall otherwise be saved free and Clear from

all Incumbrances whatsoever by us the said Matthew Gurling and John Gurling

Our Heirs and assigns In Witness Whereof We the said Matthew Gurling and

John Gurling have hereunto set our hands and Seals this twelfth day of August

in the twenty first Year of the reign of our Sovereign Lord George the Second by the

Grace of God of Great Brittain France and Ireland King Defender of the Faith and

so forth And in the Year of our Lord 1747

M. Durling

Sealed and delivered M. Durling for Jno: Durling

in the presence of us

R. Wright

J: Darvall

Matthew Mudge undertook that the property stood clear of any burden, and he set his hand and seal in St Helena on 22 July 1747, in the twenty first year of the reign of King George the Second. David Wilson and Andrew Blenman witnessed it.

Matthew Purling and John Purling, joint heirs of John Purling, now dead, sold a parcel of land to Matthew Purling, Richard Beale, Samuel Doveton and Matthew Bazett, executors named in the will of John Bazett, now dead, for £30 0s 0d. The two Purlings had the full sum in hand before the papers were signed, and they acknowledged the payment in full. They passed over the property to the four executors, their heirs and their successors.

The plot measured two acres and a half, lying near Diana's Peak. On every side it ran up against land belonging to the dead John Bazett, and it had once been held by David Bazett. The sale carried every right and benefit tied to the ground. The two acres and a half now belonged to the executors, their heirs and their successors, held by them in trust for the children of the dead John Bazett. The two Purlings, for themselves and their heirs, promised to leave the executors in quiet possession from that time on, together with everything belonging to the ground, free of any burden, claim or disturbance, whether from the Purlings, from anyone claiming through them, or from any other person, and undertook that the property stood clear of any encumbrance. They set their hands and seals on 3 August 1747, in the twenty first year of the reign of King George the Second. Robert Wright and Joseph Doveton witnessed it.

Interpretations

The land passed to the four executors not on their own account but in trust for the children of the dead John Bazett. When property was to be settled on children who had lost their father, executors took it and managed it on their behalf until they came of age. Buying this parcel into the trust gathered ground for the Bazett children, kept and defended in their name.

The two acres and a half lay wrapped on every side by the dead John Bazett's own land and had once been held by David Bazett, so the purchase rounded off the children's holding near Diana's Peak. A parcel wedged among the family's ground was worth most to that estate, since taking it closed a gap and drew the neighbouring pieces into a single block held for the children.

Matthew Purling appears on both sides of the bargain, as a selling heir of John Purling and as one of the buying executors of John Bazett. Acting in both roles, he moved the ground from one family estate into the trust of the other, the connected Purling and Bazett lines dealing among themselves through their heirs and executors to settle the land on the next generation.

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July 15th 1747

I Promise to pay to Matthew Mudge the Sum of One hundred pounds

good and Currant Money of this said Island to be paid this day twelve

Months, if not paid in that time; he is to pay six P Cent for it till it be

paid and if not paid According to this Bill he is to forfeit his housand

Land that he now dwells in As witness my hand

Nathan Sampell

Witnesses

William Daves

Mark Hawkins

Know all Men by these presents That I Joseph Powell of

St. Helena for and in Consideration of the Sum of fifteen pounds of

Currant mony of the said Island to me in hand paid by John Alexander

of St. Helena aforesaid at or before the Insealing and Delivery hereof

the receipt of Which is hereby Acknowledged Have by Vertue of leave

and Lycence obtained from the Governour on the twentieth day of April

Instant and by these presents Do Bargain Sell Assign and Sett over

unto the said John Alexander his Heirs Admrs and Assigns All

my right title and Interest of in and to the within mentioned Lands and

Premisses to have and to hold the same unto the said John Alexander

his Heirs Admrs and Assigns from the Day of the Date hereof for and

during all the rest residue and remainder yet to Come and unexpired of the

within Granted Term Subject to the Covenants rents and Conditions in

the within Lease contained In Witness Whereof I the said Joseph

Powell have hereunto set my hand and Seal this twenty Seventh Day of

April One Thousand Seven hundred and forty Seven

Signed Joseph Powell

Sealed and Delivered

in the presents of us

John Cranmer

Josiah Charlesworth Powell

R. Wright

Nathan Sample bound himself by a note of 15 July 1747 to pay Matthew Mudge £100 0s 0d, the sum to be paid twelve months from that day. If not paid within the time, he was to pay interest on it. Should he fail to pay as the note required, he was to forfeit the house and land where he then lived. Sample set his hand to the note. William Davies and Mark Hawkins witnessed it.

Joseph Powell of St Helena transferred a leasehold to John Alexander of the island for £15 0s 0d. Powell had the sum in hand before the papers were signed, and he acknowledged the payment in full. He passed over his whole right and interest in the land described within to Alexander, his heirs and their successors, for the remainder of the lease's term, subject to the covenants, rents and conditions fixed in the lease. Powell held leave for the transfer from the Governor, granted on 20 April this year. He set his hand and seal on 27 April 1747. John Cranmer, Josiah Charlesworth Powell and Robert Wright witnessed it.

Interpretations

Sample's note was a security arrangement dressed as a plain promise to pay. He owed Matthew Mudge £100 0s 0d, the very sum he had paid for the twenty five acres at the head of Fisher Valley days earlier, and he bound his own house and land as forfeit if he failed to repay within the year. This lets Mudge hold Sample's dwelling as security against the debt, the standard device by which a buyer funded a purchase while pledging property to answer for the money.

The interest clause added a further charge if Sample did not pay within the twelve months, sharpening his obligation to meet the debt on time. Fixing both a deadline and a penalty for delay protected Mudge's return, so the £100 0s 0d would reach him whole, with interest running against any default.

The transfer from Joseph Powell to John Alexander needed the leave of the Governor, granted on 20 April this year, before the leasehold could pass, and Alexander took the ground subject to the covenants, rents and conditions already fixed in the lease. This parcel, passing for £15 0s 0d, formed one more of the leasehold interests moving from Powell into Alexander's hands under a single grant of leave.

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Island St. Helena

Know all Men by these presents That I John Worrall Planter

for and in Consn of the sum of thirty five pounds of Lawfull Money

of the said Island to me in hand paid by James Greentree planter

at or before the Insealing and delivery hereof The receipt Whereof is

hereby Acknowledged Have granted Bargained sold Transferred &

Confirmed And by these presents DO Grant Bargain sell Transfer

and Confirm unto the said James Greentree his Heirs and assigns

All that Peice or parcell of Land containing five Acres situate

lying and being in the West Devision of the said Island Butting

and Bounding East upon Lands belonging to Rich Goodwin

West upon the said James Greentrees free Land South

upon Land in the possession of John Alexander and North

upon the Honourable Companys Waste Lands

To have and to hold the aforesaid five Acres of land & premisses

and Every part and Parcell thereof with their and Every of their

Appurtenances unto the said James Greentree his Heirs and

assigns for Ever And the said John Worrall doth hereby for my self

my Heirs heirs Admrs and assigns Covenant Promise and agree

to and with the said James Greentree his Heirs and assigns that

it shall & may be Lawfull to and for the said James Greentree his

Heirs and assigns from time to time & at all times hereafter peaceably

and quietly to Enter upon and to have hold Occupy possess and Enjoy

the aforesaid bargained premisses with the appurts & Every part thereof

without any lett suit Molestation or Interruption of me the said

John Worrall my Heirs Exors Admrs or assigns or of or from any

Person or Persons Claiming or to Claim by from or Under me them

or any of them And that the said Premisses are free and Clear or

Will Otherwise be saved free and Clear from all Incumbrances

Whatsoever by me the said John Worrall my Heirs heirs Admrs or

assigns In Witness Whereof I the said John Worrall have hereunto

set my hand and Seal this Sixth day of October in the twenty first

Year of the reign of our Sovereign Lord George the Second by the Grace

of God of Great Brittain France and Ireland King Defender of the

Faith and so forth And in the Year of our Lord One thousand seven

hundred and forty Seven

Signd John Worrall

Sealed and delivered

in the Presence of us Signd R. Wright

Tho: French

John Worrall, a planter of St Helena, sold a parcel of land to James Greentree, also a planter of the island, for £[...] 0s 0d. Worrall had the full sum in hand before the papers were signed, and he acknowledged the payment in full. He passed over the property to Greentree, his heirs and their successors.

The plot measured five acres, lying in the West Division of the island. On the east it ran up against land belonging to Richard Goodwin, on the west the freehold land of James Greentree himself, on the south land held by John Alexander, and on the north the Company's waste land. The sale carried every right and benefit tied to the ground.

The five acres now belonged to Greentree, his heirs and their successors, to keep for good. John Worrall, for himself and his heirs, promised to leave Greentree in quiet possession from that time on, together with everything belonging to the ground, free of any burden, claim or disturbance, whether from Worrall, from anyone claiming through him, or from any other person, and undertook that the property stood clear of any encumbrance. He set his hand and seal on 6 October 1747, in the twenty first year of the reign of King George the Second. Robert Wright and Thomas French witnessed it.

Interpretations

The five acres bordered James Greentree's own freehold on the west, so the sale rounded off his holding in the West Division. Land lying against a buyer's existing ground was worth most to him, since taking it closed a gap and drew the neighbouring parcels into a single block, the same drive to consolidate that runs through the record.

The plot lay bounded by named holders on three sides, Richard Goodwin, James Greentree and John Alexander, with the Company's waste on the fourth. This setting shows the ground at the settled edge of the West Division, each plot fixed against the properties around it, with the unenclosed waste marking the margin of the district beyond.

The northern edge running up to the Company's waste marks the plot as frontier ground at the border of settlement. Buying land against the waste let a holder extend his enclosed ground toward the unclaimed margin, and setting the boundary against the Company's land fixed exactly how far the settled holdings reached in that quarter.

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Island St. Helena

Know all Men by these presents that I William Young of

the said Island Planter for & in Consideration of the sum of twenty

pounds of God & Currant Money of the said Island to me in hand

paid by Richard Goodwin of the said Island Planter at and before the

Insealing and delivery hereof the receipt Whereof is hereby Acknowledged

Have given granted bargained sold and delivered And do by these

presents give grant bargain sell and deliver unto the said Richard

Goodwin his Heirs heirs Admrs or assigns All that Peice or parcell

of Land Containing One Acre and an half be the same more or less

butting East and West on the said Richard Goodwin's Land North on

Land of the said William Young and South on Richard Beale's Land

with the Appurtenances To have and to hold the said hereby

bargained premisses unto him the said Richard Goodwin his Executors

Administrators and Assigns for ever to do and dispose thereof as he

they or either of them shall think fit or proper And I the said William

Young do hereby for my Self my Heirs Executors Administrators

and Assigns Covenant Promise and Agree to and with the said

Richard Goodwin his Heirs Executors Administrators and Assigns

that he they and every of them shall peaceably and quietly possess

and Enjoy from henceforth and at all times hereafter all and every

part and parcel thereof with all and Singular the Rights

Priviledges Comodities and Appurtenances thereunto belong:

or Appertaining without any lett hindrance Molestation or

Disturbance of by or from me my Heirs Executors Administrators

and assigns or of from or by any other person or persons hereby

Warranting the same to be free and Clear of and from all manner

of Incumbrances whatsoever In Witness whereof I the said William

Young have hereunto set my hand and Seal in St. Helena this

Eleventh Day of September in the Twenty first Year of the reign

of our Sovereign Lord George the Second by the Grace of God of

Great Brittain France and Ireland King Defender of the Faith

and so forth and in the Year of our Lord 1747

Signd Will: Young

Sealed and Delivered in

the presence of us

Signd F. Wrangham Junr:

Onesr: Beale

William Young, a planter of St Helena, sold a parcel of land to Richard Goodwin, also a planter of the island, for £20 0s 0d. Young had the full sum in hand before the papers were signed, and he acknowledged the payment in full. He passed over the property to Goodwin, his heirs and their successors.

The plot measured about one acre and a half. On the east and west it ran up against the land of Richard Goodwin himself, on the north the land of Young, and on the south the land of Richard Beale. The sale carried every right and benefit tied to the ground.

The one acre and a half now belonged to Goodwin, his heirs and their successors, to keep and to use however they saw fit. William Young, for himself and his heirs, promised to leave Goodwin in quiet possession from that time on, together with everything belonging to the ground, free of any burden, claim or disturbance, whether from Young, from anyone claiming through him, or from any other person, and undertook that the property stood clear of any encumbrance. He set his hand and seal in St Helena on 11 September 1747, in the twenty first year of the reign of King George the Second. Francis Wrangham junior and Onesiphorus Beale witnessed it.

Interpretations

The one acre and a half lay wrapped by Richard Goodwin's own land on two sides, with Young's ground to the north and Beale's to the south, so the sale rounded off Goodwin's holding. A small parcel bordered on either hand by the buyer's land was worth most to him, since taking it closed a gap and drew his ground into a single block, the same drive to consolidate that runs through the record.

The plot was measured to a small fraction, about one acre and a half, marking a modest sliver of ground carved out and sold to a neighbour. At £20 0s 0d for so little land the rate ran high, a sign that the value lay in the parcel's use to Goodwin in completing his holding rather than in its bare size.

The ground bordered the land of three named holders, each fixing a side of the plot. Setting the small parcel against the neighbouring estates shows how tightly held the ground had become, even a sliver of an acre and a half defined by the properties around it and passed to the holder for whom it closed a gap.

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Island St. Helena

Know all Men by these Presents that I Sam: Doveton

of the said Island for & in Consideration of the Sum of Sixty pounds of

Lawfull Mony of the said Island to me in hand paid by Matt Durling

of the said Island the receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged Have and

by these presents Do assign transfer & sett over unto the said Matt Durling

his Execut: Admrs & Assigns all my right Title & Interest of in & to the

within mentioned Twenty Acres of Leasehold Land, & every part thereof

with the Appurtenances To have and to hold unto him the said

Matthew Durling his Execut: Admrs & assigns upon the terms within

mentioned Pursuant to liberty given me for so doing by the Governour

and Council the Twenty first day of June 1748 In Witnes: Whereof

I the said Samuel Doveton have hereunto sett my Hand & Seal this

Sixth Day of August One Thousand Seven hundred & forty Eight

Signd Sam: Doveton

Sealed and Delivered

in the Presence of Us

Signd Tho: Kirkpatrick

John Doveton

Bazett

Island St. Helena

Know all Men by these Presents that I Sam: Doveton of

the said Island for & in Consideration of the Sum of Six hundred pounds

of good & Currant Mony of the said Island to me in hand paid by Matt

Durling of the said Island at & before the insealing & delivery hereof the

Receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged Have given granted bargained sold

& delivered And do by these presents give grant bargain sell & deliver unto

the said Matt Durling his Heirs Execut: Admrs and Assigns all that

peice or parcel of Land containing forty one Acres & an half more or less

situate in the East Division of the said Island Butting & Bounding North

upon the Honourable Companys waste Land East upon Lease Land

late belonging to the said Sam: Doveton South upon Land belonging

to the Orphans of Jonat: Doveton decd & West partly upon the North

Companys waste Land & partly upon Land belonging to the Rev: harry

Samuel Doveton of St Helena transferred a leasehold to Matthew Purling of the island for £60 0s 0d. Doveton had the sum in hand before the papers were signed, and he acknowledged the payment in full. He passed over his whole right and interest in twenty acres of leasehold land, together with all the benefits tied to it, to Purling, his heirs and their successors, subject to the terms fixed in the lease. Doveton held leave for the transfer from the Governor and Council, granted on 21 June 1748. He set his hand and seal on 6 August 1748. Thomas Kirkpatrick, John Doveton and Matthew Bazett witnessed it.

Samuel Doveton of St Helena sold a parcel of land to Matthew Purling of the island for £600 0s 0d. Doveton had the full sum in hand before the papers were signed, and he acknowledged the payment in full. He passed over the property to Purling, his heirs and their successors.

The plot measured forty one acres and a half, lying in the East Division of the island. On the north it ran up against the Company's waste land. On the east it bordered leasehold land once held by Doveton himself, and on the south land belonging to the orphans of Edmund Doveton, now dead. On the west it ran partly against the Company's waste land and partly against land belonging to the Company.

Interpretations

The two transactions passed leasehold and freehold ground together from Samuel Doveton to Matthew Purling, the twenty acres of leasehold for £60 0s 0d and the larger freehold parcel for £600 0s 0d. Handling both kinds of tenure in a coordinated pair let Doveton move a substantial block of his East Division ground into Purling's hands at once, the freehold passing for good while the leasehold carried only the years left on its term.

The leasehold transfer needed the leave of the Governor and Council, granted on 21 June 1748, before it could pass, and Purling took the ground subject to the terms already fixed in the lease. The Company kept close control over its leasehold land, requiring consent for any transfer and binding each new holder to the standing terms.

The forty one acres and a half lay bounded by the Company's waste on two sides and the ground of the dead Edmund Doveton's orphans on another. This setting shows the land at the settled edge of the East Division, the enclosed holdings reaching toward the unclaimed margin, with the orphans' estate held and recorded in the children's names among the neighbouring ground.

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of the said Jonat: Doveton, together with the Dwelling House now Standing

therein & all Houses out Houses Sheds Buildings Proffits Comodities &

Appurtenances thereunto belonging and all my right Title & Interest

in & to the same together with all Deeds Writings and Evidences relating

thereto or concerning the same to have and to hold the said hereby bargained

premisses & every part thereof with there and every of their Appurtenances

unto them the said Matt Durling his Heirs Execut: Admrs & Assigns for ever to do

and dispose thereof as he or they or either of them shall think fit or proper &

I the said Sam: Doveton do hereby for my Self my Heirs Execut: Admrs

& Assigns Covenant promise & agree to & with the said Matt Durling his

Heirs Execut: Admrs & Assigns That he they & every of them shall

peaceable and quietly Possess & enjoy from henceforth & at all times hereafter

the aforesaid bargained premisses & every part & parcell thereof without any

lett hindrance Molestation or Disturbance of by or from me my Heirs Execut:

Admrs & Assigns or of from or by any other person or persons Claiming and

to claim by from or under me them or any of them hereby Warrantly the

same to be free & clear of & from all manner of Incumbrances whatsoever

In Witness whereof I the said Sam: Doveton have hereunto set my

hand & Seal in St. Helena this Eighteenth Day of June in the twenty Second

Year of the reign of our Sovereign Lord George the Second by the grace of God

of great Brittain France & Ireland King Defender of the faith and so forth

& in the Year of our Lord 1748

Signd Sam: Doveton

Sealed Sealed & Delivered

in the Presence of us

Signd Tho: Kirkpatrick

John Doveton

Bazett

Island St. Helena

Know all Men by these Presents that I Matt Durling of the said

Island for & in Consideration of the Sum of Sixty four pounds of good & Currant

Mony of the said Island to me in hand paid at & before the Insealing and delivery

hereof the Receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged Have and by these presents Do

give grant bargain sell Assign & Confirm unto the said Matt Durling Samuel

Doveton Rich Beale and Matt Bazett Executors to John Bazett decd their heirs

Execut: Admrs & Assigns all that Peice or Parcel of Land containing five

Acres

The parcel adjoined land held by John Doveton, and it carried the dwelling house standing on it, together with all the outhouses, sheds, buildings, produce, benefits and appurtenances tied to it, along with the deeds, writings and evidences touching the ground and the whole right and interest Samuel Doveton held in it. The forty one acres and a half and the house now belonged to Matthew Purling, his heirs and their successors, to keep for good. Samuel Doveton, for himself and his heirs, promised to leave Purling in quiet possession from that time on, together with everything belonging to the ground, free of any burden, claim or disturbance, whether from Doveton, from anyone claiming through him, or from any other person, and undertook that the property stood clear of any encumbrance. He set his hand and seal in St Helena on 18 June 1748, in the twenty second year of the reign of King George the Second. Thomas Kirkpatrick, John Doveton and Matthew Bazett witnessed it.

Matthew Purling of St Helena sold a parcel of land to Matthew Purling, Samuel Doveton, Richard Beale and Matthew Bazett, executors named in the will of John Bazett, now dead, for £64 0s 0d. Purling had the full sum in hand before the papers were signed, and he acknowledged the payment in full. He passed over the property to the four executors, their heirs and their successors.

Interpretations

The sale carried the dwelling house and all its outbuildings along with the ground, and it handed over the deeds, writings and evidences touching the land. Passing the full body of title papers with the property let Purling hold a complete record of how the parcel had descended, so his claim to the whole holding could be defended and traced when it next changed hands.

The larger sale from Samuel Doveton to Matthew Purling took in a substantial East Division holding with its house, sealed on 18 June 1748 for £600 0s 0d, and the leasehold transfer of twenty acres followed it. Doveton was disposing of a considerable block of his ground, the freehold and its buildings passing to Purling while the leased ground moved under the same coordinated settlement.

The land now passing to the executors of the dead John Bazett went not on their own account but into the trust of his estate. Matthew Purling, who had just bought the great parcel from Doveton, here sold ground to the Bazett executors, among them himself, moving property into the trust held for the Bazett line through the connected dealings of the two families.

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Acres Situate in Pleasant Valley in the East Division of the said Island Sittle

& known by the Name of Coalers adjoining to Lands late belonging to the said

John Bagets decd & to land now in the Possession of me the said Matt Durling

formerly John Knipes with the Appurtenances to have and to hold unto

the said Matthew Durling Sam: Doveton Rich Beale & Matt Bazett as Executors

aforesaid their Execut: Admrs & Assigns In Trust for & for the Sole Use

& Benefit of the Children of the said John Bazett their Heirs & assigns forever

& I the said Matt Durling do hereby for my Self my Heirs Execut: Admrs

& Assigns Covenant promise & agree to and with the said Matt Durling

Sam: Doveton Rich Beale & Matt Bazett as Execut: aforesaid their heirs Execut:

Admrs & Assigns peaceably and quietly to enter upon Possess and Enjoy

from time to time & at all times hereafter the said hereby bargained premisses

with their & every of their Appurtenances without any lett suit Molestation

or Disturbance of or from me the said Matthew Durling my Heirs Execut:

Admrs & Assigns or of or from any Person or Persons Claiming or to

claim by from or under me & that the said Premisses are free & Clear or shall

otherwise be saved free & clear from all incumbrances whatsoever by me the

said Matthew Durling my Heirs & Assigns In Witness Whereof I the said

Matthew Durling have hereunto set my hand & Seal this Eighteenth Day of

June in the Twenty Second Year of the reign of our Sovereign Lord George

the Second by the Grace of God of Great Brittain France & Ireland King

defender of the Faith and so forth and in the Year of our Lord 1748

Signd Durling

Signd Sealed and delivered

in the Presence of Us

Signd Tho: French

John Doveton

Island St. Helena

Know all Men by these Presents That I Joseph

Powell of the said Island for and in consideration of the Sum of one

Hundred & fifty two pounds of good & Currant Mony of the said Island

to me in hand paid at & before the Insealing & delivery hereof by Thomas

Greentree of the said Island the receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged Have

I by these Presents do give grant bargain sell & Confirm unto him

the

The parcel lay in Pleasant Valley in the East Division of the island, known by the name of Coales, next to land once held by the dead John Bazett and to land now held by Matthew Purling himself, formerly John Knipe's. The ground now belonged to Matthew Purling, Samuel Doveton, Richard Beale and Matthew Bazett, the executors, their heirs and their successors, held by them in trust for the sole use and benefit of the children of the dead John Bazett. Matthew Purling, for himself and his heirs, promised to leave the executors in quiet possession from that time on, together with everything belonging to the ground, free of any burden or disturbance, whether from Purling, from anyone claiming through him, or from any other person, and undertook that the property stood clear of any encumbrance. He set his hand and seal on 18 June 1748, in the twenty second year of the reign of King George the Second. Thomas French and John Doveton witnessed it.

Joseph Powell of St Helena sold a parcel of land to Thomas Greentree of the island for £152 0s 0d. Powell had the full sum in hand before the papers were signed, and he acknowledged the payment in full. He passed over the property to Greentree, his heirs and their successors.

Interpretations

The parcel carried the byname Coales, tying the ground to an earlier holder even as it passed into the Bazett trust. On the island a plot often kept the name of a family that had once held it, and using the byname fixed the ground's identity in the local memory, the land in Pleasant Valley known by the name of the holders who had gone before.

The ground passed to the four executors not on their own account but in trust for the children of the dead John Bazett. When property was to be settled on children who had lost their father, executors took it and managed it on their behalf until they came of age. Buying this parcel into the trust gathered ground for the Bazett children, kept and defended in their name, next to other land the same estate already held.

The parcel is traced through its former holders, once John Knipe's and now Purling's, and set against the dead John Bazett's ground. Naming the earlier holders fixed how the plot lay within the settled run of Pleasant Valley, so exactly what passed into the trust was clear, the ground drawn together for the children among the neighbouring estates.

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the said Tho: Greentree his Heirs Execut: Admrs & Assigns all that

piece or parcell of Land containing Nine Acres & an half more or less lying

in Sandy Bay, Butting & Bound: East upon Land belonging to

James Greentree South & West upon the said Tho: Greentree's Land &

North partly upon Honble Companys Land known by the Name of

Casens Hangenges & partly upon Land belong: to Tho: Easthope together

with all & Singular the Rights profits comodities & Appurtenances

thereunto belonging to have and to hold the said parcel of Land with

all & Singular the Rights profits comodities & Appurtenances thereunto

belonging or appertain: unto him the said Tho: Greentree his Heirs

Execut: Admrs & Assigns for ever & I the said Joseph Powell for

my self & my Heirs have & by these presents do give grant sell &

Confirm unto him the said Tho: Greentree his Heirs Execut: Admrs

and Assigns the aforesaid parcel of Land with all the Rights and

Appurtenances thereunto belonging & him will save harmless and

defend against all People for ever that shall or may make any

claim or demand on the said premisses or any part thereof In

Witness I have hereunto set my hand & Seal this Sixteenth Day of

August in the twenty second Year of the reign of our Sovereign

Lord George the Second by the Grace of God of Great Brittain France

& Ireland King defender of the faith & so forth & in the Year of

our Lord 1748

Signd Joseph Powell

Signd Sealed & Delivered

in the Presence of Us

F. Wrangham Junr:

Bazett

Rich Goodwin

Island St. Helena

Know all Men by these presents that I John Dispountain

of the said Island for & in Consideration of the Sum of two Hundred

& Thirty pounds Currant Mony of the said Island at & before

the Sealing & delivery hereof the Receipt of which I do hereby

acknowledge my Self to be therewith fully paid & Contented

Have

The plot Joseph Powell sold to Thomas Greentree measured nine acres and a half, lying in Sandy Bay. On the east it ran up against land belonging to James Greentree, on the south and west against the land of Thomas Greentree himself, and on the north partly against the Company's land known by the name of Casey's Plantation and partly against land belonging to Thomas Easthope. The sale carried every right, produce, benefit and appurtenance tied to the ground.

The nine acres and a half now belonged to Greentree, his heirs and their successors, to keep for good. Joseph Powell, for himself and his heirs, promised to leave Greentree in quiet possession from that time on, together with everything belonging to the ground, and undertook to keep him free from any loss and to defend the property against all people who might make any claim or demand on it. He set his hand and seal on 16 August 1748, in the twenty second year of the reign of King George the Second. Francis Wrangham junior, Matthew Bazett and Richard Goodwin witnessed it.

John Defountaine of St Helena sold a parcel of land for £230 0s 0d. He had the full sum in hand before the papers were signed, and he acknowledged the payment in full.

Interpretations

The nine acres and a half bordered Thomas Greentree's own land on two sides, so the sale rounded off his holding in Sandy Bay. Land lying against a buyer's existing ground was worth most to him, since taking it closed a gap and drew the neighbouring parcels into a single block, the same drive to consolidate that runs through the record.

The plot carried a boundary against the Company's land known as Casey's Plantation, a byname fixing that ground by an earlier holder or use. Naming the neighbouring Company land by its byname set the plot precisely within the run of Sandy Bay ground, the local name marking the boundary even where the land itself stayed in the Company's hands.

At £152 0s 0d for nine acres and a half the land sold at about £16 an acre, a rate that points to developed or well-placed ground rather than bare pasture. The parcel bordered Greentree's own land, so buying it completed his holding, and the price reflects the value of land that filled a gap in an established estate.

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Have bargained sold & delivered & by these presents, do for my Self

my Heirs Executors Admrs & Assigns bargain Sett over Assign & deliver

unto the said James Greentree all my right Title Interest & property

to & in one Messuage or Dwelling House with the Appurtenances

thereunto belonging situate in James Valley between the House of

Rich Beale & Susanna Pledger To have & to hold the said hereby

bargained premisses & every part & Parcel thereof to him the said

Sam: Greentree his Heirs Exors Admrs Or Assigns for ever to sell

give Bequeath or dispose thereof as he they or either of them shall

think fit or proper & I do for my Self my Heirs Exors Admrs or

Assigns hereby Warrant to save harmless & defend him the said

James Greentree his Heirs or Assigns in the peaceable & quiet

Possession of the premisses & of every part thereof against all

manner of Persons whatsoever Claiming or to claim any right

Title or Interest to or in the said premisses, or to or in any part

or parcel thereof In Witness whereof I the said John Despountain

have hereunto set my Hand & Seal the Sixth Day of October

in the Twenty Second Year of the reign of our Sovereign Lord

George the Second by the Grace of God of Great Brittain France &

Ireland King Defender of the faith & so forth, & in the Year of

our Lord one Thousand Seven Hundred & forty Eight

Signd John Despountain

Signd Sealed & delivered

in the presence of Us

Tho: French

Matt: Bazett

Island St. Helena

Know all Men by these present that I Joseph

Despountain of the said Island Planter for & in consideration of the

Sum of one hundred Pounds of good and Currant Money of the said

Island to me in hand paid by Stephen Young of the said Island

Planter at & before the Insealing & delivery hereof the Receipt

whereof is hereby acknowledged Have given granted bargained sold

and

John Defountaine sold his whole right and interest in a house to James Greentree for £230 0s 0d. He passed over a house in James Valley, together with all the benefits tied to it, standing between the house of Richard Beale and that of Susanna Pledger.

The house now belonged to Greentree, his heirs and their successors, to keep and to use however they saw fit. John Defountaine, for himself and his heirs, promised to leave Greentree in quiet possession from that time on, free of any burden or claim from anyone asserting a right to the house or any part of it, and undertook to keep him free from any loss and to defend the property against all comers. He set his hand and seal on 6 October 1748, in the twenty second year of the reign of King George the Second. Thomas French and Matthew Bazett witnessed it.

Joseph Desfountain, a planter of St Helena, sold a parcel of land to Stephen Young, also a planter of the island, for £100 0s 0d. Desfountain had the full sum in hand before the papers were signed, and he acknowledged the payment in full.

Interpretations

The house was fixed by its neighbours on either side, the dwellings of Richard Beale and Susanna Pledger, rather than by measurement. In the tightly built run of James Valley each house pressed against the next, and naming the flanking holders marked out exactly what passed in a stretch of town too crowded to define by open bounds.

At £230 0s 0d the house sold at the top of the range for James Valley dwellings, marking a building of some standing. A price of this order fixed the value in the house itself and its place in the town, well above the modest sums fetched by the smaller dwellings of the street.

Susanna Pledger held the neighbouring house in her own name, one more instance of a woman recorded as a holder of town property on the island. Her standing as an adjoining holder marks her as an established presence in that stretch of James Valley, the Pledger name carried among the town's dwellings alongside the ground the family held elsewhere.

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and delivered And do by these presents give grant bargain Sell and

deliver unto the said Stephen Young his Heirs Executors Administrators

or Assigns all that piece or parcell of Land Containing Ten Acres be

the same more or less situate near the upper End of James's Valley

commonly called by the Name of the Nursery Bd: Butting & Bounding

North upon Land late in the possession of Daniel Griffith South on

Land belonging to Samuel Doveton & East & West on the Honourable

Companys Waste Land with the Appurtenances To have & to hold

the said hereby bargained premisses unto him the said Stephen Young

his Heirs Executors Administrators & Assigns for ever to do & dispose

thereof as he they or either of them shall think fitt or proper and I

the said Joseph Despountain do hereby for my Self my Heirs Execut:

Admrs & Assigns Covenant promise & Agree to & with the said

Stephen Young his Heirs Executors Admrs & Assigns that he they

and every of them shall peaceably & quietly possess & enjoy from

hence forth & at all times hereafter all & every part or parcell thereof

with all & Singular the Rights priviledges Comodities & Appurtenances

thereunto belonging or Appurtaining without any lett Hindrance

Molestation or Disturbance by of or from me my Heirs Executors

Administrators & assigns or of them or by any other person or persons

hereby Warranting the same to be free & Clear of & from all manner

of Incumbrances whatsoever In Witness Whereof I the said Joseph

Despountain have hereunto set my Hand & Seal in St. Helena this

Fourth day of November in the Twenty first Year of the Reign of our

Sovereign Lord George the Second by the Grace of God of Great Brittain

France & Ireland King Defender of the faith & so forth and in the

Year of our Lord 1748

Signd Joseph Despountain

Sealed & Delivered

in the presence of Us

Tho: French

Bazett

Island St. Helena

Know all Men by these Presents that I Joseph

Despountain of the said Island for & in Consideration of the Sum

of

The plot Joseph Desfountain sold to Stephen Young measured ten acres, lying near the upper end of James Valley and known by the name of the Nursery Bed. On the north it ran up against land once held by Daniel Griffeth, on the south against land belonging to Samuel Doveton, and on the east and west against the Company's waste land. The sale carried every right, produce, benefit and appurtenance tied to the ground.

The ten acres now belonged to Young, his heirs and their successors, to keep and to use however they saw fit. Joseph Desfountain, for himself and his heirs, promised to leave Young in quiet possession from that time on, together with everything belonging to the ground, free of any burden, claim or disturbance, whether from Desfountain, from anyone claiming through him, or from any other person, and undertook that the property stood clear of any encumbrance. He set his hand and seal in St Helena on 4 November 1748, in the twenty first year of the reign of King George the Second. Thomas French and Matthew Bazett witnessed it.

Joseph Desfountain of St Helena sold a further parcel of land for a sum stated in the deed. He had the consideration in hand before the papers were signed.

Interpretations

The ten acres carried the byname the Nursery Bed, tying the ground to an earlier use even as it passed to Young. A nursery bed was ground given over to raising young plants or trees before setting them out, and the name preserved that former purpose, marking the plot's use in the local memory long after the land changed hands.

The plot lay bounded by the Company's waste on two sides, with the ground of the dead Daniel Griffeth to the north and Samuel Doveton's land to the south. This setting shows the parcel at the settled edge near the upper end of James Valley, the enclosed holdings reaching toward the unclaimed margin, each side fixed against a neighbour or the Company's land.

The land is traced through its former holder to the north, once Daniel Griffeth's, the ground held and recorded in the name of the man who had held it before. Naming the earlier holder fixed how the parcel lay within the run of ground near the valley's head, so exactly what passed was clear even as the neighbouring estates moved to their successors.

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of five Shillings of Lawfull Money of the said Island to me in hand

paid by Stephen Young of the said Island the Receipt whereof is hereby

acknowledged Have & by these presents DO Assign transfer and sett

over unto the said Stephen Young his Executors Admrs & Assigns all

my right Title & Interest of in & to the withinmentioned Nine Acres

of Leasehold Land and every part thereof with the Appurtenances To

have and to hold unto him the said Stephen Young his Executors

Administrators & Assigns upon the terms withinmentioned Pursuant

to liberty given me for so doing by the Governour & Council the third Day

of November 1747 In Witness whereof I the said Joseph Despountain

have hereunto set my Hand & Seal this fourth Day of November One

Thousand Seven Hundred and forty Eight

Signed Joseph Despountain

Signed Sealed & Delivered

in the presence of Us

Signed Tho: French

Bazett

Island St. Helena

Know all Men by these presents that I Joseph

Despountain of the said Island for & in Consideration of the Sum

of five Shillings of Lawfull Money of the said Island to me in

hand paid by Stephen Young of the said Island the receipt whereof

is hereby acknowledged Have & by these presents DO Assign transfer

& sett over unto the said Stephen Young his Executors Administrators

& Assigns all my right Title & Interest of in & to the withinmentioned

Nine Acres and an half of Leasehold Land & every part thereof

with the Appurtenances To have & to hold unto him the said

Stephen Young his heirs Execut: Admrs & Assigns upon the terms

withinmentioned Pursuant to liberty given me for so doing by the

Governour and Council the third day of November 1747 In

Witness whereof I the said Joseph Despountain have hereunto

set my Hand & Seal this fourth day of November One Thousand

Seven Hundred and forty Eight

Signed Joseph Despountain

Signed Sealed & Delivered

in the presence of us

Signd Tho: French

Bazett

Joseph Desfountain transferred a leasehold to Stephen Young of St Helena for £5 0s 0d. Desfountain had the sum in hand before the papers were signed, and he acknowledged the payment in full. He passed over his whole right and interest in three acres of leasehold land, together with all the benefits tied to it, to Young, his heirs and their successors, subject to the terms fixed in the lease. Desfountain held leave for the transfer from the Governor and Council, granted on 3 November 1747. He set his hand and seal on 4 November 1748. Thomas French and Matthew Bazett witnessed it.

Joseph Desfountain transferred a further leasehold to Stephen Young of St Helena for £5 0s 0d. Desfountain had the sum in hand before the papers were signed, and he acknowledged the payment in full. He passed over his whole right and interest in five acres and a half of leasehold land, together with all the benefits tied to it, to Young, his heirs and their successors, subject to the terms fixed in the lease. Desfountain held leave for the transfer from the Governor and Council, granted on 3 November 1747. He set his hand and seal on 4 November 1748. Thomas French and Matthew Bazett witnessed it.

Interpretations

The two transfers moved leasehold ground from Joseph Desfountain to Stephen Young on the same day, each passing for £5 0s 0d and each resting on the leave of the Governor and Council granted on 3 November 1747. The Company kept close control over its leasehold land, and a tenant could not hand his interest to another without official consent and without binding the new holder to the terms already fixed in the lease.

These leasehold transfers followed close on Desfountain's sale of the ten-acre Nursery Bed freehold to the same Stephen Young, sealed 4 November 1748. Passing the leased ground alongside the freehold let Young take both kinds of tenure together near the upper end of James Valley, the freehold held for good and the leasehold for the years left on its term.

The parcels passed for matching sums of £5 0s 0d each, a steady value as the ground was split into three-acre and five-and-a-half-acre pieces. Handling both transfers in a single coordinated step, alongside the freehold sale, let Desfountain move the whole of his ground in that quarter into Young's hands at once, drawing the parcels under one holder rather than leaving them scattered.

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Island St. Helena

Know all Men by these presents that We the Governour

and Council of the said Island upon application made to Us by Richard Beale of the

said Island praying Liberty that his Son Richard might be inserted in the

within Lease, in the room of Robert Wright a Deceased Nominee, We do according

to the Prayer of the said Richard Beales Petition hereby admit the Name of

Richard Beale Junr: to stand in the within Lease, in the room of Robert Wright

the Deceased Nominee, He the said Petitioner Complying with the Conditions

within Mentioned, In Witness Whereof We the said Governour and Council

have hereunto set our hands and affixed the Honourable Companys Seal this

12 day of December in the Year of our Lord 1748

Charles Hutchinson

David Hunter

John Clark

Island St. Helena

Know all Men by these presents that I Thomas Cotgrave

of the said Island for & in consideration of the Sum of five Shillings

of Lawfull Money of the said Island to me in hand paid by the

Executors of John Bazett Decd the receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged

Have & by these presents DO assign transfer & set over unto the said

Executors, their Execut: Admrs & Assigns all my Right Title & Interest

of in & to four Acres & an half of Leasehold Land, Situate lying and

being at or near the Head of Deep Valley in the East Division of the

Island being part of a Lease containing fifteen Acres Dated the 18 day

of March in the Year of our Lord 1745 with the Appurtenances thereunto

belonging, Subject to the Conditions & Limitations mentioned in the said

Lease To have & to hold unto them the said Executors their Executors

Admrs & Assigns in trust Nevertheless & for the Sole use & benefit of the

Orphans of the said John Bazett Pursuant to Liberty given me for so

doing by the Govr: & Council the 17 Day of October 1748 In Witness whereof

I the said Tho: Cotgrave have hereunto set my hand & Seal this 7 Day of Decr: 1748

Signed Thomas Cotgrave

Signed Sealed & Delivered

in the presence of Us

James Greentree

Francis Wrangham Junr:

Joseph Desfountain transferred a leasehold to Stephen Young of St Helena for £5 0s 0d. Desfountain had the sum in hand before the papers were signed, and he acknowledged the payment in full. He passed over his whole right and interest in three acres of leasehold land, together with all the benefits tied to it, to Young, his heirs and their successors, subject to the terms fixed in the lease. Desfountain held leave for the transfer from the Governor and Council, granted on 3 November 1747. He set his hand and seal on 4 November 1748. Thomas French and Matthew Bazett witnessed it.

Joseph Desfountain transferred a further leasehold to Stephen Young of St Helena for £5 0s 0d. Desfountain had the sum in hand before the papers were signed, and he acknowledged the payment in full. He passed over his whole right and interest in five acres and a half of leasehold land, together with all the benefits tied to it, to Young, his heirs and their successors, subject to the terms fixed in the lease. Desfountain held leave for the transfer from the Governor and Council, granted on 3 November 1747. He set his hand and seal on 4 November 1748. Thomas French and Matthew Bazett witnessed it.

Interpretations

The two transfers moved leasehold ground from Joseph Desfountain to Stephen Young on the same day, each passing for £5 0s 0d and each resting on the leave of the Governor and Council granted on 3 November 1747. The Company kept close control over its leasehold land, and a tenant could not hand his interest to another without official consent and without binding the new holder to the terms already fixed in the lease.

These leasehold transfers followed close on Desfountain's sale of the ten-acre Nursery Bed freehold to the same Stephen Young, sealed 4 November 1748. Passing the leased ground alongside the freehold let Young take both kinds of tenure together near the upper end of James Valley, the freehold held for good and the leasehold for the years left on its term.

The parcels passed for matching sums of £5 0s 0d each, a steady value as the ground was split into three-acre and five-and-a-half-acre pieces. Handling both transfers in a single coordinated step, alongside the freehold sale, let Desfountain move the whole of his ground in that quarter into Young's hands at once, drawing the parcels under one holder rather than leaving them scattered.

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Island St. Helena

Know all Men by these Presents That I Andrew Bloxman of the said

Island for and in Consideration of the Sum of forty pounds of good & Currant

Money of the said Island to me in hand paid by Robert Mason of the said Island at

and before the insealing and Delivery hereof the Receipt Whereof is hereby

acknowledged, Have and by these Presents do Sell Assign Transfer and set

over unto the said Robert Mason his Executors Administrators and Assigns, All

my Right Title and Interest of in and to the withinmentioned peice of Ground

and House thereon standing with their and every of their appurtenances, To

have and to hold unto the said Robert Mason his Executors Administrators

and Assigns, upon the Terms and Conditions within mentioned Pursuant

to Liberty given me for so doing by the Governour and Council the Twenty

third day of January One thousand Seven hundred & forty eight, In

Witness Whereof I the said Andrew Bloxman have hereunto set my

hand and Seal this fourth day of May One thousand Seven Hundred &

forty Nine

Signd Andrew Bloxman

Signed Sealed & Delivered

in the Presence of Us

F. Wrangham Junr:

Charles Stokes

Know all Men by these presents That I Giles Smith of the Island

St. Helena Planter for & in Consideration of the Sum of three Shillings

of Currant Money of the said Island to me in hand paid by John

Goodwin likewise of the said Island, at or before the Insealing and

delivery hereof the receipt of which is hereby Acknowledged, Have

by Vertue of Leave obtained from the Govr: & Council on the Second

day of October last & by these presents do Bargain Sell Assign

& Sett over unto the said John Goodwin his Heirs Admrs & Assigns

all my Right Title & Interest of in & to three Acres of the within

mentioned Eight Acres of Leaswood Land being the upper part

thereof next Adjoyning to Land now in the possession of James

Brazil

Andrew Blenman of St Helena transferred his interest in a piece of ground and a house to Robert Mason for £40 0s 0d. Blenman had the sum in hand before the papers were signed, and he acknowledged the payment in full. He passed over his whole right and interest in the ground described within, together with a house standing on it and all the benefits tied to it, to Mason, his heirs and their successors, subject to the terms fixed in the lease. Blenman held leave for the transfer from the Governor and Council, granted on 23 January 1748. He set his hand and seal on 4 May 1749. Francis Wrangham junior and Charles Stokes witnessed it.

Giles Smith, a planter of St Helena, transferred a leasehold to John Goodwin, also of the island, for £3 0s 0d. Smith had the sum in hand before the papers were signed, and he acknowledged the payment in full. He held leave for the transfer from the Governor and Council, granted on 2 October last. He passed over his whole right and interest in three acres, part of the eight acres of gumwood land described within, being the upper part of that ground, next to land now held by James Brazel.

Interpretations

Blenman's transfer of the ground and its house needed the leave of the Governor and Council, granted on 23 January 1748, before it could pass, and Mason took the property subject to the terms already fixed in the lease. The Company kept close control over its leasehold land, requiring consent for any transfer and binding each new holder to the standing terms.

Smith's parcel is named as gumwood land, ground carrying the native gumwood trees that the Company watched closely. The gumwood was a timber the island's rulers sought to preserve, and leases of such ground often bound the holder to protect or raise the trees, marking the plot as land held under the Company's care for its wood as much as for planting.

The three acres passed as the upper part of a larger eight-acre holding, a defined portion carved from the whole and set next to James Brazel's ground. The modest £3 0s 0d reflects the limited nature of the leasehold, worth only the years left on its term, the small sum marking a fraction of gumwood ground moved to a neighbouring holder.

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Powell To have & to hold the Same unto the said John

Goodwin his Heirs Admrs & Assigns from the day of the date hereof

for & during all the rest Residue & Remainder yet to come and

Unexpired of the within Granted Term Subject to the Covenants Rents

& Conditions in the within Lease Contained In Witness Whereof

I the said Giles Smith have hereunto set my hand & Seal this

Fourteenth day of November in the Year of our Lord One Thousand

Seven Hundred & forty Nine

Signed Giles Smith

Signed Sealed & Delivered

in the Presence of Us

Joseph Kendall

Onesr: Beale

Know all Men by these presents that I Francis Dunge

of the Island St. Helena Planter for & in consideration of the Sum

of Twenty Pounds of Currant Money of the said Island to me in

hand paid by John Goodwin of the said Island Gentleman at or

before the Insealing & Delivery hereof, the Receipt of which is

hereby Acknowledged Have by Vertue of Leave obtained from the

Govr: & Council on the tenth day of April Instant & by these presents

do Bargain Sell Assigns & Set over unto the said John Goodwin his

Heirs Admrs & Assigns all my Right Title & Interest of in & to

the within mentioned Land & Premisses, To have & to hold

the same unto the said John Goodwin his Heirs Admrs & Assigns

from the day of the date hereof for & during all the rest residue

& Remainder yet to come & unexpired of the within granted Term

Subject to the Covenants Rents & Conditions in the within Lease

contained In Witness whereof I the said Francis Dunge have

hereunto set my hand & Seal this 10th day of April One Thousand

Seven hundred & forty Nine

Signed Francis Dunge

Signed Sealed & Delivered

in the presence of Us

Thomas French

Bazett

The three acres of gumwood land, part of the eight-acre holding and next to James Brazel's ground, now belonged to John Goodwin, his heirs and their successors, for the remainder of the lease's term, subject to the covenants, rents and conditions fixed in the lease. Giles Smith set his hand and seal on 13 November 1749. Joseph Kendall and Onesiphorus Beale witnessed it.

Francis Junge, a planter of St Helena, transferred a leasehold to John Goodwin, a gentleman of the island, for £20 0s 0d. Junge had the sum in hand before the papers were signed, and he acknowledged the payment in full. He held leave for the transfer from the Governor and Council, granted on 10 April this year. He passed over his whole right and interest in the land described within, together with all the benefits tied to it, to Goodwin, his heirs and their successors, for the remainder of the lease's term, subject to the covenants, rents and conditions fixed in the lease. Junge set his hand and seal on 10 April 1749. Thomas French and Matthew Bazett witnessed it.

Interpretations

Both transfers moved leasehold ground into John Goodwin's hands, Smith's three acres of gumwood and Junge's parcel, each resting on the leave of the Governor and Council, Smith's granted on 2 October last and Junge's on 10 April this year. The Company kept close control over its leasehold land, and a tenant could not hand his interest to another without official consent and without binding the new holder to the covenants, rents and conditions already fixed in the lease.

Goodwin was drawing leasehold ground from several holders into his hands, taking Smith's gumwood parcel and Junge's land under separate grants of leave. This gathering of leased ground from different tenants follows the pattern of consolidation that runs through the record, a substantial holder building up his estate by taking in the parcels of his neighbours.

The two parcels passed for £3 0s 0d and £20 0s 0d, the differing sums reflecting the size and worth of each leasehold rather than any lasting title. Land held under lease carried only the years left on its term and remained subject to the Company's rent, so the prices marked spans of years, the larger sum for the more substantial parcel Junge held.

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Island St. Helena

Know all Men by these Presents that I Francis Wrangham

Senr: of the Island St. Helena Planter for & in Consideration of the Sum

of Two Hundred & Seven pounds Ten Shillings of good & Currant Money

of the said Island to me in hand paid by John Goodwin of the said

Island Gentleman Have Given Granted Bargained Sold and delivered

& do by these presents Give Grant Bargain Sell & deliver unto him

the said John Goodwin his Heirs Exors Admrs & Assigns all that piece

or parcel of Land Containing Twenty one Acres & an half Situate

in the West Division of the said Island Butting & Bounding West on

the Honble Companys Pasture Land South on the Land of Tho: Greentree

& North & East on the Land of Martin Harper To have & to hold

the said Hereby Bargained premisses to him the said John Goodwin his

Heirs Exors Admrs & Assigns forever to do and dispose thereof as he they

or either of them shall think fitt or proper AND I the said Fran: Wrangham

do hereby for my Self my Heirs Exors Admrs & Assigns Covenant promise

& agree to & with him the said John Goodwin his Heirs Exors Admrs

& Assigns that he they & every of them shall peaceably & quietly possess

& Enjoy from henceforth & at all times hereafter all & every part and

parcel thereof together with all & Singular the Rights Priviledges

Commodities & Appurtenances thereunto belonging or appurtaining

without any lett hindrance Molestation or Interruption by of or from

me my Heirs Exors Admrs & Assigns or of from or by any other

Person or Persons hereby Warranting the same to be free & clear of

& from all manner of Incumbrances whatsoever In Witness

whereof I the said Francis Wrangham have hereunto set my hand

& Seal in St. Helena this Twenty ninth day of March Anno Domini

One Thousand Seven hundred and Fifty

Signed Fran: Wrangham

Signed Sealed & Delivered

in the presence of Us

Joseph Kendall

Matthew Durling

James Greentree

Francis Wrangham, a planter of St Helena, sold a parcel of land to John Goodwin, a gentleman of the island, for £207 10s 0d. Wrangham had the full sum in hand before the papers were signed. He passed over the property to Goodwin, his heirs and their successors.

The plot measured twenty one acres and a half, lying in the West Division of the island. On the west it ran up against the Company's pasture land, on the south the land of Thomas Greentree, and on the north and east the land of Martin Harper. The sale carried every right, produce, benefit and appurtenance tied to the ground.

The twenty one acres and a half now belonged to Goodwin, his heirs and their successors, to keep and to use however they saw fit. Francis Wrangham, for himself and his heirs, promised to leave Goodwin in quiet possession from that time on, together with everything belonging to the ground, free of any burden, claim or disturbance, whether from Wrangham, from anyone claiming through him, or from any other person, and undertook that the property stood clear of any encumbrance. He set his hand and seal in St Helena on 29 March 1750. Joseph Kendall, Matthew Purling and James Greentree witnessed it.

Interpretations

The twenty one acres and a half is the same West Division holding that Richard Goodwin, acting for the Bassett heirs, had sold to Martin Harper on 12 February 1744, and that Harper had then mortgaged to Francis Wrangham. The ground now passed from Wrangham to John Goodwin, its boundaries still fixed against Martin Harper's land and the Company's pasture, the parcel having moved through sale and mortgage back into Goodwin hands.

The odd price of £207 10s 0d, carrying shillings as well as pounds, points to a figure reached by calculation against the measured acreage rather than a round bargain struck between the parties. At about £9 12s 0d an acre the land sold at a fair rate for West Division ground, the sum fixed by the extent and worth of the parcel.

The plot lay bounded by the Company's pasture on the west and named holders on the other sides, Thomas Greentree and Martin Harper. This setting shows the ground at the settled edge of the West Division, each side fixed against a neighbour or the Company's land, the parcel drawn into John Goodwin's growing hold on the district as he gathered its ground together.

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Island St. Helena

Know all Men by these presents that We Thomas French

John Desfountain and Matthew Bazett of the said Island, Executors of

Joseph Desfountain Deceased for and in consideration of the Sum of two

Hundred and forty Pounds of good and Currant Money of the said Island to

us in hand paid by Matthew Bazett, the Receipt whereof is hereby Acknowledged

Have and by these presents, do give grant Bargain Sell Assign and

Confirm unto the said Matthew Bazett his Heirs Executors Administrators

and Assigns, as Executors aforesaid All that piece or parcel of Land,

containing twenty Acres more or less Situate in Fishers Valley in the East

Division of the said Island called and known by the name of Easthopes,

Butting and Bounding, East upon the Freehold Land of Matthew Durling

West and North upon the Freehold Land of John Desfountain and South

upon the Leasehold Land of him the said Matthew Bazett lately

Purchased of the Executors of Joseph Desfountain Deceased together

with all and Singular the Rights profits comodities and Appurtenances

thereunto belonging or Appertaining, with all Our Right Title and

Interest in or to the same as Executors aforesaid, To have and to

hold the said parcel of Land hereby Bargained and Sold, and every

part and parcel thereof, with their and every of their Appurtenances unto

him the said Matthew Bazett his Executors Administrators and Assigns

for ever, and we the said Thomas French John Desfountain and

Matthew Bazett as Executors aforesaid DO for ourselves our Executors

Administrators and Assigns Covenant promise and agree to and with

the said Matthew Bazett his Executors Administrators and Assigns That

the said Matthew Bazett his Executors Administrators and Assigns shall

and may from time to time and at all times here after peaceably and

quietly have hold Occupy possess and Enjoy the said parcel of Land

and premisses hereby bargained and Sold with the Appurtenances free

from all Incumbrances without any Lett Suit Hindrance Molestation

or Disturbance of or from me the said Thomas French John Desfountain

and Matthew Bazett as Executors aforesaid our Heirs Executors

Administrators and Assigns or of or from any person or persons Claiming

or to Claim by from or under us as Executors aforesaid or any or either

of us In Witness whereof we the said Thomas French John Desfountain

Thomas French, John Desfountain and Matthew Bazett of St Helena, executors named in the will of Joseph Desfountain, now dead, sold a parcel of land to Matthew Bazett for £140 0s 0d. They had the full sum in hand before the papers were signed, and they acknowledged the payment in full. They passed over the property to Bazett, his heirs and their successors.

The plot measured twenty acres, lying in Fisher Valley in the East Division of the island and known by the name of Easthope. On the east it ran up against the freehold land of Matthew Purling, on the west and north the freehold land of John Desfountain, and on the south the leasehold land lately bought by Matthew Bazett himself from the executors of the dead Joseph Desfountain. The sale carried every right, produce, benefit and appurtenance tied to the ground, along with the whole right and interest the executors held in it.

The twenty acres now belonged to Bazett, his heirs and their successors, to keep for good. Thomas French, John Desfountain and Matthew Bazett, acting as executors and for themselves and their heirs, promised to leave Bazett in quiet possession from that time on, together with everything belonging to the ground, free of any burden, suit, claim or disturbance, whether from the executors themselves, from anyone claiming through them, or from any other person.

Interpretations

The land passed from the executors of the dead Joseph Desfountain, disposing of the estate, and the buyer, Matthew Bazett, was himself one of those executors. Acting on both sides of the bargain, he bought the freehold parcel from the estate he helped administer, the sale converting the estate's ground into money while moving the land into his own hands.

The plot carried the byname Easthope, tying the ground to an earlier holder even as it passed to Bazett. On the island a plot often kept the name of a family that had once held it, and using the byname fixed the ground's identity in the local memory, the twenty acres in Fisher Valley known by the name of the holder who had gone before.

The parcel bordered on the south the leasehold ground Bazett had lately bought from the same estate, so this freehold purchase joined that leased land to complete a block in Fisher Valley. Setting the freehold against his own recent leasehold shows Bazett gathering both kinds of tenure from the Desfountain estate into a single holding, drawing the neighbouring parcels together under his hand.

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and Matthew Bazett have hereunto set our hand and Seals this Sixteenth

day of July in the twenty fourth Year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lord

George the Second, by the Grace of God of Great Brittain France and

Ireland King Defender of the Faith and so forth and in the Year of our

Lord One thousand seven hundred and Fifty

Signd Tho: French

Jn: Desfountain

Signed Sealed and Delivered Bazett

in the Presence of Us

Signd James Greentree

Richard Bagley

Island St. Helena

Know all Men by these presents

that I Thomas Easthope of the said Island Lieutenant for and in

Consideration of the Sum of £200 of good and Lawfull money

of the said Island to me in hand paid by Fran: Wrangham Sen:

of the said Island Planter at and before the Sealing and delivery

of these presents wherewith I Acknowledge my Self fully Satisfyed

and paid, and thereof and every part thereof do hereby acquit Exonerate

and discharge the said Fran: Wrangham his Heirs Executors

Administrators and Assigns Have Granted bargained and Sold

and by these presents do fully Clearly and Absolutely grant Bargain

and sell unto the said Fran: Wrangham All that piece or parcel

of Freehold Land Containing Seventeen Acres Situate lying and

being in the West Division of the said Island being the Land

I Lately purchased of Joseph Powell late of the said Island

Butting and Bounding South partly upon the Lands of James

Greentree and partly upon the Lands of the late Charles Stewards

Orphans West upon the Honourable Company's Pasture Land

East upon the said Fran: Wranghams own Land and North

upon the Lands of the Late Samuel Doveton's Orphans To

Thomas French, John Desfountain and Matthew Bazett set their hands and seals on 16 July 1750, in the twenty fourth year of the reign of King George the Second. James Greentree and Richard Bagley witnessed it.

Thomas Easthope, lieutenant of St Helena, sold seventeen acres to Francis Wrangham, a planter of the island, for £200 0s 0d. The money was paid over in full before the deal was sealed, and Easthope gave up any further claim to it.

The ground lay in the West Division and had lately come to Easthope from Joseph Powell, since dead. James Greentree and the children of the late Charles Steward held the land along its southern edge. The Company's pasture ran along the west, Wrangham's own ground along the east, and the children of the late Samuel Doveton held the land to the north. Everything growing on or belonging to the plot went with it to Wrangham and his heirs for good.

Interpretations

The seventeen acres had passed through several hands in a short span, coming to Easthope from Joseph Powell and now moving on to Wrangham. Tracing that line of holders fixed how the ground had descended, so both men knew exactly what changed hands.

Named families or the Company hemmed in the plot on every side, among them the orphaned children of Charles Steward and Samuel Doveton. So dense a ring of neighbours shows how fully the West Division had filled up, with each holding pinned against the next and the dead men's estates kept in their children's names.

Wrangham already held the ground running along the eastern edge, so buying this plot closed the gap and drew the two together. Land pressed against a buyer's own was always worth more to him than to anyone else, and the purchase fits the steady gathering of West Division ground that runs through Wrangham's dealings.

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83V

have and to hold the said hereby Bargained Premisses and

every part thereof unto him the said Fran: Wrangham his Heirs

Executors Administrators and Assigns for ever to do and dispose thereof

as he they or either of them shall think fit and I the said Tho: Easthope

do hereby Covenant premise and agree to and with him the said Francis

Wrangham his Heirs Executors Administrators and Assigns that he

they and every of them shall peaceably and Quietly possess and enjoy

the same without any let, hindrance, Molestation, or Interruption by of

or from me or any other Person or Persons Whatsoever hereby Warranting

the same to be free and Clear of and from all manner of Incumbrances

and against all manner of Persons shall and will warrant and forever

defend by these presents In Witness whereof I the said Tho: Easthope

have hereunto set my hand and Seal this 5 day of Sept. in the

Year of our Lord one Thousand Seven Hundred and fifty

Signed Tho: Easthope

Signed Sealed and Delivered

in the presence of us

Joseph Kendall

James Repington

Jonn: Wrangham

Island St. Helena

Know all Men by these Presents that I John Durling of

the City of London, Mariner for & in consideration of the Sum of Eleven

hundred & fifty Eight Pounds Current Money of the Island St. Helena

Have Bargained Sold Assigned Given Granted Aliened & delivered &

do by these Presents for my Self my Heirs Executors Administrators &

Assigns Give Grant Bargain Sell Alien & confirm unto my Brother

Matthew Durling of this Island his Heirs & Assigns for ever, all my

Right Title Interest Share Dividend or Proportion to & in one hundred

and

The seventeen acres now belonged to Francis Wrangham and his heirs for good, to keep and to use as they saw fit. Thomas Easthope promised that Wrangham would hold the ground undisturbed from then on, with no burden or claim laid on it by Easthope or anyone else, and he undertook to answer any challenge to the title and defend it against all comers. He set his hand and seal on 25 September 1750. Joseph Kendall, James Pipington and John Wrangham witnessed it.

John Purling, a merchant of the City of London, sold his share of a holding to his brother Matthew Purling of St Helena for £1,158 0s 0d. He gave up to his brother and his heirs, for good, his whole right and interest in the ground, his share of it and its produce, being a portion of a hundred [...].

Interpretations

The great sum of £1,158 0s 0d marks this as a very substantial transfer, far above the ordinary run of the register. A price of this order points to a large holding or a valuable share of one, the money reckoned in the island's currency even though the seller sat in London.

The seller, John Purling, is named as a merchant of the City of London, dealing in island ground from across the sea while his brother Matthew held and worked the land on St Helena. Such dealings between kin, one settled in the metropolis and one on the island, show how family property could be held and moved between distant branches, the London brother passing his interest to the one on the spot.

The share passed from brother to brother, keeping the holding within the Purling line. Rather than sell to an outsider, John Purling conveyed his portion to Matthew, drawing the divided family interest under a single holder on the island and settling the ground in the branch that lived upon it.

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and ten Acres & half of Freehold Land, Situate in the East part of the

said Island, Sixty two Acres & half of Leave hold Land, with all and

Singular their Rights Commodities, and Appurtenances thereunto

belonging, with all the Houses Buildings & Tenements Erected thereon

or to them, or either of them belonging, and also all my Right, Title

Interest or Share to, & in my Fathers Mothers & Brothers Personal

Estate of what Nature or Quality soever, and two Houses in the Fort

or Chappel Valley, To have, & to hold all and Singular the Lands

& Tenements, & all other the Premises hereby Granted, Bargained &

Sold, or mentioned, or intended to be hereby Granted Bargained & Sold

with their & every of their Rights Commodities or Appurtenances

unto him my said Brother Matthew Durling, his Heirs & assigns

to the only proper Use & behoof of him the said Matthew Durling &

his Heirs for ever: And he the said John Durling, for himself &

his Heirs do hereby Warrant to save harmless and defend Mr Matthew

Matthew Durling & his Heirs in the Peaceable & quiet Possession of

the Premises and every part thereof, Warranting the same to be free

& Clear of & from all Incumbrances whatsoever In Witness whereof

I have hereunto set my hand & Seal this twenty Ninth day of

March in the Year of our Lord One Thousand Seven hundred and

fifty one

Signed J. Durling

Signed Sealed and Delivered

in the Presence of

Signd Joseph Kendall

Sam: Repington

F. Wrangham Junr:

John Purling's share came to a hundred and ten acres and a half of freehold in the East part of the island, together with sixty two acres and a half of leasehold, and all the houses and buildings standing on the ground. He also passed over his whole share in the personal estate of his father, his mother and his brother, of every kind, along with two houses at the Fort in Chapel Valley. All of this went to his brother Matthew Purling and his heirs, for good, to keep and to use as they saw fit. John Purling promised to keep his brother free from any loss and to defend him in quiet possession, undertaking that the property stood clear of any burden. He set his hand and seal on 29 March 1751. Joseph Kendall, James Pipington and Francis Wrangham junior witnessed it.

Interpretations

The great price of £1,158 0s 0d bought a very large estate, more than a hundred and seventy acres of freehold and leasehold together with houses on the ground and two dwellings at the Fort. A holding of this scale, passing in a single transfer, marks one of the largest dealings in the register, the whole of one brother's inheritance gathered into the hands of the other.

The transfer took in not only land but John Purling's share of the family's personal estate, the goods and money left by his father, mother and brother. Passing the whole inheritance, real and personal alike, in one deed let the London brother settle his entire claim on the island property at once, drawing the divided family estate under his brother Matthew on the spot.

The two houses at the Fort in Chapel Valley formed part of the settlement, town dwellings passing alongside the country ground. Setting the Fort houses within the larger transfer shows the family's holdings reaching from the East Division freehold to the built ground of the settlement, the whole moved from the absent brother to the one who lived upon the island.

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84V

Island St. Helena

Know all Men by these Presents that I Richard Goodwin

of the said Island St. Helena Planter for and in Consideration of One Hundred and twelve pounds

Ten Shillings of good and Currant Money of the said Island to me in hand paid by John Clark

of the said Island Gentleman Have given granted Bargained Sold and Delivered and do

by these Presents Give Grant Bargain Sell and Deliver unto the said John Clark all

that peice or parcel of Land Containing Ten Acres Situate in the West Division of

the said Island Butting & Bounding North and East upon Lands now in the Possession

of the said John Clark and South and West partly upon Lands of Francis Wrangham Sr:

and partly upon Lands of him the said Richard Goodwin To have and to hold

the said hereby Bargained Premises to him the said John Clark his Heirs

Executors Administrators and Assigns for Ever to do and dispose thereof as he they

or either of them shall think fit or Proper And I the said Richard Goodwin do

hereby for my self my Heirs Executors Administrators and Assigns Covenant

promise and Agree to and with him the said John Clark his Heirs Executors

Administrators and Assigns that he they and every of them shall Peaceably and

Quietly possess and enjoy from henceforth and at all times hereafter all and every

part and parcel thereof together with all and Singular the Rights Priviledges

Commodities and Appurtenances thereunto belonging or Appurtaining without any

lett hindrance Molestation or Disturbance by or from me my Heirs Executors

Administrators or Assigns or of from or by any other Person or Persons hereby

Warranting the same to be free and Clear of and from all manner of incumbrances

whatsoever In Witness whereof I the said Richard Goodwin have hereunto set

my hand and Seal this Sixteenth day of March and in the Twenty fifth Year

of the Reign of our Sovereign Lord George the Second by the Grace of God of

Great Brittain France and Ireland King Defender of the Faith and so forth

and in the Year of our Lord One Thousand Seven Hundred & fifty one

Signd Richard Goodwin

Signed Sealed and Delivered

(where no Stamped Paper is to be had)

in the Presence of us

Fra: Wrangham

M Durling

F. Wrangham Junr:

Richard Goodwin, a planter of St Helena, sold ten acres to John Black, a gentleman of the island, for £112 10s 0d. The money was paid over in full before the deal was sealed.

The ground lay in the West Division. Black's own land, which he already held, ran along the northern and eastern edges. Along the south and west the plot met partly Francis Wrangham's land and partly Goodwin's own. Everything growing on or belonging to the plot went with it to Black and his heirs for good, to keep and to use as they saw fit. Goodwin promised that Black would hold the ground undisturbed from then on, with no burden or claim laid on it by Goodwin or anyone else, and he undertook to answer any challenge to the title and keep it clear of any charge. He set his hand and seal on 16 March 1751, in the twenty fifth year of the reign of King George the Second. A line beside his name recorded that no stamped paper had been available when the deed was drawn up. Francis Wrangham, Matthew Purling and John Wrangham junior witnessed it.

Interpretations

Black already held the ground running along the northern and eastern edges of the plot, so buying these ten acres closed the gap and drew the two together. Land pressed against a buyer's own was worth more to him than to anyone else, and the purchase fits the steady gathering of West Division ground that runs through the record.

At £112 10s 0d for ten acres the land sold at over £11 an acre, a rate pointing to developed or well-placed ground rather than bare pasture. The odd shillings in the price mark a figure reached by measure against the acreage, and the sum reflects the value of land that completed Black's holding.

The buyer, John Black, is named as a gentleman of the island, marking a man of standing adding to his ground in the West Division. Set among the holdings of Wrangham and Goodwin, his purchase fits the pattern by which the substantial holders of the district drew the land into fewer and larger estates.

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Island St. Helena

Know all Men by these Presents that we William Seale

and John Hayes Senr: of the said Island Planters and part Heirs of Benjamin Pledger

deceased for and in Consideration of the Sum of Ninety five pounds of good and Currant

Money to us in hand paid by Lieutenant John Clark of the said Island the Receipt

whereof is hereby acknowledged Have and by these Presents do give Grant Bargain Sell

Assign and Confirm unto the said John Clark his Heirs Executors Administrators and Assigns

All that peice or parcel of Land Containing Ten Acres more or less Situate in the East

Division of the said Island Butting and Bounding North East and West upon Land

of Matthew Durling and South partly upon Land of the said Matthew Durling and

partly upon Land of Matthew Bazett together with all and Singular the Rights

Proffits Commodities and Appurtenances thereunto belonging or Appurtaining with

all our Title and Interest in or to the same To have and to hold the said parcell

of Land hereby Bargained and Sold and every part and parcel thereof with their and every

of their Appurtenances unto him the said John Clark his Heirs Executors Administrators

and Assigns for ever and we the said William Seale and John Hayes Do for ourselves

our Heirs Executors Administrators and Assigns Covenant Promise and Agree to and with

the said John Clark his Heirs Executors Administrators and Assigns that he they and

every of them shall and may from time to time and at all times hereafter peaceably

and quietly Possess and enjoy the said parcel of Land and Premises hereby Bargained

and Sold with the appurtenances free from all incumbrances without any lett Suit

Hindrance Molestation or Disturbance of or from us the said William Seale and

John Hayes or of or from any other Person or Persons Claiming or to Claim by from

or under us or any or either of us In Witness whereof we the said William Seale

and John Hayes have hereunto set our hands and Seals this Twenty fourth day of

May in the Twenty fourth Year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lord George the second

by the Grace of God of Great Brittain France and Ireland King Defender of the faith

and so forth and in the Year of our Lord One Thousand Seven Hundred and fifty Two

Signd Will: Seale

Signed Sealed and Delivered John Hayes

(where no stamped Paper is to be had)

in the Presence of us

M Durling

F. Wrangham Junr:

William Seale and John Hayes, planters of St Helena and part heirs of Benjamin Pledger, now dead, sold ten acres to Lieutenant John Black of the island for £90 0s 0d. The money was paid over in full before the deal was sealed.

The ground lay in the East Division. Matthew Purling's land ran along the northern, eastern and western edges. Along the south the plot met partly Purling's land and partly Matthew Bazett's. Everything growing on or belonging to the plot went with it to Black and his heirs for good, to keep and to use as they saw fit. Seale and Hayes, for themselves and their heirs, promised that Black would hold the ground undisturbed from then on, free of any burden or claim, whether from the two of them, from anyone acting through them, or from anyone else. They set their hands and seals on 24 May 1752, in the twenty fourth year of the reign of King George the Second. A line beside their names recorded that no stamped paper had been available when the deed was drawn up. Matthew Purling and Francis Wrangham junior witnessed it.

Interpretations

Seale and Hayes sold the ground as part heirs of the dead Benjamin Pledger, disposing of land that had come to them through their share in his estate. When a holding descended to several heirs, each held a part, and selling it together let the joint owners pass a clear title while dividing the proceeds between them.

The plot lay hemmed in on nearly every side by Matthew Purling's ground, with Matthew Bazett's land along part of the south. So close a ring of a single man's land shows how fully the East Division had gathered into a few hands, the parcel wedged among Purling's holdings and worth most to a buyer who could set it against them.

The buyer, John Black, is named as lieutenant of the island, a garrison officer adding country ground to his holdings. Following his purchase of ten acres in the West Division days earlier, this East Division parcel shows Black building an estate across the island, drawing land into his hands from heirs and neighbours alike.

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Island St. Helena

Know all Men by these presents that I Samuel Knipe

of the said Island Planter for & in consideration of the Sum of two hundred

& twenty Pounds of good & Currant Money of the said Island to me in hand

paid by Tho: Kirkpatrick of the same Lieutenant at & before the

insealing & delivery hereof the receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged

Have given granted bargained sold & delivered And do by these

presents give grant bargain sell & Deliver unto him the said Thomas

Kirkpatrick his Heirs Exors Admrs or Assigns all that peice or parcel

of Land containing twenty one Acres be the same more or less which

in the Least Division of the said Island commonly called & known by

the name of Bates butting & bounding on Land of Jonathan Doveton

Decd Saml: Doveton Decd called Coalers & of Matthew Durling called the

Flats to have & to hold the said hereby bargained premises unto

him the said Tho: Kirkpatrick his Heirs Exors Admrs & Assigns for ever

to do & dispose thereof as he they or either of them shall think fit or proper

& I the said Saml: Knipe do hereby for my Self my Heirs Exors Admrs

& Assigns Covenant promise & agree to & with the said Tho: Kirkpatrick

his Heirs Exors Admrs & Assigns that he they & every of them shall

peaceably & quietly possess & enjoy from henceforth & at all times

hereafter all & every part & parcel thereof with all & Singular the

rights priviledges comodities & appurtenances thereunto belonging or

appurtaining without any lett hindrance molestation or interruption

by or from me my Heirs Exors Admrs or Assigns or of from or by any

other person or persons whatsoever hereby Warranting the same to be free

& clear of & from all manner of incumbrances In Witness whereof

I the said Saml: Knipe have hereunto set my hand & Seal in St. Helena

this 12th day of Dec: in the twenty sixth Year of the Reign of our Sovereign

Lord George the second by the Grace of God of Great Brittain France & Ireland

King Defender of the Faith & so forth & in the Year of our Lord one thousand

seven hundred & fifty two

Signd Sam: Knipe

Signed Sealed & delivered

in the presence of us

M Durling

John Despountain

Samuel Knipe, a planter of St Helena, sold twenty one acres to Thomas Kirkpatrick, lieutenant of the island, for £220 0s 0d. The money was paid over in full before the deal was sealed.

The ground lay in the East Division and went by the name of Bates. The land of Jonathan Doveton, now dead, and of Samuel Doveton, now dead, bordered the plot, along with land belonging to Matthew Purling called the Flatts. Everything growing on or belonging to the plot went with it to Kirkpatrick and his heirs for good, to keep and to use as they saw fit. Knipe promised that Kirkpatrick would hold the ground undisturbed from then on, free of any burden or claim, whether from Knipe, from anyone acting through him, or from anyone else, and he undertook to answer any challenge to the title and keep it clear of any charge. He set his hand and seal on 12 December 1752, in the twenty sixth year of the reign of King George the Second. Matthew Purling and John Desfountain witnessed it.

Interpretations

The twenty one acres carried the byname Bates, tying the ground to an earlier holder even as it passed to Kirkpatrick. On the island a plot often kept the name of a family that had once held it, and the name fixed the ground's identity in local memory long after it changed hands.

The plot lay bounded by the estates of two dead men, Jonathan and Samuel Doveton, and by Matthew Purling's land, itself carrying its own byname, the Flatts. That neighbouring parcels bore their own names shows how thoroughly the East Division ground had been mapped and remembered by use, each holding known by its name as much as by its bounds.

The buyer, Thomas Kirkpatrick, is named as lieutenant of the island, a garrison officer taking a substantial holding of country ground. At £220 0s 0d for twenty one acres the land sold at over £10 an acre, a rate marking developed or well-placed ground and a considerable purchase for an officer building an estate.

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Island St. Helena

Know all Men by these presents that I Saml: Knipe

of the said Island Planter for & in Consideration of the Sum of Thirty pounds of

Lawfull Money of the said Island to me in hand paid by Tho: Kirkpatrick

of the same Lieut: the receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged Have & by

these presents DO Assign Transfer & make over unto the said Thomas

Kirkpatrick, his Heirs Admrs & Assigns all my Right, Title & Interest to &

in the withinmentioned seven Acres & an half of Leasehold Land situate

lying & being on or near a place commonly called or known by the Name of

Collers thereout next the Main Ridge to have & to hold unto him the

said Tho: Kirkpatrick his Heirs Admrs & Assigns for & during all the rest

residue & remainder of the Term within Granted, yet to come Subject to the

Covenants Rents & Conditions within contained Pursuant to liberty given me for

so doing by the Govr: & Council in Consultation of the 5 Feb: 1753 In Witness

whereof I the said Saml: Knipe have hereunto set my Hand & Seal this day

of March in the Year of our Lord 1753

Signd Samuel Knipe

Signed Sealed & delivered

in the Presence of us

M Durling

John Desfountain

Island St. Helena

Know all Men by these presents that I Matthew

Durling of the said Island St. Helena Gentleman for & in Consideration of the

the Sum of two hundred & ten Pounds of good & Currant Money of the said

Island to me in hand paid by John Desfountain of the said Island Planter at &

before the insealing & delivery hereof the receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged

Have granted Bargained Sold & delivered And do by these presents give

grant Bargain sell & deliver unto him the said John Desfountain his

Heirs Exors Admrs or Assigns all that peice or parcel of Land containing

Eleven Acres more or less situate in the East Division of the

said Island commonly called or known by the name of Bates Butting &

Bounding on the Lands of Jonathan Doveton Decd or the Lands of Samuel

Doveton called Coalers, & on the Lands of the said Matthew Durling called

the Flats To have & to hold the said hereby Bargained Premises unto

him

Samuel Knipe, a planter of St Helena, transferred a leasehold to Thomas Kirkpatrick, lieutenant of the island, for £30 0s 0d. The money was paid over in full before the deal was sealed. Knipe passed over his whole right and interest in seven acres and a half of leasehold ground, lying on or near a place known by the name of the Flatts, next to the Main Ridge. Kirkpatrick was to hold the ground for the years left on its term, subject to the covenants, rents and conditions fixed in the lease. Knipe held leave for the transfer from the Governor and Council, granted on 5 February 1753. He set his hand and seal on 8 March 1753. Matthew Purling and John Desfountain witnessed it.

Matthew Purling, a gentleman of St Helena, sold twenty one acres to John Desfountain of the island for £210 0s 0d. The money was paid over in full before the deal was sealed.

The ground lay in the East Division and went by the name of Bates. The land of Jonathan Doveton, now dead, bordered the plot, along with land belonging to Matthew Purling himself, called the Flatts. Everything belonging to the plot went with it to Desfountain and his heirs.

Interpretations

Knipe's leasehold transfer followed close on his sale of the twenty one acres called Bates to the same district, moving leased ground alongside freehold. The seven acres and a half lay near the Main Ridge by the ground known as the Flatts, and passing it under the Council's leave let the leased land change hands together with the freehold nearby.

The transfer needed the leave of the Governor and Council, granted on 5 February 1753, before it could pass, and Kirkpatrick took the ground subject to the terms already fixed in the lease. The Company kept close control over its leasehold land, requiring consent for any transfer and binding each new holder to the standing terms.

The parcels changing hands here all cluster around the byname Bates and the ground called the Flatts, tying the East Division plots to their earlier holders and uses. That the same names recur across these sales shows how thoroughly the ground had been mapped by memory, the holdings known and traded by their names as much as by their measured bounds.

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him the said John Desfountain his Heirs Exors Admrs & Assigns for ever

to do & dispose thereof as he, they or either of them shall think fitt or proper

& I the said Matt: Durling do hereby for my Self my Heirs Exors Admrs

& Assigns Covenant promise & Agree to & with the said John Desfountain

his Heirs Exors Admrs & Assigns that he they & every of them shall

peaceably & quietly Possess & enjoy from hence forth & at all times

here after all & every part & parcel thereof with all & Singular the Rights

priviledges Commodities & appurtenances thereunto belonging or Appurtaind

without any lett hindrance Molestation or Interruption by or from me

my Heirs Exors Admrs or Assigns or of from or by any other person or persons

whatsoever hereby Warranting the same to be free & clear of & from all

manner of Incumbrances In Witness whereof I the said Matt: Durling

have hereunto set my hand & Seal in St. Helena this Thirtieth day of

Nov: in the twenty second Year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lord

George the Second by the Grace of God of Great Brittain France &

Ireland King defender of the Faith & so forth & in the Year of our Lord

one thousand seven hundred & forty Eight

Signd M. Durling

Signed Sealed & delivered

in the presence of us

Tho: Kirkpatrick

M. Bazett

Island St. Helena

Know all Men by these presents that I

John Desfountain of the said Island Planter for & in consideration of

the Sum of two hundred & twenty Pounds of good & currant Money of the

said Island to me in hand paid by Sam: Desfountain of the said Island

Planter at & before the insealing & delivery hereof the receipt whereof

is hereby acknowledged Have given granted Bargained Sold and

Delivered And do by these presents Gave Grant Bargain Sell and

Deliver unto him the said Sam: Desfountain his Heirs Exors Admrs

or Assigns all that peice or parcel of Land cont: twenty one Acres be the

same more or less situate in the East Division of the said Island commonly

called & known by the name of Bates Butting & Bounding on Lands of

Jonn: Doveton Decd Sam: Doveton Decd Called Coalers & of Matthew

Durling called the Flats To have & to hold the said hereby

Bargained premisses unto him the said Sam: Desfountain

His

The twenty one acres called Bates now belonged to John Desfountain and his heirs for good, to keep and to use as they saw fit. Matthew Purling promised that Desfountain would hold the ground undisturbed from then on, with all its rights and produce, free of any burden or claim laid on it by Purling or anyone else, and he undertook to answer any challenge to the title and keep it clear of any charge. He set his hand and seal in St Helena on 30 November 1748, in the twenty second year of the reign of King George the Second. Thomas Kirkpatrick and Matthew Bazett witnessed it.

John Desfountain, a planter of St Helena, sold twenty one acres to Samuel Desfountain, also a planter of the island, for £220 0s 0d. The money was paid over in full before the deal was sealed.

The ground lay in the East Division and went by the name of Bates. The land of Jonathan Doveton, now dead, and of Samuel Doveton, now dead, known as Coalers, bordered the plot, along with Matthew Purling's land called the Flatts. Everything belonging to the plot went with it to Samuel Desfountain and his heirs.

Interpretations

The twenty one acres called Bates passed through several hands in quick succession, from Matthew Purling to John Desfountain and now on to Samuel Desfountain. Following the ground as it moved between holders shows the same parcel changing owners within a short span, its byname and bounds carried unchanged from deed to deed.

The land kept within the Desfountain family in this latest sale, John passing it to Samuel. Rather than sell to an outsider, one Desfountain conveyed the ground to another, keeping the holding among kin, the same pattern by which the island's families moved land between their branches.

The neighbouring ground carried its own bynames, Coalers for the dead Dovetons' land and the Flatts for Purling's. That the plots on every side were known by settled names shows how thoroughly the East Division had been mapped by memory, each holding traded and fixed by its name as much as by its measured bounds.

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His Heirs Exors Admrs & Assigns for ever to do & dispose thereof as he

they or either of them shall think fitt or proper & I the said John Desfountain

do hereby for my Self my Heirs Exors Admrs & Assigns Covenant promise

& Agree to & with the said Sam: Desfountain his Heirs Exors Admrs & Assigns

that he they & every of them shall peaceably & quietly possess & enjoy from

henceforth & at all times hereafter all & every part & parcel thereof with

all & Singular the rights priviledges commodities & appurtenances

thereunto belonging or appurtaining without any lett hindrance molestation

or interruption by or from me my Heirs Exors Admrs or Assigns or of from or

by any other person or persons whatsoever hereby Warranting the same to be

free & clear of & from all manner of incumbrances In Witness whereof

I the said John Desfountain have hereunto set my Hand & Seal in St. Helena

this 23 day of May in the twenty fourth Year of the Reign of our Sovereign

Lord George the Second by the Grace of God of Great Brittain France &

Ireland King Defender of the Faith & so forth & in the Year of our Lord

1750

Signd John Desfountain

Signd Sealed & delivered

in the presence of us

Tho: French

Saml: Knipe

Island St. Helena

Know all Men by these presents that I Samuel

Desfountain of the said Island Planter for & in consideration of the Sum of

two hundred & twenty Pounds of good & currant Money of the said Island to

me in hand paid by Saml: Knipe of the same Planter at & before the

insealing & delivery hereof the receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged Have

given granted Bargained sold & delivered And do by these presents give

grant Bargain sell & deliver unto him the said Saml: Knipe his Heirs

Exors Admrs or Assigns all that peice or parcel of Land containing twenty

one Acres be the same more or less situate in the East Division of the

said Island commonly called & known by the name of Bates Butting &

Bounding on Lands of Jonathan Doveton Decd Sam: Doveton Decd called

Coalers & of Matt: Durling called the Flats To have & to hold the

said hereby Bargained Premises unto him the said Saml: Knipe his

Heirs

The twenty one acres called Bates now belonged to Samuel Desfountain and his heirs for good, to keep and to use as they saw fit. John Desfountain promised that Samuel would hold the ground undisturbed from then on, with all its rights and produce, free of any burden or claim laid on it by John or anyone else, and he undertook to answer any challenge to the title and keep it clear of any charge. He set his hand and seal in St Helena on 23 May 1750, in the twenty fourth year of the reign of King George the Second. Thomas French and Samuel Knipe witnessed it.

Samuel Desfountain, a planter of St Helena, sold twenty one acres to Samuel Knipe, also a planter of the island, for £220 0s 0d. The money was paid over in full before the deal was sealed.

The ground lay in the East Division and went by the name of Bates. The land of Jonathan Doveton, now dead, and of Samuel Doveton, now dead, called Coalers, bordered the plot, along with Matthew Purling's land called the Flatts. Everything belonging to the plot went with it to Samuel Knipe and his heirs.

Interpretations

The twenty one acres called Bates changed hands yet again, moving from Samuel Desfountain to Samuel Knipe at the same price of £220 0s 0d that had carried it through the earlier sales. The steady sum, holding constant across a run of transfers, shows the parcel keeping a settled value as it passed from owner to owner within a few years.

The name Knipe returns here as buyer, the same family that had earlier held and sold ground in the East Division. The plot's passage back to a Knipe shows how the district's land circulated among a small set of connected holders, the same names recurring on either side of the bargains as the ground moved between them.

The boundary description held firm through every transfer, the plot fixed each time by the dead Dovetons' land called Coalers and Purling's ground called the Flatts. That the marks stayed constant as the land changed hands repeatedly shows how firmly the East Division holdings were set by their bynames and adjoining estates, the ground traded by a fixed and remembered set of bounds.

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Heirs Exors Admrs & Assigns for ever to do & dispose thereof as he they or either

of them shall think fitt or proper & I the said Sam: Desfountain do hereby for my

Self my Heirs Exors Admrs & Assigns Covenant promise & agree to & with the said

Saml: Knipe his Heirs Exors Admrs & Assigns that he they & every of them shall

peaceably & quietly Possess & enjoy from henceforth & at all times hereafter all

& every part & parcel thereof with all & Singular the rights priviledges commodities

& appurtenances thereunto belonging or appurtaining without any lett

hindrance molestation or interruption by or from me my Heirs Exors Admrs

or Assigns or of from or by any other person or Persons whatsoever hereby

Warranting the same to be free & clear of & from all manner of incumbrances

In Witness whereof I the said Sam: Desfountain have hereunto set my

Hand & Seal in St. Helena this 13 Day of Decr: in the twenty sixth Year of the

Reign of our Sovereign Lord George the Second by the Grace of God of Great

Brittain France & Ireland King defender of the Faith & so forth & in the Year

of our Lord 1752

Signd Samuel Desfountain

Signed Sealed & delivered

in the presence of us

Tho: French

John: Desfountain

Island St. Helena

Know all Men by these presents that we Francis Wrangham

Senr: John Goodwin and Francis Wrangham Junr: Executors of the last Will and Testament

of Charles Steward Deceased for and in Consideration of the Sum of two Hundred and Twenty

pounds of Lawfull Money of the said Island to me in hand paid by Fran: Wrangham Sen:

the receipt of which is hereby Acknowledged Have Granted Bargained Sold and

Confirmed and by these presents do give Grant Bargain Selly and confirm unto the

said Francis Wrangham Senr: His Heirs Executors Administrators and Assigns

All that Messuage or Tenement Situate in James's Valley belonging to the Estate of

the Late Charles Steward deceased adjoining on one Side to the great House built by

John Goodwin Esqr: deceased now in the Possession of the Honourable Company and on

the other side to the House now in Possession of Lieutenant Thomas Kirkpatrick

late belonging to Samuel Doveton Deceased, with the Consent and approbation

of Gabriel Steward one of the Heirs of the Late Charles Steward Deceased

together with the yard Watercourses Rights Members and appurtenances

The twenty one acres called Bates now belonged to Samuel Knipe and his heirs for good, to keep and to use as they saw fit. Samuel Desfountain promised that Knipe would hold the ground undisturbed from then on, with all its rights and produce, free of any burden or claim laid on it by Desfountain or anyone else, and he undertook to answer any challenge to the title and keep it clear of any charge. He set his hand and seal in St Helena on 12 December 1752, in the twenty sixth year of the reign of King George the Second. Thomas French and John Desfountain witnessed it.

Francis Wrangham, John Goodwin and Francis Wrangham junior, executors named in the will of Charles Steward, now dead, sold a house in the town to Francis Wrangham for £220 0s 0d. The money was paid over in full before the deal was sealed. They passed over the property to Wrangham, his heirs and their successors.

The house stood in James Valley and belonged to the estate of the late Charles Steward. On one side it adjoined the great house built by the late John Goodwin, now held by the Company, and on the other a house held by Lieutenant Thomas Kirkpatrick, once belonging to Samuel Doveton, now dead. The sale was made with the agreement of Gabriel Steward, one of the heirs of the late Charles Steward, and carried the yard, the rights of water and watercourse, and every other benefit tied to the house.

Interpretations

The executors sold the house not on their own account but as the representatives of the dead Charles Steward, disposing of his estate. When a man left a will and property to be settled, his executors held the power to sell what he had owned, converting the estate into money to meet his affairs and provide for his heirs.

The sale was made with the express agreement of Gabriel Steward, one of the heirs, joining his consent to the executors' act. Bringing in an heir's approval guarded against any later claim from the family, so the buyer took the house with the estate and its heirs both bound to the transfer.

The house was fixed by its neighbours on either side, the great house built by the late John Goodwin and now held by the Company, and Kirkpatrick's dwelling that had once been Samuel Doveton's. In the close-set run of James Valley, naming the flanking houses marked out exactly what passed, the town ground known by the buildings that pressed against it.

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thereunto belonging and all our Right title or Interest in or to the Same To have and

to hold the said Right Title and Interest House and Premises with their and

every of their appurtenances unto the said Francis Wrangham Senr: his Heirs and

Assigns for ever and we the said Francis Wrangham Senr: John Goodwin and Fran:

Wrangham Junr: with the Consent of Gabriel Steward as abovementioned do hereby

for our Selves our Heirs Executors Administrators and Assigns Covenant promise

and agree to and with the said Fran: Wrangham Senr: his Heirs and Assigns

that he they or either of them shall and may from time to time and at all times

hereafter have hold Occupy and possess and quietly Enjoy the said Bargained

premises without any lett suit Trouble Molestation or disturbance of from us

the said Fran: Wrangham Senr: John Goodwin and Fran: Wrangham Junr:

or by our means Consent or procurement or our Heirs or Assigns or any

other Person or Persons whatsoever or to Claim by from or under by from or under

us them or any of them In Witness whereof we have hereunto Set our

hands and Seals this 20th Day of March in the Twenty fifth Year of the Reign

of our Sovereign Lord George the Second by the Grace of God of Great Brittain

France and Ireland King Defender of the faith and so forth and in the

year of our Lord one Thousand Seven hundred and Fifty one

Fran: Wrangham

Signed Sealed and Delivered John Goodwin

where no Stamped paper is to be had Fra: Wrangham Junr:

in the presence of us

Joseph Kendall

Rich Beale

William Kennedy

The house, with everything belonging to it and the executors' whole right and interest in it, now belonged to Francis Wrangham and his heirs for good, to keep and to use as they saw fit. Francis Wrangham, John Goodwin and Francis Wrangham junior, with the agreement of Gabriel Steward, promised that Wrangham would hold the house undisturbed from then on, free of any burden, suit, claim or disturbance, whether from the three executors, from anyone acting through them, or from anyone else. They set their hands and seals on 20 March 1751, in the twenty fifth year of the reign of King George the Second. A line beside their names recorded that no stamped paper had been available when the deed was drawn up. Joseph Kendall, Richard Beale and William Kennedy witnessed it.

Interpretations

Francis Wrangham stood on both sides of this bargain, acting as one of the executors of the dead Charles Steward while also buying the house for himself. Selling the estate's property into his own hands, he set out the agreement of the heir Gabriel Steward and the joint act of his fellow executors, guarding the purchase against any later challenge from the family or the estate.

The undertaking to defend the buyer bound not only the executors but everyone acting through them, closing off any claim that might arise from the estate or its heirs. Spelling out so wide a warranty gave Wrangham firm assurance in a purchase where the seller and buyer overlapped, the estate's representatives standing behind the title they passed to one of their own.

The note that no stamped paper could be had covered the absence of the taxed paper English law required for such deeds. A remote island could not keep the duty stamps in stock, and the phrase recurs across the register through these years, letting the sale stand despite the missing paper.

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This Indenture made this 15th Day of August Anno Domini 1753 between

Thomas Greentree of St. Helena Planter in trust for Helena Ryder an Orphan, of the one Part

and Francis Mowatt Chirurgeon of the said Island Adjutant, Witnesseth, that he the said Francis

Mowatt for and in consideration of the Sum of three hundred Pounds Current Money of this

Island to him in hand Paid by Thomas Greentree in trust for Helena Ryder, at and before

the Insealing and Delivery hereof, whereof he doth Acknowledge the Receipt, and thereof and

of every part thereof doth acquit and Discharge the said Thomas Greentree, his Heirs Executors

Administrators and Assigns and every of them by these presents for ever, hath Granted

Bargained and Sold and by these presents doth Grant Bargain and sell unto the said Thomas

Greentree in trust as aforesaid all that peice or parcel of Freehold Land Laying in Sandy

Bay near the main Ridge containing by Admeasuration twenty seven Acres and four fifths

of an Acre together with all Yams Trees Timber, or whatever thereon Standing as also a

House or Houses with the Appurtenances thereunto belonging To have and to

hold the said twenty seven Acres and four fifths of an Acre of Freehold Land, Yams Trees

Timber, House or Houses or whatever else thereunto belongs unto him the said Thomas

Greentree his Heirs Exors Admrs or Assigns in trust as aforesaid from the Day of the

Date of these presents unto the full end and Term of Ninety Nine years without

Impeachment of or for any manner of Waste, Yielding and paying therefore Yearly

the Rent of one Peppercorn, on the 15 Day of August if the same shall be Lawfully

Demanded, & no more, Provided always and upon Condition nevertheless that the

said Francis Mowatt his Heirs Executors Administrators or Assigns or any of them

do well and truly pay or cause to be paid unto the said Thomas Greentree His Heirs Exors

Admrs or Assigns in trust as aforesaid, the Sum of three hundred Pounds Current of this Island

together with Interest on the Same after the Rate of 8 Pounds P Centum P Annum clear of

all Charges, that then and from henceforth this present Grant of the premises, shall cease

determine & be utterly Void, or else the same shall stand and remain in full force &

Virtue, any thing in these presents contained to the Contrary thereof in any wise

notwithstanding, And he the said Francis Mowatt for himself his Heirs Exors

Admrs or Assigns, doth Covenant premise and agree to and with the said Tho: Greentree

his Heirs Exors Admrs or Assigns in trust as aforesaid that in Case Default shall be

made of or in the payment, of the said Sum of three hundred Pounds or any part hereof

on the 15th Day of August which shall happen in the Year of our Lord one thousand

seven hundred & fifty seven that then from thenceforce & at all Times afterwards

it shall and may be Lawfull to and for the said Thomas Greentree his Heirs Exors

Admrs or Assigns in trust as aforesaid, to Enter into have hold Occupy possess

and

An indenture of 15 August 1753 was made between Thomas Greentree, a planter of St Helena acting as trustee for Helena Ryder, an orphan, and Francis Mowatt, adjutant of the island. Mowatt granted a parcel of land to Greentree, holding it in trust for the orphan, for £300 0s 0d. The money was paid over in full by Greentree, out of the trust, before the deal was sealed, and Mowatt released Greentree and his heirs from any further claim to it.

The ground lay in Sandy Bay near the Main Ridge and measured twenty seven acres and four fifths of an acre of freehold. The sale carried all the yams, trees and timber standing on it, together with a house or houses and everything belonging to them. Greentree was to hold the land, in trust for the orphan, for a term of ninety nine years, paying yearly a peppercorn as rent on 15 August if it should be demanded, and nothing more.

The grant carried one condition. If Mowatt, or his heirs or successors, paid Greentree, holding in trust, the same £300 0s 0d together with interest at 8 per cent and free of all charges, on 15 August 1757, then the whole grant would fall void and count for nothing. Mowatt agreed that if he failed to pay that sum, or any part of it, on 15 August 1757, then from that day on Greentree, in trust for the orphan, might enter upon and hold the ground.

Interpretations

Behind the form of a ninety nine year lease at a peppercorn rent, this deed was a mortgage. Mowatt raised £300 0s 0d against the land and kept the right to recover it by repaying that sum with interest on the fixed day. The grant would only harden into a lasting hold for the trust if he failed to pay, the nominal rent and long term masking a loan secured on the ground.

The land was taken and held not for any private owner but in trust for Helena Ryder, an orphan. Greentree, acting as her trustee, advanced the estate's money and took the security on her behalf, so the orphan's inheritance was put to use lending against land while her interest was guarded until she came of age.

The interest ran at 8 per cent, a high rate marking the cost of money on the island, and the repayment was to be made free of all charges, throwing any levy on the sum onto Mowatt. Fixing both a firm day and a clear rate protected the orphan's estate, ensuring the £300 0s 0d and its interest would return whole should Mowatt redeem, or the land fall to the trust if he did not.

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and Enjoy all the said Parcel of Land Yams Trees Timber House or Houses beforementioned and all

other the Premises during the said Term of ninety nine years, by these presents Granted

without any Lawfull lett, Hindrance or Molestation, of or by him the said Francis Mowatt

his Heirs Exors, Admrs, or Assigns or by any other Person or Persons whatsoever, And

it is hereby further agreed by and between the said parties to these presents, that it shall

and may be Lawfull to and for the said Francis Mowatt his Heirs and Executors Admrs

or Assigns to receive and take all the Rent, Revenues, Issues, and Profits, of the Premises

untill Default shall be made in the payment of the said Sum of three hundred Pounds

without any lett trouble or denyal of him the said Thomas Greentree his Heirs Exors

Admrs or Assigns in trust as aforesaid In Witness whereof the said Francis Mowatt

hath hereunto sett his Hand and Seal this 15 Day of August one thousand seven

hundred and fifty three

Fran: Mowatt

Signed Sealed & Delivered

in the Presence of us

John Goodwin

Fran: Wrangham Junr:

Island St. Helena

Know all Men by these Presents that I John

Leech of the Island St. Helena Serjeant for and in Consideration of the Sum of fifty Pounds

of Currant Money of the said Island to me in hand paid by Augustine Balls of the same

Blue Soldier of the receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged at or before the Insealing and

Delivery of these Presents Have and by these Presents Do Give grant Bargained

Sell unto him the said Augustine Balls his Heirs and Assigns All that Dwelling

House with the Appurtenances outside lying and being in James's Valley on South and

Side Butting and Bounding North East and West upon the Honourable Company

west Ground and South upon the House now in the Possession of Mr Andr: formerly

Beale to have and to hold the said House with all and Singular the Premisses

and appurtenances thereunto belonging unto him the said Augustine Balls his Heirs

and Assigns for ever Provided always Nevertheless and it is the true intent and

Meaning of these Presents and of the parties hereto that if I the said John Leech my

Heirs Executors Administrators or Assigns or any of them do and shall well and truly

payer cause to be paid unto the said Augustine Ball his Heirs or Assigns the full

and

The land, its yams, trees, timber and houses were to stay with Greentree, in trust, for the ninety nine year term, free of any hindrance from Mowatt or anyone else. It was further agreed that until Mowatt failed to repay the £300 0s 0d, he might keep and take all the rent, produce and profit of the ground, without any trouble or denial from Greentree, holding in trust for the orphan. Mowatt set his hand and seal on 15 August 1753. John Goodwin and Francis Wrangham junior witnessed it.

John Leech, a sergeant of St Helena, transferred his interest in a house to Augustine Ball, a foot soldier of the island, for £50 0s 0d. The money was paid over in full before the deal was sealed. Leech passed over a dwelling house in James Valley, together with everything belonging to it, to Ball and his heirs for good.

The house stood in James Valley. The Company's waste ground ran along the north, east and west, and along the south it met a house then held by Richard Beale. The house, with all that belonged to it, was to stay with Ball and his heirs. The grant carried one condition. If Leech, or his heirs or successors, paid Ball the full sum, the arrangement would end.

Interpretations

Though Mowatt had granted the land to the trust, the deed let him keep all its rent and profit for as long as he continued to pay. This confirms the mortgage nature of the arrangement, since a true seller would have given up the ground's use at once. Mowatt held the land and its yield while the loan stood, the trust taking only its security until he might default.

Leech's transfer to Augustine Ball was itself a mortgage dressed as a sale, closing with a clause that would undo it on repayment. Leech raised £50 0s 0d against his James Valley house and kept the right to recover it by paying the sum back, the property passing to Ball as security rather than as an outright purchase.

The buyer, Augustine Ball, is named as a foot soldier of the garrison, taking a town house as security for money he had advanced. That an ordinary soldier could lend against a dwelling shows how credit ran through the ranks of the settlement, men of the garrison holding property in pledge against the sums they put out.

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and just Sum of Fifty Pounds of like Currant Money on the Eleventh day of July

now next Insuring the Date hereof without any Deduction or Abatement Then these

Presents to be Void and of none Affect otherwise to be and remain in full force and

Vertue In Witness whereof I the said John Leech have hereunto set my hand and

Seal the Twelfth day of July in in the Twenty Seventh Year of the Reign of our Sovereign

Lord George the Second by the Grace of God of Great Brittain France and Ireland

King Defender of the faith and so forth and in the Year of our Lord One Thousand Seven

Hundred and Fifty three

Signed John Leech Junr:

Sealed and Delivered (where

no Stamp paper is to be had)

in the Presence of us

Signed Jno: Leech

Wm Daves

Know all Men by these Presents that We

Richard Beale John Doveton & William Young of the Island St. Helena Executors of

the Late Samuel Doveton for and in consideration of the Sum of five Shillings of Lawfull

money of the said Island to us in hand paid by John Desfountain of the said Island the

receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged Have and by these presents DO Assign Transfer

and set over unto the said John Desfountain his Executors Administrators and assigns

all our right and Title and Interest of in and to the within mentioned Fifteen Acres of

Land and every part thereof with the appurtenances To have and to hold unto him

the said John Desfountain his Executors Administrators and Assigns upon the Terms

withinmentioned Pursuant to Liberty Given us for so doing by the Governour and

Council the 28th of May 1750 In Witness whereof we the said Richard Beale John

Doveton and William Young Executors as aforesaid have hereunto set our Hands

and seals this Day and Year above Written

Signed Rich Beale

John Doveton

Signed Sealed and Wm Young

Delivered in the presence of us

Signed

Henry Bazett

Charles Steward

If Leech, or his heirs or successors, paid Ball the full £50 0s 0d on 11 July next, without any deduction, then the arrangement would fall void and count for nothing. Otherwise it would stand in full force. Leech set his hand and seal on 12 July 1753, in the twenty seventh year of the reign of King George the Second. A line beside his name recorded that no stamped paper had been available when the deed was drawn up. John Leech and William Davies witnessed it.

Richard Beale, John Doveton and William Young of St Helena, executors named in the will of the late Samuel Doveton, transferred a leasehold to John Desfountain of the island for £[...] 0s 0d. The money was paid over in full before the deal was sealed. They passed over their whole right and interest in fifteen acres of leasehold ground, together with everything belonging to it, to Desfountain, his heirs and their successors, subject to the terms fixed in the lease. They held leave for the transfer from the Governor and Council, granted on 28 May 1750. The three executors set their hands and seals on the day named. Henry Bazett and Charles Steward witnessed it.

Interpretations

Leech's repayment clause fixed a firm day, 11 July next, on which he could recover his house by paying back the £50 0s 0d in full. Setting a clear deadline gave both men certainty, the loan standing until that day and the property returning to Leech should he pay, or passing to Ball should he fail.

The executors sold the leasehold not on their own account but as the representatives of the dead Samuel Doveton, disposing of his estate. When a man left property to be settled, his executors held the power to pass on what he had owned, moving the leased ground to a buyer while gathering the value for the estate and its heirs.

The transfer needed the leave of the Governor and Council, granted on 28 May 1750, before it could pass, and Desfountain took the ground subject to the terms already fixed in the lease. The Company kept close control over its leasehold land, requiring consent for any transfer, even one made by executors settling a dead man's estate.

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Island St. Helena

Know all Men by these presents that we Richard Beale John Doveton and William

Young Executors to the last Will & Testament of the late Samuel Doveton Deceased for and in

Consideration of the Sum of two Hundred and forty Pounds of good and Lawfull money of the said

Island to us in hand paid by John Desfountain of the said Island St. Helena at and before the

insealing and delivery of these presents the receipt whereof we hereby acknowledge to be Sold

fully, paid and satisfyed Have Bargained Sold and by these presents do fully clearly and

Absolutely Bargain Alienate Sell and deliver unto the said John Desfountain his Heirs Executors

& Administrators & Assigns (on Account of the Orphans of the said Samuel Doveton) all their Right

Title & Interest that they have in a New Acre & one Quarter of an of Freehold Land with the

House thereon Standing and all their plantation of Yams Water & Water Courses To have & to

hold the said Bargained Freehold Land with the House & Plantation of Yams and all the appurtenances

thereunto belonging to him the said John Desfountain his Heirs Executors Administrators and Assigns

to him and their own proper Uses and Behoofe forever & we the said Richard Beale John Doveton

& William Young do for ourselves Heirs Executors Administrators & Assigns put all Claim

Right and Title and Interest to the said Bargained Premisses of Freehold Land House Plantation

of Yams Ded for ever and against all Persons shall and will Warrant Acquit & forever Defend

and save harmless in the Quiet and Peacefull Possession and Enjoyment without any lett

Hindrance and Molestation from all and every Person and Persons whatsoever In

Witness whereof we the said Richard Beale John Doveton William Young have

hereunto Set our Hands and Seals this Twenty Eighth Day of May 1760

Signed

Signed Sealed & Delivered Rich Beale

in the presence of us

Signed John Doveton

Henry Bazett Wm Young

Charles Steward

Richard Beale, John Doveton and William Young of St Helena, executors named in the will of the late Samuel Doveton, sold a parcel of land and a house to John Desfountain of the island for £140 0s 0d. The money was paid over in full before the deal was sealed, and the executors acted on behalf of the orphans of the late Samuel Doveton. They passed over the property to Desfountain, his heirs and their successors.

The ground came to nine acres and a quarter of freehold, together with the house standing on it and all its plantation of yams, its rights of water and watercourse and everything else belonging to it. The land, the house and the yam plantation were to stay with Desfountain and his heirs for good, to hold to their own use. Beale, Doveton and Young, for themselves and their heirs, gave up all claim to the ground and undertook to defend Desfountain in quiet possession, keeping him free from any hindrance or claim by anyone. They set their hands and seals on 28 May 1760. Henry Bazett and Charles Steward witnessed it.

Interpretations

The executors sold the land not on their own account but for the orphans of the late Samuel Doveton, disposing of ground held for the children. When property descended to orphaned children, their guardians or executors managed it on their behalf, and selling this parcel converted part of the estate into money kept for those entitled until they came of age.

The sale carried a standing plantation of yams along with the land and house, the growing crop passing as part of the property. Yams were a staple of the island, grown for food and for provisioning ships, and setting the plantation within the sale shows the ground valued for its produce as much as for its acreage, the crop moving with the land to the new holder.

At £140 0s 0d for nine acres and a quarter with a house and yam ground, the price fixed value in the dwelling and the standing crop as well as the land. The sum stood well above a bare-acreage rate, reflecting the developed nature of the plot and the ready produce it carried, the whole passing from the orphans' estate to a single buyer.

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Island of St Helena

Know all Men by these presents that we Thos French Matthew

Basett & John Desfountain of the said Island Executors of Joseph Desfountain deceas'd

for & in consideration of the sum of one hundred & one Pounds of good & currant Money

of the said Island to us in hand paid by John Goodwin of the said Island the Receipt

whereof is hereby acknowledged Have by these presents bargain granted & bargain=

=ed sold aliened & confirmed unto the said John Goodwin his Heirs Executors Adminrs & Assigns

as Executors aforesaid All that piece or parcel of Land containing ten Acres more

or less scituate in pleasants Valley in the East Division of the said Island called

& known by the Name of Shedd House Pasture, butting & Bounding South & East

upon Land belonging to the Orphans of the said Joseph Desfountain & North & West

upon Land occupied by the said Matthew Basett togeather with all & singular

the Rights Profitts Comodityes & appurtenances thereunto belonging or appertaining

with all our Right, Title & Interest in or to the same as Executors afore said To

have & to hold the said parcel of Land hereby Bargained & Sold & every part

& parcel thereof with their & every of their Appurtenances unto him the said

John Goodwin his Executors Admrs & Assigns for ever & we the said Tho French

Matthew Basett & John Desfountain as Executors afore said DO for ourselves

our Executors Admrs & Assigns Covenant promise & agree to & with the said

John Goodwin his Exors Admrs & Assigns that he the said John Goodwin his

Heirs Admrs & Assigns shall & may from time to time & at all times hereafter

peaceably & quietly have hold occupy Possess & Enjoy the said parcel of Land

& Premises hereby Bargained & Sold with the appurtenances free from all

incumberances without any Let suit hinderance molestation or disturbance

of or from us the said Thomas French Matthew Basett & John Desfountain

as Exors afore said our Heirs Exors Admrs &c & Assigns or of or from any Person

or Persons Claiming or to Claim by from or under us as Executors aforesaid or

any of us Then & In Witness whereof we the said Thomas French Matthew

Basett & John Desfountain have hereunto set our Hands & seals this twelfth

Day of March in the twenty fifth Year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lord

George the Second by the Grace of God of Great Britain France & Ireland

King Defender of the Faith &c &c & in the Year of our Lord one thousand

seven hundred & fifty one) (Signed

Signed Sealed & delivered

Thomas French

in the presence of us.

Matthew Basett

John Desfountain

Signed Thomas Greentree

Samuel Falconet

Thomas French, Matthew Bazett and John Desfountain, three inhabitants of St Helena, sold ten acres of ground to John Goodwin of the same island. They acted together as the men appointed to settle the affairs of Joseph Desfountain, who had died. Goodwin paid £101 0s 0d in the money current on the island, and the three men confirmed the whole amount had reached their hands.

The parcel sat in Pleasant Valley in the East Division and went by the name of Beale's House Pasture. Its southern and eastern edges met ground held by Joseph Desfountain's children. To the north and west it ran up against land that Matthew Bazett himself farmed. Everything attached to the ten acres went with it, along with whatever claim the three men could pass on through their office, and the whole was to belong to Goodwin and to those who came after him without limit of time.

The three sellers promised that Goodwin would hold the ground and its buildings undisturbed from that day forward. They pledged that nothing was owing on it, and they undertook to shield him from any trouble raised by themselves or by anyone whose claim ran back to them.

The agreement was completed on 12 March 1751, in the twenty-fifth year of King George the Second, and each of the three men signed and sealed it. Thomas Greentree and Samuel Falconer watched them do so and added their own names.

Interpretations

A house pasture was a fenced field kept near a dwelling for the animals a household wanted within easy reach, quite separate from the open grazing where the wider stock ran. Calling this one Beale's House Pasture kept alive the memory of a Beale who had once held it, following the island's usual habit of pinning a parcel to a former occupier instead of to a measured line on a map.

The three men were selling something that had never been theirs, and the wording of the promise they gave shows they knew it. They would answer for any trouble traced back to themselves, and no further. A man selling his own land promised far more, standing behind the title against the world. The narrower pledge here was what anyone in their position could safely give, since they had only ever handled the property on behalf of a dead man's family.

Joseph Desfountain, whose estate the three were winding up, appears in the earlier record as the corporal granted three acres beside the Chub Spring in Chapel Valley on 2 February 1730, and later as a dealer in Deep Valley ground who sold twenty-three acres of leasehold to John Leech sergeant for £35 0s 0d on 3 September 1741. His children's land bordering this parcel on two sides shows that only a portion of what he left changed hands here, the rest staying with them.

Matthew Bazett stood on both sides of the transaction. He signed as one of the men disposing of the estate while separately farming the ground that formed two of the four boundaries. On an island where the same small circle of substantial planters supplied both the buyers and the trustees, such overlaps were unavoidable, but the effect was that Goodwin bought a field whose limits on two sides rested on a seller's own occupation.

Speculations

Renting the pasture out would have brought the Desfountain children a yearly income and kept the acres in their hands, which is exactly the route chosen for the Young orphans at Prior's Estate on 31 May 1740. The three men sold instead, and the shape of the ground explains why. Ten acres boxed in by the children's own fields on two sides and by Bazett's farming on the other two had no way in or out for a stranger, so no tenant except a neighbour would have wanted it at any useful rent. Turning it into £101 0s 0d gave the family a sum that could be shared among several children, which a landlocked field never could.

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Island of St Helena

Know all Men by these presents that I John Goodwin of

the said Island for and in consideration of the Sum of one hundred and seven Pounds

ten Shillings of good and currant Money of the said Island to me in hand paid by

Matthew Basett of the said Island the Receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged Have

and by these presents do give grant, bargain, sell, alien and confirm unto the

said Matthew Basett his Heirs Executors, Administrators and Assigns all that piece or

parcel of Land, containing ten Acres more or less, situate in pleasant Valley in

the East Division of the said Island called and known by the Name of the old House

Pasture, Butting and Bounding South and East upon Land belonging to the

Orphans of Joseph Desfountain and North and West upon Land Occupied by the

said Matthew Basett, together with all and singular the Rights Profitts Commodityes

and Appurtenances thereunto belonging or appertaining, with all my Right

Title and Interest in or to the same to have and to hold the said parcel of

Land hereby bargained and Sold and every part and parcel thereof unto him the

said Matthew Basett, his Heirs, Executors, Administrators and Assigns for ever and

I the said John Goodwin DO for myself my Heirs, Executors, Administrators and

Assigns Covenant Promise and Agree to and with the said Matthew Basett his

Heirs Executors, Administrators and Assigns, that he the said Matthew Basett his

Heirs Executors, Administrators and Assigns shall and may from time to time

and at all times hereafter, peaceably and quietly have hold occupy possess and

enjoy the said parcel of Land and premises hereby bargained and Sold, with

the appurtenances free from all encumberances without any Let, suit hinderance

molestation, or disturbance of or from me the said John Goodwin my Heirs Executors

Administrators or Assigns, or of or from any Person or Persons claiming or to claim

by from or under me. In Witness whereof I the said John Goodwin have

hereunto set my Hand and Seal this thirteenth Day of July in the twenty

eighth Year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lord George the Second by the Grace

of God of Great Britain France and Ireland King Defender of the Faith and

so forth, and in the Year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and fifty four

Signed

Signd Seald & Delivered

John Goodwin

in the presence of Signed

Francis Mowatt

James Greentree

George Hay

John Goodwin of St Helena sold ten acres, or thereabouts, to Matthew Bazett of the same island. Bazett paid £107 10s 0d in the money current on the island, and Goodwin confirmed the whole sum had reached him.

The ground lay in Pleasant Valley in the East Division and was known as the Old House Pasture. Its southern and eastern sides met land held by the children of Joseph Desfountain. To the north and west it ran up against ground that Bazett already farmed. Everything attached to the parcel passed with it, together with the whole of Goodwin's claim, and the land was to belong to Bazett and to those who came after him without limit of time.

Goodwin pledged that Bazett would hold the ground quietly from that day forward, that nothing was owing on it, and that neither he nor anyone claiming through him would interrupt Bazett's possession.

The agreement was completed on 13 July 1754, in the twenty-eighth year of King George the Second, and Goodwin signed and sealed it. Francis Meurell, James Greentree and George Hay watched him do so and added their names.

Interpretations

The parcel is the same ten acres in Pleasant Valley that Goodwin had bought on 12 March 1751 from Thomas French, Matthew Bazett and John Desfountain as the men settling Joseph Desfountain's estate. Its boundaries repeat exactly, the Desfountain children to the south and east and Bazett's own farming to the north and west, and the byname has shifted from Beale's House Pasture to the Old House Pasture as the memory of the earlier Beale holding faded.

Bazett had signed the 1751 deed as one of the three men disposing of the dead man's property, and here he bought that very ground for himself three years later. Nothing in the arrangement was irregular, since he took no part in fixing this price and dealt with Goodwin as any other buyer would, but the movement of the field is worth marking. A fiduciary sale had put the pasture into a third party's hands, and it then travelled on to the man whose land already enclosed it on two sides.

The price rose from £101 0s 0d to £107 10s 0d across three years and four months, a gain of about six and a half per cent on the whole. Goodwin appears to have improved nothing of substance, since the description mentions only the pasture and its attachments, so the increase reflects what the field was worth to a neighbour who could work it as one piece with his own rather than any change in the ground.

Speculations

Goodwin could have held the pasture and let it, or waited for a better offer, since he had owned it barely three years and the land was not encumbered. He sold it instead to the one man for whom it was worth more than its acreage. Boxed in by the Desfountain children on two sides and by Bazett's fields on the other two, ten acres of enclosed grazing had no independent way in, so Bazett was effectively the only buyer who could put it to full use. Selling to him turned an awkward asset into cash at a modest gain, where holding out would have meant waiting for a purchaser who had no obvious reason to appear.

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91V

Island St Helena

Know all Men by these presents that We Francis Wrangham

Senr John Goodwin & Francis Wrangham Junr of the said Island, Attorneys

to Gabriel Steward, for and in Consideration of the Sum of Two hundred & Fifty

three Pounds of good & Currant Money of the said Island to us in hand paid

by John Goodwin likewise of the said Island, the Receipt whereof is hereby

acknowledged, Have & by these presents do give Grant Bargain Sell

Assign make over and Confirm unto the said John Goodwin, his Heirs

Executors Administrators and assigns as Attorneys Aforesaid, All that

Piece or Parcel of Freehold Land containing Twenty One Acres & an

half more or less Situate in the West Division of the said Island called

and known by the Name of Lemon Valley Head, together with all and singular

the Rights Profits, Commodities and Appurtenances thereunto belonging

or Appertaining with all our Right Title and Interest in or to the same, as

Attorneys foresaid To have and to hold the said Parcel of Land hereby

Bargained & Sold & every part & Parcel thereof & every of their appurtenances

unto him the said John Goodwin, his heirs Executors Administrators &

assigns for ever & we the said Francis Wrangham Senr John Goodwin &

Francis Wrangham Junr as Attorneys Aforesaid DO for ourselves, our

heirs Executors, Administrators & Assigns Covenant, Promise & Agree to &

with the said John Goodwin his Heirs Executors Administrators & assigns

that he said John Goodwin his Heirs Executors administrators & assigns

shall & may from time to time & at all times hereafter, Peaceably & Quietly

have hold Occupy, possess & Enjoy the said hereby Demised parcel of

Land & Premises Bargained & Sold with the Appurtenances free &

Clear of & from all Manner of Incumbrances whatsoever without any

Let, Suit Hindrance Molestation, or Disturbances of or from us the

said Francis Wrangham Senr John Goodwin & Francis Wrangham Junr

as Attorneys Aforesaid our heirs Executors Administrators & Assigns

or of or from any Person, or Persons Claiming or to Claim by, from or

under Us as Attorneys aforesaid, or any or other of us In Witness

whereof We the said Francis Wrangham Senr John Goodwin & Francis

Wrangham Junr have hereunto set our hands and Seals this

Nineteenth Day of August in the Twenty Eight Year of our Sovereign

Lord George the second by the Grace of God of Great Brittain, France

Francis Wrangham senior, John Goodwin and Francis Wrangham junior, all of St Helena, sold twenty-one and a half acres of freehold ground to John Goodwin of the same island. The three men acted under a power granted to them by Gabriel Steward, whose affairs on the island they handled in his absence. The buyer paid £603 0s 0d in the money current on the island, and the sellers confirmed the whole amount had reached their hands.

The land sat in the West Division and carried the name of Lemon Valley Head. Everything attached to it passed with the parcel, together with the whole of the interest the three men could pass on through the authority Steward had given them. The ground was to belong to Goodwin and to those who came after him without limit of time.

The three men pledged that Goodwin would hold the parcel undisturbed from that day forward, that nothing was owing on it, and that neither they themselves nor anyone claiming through the authority they held would trouble his possession.

The agreement was completed on 19 August 1754, in the twenty-eighth year of the reign of King George the Second, and the three men signed and sealed it.

Interpretations

Gabriel Steward appears in the earlier record as a mariner of the City of London who sold Charles Steward a mixed estate of Sandy Bay land, cattle, slaves and a Chapel Valley dwelling for £280 0s 0d in 1733, conveying both his own share and that of an absent brother of the same name under a power of attorney. The arrangement here works in the same direction. A man whose living kept him at sea or overseas could not attend to island property, so he left three trusted residents with written authority to sell in his name, exactly as Thomas Mostyn did from Angingo on the Malabar Coast through John Bazett and Francis Wrangham on 24 July 1740 and 24 October 1742.

John Goodwin stands on both sides of the page, named among the three men selling under Steward's authority and again as the buyer. Nothing suggests concealment, since the deed states his double role openly and the other two attorneys sealed alongside him. The effect was that the sale needed no outside purchaser at all: Goodwin used the authority he held over an absent man's estate to move the ground into his own hands, with his two colleagues standing as the check on the price.

The promise the three men gave covers only trouble arising from themselves or from anyone whose claim ran through the authority they held. They could give nothing wider, since none of them owned the land and their standing rested entirely on Steward's written instructions. A man selling his own freehold would have stood behind the title against all comers.

At roughly £28 an acre the price stands far above the £10 at which comparable West Division freehold was reckoned in the schedule of the great Powell estate on 13 September 1739, and above the near £12 15s 0d an acre that George Gabriel Powell obtained from Samuel Doveton for fifty acres and three-quarters in the same division on 17 May 1744. Lemon Valley Head was long-settled ground, and a figure of this size points to standing buildings, water and established plantations rather than open upland.

Speculations

An attorney holding a distant man's property faces an obvious difficulty when he wants it himself, since he cannot both press for the highest price and pay it. The plain course was to keep clear of the purchase and find an outside buyer, which would have left Steward's interest defended by a genuinely opposing party. The three men took the other route and simply recorded Goodwin as buyer in the same deed in which he sold. Their protection was procedural rather than commercial: the two Wranghams sealed as co-attorneys, so no single man both fixed the price and paid it, and the double role was set down on the face of the document rather than hidden behind a nominee. On an island where the circle able to raise £603 0s 0d was very small, an arm's-length sale might have meant waiting a long time or accepting less.

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and Ireland King Defender of the Faith &c so forth, and in the Year of our

Lord One thousand Seven hundred and Fifty four.

(Signed)

Signed Sealed and

Francis Wrangham

Delivered in the presence of Us

John Goodwin

(Signed)

F Wrangham Jun

William Wrangham

Henry Bazett

Charles Steward

Island St Helena

Know all Men by these presents that we Francis Wrangham

Senr John Goodwin & Francis Wrangham Jun of the said Island Attorneys

of Gabriel Steward for & in Consideration of the Sum of two hundred & fifty

two Pounds fifteen Shillings of good & Currant Money of the said Island to us

in Hand paid by John Clark, the Receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged

Have & by these presents DO give grant Bargain Sell, Assign, and

Confirm unto the said John Clark his Heirs Executors Administrators and

assigns as Attorneys aforesaid, All that Peice or parcell of Land containing

fourteen Acres more or Less Situate in the West Division of the said Island called

& known by the Name Bagleys together with all and Singular the Rights

Profits commodityes & Appurtenances thereunto belonging or Appertaining

with all Our Right Title or Intrest in or to the same as Attorneys aforesaid To

Have and to hold the said parcel of Land hereby Bargained & Sold & every part

& parcel thereof with their & every of them appurtenances unto him the said

John Clark his Executors Administrators & Assigns forever & we the said

Francis Wrangham Senr John Goodwin & Francis Wrangham Jun as Attorneys

aforesaid, DO for our Selves our Executors Administrators & Assigns Covenant

promise & agree to & with the said John Clark his Executors Administrators &

assigns that the said John Clark his Executors Administrators & Assigns shall

& may from time to time & at all times hereafter Peaceably & Quietly have

hold occupy, possess & enjoy the said Parcel of Land & premises hereby

Bargained & Sold with the Appurtenances free from all Incumbrances

without any Lett Suit hindrance or Molestation or Disturbances of or

The sale of the Lemon Valley Head ground was dated to 1754 and completed by Francis Wrangham senior, John Goodwin and Francis Wrangham junior, each of whom signed and sealed it. William Wrangham, Henry Bazett and Charles Steward watched them do so and added their own names.

Francis Wrangham senior, John Goodwin and Francis Wrangham junior sold fourteen acres, or thereabouts, to John Clark of St Helena. The three men acted once again under the authority Gabriel Steward had given them over his island property. Clark paid £252 15s 0d in the money current on the island, and the sellers confirmed the whole sum had reached their hands.

The ground lay in the West Division and went by the name of Bagleys. Everything attached to the parcel passed with it, along with the whole of the interest the three men could pass on through the authority they held, and the land was to belong to Clark and to those who came after him without limit of time.

The three men pledged that Clark would hold the ground quietly from that day forward, that nothing was owing on it, and that no trouble would come to him from themselves or from anyone claiming through them.

Interpretations

The name Bagleys ties the parcel to the family long settled in that quarter, including the Orlando Bagley senior who sold Samuel Doveton eleven acres and a half on 30 September 1731 and about three acres in Powells Valley on 27 May 1735. The island's habit of fixing ground by the name of a former holder kept such families visible on the map long after their interest in the land had gone.

At about £18 an acre the rate falls well below the £28 an acre Goodwin paid for the twenty-one and a half acres at Lemon Valley Head on 19 August 1754, though both parcels came out of the same estate and passed through the same three men. The gap points to a real difference in what the two grounds carried, since Lemon Valley Head was long-settled land with buildings and water while Bagleys evidently was not.

Two sales in quick succession show the three attorneys breaking Gabriel Steward's West Division holdings into separate lots rather than disposing of the whole to one buyer. Splitting the estate widened the field of purchasers on an island where few men could raise several hundred pounds at once, and it let each parcel find the neighbour or occupier for whom it was worth most.

Charles Steward appears among the witnesses to the earlier deed, and the surname matters here. Gabriel Steward had sold Charles Steward a composite Sandy Bay estate in 1733, so the family had a standing interest in how the absent man's remaining island property was disposed of. His presence at the sealing gave the transaction a witness with a direct connection to the seller's family, useful where Goodwin was both attorney and buyer.

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92V

from us the said Francis Wrangham Senr John Goodwin & Francis Wrangham

Jun as Attorneys aforesaid our Heirs Executors Administrators and Assigns

or of or from any Person or Persons claiming or to claim by from or under us as

attorneys aforesaid or any or other of us, In Witness whereof we the said

Francis Wrangham Senr John Goodwin & Francis Wrangham Jun have hereunto

set our hand & Seals this Nineteenth Day of August in the twenty Eight

year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lord George the second by the Grace

of God of Great Brittain France & Ireland King Defender of the Faith

So forth & in the year of Our Lord One thousand Seven hundred and

fifty four

Signed Francis Wrangham

Signed Sealed and

John Goodwin

Delivered in the presence of Us

F Wrangham Jun

(Signed)

Wm Wrangham

Henry Bazett

Charles Steward

Island St Helena

Know all Men by these presents that We Francis

Wrangham Senr John Goodwin & Francis Wrangham Jun of the said Island

Attorneys of Gabriel Steward, for and in Consideration, of the Sum of Sixty seven

pounds ten Shillings of Good & Currant Money of the said Island to us in hand paid

by Francis Wrangham Senr likewise of the said Island the Receipt whereof is

hereby acknowledged, Have & by these presents do give Grant Bargain Sell

assigns make over & Confirm unto the said Francis Wrangham Senr his Heirs

Executors Administrators & Assigns as Attorneys aforesaid all that Peice or

parcel of Land containing four Acres more or less Situate in the West Division

of the said Island Called and known by the Name of Bagleys together with all

& Singular the Rights Profits Commodities & appurtenances hereunto belonging

or Appertaining with all our Right Title & Interest in or to the same as

attorneys aforesaid To have and to hold the said parcel of Land hereby Bargained

& Sold & every part and Parcel thereof & every of their appurtenances unto him the

The Bagleys sale to John Clark carried the same limited promise as its companion. Francis Wrangham senior, John Goodwin and Francis Wrangham junior undertook that no interference would come to the buyer from any of them, from those who came after them, or from anyone whose claim ran back through the authority Gabriel Steward had given them. The three men signed and sealed the agreement on 19 August 1754, in the twenty-eighth year of the reign of King George the Second. William Wrangham, Henry Bazett and Charles Steward watched them do so and added their own names.

Francis Wrangham senior, John Goodwin and Francis Wrangham junior sold four acres, or thereabouts, to Francis Wrangham senior of St Helena. The three men acted once again under Gabriel Steward's written authority over his island property. The buyer paid £67 10s 0d in the money current on the island, and the sellers confirmed receipt of the whole sum.

The ground lay in the West Division and went by the name of Bagleys. Everything attached to the parcel passed with it, together with the whole of the interest the three men could pass on as attorneys, and the land was to belong to Wrangham and to those who came after him without limit of time.

Interpretations

Francis Wrangham senior bought this parcel from himself and his two colleagues, repeating on the same day the arrangement by which John Goodwin had taken the Lemon Valley Head ground on 19 August 1754. Two of the three attorneys had now purchased from the estate they were charged with selling. The pattern shows the three men treating their authority as a means of distributing Steward's holdings among themselves and their circle rather than of finding outside buyers.

At about £17 an acre the rate sits close to the £18 an acre John Clark paid for the fourteen acres at Bagleys on the same date, so the two lots were valued consistently against each other. Both fall well short of the £28 an acre the Lemon Valley Head ground fetched, confirming that the Bagleys land carried far less in the way of buildings, water or established planting.

Three sales from one estate on a single day, at 21 and a half acres, 14 acres and 4 acres, show the West Division holdings being broken into parcels of very different size. A four-acre lot lay within reach of a buyer who could never have found £603 0s 0d, so the division opened the estate to a wider range of purchasers while letting each piece go to whoever valued it most.

Speculations

Nothing compelled the attorneys to record their own purchases openly, since a nominee buyer could have taken the ground and passed it on afterwards, leaving the register showing only arm's-length sales. They chose instead to name Wrangham senior as buyer in a deed he himself sealed as seller, exactly as Goodwin had done hours earlier. The safeguard they relied on was numerical rather than commercial: with three attorneys acting jointly, no purchase could go through unless the other two sealed it, so each man's buying was checked by the two who were not. Setting the double role on the face of the document left the arrangement open to challenge by Steward or his heirs, which a concealed purchase would not have been.

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said Francis Wrangham Senr his heirs Executors Administrators & Assigns for

ever and we the said Francis Wrangham Senr John Goodwin & Francis Wrangham

Jun as Attorneys aforesaid DO for ourselves our heirs Executors Administrators

& Assigns Covenant Promise and Agree to & with the said Francis Wrangham Senr

his heirs Executors Administrators & Assigns that the said Francis Wrangham Senr

his heirs Executors Administrators & Assigns shall & may from time to time & at all

times hereafter Peaceably & Quietly have hold Occupy Possess & Injoy the said

hereby demised parcel of Land & premises Bargained & Sold with the appurtenances

free & Clear of & from all manner of Incumbrances whatsoever without any Lett

Lett Suit Hindrance Molestation or Disturbances of or from us the said Francis

Wrangham Senr John Goodwin & Francis Wrangham Jun as Attorneys aforesaid

our heirs Executors Administrators & Assigns or of or from Person or Persons

Claiming or to Claim by from or under us as Attorneys aforesaid, or any or other of

us. In Witness whereof we the said Francis Wrangham Senr John Goodwin and

Francis Wrangham Jun have hereunto Set our hand & Seals this Nineteenth Day

of August in the Twenty Eight Year of our Sovereign Lord George the second by the

Grace of God of Great Brittain France and Ireland King Defender of the Faith and

so forth, & in the Year of Our Lord one thousand seven hundred and fifty four

(Signed) Fran Wrangham

Signed Sealed and

John Goodwin

Delivered in the presence of us

F Wrangham Jun

(Signed)

M Bazett

Wm Wrangham

Charles Steward

The four-acre parcel at Bagleys was to belong to Francis Wrangham senior and to those who came after him without limit of time. Francis Wrangham senior, John Goodwin and Francis Wrangham junior bound themselves and their successors to secure the buyer's quiet possession of the ground from that day forward. They pledged that nothing was owing on it, and that no trouble would come to him from any of them, from those who followed them, or from anyone whose claim ran back through the authority they held as Gabriel Steward's attorneys.

The agreement was completed on 19 August 1754, in the twenty-eighth year of the reign of King George the Second, and the three men signed and sealed it. Matthew Bazett, William Wrangham and Charles Steward watched them do so and added their own names.

Interpretations

Matthew Bazett appears here as a witness where Henry Bazett had attested the two earlier deeds of the same day. The Bazett family supplied a witness to each of the three sales out of Gabriel Steward's estate, and the substitution of one family member for another shows the men attending in something close to a standing capacity rather than by chance.

The promise given to Francis Wrangham senior is identical in scope to those given to John Goodwin and John Clark, and covers only claims arising through the three attorneys themselves. Wrangham was therefore both giving and receiving the same limited assurance, since he sealed as one of the three men making it while taking the land as buyer. The circularity was unavoidable once an attorney bought from his own trust, and it left him with no protection at all against a claim from Steward or his heirs.

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St Helena

Know all Men by these presents that we Francis

Wrangham Senr John Goodwin & Francis Wrangham Junr Attorneys to

Gabriel Steward for & in Consideration, of the Sum of twenty Seven Pounds

of Lawfull money of the said Island to us in hand paid by John Goodwin

of the said Island the Receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged Have & by

these presents do assign, Transfer & set over unto the said John Goodwin

his Exr Admr & assigns As Attorneys aforesaid all our Right Title and

Interest of in & to the within mentioned Nine Acres & a half of Land & every

part thereof with the Appurtenances, To have & to hold unto him the said

John Goodwin his Exr Admr & assigns upon the Terms within mentioned

pursuant to Liberty given us for so doing by the Governor & Council, the 10

Day of June 1754 In Witness whereof we the said Attorneys have hereunto

set our hands & Seals this 26 Day of August One thousand Seven hundred

& fifty four

(Signed) Fran Wrangham

Signed Sealed &

John Goodwin

Delivered in the presence of us

F Wrangham Jun

(Signed)

M Bazett

William Wrangham

Island St Helena

Know all men by these presents that I Joseph

Kendall of the said Island Gentleman for & in consideration of the Sum of

one hundred & Sixty Pounds of good & Lawfull money of the said Island to me

in hand paid by John Inglis Surgeon of the said Island, at & before the

ensealing & delivery of these presents, Have given granted bargained

sold & delivered. And by these do give grant bargain, sell and deliver

unto him the said John Ingles his Heirs, Executors Admr & assigns all

Francis Wrangham senior, John Goodwin and Francis Wrangham junior, acting under the authority Gabriel Steward had given them, made over to John Goodwin of St Helena their whole interest in nine and a half acres of land. Goodwin paid £27 0s 0d in lawful island money, and the three men confirmed receipt of the sum.

Everything attached to the ground passed with it, and Goodwin was to hold it on the terms already set out in the earlier agreement. The Governor and Council had granted the three men leave to make the transfer on 10 June 1754. The instrument was signed and sealed on 26 August 1754 by all three men, with Matthew Bazett and William Wrangham attending as witnesses.

Joseph Kendall, a gentleman of St Helena, sold ground to John Ingles, a surgeon of the same island. Ingles paid £160 0s 0d in lawful island money before the agreement was sealed and handed over, and Kendall confirmed the sum had reached him. The parcel was to belong to Ingles and to those who came after him.

Interpretations

The nine and a half acres were leasehold rather than freehold, which is why the transfer needed the Governor and Council's approval and why £27 0s 0d bought so much ground. Under the framework in force since 1711 no Company leaseholder could pass his interest on without leave from the council, and the sum reflected only the unexpired term rather than the land itself. The three earlier sales out of Steward's estate on 19 August 1754 were freehold and carried no such requirement.

Leave to assign was granted on 10 June 1754, more than two months before the three attorneys sealed the transfer and over two months before the freehold sales of 19 August. The attorneys therefore had the council's permission in hand well before they began disposing of the estate, which points to a single planned clearance of Gabriel Steward's island property rather than a series of separate opportunities taken as they arose.

John Ingles is described as a surgeon, a trade that placed him among the island's small body of salaried professional men alongside the earlier William Bidott who sold a James Valley house to John Alexander on 24 March 1701. A man of that standing buying a £160 0s 0d property marks the arrival of a purchaser whose money came from a Company post rather than from planting.

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House or Tenement, Situate lying & being in James's Valley, between the Houses

of Martha Scott & Sarah French, To have & to hold the said hereby barg

Premises with all & Singular the Rights Priveledges Commodities & Appurten

thereunto belonging unto him the said John Inglis his Heirs Exec Administs &

assigns forever to do & Dispose thereof as he or they shall think proper & I

the said Joseph Kendall DO hereby for myself my Heirs Exec Adm &

assigns Covenant Promise & agree to & with the said John Inglis his Heirs Exec

Administrators & assigns that he they & every one of them shall & may from

time to time & at all times hereafter, have hold Occupy possess & Enjoy the

said hereby bargained House as aforesaid forever without any Lett hindrance

or molestation by or from me or by any other Person or Persons whatsoever

& against all manner of Persons do hereby warrant to save & defend him the said

John Inglis his Heirs & assigns. & against all manner of Claim or Demand of in, or

unto the said Premises made, or to be made by any Person or Persons whatsoever

Warranting the same to be free & clean of, & from all manner of Incumbrances

whatsoever In Witness whereof I the said Joseph Kendall have hereunto set

my hand & Seal this 18 Day of April in the 27th Year of the Reign of our

Sovereign Lord George the second by the Grace of God of Great Briton France

& Ireland King Defender of the Faith & so forth & in the year of our Lord, one

thousand seven hundred & fifty four

Signed

Signed Sealed & delivered in the

Joseph Kendall

presence of us Signed

Fran Wrangham

F Wrangham Junr

Wm Wrangham

Island St Helena

Know all Men by these presents

that I Thomas French of the Island St Helena Attorney to Thomas Manning Taylor

at Bencoolen for & on the behalf of the said Thos Manning his Heirs Executors

Administrators & assigns, & in consideration, of the Sum of Twenty pounds two

Shillings of good & Lawfull money of the said Island to me in hand paid by

The property Joseph Kendall sold to John Ingles was a house in James Valley, standing between the dwellings of Martha Scott and Sarah French. Everything attached to it passed with the building, and Ingles was to hold it and dispose of it as he saw fit, without limit of time.

Kendall pledged that Ingles and those who came after him would hold and occupy the house undisturbed, free of interference from himself or from anyone else. He undertook to defend the buyer's title against every claim or demand that might be raised on the property by any person, and he confirmed that nothing whatever was owing on it.

The agreement was completed on 18 April 1754, in the twenty-seventh year of the reign of King George the Second, and Kendall signed and sealed it. Francis Wrangham, Francis Wrangham junior and William Wrangham watched him do so and added their names.

Thomas French of St Helena, acting for Thomas Manning Taylor of Bencoolen and on his behalf, sold ground for £20 2s 0d in lawful island money. The buyer's payment reached French in hand, and the property was to pass to Taylor's own heirs and representatives as well as to the purchaser.

Interpretations

Kendall's promise to Ingles reaches far wider than those the Wrangham and Goodwin attorneys gave over Gabriel Steward's ground on 19 August 1754. He undertook to defend the house against every person and every claim, not merely against trouble arising through himself. That is the assurance a man gives when selling his own property outright, and the contrast with the narrow fiduciary promise shows how much more a buyer received when dealing with an owner rather than with someone acting for another.

Martha Scott and Sarah French, named as the neighbours on either side, were both women holding James Valley property in their own right. The pattern runs through the record, from Mary Birch holding urban ground beside the Bidott house in 1701 to Elizabeth Marsh accumulating Southwark side houses across 1723. Fixing a town plot by the names of the households flanking it was the island's usual method where frontages pressed against one another and no surveyed line existed.

Bencoolen was the Company's principal settlement on the west coast of Sumatra, a pepper station and garrison where servants were posted for long terms. Thomas Manning Taylor's position there kept him from managing his St Helena property, so he left Thomas French with written authority to sell in his name. The arrangement matches the sales made for Thomas Mostyn from Angingo on the Malabar Coast on 24 July 1740 and 24 October 1742, and for Joseph Coles of Sumatra on 9 February 1742, and shows how regularly island ground was disposed of by agents for men serving in the East.

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William Turner of the said Island Gunners Mate at & before the ensealing and

Delivery hereof in hand nevertheless & for the use of the said Thomas Manning his

Heirs Executors Administrators & assigns HAVE as Attorney aforesaid, given

Granted enfeoffed & confirmed & by these presents do give grant enfeoffe &

confirm unto the said William Turner his Heirs Executors, Administrators &

assigns all that House or Tenement the property of the said Thomas Manning

containing Sixty five feet & an half in the Back & fourteen feet & three Quarters in

the Front lying in James's Valley & situate between the Houses of Gabriel Harpers

Orphans & Bridget Leech with all & Singular the Chambers Rooms Lights & Ways

Profits Commodityes & Appurtenances to the said House or Tenement belonging

or appertaining to have & to hold the said hereby bargained House or

Tenement unto him the said William Turner his Heirs Executors Administrators

and assigns for ever to do & dispose thereof as he they or either of them shall

judge proper & I the said Thomas French as Attorney aforesaid do hereby

for my self my Heirs Executors Administrators & Assigns Covenant promise

& agree to & with the said William Turner his Heirs Exec Adm & assigns that

he they & every one of them shall & may from time to time & at all times

hereafter have hold occupy possess & enjoy the said hereby bargained House or

Tenement as aforesaid for ever without any Lett hindrance or Molestation by

or from me, or by or from any other person or persons whatsoever & against all

manner of persons & as Attorney aforesaid hereby to save & defend him the said

William Turner his Heirs & Assigns & against all Claim or Demand of in or

unto the said House or Tenement made or to be made by any person or persons

whatsoever warranting the same to be free & Clear of & from all manner of Incumbrances

In Witness whereof I the said Thomas French have hereunto set my hand and

Seal in St Helena this 13 Day of December in the 27th Year of the Reign of our

Lord George the second by the Grace of God of great Brittain France & Ireland

King Defender of the Faith & so forth & in the year of our Lord 1753

(Signed)

Signed Sealed & Delivered

Thos French

in the presence of us

(Signed) Adam Milbourn

Edwd Robinson

The buyer of Thomas Manning Taylor's property was William Turner, a gunner's mate of St Helena, who paid the whole sum before the agreement was sealed and handed over. Thomas French made the sale on Taylor's behalf and for the benefit of Taylor's heirs and representatives.

The property was a house in James Valley belonging to Taylor, measuring sixty-five feet and a half at the back and fourteen feet and three quarters at the front. It stood between the dwellings of Bridget Leech and the orphans of Gabriel Harper. Every room, chamber, window and passage went with the building, along with all its rights and attachments, and the house was to belong to Turner and to those who came after him without limit of time, to keep or dispose of as they thought fit.

French pledged that Turner and his successors would hold the house undisturbed, free of trouble from himself or from any other person. He undertook, in the capacity in which he acted, to defend the buyer's title against every claim that might be brought against the property, and he confirmed that nothing whatever was owing on it.

The agreement was completed at St Helena on 13 December 1753, in the twenty-seventh year of the reign of King George the Second, and French signed and sealed it. Adam Milburn and Edward Robinson watched him do so and added their names.

Interpretations

The measurements record a house far deeper than it was wide, running sixty-five feet and a half back from a frontage of only fourteen feet and three quarters. That shape reflects the pressure on ground in James Valley, where the town lay squeezed between steep hillsides and building plots were laid out as narrow strips reaching back from the street. The same constraint shows in the sixty-two feet and a half of frontage against a hundred and seventeen feet of depth in John Goodwin's grant of 14 November 1738.

Naming the chambers, rooms, windows and passages was not padding but a way of settling in advance what belonged to the house in a town of shared walls and adjoining structures. Where dwellings pressed directly against one another, as in the party-wall arrangements of the Beale sales to the Company on 6 and 9 February 1716 and the shared chimney corner in the Goodwin sale to Thomas Greentree on 21 June 1739, a buyer needed to know which openings and spaces came with the building.

French gave a promise as wide as any owner would, undertaking to defend the title against all persons rather than only against claims running through himself. That is unusual for a man selling under another's authority, and it stands in contrast to the narrow assurances Francis Wrangham senior, John Goodwin and Francis Wrangham junior gave over Gabriel Steward's ground on 19 August 1754. A gunner's mate buying an urban house was in no position to pursue an absent principal at Bencoolen, so the agent's personal undertaking gave him something he could actually enforce.

The neighbours on either side were Bridget Leech and the orphans of Gabriel Harper, so the house sat between two households headed by neither an adult man nor a working proprietor. The Leech family runs through the record from Robert Leech in the 1710s to Isaac, Ebenezer and John Leech in the 1740s, and a Harper presence had been established since Thomas Harper's dealings in Sarahs Valley in 1694.

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Island St Helena

Know all Men by these presents that

I Rich Goodwin of the said Island Planter for & in consideration, of the sum of one

hundred and seventy Pounds Ten Shillings of good & Currant money of the said Island

to me in hand paid by John Goodwin of the said Island Gentleman, HAVE given

granted Bargained Sold and delivered and do by these presents give grant Bargain

sell and deliver unto him the said John Goodwin his Heirs Executors Administrators

& assigns all that Peice or parcel of Freehold Land containing Ten Acres situate

in the West Division, of the said Island Butting & Bounding North upon the

Lands of William Young South upon the Lands of Richard Beale East upon the

Lands of Fran Wrangham Junr & West partly upon the Lands of John Goodwin

and I Rich Beale To Have & to hold the said hereby bargained Premises to him the

said John Goodwin his Heirs Executors Administrators & assigns for ever to do dispose

thereof as he they or either of them shall think proper & I the said Rich Goodwin do hereby for

myself my Heirs Executors Administrators and assigns Covenant promise and agree

to and with him the said John Goodwin his Heirs Executors Administrators and assigns

that he they & every one of them shall Peaceably and quietly possess and Enjoy from

henceforth and at all times hereafter all and every part and parcel thereof together

with all & singular the Rights Priviledges Commodities and appurtenances there

unto belonging or appertaining without any Lett hindrance molestation or

interruption by or from me my Heirs Executors Administrators assigns or of from

or by any other person or persons, hereby warranting the same to be and to be free

and clear of & from all manner of Incumbrances whatsoever In Witness whereof

I the said Rich Goodwin have hereunto set my hand & seals in St Helena this 3d day

of September Anno Domini 1751

(Signed)

Signed Sealed & Delivered

Rich Goodwin

in the presence of us

(Signd)

John Alexander

Thomas Harper

Richard Goodwin, a planter of St Helena, sold ten acres of freehold ground to John Goodwin, a gentleman of the same island. The buyer paid £174 10s 0d in good island money, and the seller confirmed the whole sum had reached him.

The parcel sat in the West Division. It was bounded to the north by land belonging to William Young, to the south by ground held by Richard Beale, to the east partly by Francis Wrangham junior's land and partly by John Goodwin's own, and to the west by Richard Beale's land. Everything attached to the ten acres passed with it, and the ground was to belong to John Goodwin and to those who came after him, to keep or dispose of as they thought fit.

Richard Goodwin pledged that the buyer and his successors would hold and enjoy the whole parcel undisturbed from that day forward, free of interference from himself or from anyone else. He confirmed that nothing whatever was owing on the land.

The agreement was completed at St Helena on 3 September 1754, and Richard Goodwin signed and sealed it. John Alexander and Thomas Harper watched him do so and added their names.

Interpretations

Richard Goodwin appears across the record as a man who repeatedly sold ground he held through his wives' inheritance, disposing of forty acres in James Valley to Francis Wrangham on 20 November 1725 and twenty acres called Alexander's Land to James Ryder on 30 November 1725, each parcel going to the neighbour it completed. The same principle governs here, since John Goodwin's own land already formed part of the eastern boundary.

At roughly £17 10s 0d an acre the price stands well above the £10 an acre at which West Division freehold was reckoned in the schedule of the great Powell estate on 13 September 1739, and above the near £12 15s 0d an acre George Gabriel Powell obtained from Samuel Doveton on 17 May 1744. The figure points to improved ground rather than open upland, and to a buyer paying something extra for a field that joined what he already farmed.

Richard Beale held the ground on two sides, south and west, so the ten acres lay wedged between the Beale holdings and John Goodwin's own. For a parcel so enclosed, the number of possible purchasers was very small, and the price reflects that the buyer had good reason to want it and few competitors for it.

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This Indenture made this 7th Day of October 1754 between

Thomas Kirkpatrick of the one part & John Goodwin of the other part Witnesseth

that the said Thomas Kirkpatrick hath given granted & by these presents doth

give & grant unto the said John Goodwin all that piece or parcel of Plantation

Land lying in Sandy Bay bounding No on the Lands of James Ryders Orphans

So on the Lands of John Alexanders Orph Et partly on the Lands of Samuel

Alexander & partly on the Lands of James Ryders Orphans & Wn on the Lands

of Richard Beale containing five Acres to have & to hold the said five

Acres of Land above mentioned with the Appurtenances unto the said John Goodwin

his Executors Administrators & assigns for & during the Term unexpired & yet to come

in the said Lease, In Exchange for twelve Acres of Land lying at the Bottom of

Peak Hill known by the Name of the Brian Butting & Bounding No Wt & So on

the Honorable Companys waste Lands & Et partly on the Honble Companys

waste Lands & partly on the Lands of Stephen Young for which consideration

the said John Goodwin hath Given & Granted & by these presents doth Give &

Grant unto the said Thomas Kirkpatrick the said twelve Acres of Land last above

mentioned with the appurtenances to have & to hold the said twelve Acres

with the Appurtenances unto the said Thomas Kirkpatrick his Executors

& Administrators & assigns for & during the Term unexpired & yet to come in the

said Lease in Exchange of & for the said five Acres of Land first above mentioned

& the said Thomas Kirkpatrick for himself his Executors & Administrators doth

Covenant & grant to & with the said John Goodwin his Executors Administrators &

assigns that he the said John Goodwin his Executors Administrators or Assignes shall

may from time to time & at all Times during the Term of the said Lease Peaceably &

quietly have hold Occupy possess & Enjoy the said five Acres of Land first above

mentioned without the Let trouble hindrance molestation Interruption or denial

of him the said Thomas Kirkpatrick his Executors Administrators or Assigns or

any of them, and the said John Goodwin for himself his Executors & Administ

doth Covenant & grant to & with the said Thomas Kirkpatrick his Executors

& Administrators that he the said Thos Kirkpatrick his Executors Administrators

or Assigns shall & may from time to time & at all times during the term unexpired

& yet to come in the said Lease Peaceably & quietly, have hold, Occupy & Enjoy the

said twelve Acres of Land last above mentioned without the Let trouble hindrance

molestation interruption or Denial of him the said John Goodwin his Exors

Administrators or Assigns or any of them or of any other Person or Persons

Thomas Kirkpatrick and John Goodwin exchanged two parcels of land by an agreement dated 7 October 1754.

Kirkpatrick made over to Goodwin five acres of plantation ground in Sandy Bay. The parcel was bounded to the north by land belonging to the orphans of James Ryder, to the south by ground held by John Alexander, to the east partly by Samuel Alexander's land and partly by the Ryder orphans' land, and to the west by Richard Beale's ground. Goodwin was to hold the five acres, with everything attached to them, for whatever remained of the term of the lease under which they were held.

In return Goodwin made over to Kirkpatrick twelve acres at the bottom of Peak Hill, known by the name of the Brian. That parcel was bounded to the north, west and south by the Company's waste ground, and to the east partly by the Company's waste and partly by land held by Stephen Young. Kirkpatrick was to hold the twelve acres, with everything attached to them, for whatever remained of the term of the lease under which they were held.

Each man pledged that the other would hold his new ground quietly and without interruption for the whole of the remaining term. Kirkpatrick undertook that no trouble over the five acres would come from himself or from anyone claiming through him, and Goodwin gave the same assurance over the twelve acres.

Interpretations

Both parcels were leasehold rather than freehold, and what changed hands was the unexpired portion of each term rather than the ground itself. That is why no money passed at all, since two running terms of roughly comparable worth could be traded directly. Under the framework in force since 1711 no Company leaseholder could pass his interest on without the council's consent, so an approval must lie behind the arrangement even though the agreement does not recite it.

Kirkpatrick gave up five acres of settled plantation land in Sandy Bay and took twelve acres of upland at the bottom of Peak Hill, hemmed in on three sides by Company waste. The acreage more than doubled while the quality plainly fell, which is the shape of every such trade between enclosed valley ground and open high country. The Company's waste on three boundaries also meant the new holding had no neighbours to fix its limits, so its edges rested on unenclosed land rather than on other men's fences.

John Goodwin was consolidating in Sandy Bay through this period, and the five acres he took sat among holdings he and his connections already knew. Samuel Alexander and John Alexander held two of the four boundaries, and Richard Beale the third, the same Beale whose ground had enclosed the ten acres Goodwin bought from Richard Goodwin on 3 September 1754. The exchange tightened his position in one quarter while shedding a scattered upland parcel.

Speculations

Goodwin could have kept the twelve acres and simply bought the five, since he had money enough to pay £174 10s 0d for ten acres a month earlier and £603 0s 0d for the Lemon Valley Head ground the previous August. He chose to trade rather than buy, and the Brian parcel explains why. Twelve acres surrounded by Company waste on three sides, distant from anything else he held, brought him nothing he could work alongside his other ground, while a cash purchase of the Sandy Bay five would have left that awkward upland still on his hands. Exchanging solved both problems in one instrument, giving him compact ground among familiar neighbours and giving Kirkpatrick the larger acreage that evidently suited him better.

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whatsoever Claiming in by from or under him them or any of them In

Witness whereof we have hereunto severally affixed our Seals in St Helena this

7th Day of October in the Year of our Lord 1754

Signed

Signed & Sealed

Thos Kirkpatrick

in the presence of us

(Signed)

John Goodwin

M Purling

Wm Wrangham

Island St Helena

Know all Men by these presents that we the Governor & Council of the

said Island for the time being by Virtue of the Power & Authority to us given by the

Honble the United Company of Merchants of England trading to the East Indies to

dispose of all Persons Estates that die Intestate Have for & in Consideration of the sum of

one hundred & forty four pounds fifteen Shillings of good & Currant money of the said Island to

us in hand paid by John Clark of the said Island Gentleman Given granted Bargined

Sold & Delivered, & by these presents do give grant Bargain sell & Deliver unto the

said John Clark his Heirs Executors, Administrators & assigns all those ten Acres of

Freehold Land know by the name of Vaughans situate in the East Division of the

said Island lately belonging to Richard Gurling Deceased who died Intestate

with all the Profits Commodities & appurtenances thereunto belonging & all their

Right & Title & Interest in & to the same with all Deeds Writeings & Evidences

relateing to it together with all his Right & Intrest to & in two Leases for twelve

Acres of Land adjoyning to the above mentioned Ten Acres of Freehold he the

said John Clark Complyeing with the terms & Conditions mentioned in the said

two Leases To have & to hold the said hereby Bargained Premises & every

part thereof with their & every of their appurtenances unto him the said

John Clark his Heirs Executors Administrators & Assigns He they & every one of

them Complying with the terms & Conditions aforesaid & we the said Governor

& Council do hereby Covenant Promise & agree to & with him the said John Clark

his Heirs Executors Administrators & assigns according to the Power given us as

aforesaid that he they and every one of them shall Peaceably & quietly possess

Each man's pledge covered trouble arising from himself or from anyone whose claim ran back through him. Thomas Kirkpatrick and John Goodwin each set his seal to the exchange at St Helena on 7 October 1754. Matthew Purling and William Wrangham watched them do so and added their names.

The Governor and Council of St Helena sold ten acres of freehold ground to John Clark, a gentleman of the island. They acted under the authority the Company had given them to deal with the estates of anyone who died without leaving a will. Clark paid £164 15s 0d in good island money, and the sale was completed and the property handed over.

The parcel lay in the East Division and went by the name of Vaughans. It had lately belonged to Richard Gurling, who had died leaving no will. Everything attached to the ground passed with it, together with all the papers and documents bearing on the title. Clark also took over the whole interest in two leases covering twelve further acres adjoining the ten, provided he kept to the terms laid down in those leases.

The Governor and Council pledged, so far as the authority granted to them allowed, that Clark and those who came after him would hold the property quietly, on condition that they observed the terms attached to the leasehold ground.

Interpretations

The Company had given the Governor and Council standing power to wind up the estate of any islander who died without a will, and this sale was made under it. Where no executor existed to act, the administration fell to the island's government, which sold the ground and would then have applied the proceeds to debts and to whoever was entitled. The mechanism explains why the pledge to the buyer was limited to what the Company's grant of authority permitted, rather than being the full undertaking an owner gives.

Clark took the freehold outright and the neighbouring twelve acres only as leasehold, and the difference in what he received is set out plainly. The ten acres became his without condition, while the twelve remained subject to the rents, fencing duties and planting obligations written into the two original leases, and to the requirement of council consent before any further transfer. Buying the whole of a dead man's holding meant taking on two quite distinct kinds of tenure in a single transaction.

Richard Gurling appears across the record as a substantial dealer in island ground, selling twenty acres in the East branch of Lemon Valley to Captain John Goodwin on 24 January 1724 and nine acres with ten more in Swanleys Valley to Richard Beale on 28 December 1727. Dying without a will left his affairs to be settled by the island's government rather than by his own choice of executors, which is how a holding of this size came to be sold off entire.

Handing over the deeds, writings and evidence of title along with the ground mattered more here than in an ordinary sale. A purchaser from an intestate estate had no seller who could later be called on to explain the descent of the property, so the documentary chain itself became the buyer's principal security against a claim from a Gurling relative.

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and enjoy the same agreeable to the terms herein beforementioned without any

let hindrance Molestation or Interruption from any Person or Persons claiming or to

Claim hereby warranting the same to be free & Clear of & from all manner of incumbrances

whatsoever In Witness whereof we the said Governor & Council for the time being

have hereunto set our hands & the Honble Companys Seale this 21 Day of October

1754

(Signed)

Chas Hutchinson

John Adamson

John Clark

Island St Helena

Know all Men by these presents that I John Clark

of the said Island Gentleman for & in Consideration of the Sum of One hundred

& Ten pounds of good & Currant money of the said Island to me in hand paid by

Matthew Purling Likewise of the said Island the receipt hereof is hereby acknowledged

Have & by these presents do give grant Bargain Sell Assign & Confirm unto the said

Matthew Purling his Heirs Executors Administrators & assigns, all that piece or

parcel of Land containing Ten Acres more or Less Situate in the East Division of

the said Island Butting & Bounding No Et & Wt upon the Lands of the said

Matthew Purling & So partly upon the Land of the said Matthew Purling & partly

upon the Land of Matthew Bazett together with all & singular the Rights

Profits Commodities & Appurtenances thereunto belonging or Appertaining

with all my Right Title & Interest in or to the same To have & to hold the said

parcel of Land hereby bargained & Sold & every part & parcel thereof with their

& every of their Appurtenances unto him the said Matthew Purling his Heirs

Executors Administrators & Assigns for ever & I the said John Clark do for my

self my Heirs Executors Administrators & Assigns Covenant promise & agree

to & with the said Matthew Purling his Heirs Executors Administrators & assigns,

that he they & every one of them shall & may from time to time & at

all Times hereafter peaceably & quietly Possess & Enjoy the said parcel of Land

& Premises hereby Bargained & Sold with the Appurtenances free from all

incumbrances without any Lett Suit Hindrance Molestation or Disturbance

of or from me the said John Clark or of or from any other person or persons Claiming

or to Claim by from or under me in any respect whatsoever. In Witness whereof

I the said John Clark have hereunto set my Hand & Seal this 16th Day of

October in the 28 Year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lord George the second by the

John Clark was to hold and enjoy the Vaughans ground on the terms already set out, free of interference from anyone raising a claim against it, and the Governor and Council confirmed that nothing whatever was owing on the property. They set their hands and the Company's seal to the sale on 21 October 1754. The signatories were Charles Hutchinson, John Adamson and John Clark.

John Clark, a gentleman of St Helena, sold ten acres, or thereabouts, to Matthew Purling of the same island. Purling paid £110 0s 0d in good island money, and Clark confirmed receipt of the sum.

The parcel lay in the East Division. It was bounded to the north, east and west by Purling's own land, and to the south partly by Purling's ground and partly by land held by Matthew Bazett. Everything attached to the ten acres passed with it, together with the whole of Clark's interest, and the ground was to belong to Purling and to those who came after him without limit of time.

Clark pledged that Purling and his successors would hold and enjoy the parcel quietly from that day forward, that nothing was owing on it, and that no interruption would come from himself or from anyone claiming through him in any way.

The agreement was completed on 18 October 1754, in the twenty-eighth year of the reign of King George the Second.

Interpretations

John Clark signed the Vaughans sale as one of the Governor and Council while also standing as its purchaser, exactly as John Goodwin and Francis Wrangham senior had bought from Gabriel Steward's estate while acting as his attorneys on 19 August 1754. Two of his colleagues sealed alongside him, so the check on the price lay in their concurrence rather than in any separate valuation.

Clark sold this ten acres on 18 October 1754, three days before the Governor and Council sealed the Vaughans purchase to him on 21 October. Selling one holding while acquiring another of the same acreage points to a deliberate reshaping of his interests rather than to a chance opportunity, and the sums involved leave him roughly £54 15s 0d out of pocket across the pair.

Matthew Purling already held the ground on three sides and part of the fourth, so the ten acres sat entirely surrounded by his own land except where it touched Matthew Bazett. A parcel enclosed like that has almost no value to anyone but the man whose fields ring it, and the £11 0s 0d an acre Purling paid is modest against the £17 10s 0d an acre John Goodwin gave Richard Goodwin on 3 September 1754.

Matthew Purling appears earlier as an executor of the will of John Purling, selling the Purling family's eighth share of the Bazett estate to John Bazett in 1738 and acknowledging receipt of £25 0s 0d on 29 March 1741. The Bazett ground on the southern boundary here shows the two families still holding adjoining land more than a decade later.

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Grace of God of Great Brittain France & Ireland & so forth & in the Year of Our Lord 1754

(Signed)

Signed Sealed & Delivered

John Clark

(where no Stamp'd Paper is to be had)

in the Presence of us

Signed

F Wrangham Junr

Wm Wrangham

Island St Helena

Know all Men by these presents that I

Thomas French of the said Island for & in consideration of the Sum of Fifty pounds

of good & Lawfull Money of the said Island to me in hand paid at & before the ensealing

& delivery thereof by Sarah French of the said Island Have given granted bargained

sold & delivered & do by these presence give grant bargain sell & deliver unto the said

Sarah French her Heirs Executors Administrators & Assigns all my right title claim

& Interest of in & to that Messuage or Dwelling House situate lying & being in

James's Valley between the Houses of Messieurs Matthew Purling & John Ingles

with the appurtenances thereunto belonging or appertaining To have & to

hold the said hereby bargained premises & every part & parcel thereof unto her

the said Sarah French her Heirs Executors Administrators & Assigns for ever

& I the said Thomas French do hereby for my self my Heirs Executors Administrators

& Assigns covenant promise & agree to & with the said Sarah French her Heirs

Executors Administrators & Assigns that she they and every one of them shall &

may from time to time & at all times hereafter have hold occupy & quietly

possess the said hereby bargained premisses without any let hindrance or

molestation by or from me or by or from any Person or persons whatsoever

& against all manner of persons do hereby Warrant to save & Defend her

the said Sarah French her Heirs Executors Administrators & Assigns & against

all manner of claim or Demand of in or unto the said premisses made or

to be made by any person or persons whatsoever. Warranting the same to

be free and clear of & and from all manner of incumbrances In

Witness whereof I the said Thomas French have hereunto set my hand

The sale of the ten acres to Matthew Purling was dated to 1754 and sealed by John Clark, who signed it. Francis Wrangham junior and William Wrangham watched him do so and added their names. The agreement was drawn on plain paper, since no stamped paper was to be had on the island.

Thomas French of St Helena sold a dwelling house to Sarah French of the same island. She paid £50 0s 0d in lawful island money before the agreement was sealed and handed over, and French confirmed receipt of the sum.

The house stood in James Valley between the dwellings of Matthew Purling and John Ingles. Everything attached to it passed with the building, along with the whole of French's claim and interest, and the property was to belong to Sarah French and to those who came after her without limit of time.

French pledged that she and her successors would hold and occupy the house quietly from that day forward, free of interference from himself or from any other person whatever. He undertook to defend her title against every claim or demand that might be raised on the property by anyone, and he confirmed that nothing whatever was owing on it.

Interpretations

Sarah French appears as a neighbouring householder in the sale Joseph Kendall made to John Ingles on 18 April 1754, her dwelling standing on one side of the house Ingles bought. She now takes a second James Valley property, and Ingles turns up as her neighbour on one side of it, so the two households sat close together in that stretch of the town.

Thomas French had acted as attorney for Thomas Manning Taylor of Bencoolen in the sale of a James Valley house to William Turner on 13 December 1753. Here he sells in his own right, and the promise he gives is correspondingly full, covering every claim from every quarter rather than only trouble running through himself.

The absence of stamped paper on the island continues a difficulty recorded across the earlier deeds, appearing in the Mary Jewister gift of a slave on 26 February 1712, the Frances Goodwin deeds and the Earne bond of 1714. English practice required legal instruments to be written on paper carrying a revenue stamp, and a remote station could not always keep a supply, so the clerks noted the want on the face of the document to protect it against later challenge.

Nothing in the agreement identifies Sarah French's relationship to Thomas French, though the shared surname and the modest price suggest a family arrangement rather than an open sale. At £50 0s 0d the house stands well below the £160 0s 0d John Ingles paid Joseph Kendall a few months earlier for a dwelling in the same stretch of the valley.

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and Seale in St Helena this Twenty Sixth Day of July in the year of

our Lord One thousand seven hundred and Fifty four

(Signed)

Signed Sealed and

Thos French

Delivered in the presence of us

(Signd)

Thos Evans

Henry Bazett

Island St Helena

Know all Men by these presents

that I Thomas Easthope of the said Island Lieutenant for and in Consideration

of the Sum of Five pounds of good and Courant money of the said Island to me in

hand paid by Onesiphorus Beale of the said Island Likewise Lieutenant Have

given granted Bargained Sold and Delivered And do by these presents Give

grant Bargain Sell and Deliver unto the said Onesiphorus Beale All that

peice or parcel of Ground lying in James's Valley Adjoyning to the back yard

of the House of the said Onesiphorus Beale, between the Back yards of the Houses

of the late John Young and the said Onesiphorus Beale, joyning close up to

the back front of the House of the said Thomas Easthope To have and to

hold the said hereby Bargained premisses to him the said Onesiphorus Beale

his Heirs Executors Administrators and Assigns for ever to do, and Dispose

thereof As he they or either of them shall think fit or Proper. And I the said

Thomas Easthope DO hereby for myself my Heirs Executors Administrators

and Assigns Covenant Promise and Agree to and with him the said Onesiphorus

Beale his Heirs Executors Administrators and Assigns that he they and every

of them shall Peaceably and Quietly Possess and Enjoy from henceforth and at all

times hereafter all and every part and parcel thereof together with all and

Singular the Rights Priveledges Commodities and Appurtenances hereunto

belonging or Appertaining without any let hindrance Molestation or Disturbance

by or from me my Heirs Executors Administrators and Assigns or of from or by

any other Person or Persons hereby Warranting the same to be free and Clear

The sale of the James Valley house to Sarah French was sealed at St Helena on 26 July 1754, and Thomas French signed it. Thomas Evans and Henry Bazett watched him do so and added their names.

Thomas Casthope, a lieutenant of St Helena, sold a piece of ground to Onesiphorus Beale of the same island. Beale, also a lieutenant, paid £5 0s 0d in good island money, and Casthope confirmed receipt of the sum.

The ground lay in James Valley and adjoined the back yard of Beale's own house. It sat between the back yards of the house that had belonged to the late John Young and Beale's dwelling, and ran right up to the rear wall of Casthope's house. The parcel was to belong to Beale and to those who came after him without limit of time, to keep or dispose of as they thought fit.

Casthope pledged that Beale and his successors would hold and enjoy every part of the ground quietly from that day forward, with all its rights and attachments, free of interference from himself or from any other person whatever. He confirmed that nothing whatever was owing on it.

Interpretations

The parcel was a strip of back ground, the sort of residual yard that filled the space behind a row of James Valley dwellings. Such fragments recur through the record, from the four back parcels the Company sold William Gaa on 31 March 1730 to the narrow strip the Governor and Council granted Thomas Greentree on 23 September 1740. Each sale of this kind tidied a boundary that had been left indistinct when the houses were first built.

At £5 0s 0d the price fixes the transaction as a boundary settlement rather than a property purchase. The ground touched Beale's own yard on one side and reached the back wall of Casthope's house on the other, so the sale moved a line between two neighbours and gave Beale ground he could actually use, while relieving Casthope of a strip that lay behind his building and beyond his reach.

Both men held the rank of lieutenant, and the transaction is one of the few in the record where a garrison officer sells to another of equal standing. The Casthope name runs back through the island's dealings to the James Casthope who bought ten acres with a house from Joseph Pratt on 13 July 1687, and the Beale name further still, so two long-established island families were adjusting a shared boundary in the town.

Selling ground that ran up to the back wall of his own house left Casthope with no space at the rear of his building. He evidently had no use for the strip, since a yard that touched his neighbour's on both sides and his own wall on the third could serve him for nothing beyond access, and the small sum secured a settled line where a disputed one might have troubled both households.

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of and from all manner of Incumbrances whatsoever In Witness whereof I

the said Thomas Easthope have hereunto set my hand and Seal this Twentieth

Day of July in the Year of our Lord One Thousand Seven Hundred and Fifty

Signed

Signed Sealed & Delivered

Thos Easthope

in the presence of Us

(Signed)

Rich Bagley

Orlando Bagley

This Indenture made the first day of April in the 29th Year

of the Reign of our Sovereign Lord George the Second by the Grace of God of great

Britain France & Ireland King defender of the Faith & so forth & in the Year of

our Lord 1756 Between John Leech of the Island St Helena Yeoman of the

one part & John Clark of the same Island Gentleman of the other part

Whereas the said John Leech by his Deed Poll bearing date on or about

the 12 day of July which was in the Year of our Lord 1753 & duly executed

& attested for & in consideration of the Sum of £50 of current Money of

the said Island to him in Hand paid by Augustine Balls of the same place

Soldier DID Grant Bargain Sell unto him the said Augustine Balls

his Heirs & Assigns All that dwelling House with the appurtenances

Situate & being in James's Valley in Southwark Side Butting & Bounding

North East & West upon the Honble Companies Waste Ground & South upon

the House then in the possession of Mrs Ones Beale to hold the said House

with all & Singular the premisses & appurtenances unto & to the use of

him the said Augustine Balls his Heirs & Assigns for ever Subject

nevertheless to a proviso of redemption therein contained that if the said

John Leech his Heirs Exors Admrs or Assigns or any of them should pay

or cause to be paid unto the said Augustine Balls his Heirs or Assigns the

Sum of £50 of like current Money on the 11th day of July then next

ensuing without any deduction or abatement then the same Deed

Poll to be void & of none effect or otherwise to be & remain in full force &

vertue as by the same Deed Poll relation being thereunto had may appear

and whereas the said Sum of £50 or any part thereof was not

paid according to the said proviso whereby the Estate & Interest of the said

Thomas Casthope confirmed that nothing whatever was owing on the ground he sold. He set his hand and seal to the agreement on 17 July 1750, and Richard Bagley and Orlando Bagley watched him do so and added their names.

John Leech, a yeoman of St Helena, and John Clark, a gentleman of the same island, made an agreement on 1 April 1756, in the twenty-ninth year of the reign of King George the Second.

Leech had earlier borrowed from Augustine Balls, a soldier of the island, and had put up his house as security by an agreement dated about 12 July 1753. Balls had advanced him £50 0s 0d in island money. On those terms Leech made the property over to Balls and his successors outright, subject to one condition: if Leech or anyone acting for him repaid £50 0s 0d in the same money on 11 July of the following year, without any deduction or reduction, the transfer would count for nothing and the earlier agreement would stand in full force.

The house stood in James Valley on the Southwark side. It was bounded to the north, east and west by the Company's waste ground, and to the south by the dwelling then occupied by Mrs Elizabeth Beale.

The £50 0s 0d was never repaid, in whole or in part, by the date fixed, so the arrangement took effect and the interest passed to Balls.

Interpretations

The 1753 arrangement was a mortgage cast in the standard early modern form. Leech conveyed the house outright rather than merely charging it, with the transfer written to become void on repayment by a named day. The lender therefore held the property itself as his security, not a promise, so failure to pay on the day left him owning the house without any further step. The same structure appears in the mortgage bond Henry Francis gave Captain Joseph Tolson on 6 June 1722 and in the arrangement between Governor John Goodwin and George Gabriel Powell on 30 June 1740.

Repayment fell due on 11 July, one day short of a full year from the advance, which was the usual way of fixing such a term so that the borrower could not argue the year had not yet run out. The insistence that the sum be paid without deduction or reduction closed off any attempt to set off other dealings between the two men against the debt.

A soldier of the garrison lending £50 0s 0d to a yeoman marks the direction in which money moved on the island. Garrison pay arrived reliably from the Company while a planter's income depended on harvests and shipping, so men on the establishment were often the ones with cash to advance, as Edward Walkborne was when he took John Bagley's mortgage of Smiths Plain on 20 July 1708.

The house was hemmed by Company waste on three sides, with only Elizabeth Beale's dwelling adjoining it to the south. A property so placed had no immediate neighbour who might contest its bounds, but equally no adjoining holder for whom it would be worth more than its own value, which limited what Leech could have raised on it.

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Augustine Balls became absolute in Law in the said Dwelling House &

premisses with the appurtenances and whereas the said Augustine Balls

is since deceased having first made his last Will & Testament in writing

bearing date on or about the 18 day of May which was in the Year of our

Lord 1754 whereby (after bequeathing £200 to his Son & Daughter in

England if living & could be found) he gave Devised & bequeathed unto the

said John Clark all the rest residue & remainder of his Estate Lands tenements

& hereditaments with his Goods Plate & Bonds Arrear of Rent with all

other properties of what kind soever to him appertaining & appointed him

sole Executr of the said Will as by the said Will may also appear and

whereas the said John Clark hath taken upon him the Execution of the

said Will & hath paid the said Sum of £200 so bequeathed as aforesaid

whereby the said Mortgaged premisses are become vested in him the said

John Clark as Executr & Residuary Legatee of the said Will and whereas

the said John Clark hath agreed with the said John Leech for the absolute

purchase of the said Dwelling House & premisses with the appurtenances for

the Sum of £60 now This Indenture witnesseth that

for & in consideration of the said Sum of £50 so remaining due to

him the said John Clark, on the said Mortgage & also for & in consideration

of the further Sum of ten Pounds of currents Money of the said Island by the

said John Clark, to the said John Leech in Hand paid at or before the ensealing

& delivery of these presents makeing together the said Sum of £60 the

receipt whereof he the said John Leech doth hereby acknowledge & thereupon

hereby acquit & for ever discharge the said John Clark his Heirs Exors & Admrs

he the said John Leech hath Granted Bargained & Sold & by these presents

Doth Grant Bargain Sell unto the said John Clark his Heirs & Assigns for

ever All & singular the said Dwelling House or Tenement with the

appurtenances in James's Valley on the said Island beforementioned to be

conveyed in Mortgage to the said Augustine Balls and now in the tenure & occupation of him the said John Leech together with all and

Singular the outbuildings Yards Gardens Orchards Ways easements Profits

Commodities Hereditaments & Appurtenances whatsoever to the same

premisses or any part thereof belonging or in any wise appertaining and

the Reversion & Reversions remainder & remainders Rents Issues & Profits

thereof & of every part thereof and all the Estate Right Title Interest

use trust property Claim & Demand whatsoever in Law or Equity of him

the said John Leech of in to or out of the said Hereditaments & premisses

or any part thereof and also all writings whatsoever in the Custody or

power of him the said John Leech or which he can come by without

The failure to repay left Augustine Balls the absolute owner of the house in law. Balls afterwards died, having first made a will in writing dated about 18 May 1754. He left £200 0s 0d to his son and daughter in England, if they were living and could be found, and gave everything else he owned to John Clark. That residue took in his lands, buildings, goods, cattle, bonds, arrears of rent and every other kind of property belonging to him, and the will named Clark as its sole executor.

Clark took up the executorship, paid over the £200 0s 0d as the will directed, and so came to hold the mortgaged house both as executor and as the man entitled to what remained of the estate. He then agreed with John Leech on an outright purchase of the property for £60 0s 0d.

The arrangement set the £50 0s 0d still owing on the mortgage against the price, and Clark paid Leech a further £10 0s 0d in island money before the agreement was sealed and handed over, making up the whole £60 0s 0d. Leech acknowledged the payment and released Clark and his successors from any further demand.

Leech accordingly made over to Clark and his successors the whole of the James Valley house described in the earlier mortgage, together with its outbuildings, yards, garden, orchard, paths and easements, and everything else belonging to it. The transfer carried the reversion, the rents and profits, and every claim or interest at law or in equity that Leech still had in the property, along with any papers touching it that lay in his hands or that he could obtain.

Interpretations

Clark bought out the borrower's right to recover the house rather than simply taking possession under the forfeited mortgage. Once a repayment date had passed, a borrower could still ask the courts to let him redeem on paying what he owed, and that lingering claim clouded any title a lender held. Paying £60 0s 0d extinguished it. The arithmetic makes the purpose plain: £50 0s 0d of the price was the debt already owed to Clark, so only £10 0s 0d of new money changed hands, and that £10 0s 0d bought the certainty of an unchallengeable title.

Balls left £200 0s 0d to children in England on the condition that they were still alive and could be traced, an unusual qualification that reveals a soldier who had lost touch with his family across the distance. The residue passed to Clark, a man of no stated relationship, which suggests Balls had no expectation of the children being found and preferred to settle his affairs on someone present on the island.

Clark stood in a doubly advantageous position. As executor he administered the estate that held the forfeited mortgage, and as residuary legatee he was the person entitled to whatever the estate contained after the £200 0s 0d was paid. He therefore negotiated with Leech on his own account over property he already controlled in a fiduciary capacity, having first discharged the only competing claim on the estate.

The description here reaches well beyond the bare house named in the 1753 mortgage, taking in outbuildings, yards, garden, orchard, paths and rights of way. A mortgage needed only enough description to identify the security, but an outright purchase demanded that everything attached to the property be listed, since anything omitted might be argued to have stayed with the seller.

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Suit any way touching or concerning the same premisses or any part thereof

with the appurtenances to have & to hold all & singular the said

Dwelling House or Tenement & premisses before mentioned & intended to be

hereby granted & conveyed with the appurtenances & the Reversion & Reversions

remainder & remainders thereof unto the said John Clark his Heirs & Assigns

To the only use & behoof of the said John Clark his Heirs & Assigns for ever

and the said John Leech the said Dwelling House Hereditaments and

premisses with the appurtenances unto him the said John Clark & his Heirs

against him the said John Leech & his Heirs & against all & every

other Person & persons whatsoever lawfully claiming or to claim by from or under him or them shall & will warrant & for ever

Defend by these presents and the said John Leech for himself his

Heirs Exors Admrs doth hereby covenants & agree to & with the said John

Clark his Heirs & Assigns that he the said John Clark his Heirs or Assigns

shall & lawfully may from Time to Time & at all Times hereafter

peaceably & quietly have hold possess & enjoy & receive & take to his

& their own use all the Rents Issues & profits of the said Dwelling House

& premisses with the appurtenances without any lett suit trouble

molestation or disturbance whatsoever of him the said John Leech his Heirs

Executors Admrs or any other person or persons whatsoever lawfully

claiming or to Claim by from or under him them or any of them and

that free & clear from all former & other incumbrance whatsoever done

done comitted or Suffered by him the said John Leech his Heirs Executors

or Admrs or any other person or persons whatsoever lawfully claiming

or to Claim by from or under them or any of them In Witness whereof

the said parties to these presents have interchangably set their Hands

Seals the Day & Year first above written.

Signed

Jno Leech Junr

Sealed & delivered no Stamps to be had & the Words

(& now in the tenure or occupation of him the said John Leech)

(lawfully Claiming or to Claim by from or under him or them)

first enterlined in the presence of

Signd

Solomon Jacob

Dunn

The transfer carried every action or claim touching the property, so that the whole of the house, its attachments and the reversion belonged to John Clark and to those who came after him without limit of time, and to their sole benefit.

John Leech undertook to defend the property for Clark and his successors against himself, his own heirs and every other person lawfully claiming through him. He further pledged that Clark and his successors would from that day quietly hold the house and take its rents and profits to their own use, without interruption from himself, his representatives or anyone whose claim ran back through them. He confirmed that the property was free of every charge or burden created or allowed by himself, his representatives or anyone claiming through them.

Both parties set their hands and seals to the agreement on the day and year already given, and John Leech junior signed it. No stamped paper was to be had on the island. The words recording that the property was then in Leech's own occupation, and those limiting the warranty to persons lawfully claiming through him, were inserted before sealing. Solomon Jacob and a witness surnamed Dunn watched the sealing and added their names.

Interpretations

The two insertions made before sealing both narrowed and clarified the bargain, and each was noted on the face of the document because an unrecorded alteration could later be challenged as a forgery. One fixed that Leech was living in the house himself, which mattered because it settled that no tenant held a claim to remain. The other confined his promise to claims running through him, so he stood behind his own dealings but not against a stranger with an older title.

The signature reads John Leech junior where the body of the agreement names John Leech, so the borrower and seller was the younger man of that name. The Leech family runs through the record from Robert Leech in the 1710s to Isaac, Ebenezer and John Leech in the 1740s, the last of whom bought the twenty-three-acre Deep Valley leasehold from Joseph Desfountain on 3 September 1741.

The pledge covering rents and profits shows the house being treated as an income-producing asset rather than merely a residence. Clark took not only the building but the right to whatever it might earn if let, and Leech guaranteed that stream against interruption, which is the assurance a buyer wants when purchasing property he does not intend to occupy himself.

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Island St Helena

Know all Men by these presents that I

Thomas Greentree of the said Island Planter & Executor to James Ryder Deceased

for & in consideration of the Sum of £131 of good & Currant Money of the

said Island to me in hand paid by Mr Francis Mowatt the Receipt whereof is

hereby acknowledged. Have & by these presents, do give grant, bargain, sell, Assign

& confirm unto the said Francis Mowatt his Heirs Executors, Administrators &

Assigns, as Executor aforesaid, All that peice or parcel of Freehold Plantation Land containing

two Acres & four fifths of an Acre Situate, lying & being near the Dwelling House of

the said Francis Mowatt in the South Division of the said Island Together with the

Yams thereon standing, with all & Singular, the Rights, profits Commodities, and

appurtenances thereunto belonging, or appertaining with all my Right, Title and Interest

in or to the same as Executors aforesaid, to have & to hold the said parcel of Land hereby

bargained & Sold & every part & parcel thereof, with their & every of their Appurtenances

unto him the said Francis Mowatt, his Heirs Executors, Administrators & Assigns for

ever, & I the said Thomas Greentree DO for myself my Heirs Executors Administrators &

Assigns Covenant, Promise, & Agree to & with the said Francis Mowatt, his Heirs

Executors, Administrators & Assigns, that he they & every of them, shall & may from time to

time, & at all Times hereafter, peaceably, & quietly Possess & enjoy the said parcel of Land

& Premisses hereby bargaind & Sold, with the appurtenances, free from all

incumbrances, without any let, suit hindrance, molestation or disturbance of or

from me the said Thomas Greentree, or of or from any other Person or Persons Claiming or to

Claim by from or under me In Witness whereof I the said Thomas Greentree

have hereunto set my Hand & Seal this 30 Day of August in the twenty seventh

Year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lord George the second, by the Grace of God of

Great Britain France & Ireland, King, defender of the Faith, & so faith & in the

Year of our Lord 1753

Signed

Signed Sealed & Deliverd

Thos: Greentree

where no Stampt Paper is to be had)

in the Presence of Us

(Signed) John Goodwin

F. Wrangham Jun

Thomas Greentree, a planter of St Helena, sold two acres and four fifths of an acre of freehold ground to Francis Mowatt. Greentree acted as the man appointed to settle the affairs of James Ryder, who had died. Mowatt paid £131 0s 0d in good island money, and Greentree confirmed receipt of the sum.

The parcel lay in the South Division, close to Mowatt's own dwelling. The yams then growing on the ground went with it, along with everything else attached to the land and the whole of the interest Greentree could pass on through his office. The parcel was to belong to Mowatt and to those who came after him without limit of time.

Greentree pledged that Mowatt and his successors would hold and enjoy the ground quietly from that day forward, that nothing was owing on it, and that no trouble would come to them from himself or from anyone whose claim ran back through him.

The agreement was completed on 30 August 1753, in the twenty-seventh year of the reign of King George the Second, and Greentree signed and sealed it. No stamped paper was to be had on the island. John Goodwin and Francis Wrangham junior watched the sealing and added their names.

Interpretations

The rate works out at about £47 an acre, far beyond anything else in the record for rural ground. West Division freehold stood at £10 an acre in the schedule of the great Powell estate on 13 September 1739, and John Goodwin paid roughly £17 10s 0d an acre to Richard Goodwin on 3 September 1754. Two explanations account for the difference. The parcel adjoined Mowatt's own house, so it was worth far more to him than to anyone else, and it carried a standing yam crop that passed with the land.

Yams were the island's staple provision, grown for the household and for supplying ships in the road, and a crop already in the ground represented several months of labour and a harvest close at hand. Selling the land with the yams standing meant the buyer took the benefit of that work at once rather than starting a fresh planting, which is why the crop was named separately in the agreement.

James Ryder appears across the record as an active accumulator in the West Division, buying twenty acres called Alexander's Land from Richard Goodwin on 30 November 1725 and taking the twenty-acre Beale's Lott lease on 30 September 1729. His orphans are named as boundary holders in the Sandy Bay exchange between Thomas Kirkpatrick and John Goodwin on 7 October 1754, so parts of his estate were still being settled a year after this sale.

Greentree gave the narrower promise proper to a man acting for another, covering only claims arising through himself rather than defending the title against all comers. He held the ground as executor and had never owned it, so he could vouch for nothing beyond his own conduct, and Mowatt took the parcel on that limited assurance.

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Island St Helena

Know all Men by these Presents that I Thomas Greentree Executor

of the Last Will & Testament of James Ryder, Deceased, & I the said Thomas Greentree & Richard

Beale Executors of the Last Will & Testament of Elizabeth Ryder deceased for & in consideration

of the Sum of £70 of Good & Currant money to us in Hand paid by Francis Mowatt of

the said Island the Receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged, Have, & by these presents do give

grant Bargain Sell, Assign & Confirm unto the said Francis Mowatt his Heirs Executors

Administrators & Assigns, All that Peice or Parcel of Land containing eight Acres, more or

less situate in the South Division of the said Island, butting & bounding North upon the Lands

of the said Richard Beale, East upon the Lands of the Late Thomas Perkins, & West upon the

Lands of Francis Wrangham Senr & John Goodwin together with all & Singular the Rights

Comodityes Profits & Appurtenances thereunto belonging or appertaining, with all our & their

Interest in or to the same To have & to hold the said parcel of Land hereby bargained & Sold & every

part & parcel thereof with their & every of their Appurtenances unto him the said Francis Mowatt

his Heirs Executors administrators & Assigns for ever & we the said Thomas Greentree & Richard

Beale DO for ourselves our Heirs Executors, Administrators & Assigns Covenant Promise

agree to & with the said Francis Mowatt his Heirs Executors, Administrators & Assigns that

he they & every of them shall & may from time to time & at all Times hereafter, peaceably, &

quietly, possess & enjoy the said parcel of Land & Premises hereby Bargained & Sold with the

appurtenances free from all Incumbrances without any let suit hindrance Molestation

or Disturbance of, or from us the said Thomas Greentree, or Richard Beale or of or from any

other Person or Persons Claiming or to Claim by from or under us any or either of us In

Witness whereof we the said Thomas Greentree & Richard Beale have hereunto set our

Hands & Seals this 24 Day of August in the twenty seventh Year of the Reign of our

Sovereign Lord George the Second by the Grace of God of Great Britain France &

Ireland King Defender of the Faith & so forth & in the Year of our Lord 1753

Signed

Signed Sealed & delivered

Thos: Greentree

(where no Stamped Paper is to be had)

Rich Beale

in the presence of us

(Signed)

M. Purling

Jos: Kendall

M. Bazett

Thomas Greentree acted as the man appointed to carry out the will of James Ryder, who had died, and he and Richard Beale together acted for the estate of Elizabeth Ryder, also deceased. In those capacities the two men sold eight acres, or thereabouts, to Francis Mowatt of St Helena. Mowatt paid £70 3s 0d in good island money, and the sellers confirmed receipt of the sum.

The parcel lay in the South Division. It was bounded to the north by Richard Beale's own land, to the east by ground that had belonged to the late Thomas Perkins, and to the west by land held by Francis Wrangham senior and John Goodwin. Everything attached to the eight acres passed with them, together with the whole of the interest the two men could pass on through their office, and the ground was to belong to Mowatt and to those who came after him without limit of time.

Greentree and Beale pledged that Mowatt and his successors would hold the parcel quietly from that day forward, that nothing was owing on it, and that no trouble would come from either of them or from anyone whose claim ran back through them.

The agreement was completed on 24 August 1753, in the twenty-seventh year of the reign of King George the Second, and both men signed and sealed it. No stamped paper was to be had on the island. Matthew Purling, Joseph Kendall and Matthew Bazett watched the sealing and added their names.

Interpretations

At roughly £8 15s 0d an acre this ground fetched a fraction of the £47 an acre Mowatt paid Greentree for the two acres and four fifths on 30 August 1753, six days later. The contrast measures what the standing yam crop and the position beside Mowatt's own house had been worth on that smaller parcel, since the eight acres here carried no crop and lay among other men's holdings rather than against his door.

Two separate estates were being wound up in parallel, James Ryder's and Elizabeth Ryder's, with Greentree acting for the first and Greentree together with Richard Beale for the second. The eight acres evidently touched both estates, which is why the two sets of executors sealed a single agreement rather than conveying separate shares. Selling the whole in one instrument spared the buyer from having to assemble the parcel piecemeal.

Richard Beale held the ground to the north while also selling as an executor, so one of the four boundaries was fixed by a seller's own land. The same overlap appears in the sale of Beale's House Pasture on 12 March 1751, where Matthew Bazett sealed as executor while occupying two of the four boundaries. On an island whose circle of substantial planters and circle of trusted executors were largely the same men, the arrangement was unavoidable.

The late Thomas Perkins on the eastern boundary connects to the Thomas Perkins senior who took a thirty-acre Company lease of cabbage tree and gumwood land on 20 July 1711, and whose name recurs as a boundary through the Sandy Bay grants of that period. His ground was still identified by his name more than forty years later, the island's usual method of fixing a parcel against a former holder.

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Island St Helena 4th Feby 1756

Know all Men that I Sarah French for & in consideration

of the sum of one hundred & Sixty pounds of good & Currant money of the Island

St Helena to me in hand paid by Thomas Evans Gunners Mate Likewise of the said

Island, at & before the ensealing & delivery hereof, the receipt whereof is hereby

acknowledged Do make over all my Right Title & Interest to the within Bill

of Sale. As Witness my Hand

(Signed) Sarah French

Signed Sealed &c

Delivered in the presence of Us

Signd) John Prichard

Margaret Seale

Island St Helena

Know all Persons by these Presents that

for & in Consideration of the sum of £65 of current money of the said

Island St Helena by John Clark of same Island Gentleman to me John Bland

of the same Island, Mason in hand paid at or before the ensealing & delivery

hereof the Receipt whereof I the said John Bland do hereby acknowledge being

the same sum mentioned in an Indorsement in Writing on the back of a Lease

bearing date the 4th Day of November 1746 from the Proprietors of the said

Island the Honorable the East India Company to Richard Tinsley of a peice

of Ground in the said Island for the Term of twenty one Years & which

Indorsement is an Assignment of that Term to the said John Clark from Me

the said John Bland & I the said John Bland Have granted Bargained

& sold & by these presents DO grant Bargain & Sell unto the said John Clark

& to his Heirs & Assigns for ever All that Dwelling House or Tenement thereon

standing & Being in James's Valley in the said Island on Southwark Side lying

between the Houses of James Hisfield & Samuel Desfountain & now in

the Possession or occupation of Mr Solomon Jacobs & was formerly sold by the

Executors of Thomas Harper deceased to Matthew Midget & after by him sold

to the above mentiond Richard Tinsley & by Writing bearing date the 12 Day

Sarah French of St Helena made over her whole claim and interest under an earlier bill of sale to Thomas Evans and Susannah Mott, both of the same island. They paid her £160 0s 0d in good island money before the agreement was sealed and handed over, and she confirmed receipt of the sum. She signed it on 4 February 1756, with John Prichard and Margaret Seale attending as witnesses.

John Bland, a mason of St Helena, sold a dwelling house to John Clark, a gentleman of the same island. Clark paid £63 0s 0d in island money before the agreement was sealed and handed over, and Bland acknowledged the sum.

Bland's own title rested on a note written on the back of a lease dated 14 November 1746, by which the Company had granted Richard Tinsley a piece of ground on the island for twenty-one years. That note transferred the remainder of the term from Bland to Clark.

The house stood in James Valley on the Southwark side, between the dwellings of James Hitfield and Samuel Desfountain, and was then occupied by Solomon Jacobs. Its earlier history ran through the executors of Thomas Harper, who had sold it to Matthew Mudge, and Mudge had sold it on to Richard Tinsley. The property was to belong to Clark and to those who came after him without limit of time.

Interpretations

The house stood on ground the Company had leased to Richard Tinsley for twenty-one years from 14 November 1746, so what Bland sold was a building on land he did not own. Clark accordingly bought two things at once: the dwelling outright and the unexpired portion of the lease beneath it, which had about eleven years left to run. That divided arrangement, where a structure could be owned separately from its site, appears earlier in the record with the buildings Jonathan Higham held on Company waste in Sharks Valley.

Recording the assignment as a note on the back of the original lease rather than as a fresh instrument was the standard economy of the period, keeping the chain of holders on the one document that mattered. The same practice appears in the endorsements carrying the Fisher Valley parcel from John Coole to Edward Brayne on 10 July 1688 and on to Edward Heath on 7 April 1702.

Solomon Jacobs occupied the house at the time of the sale, and he had witnessed the sealing of John Leech's conveyance to Clark of another Southwark side property. Clark was therefore buying a tenanted dwelling, and the sale mentions no arrangement to remove the occupant, which points to an investment in rental income rather than a purchase for his own use.

Clark had already bought Leech's Southwark side house in April 1756 and the Vaughans freehold from the Governor and Council on 21 October 1754. He appears here acquiring a third property in the same quarter of the town, building a concentrated holding on the Southwark side while separately taking rural ground in the East Division.

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100R

January last past sold by James Heads of the same Island Soldier to me the said

John Bland (which said James Heads married the widow of the said Richard Tinsley

then deceased & Survived his said Wife & thereby became intitled to the said Dwelling

house or tenement) Together with all & Singular the Backside out Buildings

hereditaments & appurtenances whatsoever thereunto belonging or appertaining & to

the reversion & reversions, remainder & remainders Rents Issues & profits thereof & of every

part thereof & all the Estate right title interest & property claim & demand whatsoever in Law

or Equity of me the said John Bland of in or to the same premisses every or any part

thereof with the appurtenances To have & to hold all & singular the said Dwelling

house or tenement Backside outbuildings hereditaments & premisses beforementioned &

intended to be hereby Conveyed with their & every of their appurtenances, & the Reversion &

Reversions Remainder & Remainders rents issues & profits thereof unto the said John

Bland his Heirs & Assigns To the only use & behoof of the said John Clark his heirs &

Assigns for ever, And I the said John Bland the said Dwelling or tenement Backside

outbuildings hereditaments & premisses with the appurtenances unto him the said

John Clark & his heirs against me the said John Bland & my heirs & against all &

every other person & persons whatsoever shall & will Warrant & for ever defend

by these presents. In Witness whereof I the said John Bland have hereunto

set my hand & seal this 3d Day of June in the 29 Year of the Reign of our sovereign

Lord George the Second by the Grace of God of great Britain France & Ireland King

defender of the faith & so forth & in the Year of our Lord 1756.

(Signed)

John Bland

Sealed and Delivered (no Stamps to

be had) in the presence of

Received the Day & Year last above written

of the above mentioned Sum of £65 being the full

Consideration above mentioned to be paid by

him to me

£65

Witnesses

(Signd) John Whitehurst

Solomon Jacobs

John Bland had bought the house from James Hicks, a labourer of St Helena, by a sale made in the previous January. Hicks had married the widow of Richard Tinsley, who by then had died, and Hicks had outlived his wife, which is how the dwelling came into his hands.

The sale to John Clark carried the back ground, the outbuildings and every attachment to the property, together with the reversion, the rents and profits, and the whole of Bland's claim and interest at law or in equity. All of it was to belong to Clark and to those who came after him without limit of time, and to their sole benefit.

Bland undertook to defend the house, its back ground, outbuildings and everything belonging to it for Clark and his successors against himself and against every other person whatever.

The agreement was completed on 3 June 1756, in the twenty-ninth year of the reign of King George the Second, and Bland signed and sealed it. No stamped paper was to be had on the island. He acknowledged on the same day that the whole £63 0s 0d had been paid to him. John Whitchurch and Solomon Jacobs watched the sealing and added their names.

Interpretations

The dwelling reached James Hicks through his marriage to Richard Tinsley's widow, and it stayed with him after her death because a husband took his wife's property during the marriage and kept it on her death where a child had been born. The route appears repeatedly in the record, from Gabriel Powell holding thirty acres in right of his wife the widow of Jonathan Beale to John Spencer holding the dower land of John Bradley's widow in 1742. A house could pass between families through two marriages and a death without any sale at all.

Bland gave the widest promise, undertaking to defend the title against every person rather than only against claims running through himself. That assurance sits awkwardly beside the property's history, since the chain ran back through the executors of Thomas Harper, Matthew Mudge, Richard Tinsley, Tinsley's widow, her second husband Hicks, and Bland himself in the space of a decade. A buyer taking a house that had changed hands so often had good reason to want the strongest undertaking available.

Solomon Jacobs occupied the house and also witnessed its sale, having earlier attended the sealing of John Leech's conveyance to Clark. A sitting tenant watching his home change owners had a plain interest in the transaction, and his presence at the signing put beyond argument that he knew of the new ownership and made no claim of his own.

The receipt was written out separately beneath the agreement and witnessed by the same two men, though Bland had already acknowledged payment in the body of the document. Doubling the acknowledgement was ordinary caution, since a seller who had signed only the recital might later argue the money never arrived, while a separate receipt attested by witnesses left him nothing to dispute.

205

101V

Know all Men by these presents that I Francis Mowatt of

the Island St Helena for & in Consideration of the Sum of £150.10 of good &

Lawfull Money to me in hand paid by Francis Wrangham Senr of the said

Island the Receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged. Have & by these presents

Do Assign Transfer & set over unto the said Francis Wrangham Senr his Heirs

Executors, Administrators & Assigns, all my right Title & Interest of & in & to the

within mentioned twenty Acres & an half Acre of Land To have & to hold

the said hereby Bargained Premisses his Heirs Executors Administrators & Assigns

upon the Conditions within mentioned Pursuant to Liberty given me for so doing

by the Governor & Council the 31 Day of May 1756 In Witness whereof I

the said Francis Mowatt have hereunto set my hand & Seal this 21 Day of June

1756

(Signed)

Signed Sealed & Delivered

Fran Mowatt

in the presence of Us.

Signd) Thos Greentree

John Desfountain

Willm Wrangham

Island St Helena

Know all Men by these presents that I

Francis Wrangham Junr of the said Island, & Secretary in the Honorable

Companys Service upon the said Island for, & in Consideration of the Sum

of £750.10 of good & Currant money of the said Island to me in hand

paid by Francis Wrangham Senr of the said Island Planter. Have

Given, Granted. Bargained, Sold & Delivered, & DO by these presents Give

Grant, Bargain, Sell, and Deliver unto the said Francis Wrangham Senr

all those Peices, or parcels of Freehold Land Containing forty three Acres, Situate

in the West Division of the said Island, Butting & Bounding, South upon

the Lands belonging to Richard Beale, North upon the Lands of William

Young, West partly upon the Lands of the said William Young, & partly

upon the Lands of John Goodwin, & East upon the Lands of the Late

Samuel Doveton's Orphans To have & to hold the said hereby

Francis Mowatt of St Helena made over his whole claim and interest in twenty acres and a half to Francis Wrangham senior of the same island. Wrangham paid £150 10s 0d in good and lawful money, and Mowatt confirmed receipt of the sum. The ground was to belong to Wrangham and to those who came after him on the terms already attached to it, the Governor and Council having granted Mowatt leave to make the transfer on 31 May 1756. He signed and sealed the agreement on 21 June 1756, with Thomas Greentree, John Desfountain and William Wrangham attending as witnesses.

Francis Wrangham junior of St Helena, secretary in the Company's service on the island, sold forty-three acres of freehold ground to Francis Wrangham senior, a planter of the same island. The buyer paid £750 10s 0d in good island money, and the seller confirmed receipt of the sum.

The parcels lay in the West Division. They were bounded to the south by land belonging to Richard Beale, to the north by ground held by William Young, to the west partly by Young's land and partly by John Goodwin's, and to the east by land belonging to the orphans of the late Samuel Doveton.

Interpretations

The twenty acres and a half were leasehold, which is why the Governor and Council had to give leave before Mowatt could pass them on. That requirement had governed every Company lease since the framework of 1711, and the three weeks between the grant of permission on 31 May 1756 and the sealing on 21 June 1756 show the two men waiting on the council rather than acting first and seeking approval afterwards.

Francis Wrangham junior held the post of secretary to the Company on the island, an office that placed him at the centre of the administration and gave him the standing his predecessors Antipas Tovey and John Alexander had enjoyed. Selling forty-three acres to his own father for £750 10s 0d moved a substantial estate within the family while the son continued in Company employment.

At about £17 10s 0d an acre the price matches almost exactly the rate John Goodwin paid Richard Goodwin for ten acres on 3 September 1754, and stands well above the £10 an acre at which West Division freehold was reckoned in the schedule of the great Powell estate on 13 September 1739. The consistency of the two figures suggests a settled market rate for improved ground in that division by the mid-1750s.

Samuel Doveton's orphans on the eastern boundary mark his death since 17 May 1744, when he bought fifty acres and three quarters in the West Division from George Gabriel Powell for £650 0s 0d. He had accumulated steadily across the 1730s and 1740s, and his children now held ground that fixed the limits of his neighbours' parcels.

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Bargained. Premisses to him the said Francis Wrangham Senr his Heirs

Executors, Administrators & Assigns for ever, to do, & Dispose thereof as he they

or either of them shall think fit, or proper, And I the said Francis

Wrangham Junr do hereby, for myself, my Heirs Executors, Administrators

& Assigns, Covenant Promise & Agree to, & with him the said Francis

Wrangham Senr his Heirs Executors Administrators, & Assigns, that he

they & every of them, shall Peaceably, & Quietly, Possess, & enjoy from

henceforth, & at all times hereafter, all & every part & parcel thereof together

with all & singular the Rights Previleges, Commodities & appurtenances

thereunto belonging or appertaining, without any let hindrance

Molestation or Disturbance by, or from me, my Heirs Executors

Administrators or Assigns, or of, from or by any other Person or Persons hereby

warranting, the same to be free & Clear of, & from all manner of incumbrances

whatsoever, In Witness whereof I the said Francis Wrangham Junr have

hereto set my hand, and Seal this 29 Day of April in the Twenty ninth

Year of the Reign of our sovereign Lord George, the second by the Grace of God

of Great Britain France & Ireland King defender of the Faith, & so forth

& in the Year of our Lord 1756.

(Signed) F. Wrangham Junr

Signed Sealed & Delivered

In the Presence of Us.

(Signed)

Rich Beale

James Greentree

Island St Helena

Know all Men by these presents that I Francis

Mowatt for & in consideration of the sum of £540.10 of good & Currant

Money to me in Hand paid by Francis Wrangham Senr thereceipt whereof

is hereby acknowledged. Have & by these presents Do give grant, bargain

sell, assign & confirm unto the said Francis Wrangham Senr his Heirs

Executors Administrators, & Assigns, All those pieces, or parcels of Land containing

The forty-three acres were to belong to Francis Wrangham senior and to those who came after him without limit of time, to keep or dispose of as they thought fit. Francis Wrangham junior pledged that his father and his father's successors would hold and enjoy every part of the ground quietly from that day forward, with all its rights and attachments, free of interference from himself, from those who followed him, or from any other person. He confirmed that nothing whatever was owing on the land.

The agreement was completed on 29 April 1756, in the twenty-ninth year of the reign of King George the Second, and Francis Wrangham junior signed and sealed it. Richard Beale and James Greentree watched him do so and added their names.

Francis Mowatt sold further parcels of land to Francis Wrangham senior. The buyer paid £340 10s 0d in good island money, and Mowatt confirmed receipt of the sum. The ground was to belong to Wrangham and to those who came after him.

Interpretations

Francis Wrangham senior appears here buying from three separate sellers within the space of two months: forty-three acres from his son on 29 April 1756, the twenty acres and a half of leasehold from Francis Mowatt on 21 June 1756, and this further parcel from Mowatt for £340 10s 0d. Taken together the purchases mark a concentrated period of acquisition, and the sums involved run well beyond £1,200 0s 0d.

Francis Mowatt had himself been buying only three years earlier, taking two acres and four fifths from Thomas Greentree on 30 August 1753 and eight acres from Greentree and Richard Beale on 24 August 1753 out of the Ryder estates. He now appears disposing of substantial holdings to Wrangham, which points to a man who had assembled ground and was clearing it rather than to a settled planter.

Richard Beale witnessed this sale between father and son while also holding the land on the southern boundary of the forty-three acres. His presence at the sealing gave the transaction an attesting neighbour whose own ground fixed one of its limits, which was useful where the two parties were closely related and the price might later be questioned.

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102V

twenty seven Acres & four fifths of an Acre, together with a Man Slave

Named London & a House, & fifty thousand Yams & Suckers, standing on

the said Land lying & being in the South Division of the said Island, & formerly

in the Possession of James Ryder Deceased together with all & Singular the

Rights, Profits, commodityes & appurtenances thereunto belonging, or

appertaining, with all my Rights, Title or Interest in or to the same To

Have & to hold the said Peices or parcels of Lands together with the Man

Slave House and fifty thousand Yams & Suckers, hereby Bargained & Sold &

every part & Parcel thereof, with their & every of their appurtenances unto him the

said Francis Wrangham Senr his Heirs Executors Administrators & Assigns for ever

And I the said Francis Mowatt do for myself, my Heirs Executors Administrators

& Assigns, Covenant Promise & agree to & with the said Francis Wrangham Senr

his Heirs Executors, Administrators & Assigns, that he they & every of them shall &

may from time to time & at all Times hereafter, Peaceably & Quietly possess &

enjoy, the said hereby Bargained Premisses with the appurtenances, free & clear

of & from all manner of Incumbrances whatsoever, without any let, Suit hindrance

molestation or disturbance of or from me the said Francis Mowatt or of, or from any Person

or Persons claiming or to Claim by from or under me In Witness whereof I

the said Francis Mowatt have hereunto set my Hand & Seal this twenty first

Day of June in the twenty ninth Year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lord George

the second by the Grace of God of Great Britain France & Ireland King defender

of the Faith & so forth, & in the Year of our Lord 1756.

Signed

Signed Sealed & Delivered

Fran Mowatt

(the word Person being first interlined)

(where no Stamped Paper is to be had)

in the presence of Us

(Signed)

Thos Greentree

John Desfountain

Willm Wrangham

The parcels came to twenty-seven acres and four fifths of an acre and lay in the South Division, ground that had formerly been held by the late James Ryder. The sale carried with them a slave man named London, a house, and 50,000 yams and suckers then growing on the land. Everything else attached to the ground passed with it, together with the whole of Francis Mowatt's claim and interest, and the property was to belong to Francis Wrangham senior and to those who came after him without limit of time.

Mowatt pledged that Wrangham and his successors would hold and enjoy the whole quietly from that day forward, that nothing was owing on it, and that no trouble would come from himself or from anyone claiming through him.

The agreement was completed on 21 June 1756, in the twenty-ninth year of the reign of King George the Second, and Mowatt signed and sealed it. The word person was inserted before sealing. No stamped paper was to be had on the island. Thomas Greentree, John Desfountain and William Wrangham watched the sealing and added their names.

Interpretations

The sale carried a slave man, a house and a standing crop alongside the land, so what Wrangham bought was a going concern rather than bare acreage. The same treatment appears in the composite estate George Gabriel Powell sold Governor John Goodwin on 13 September 1739, where slaves, livestock, produce and debts passed under one instrument. A plantation was valued as a unit of land, labour and crop together, and dividing those elements would have left each worth considerably less.

The 50,000 yams and suckers represent a very substantial planting. Suckers are the shoots taken from a mature yam plant and set to grow into the next crop, so the figure covers both the harvest close at hand and the stock for the season following. Yams were the island's staple food and the principal victual supplied to shipping in the road, which made a planting on this scale a reliable source of income rather than merely a household provision.

Mowatt appears to have been reassembling and then clearing the Ryder estates. He bought two acres and four fifths from Thomas Greentree on 30 August 1753 and eight acres from Greentree and Richard Beale on 24 August 1753, both out of Ryder ground, and here disposes of twenty-seven acres and four fifths that had also been Ryder's. Selling it whole to Wrangham, with the slave and the crop, suggests a man realising an investment rather than a planter parting with his living.

At £340 10s 0d for twenty-seven acres and four fifths the rate works out at roughly £12 an acre, well below the £17 10s 0d an acre Wrangham paid his son for the West Division ground two months earlier. The difference is explained by the composition of the price rather than by the land alone, since a substantial part of the £340 10s 0d bought the slave, the house and the crop rather than the acreage.

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Island St Helena

Know all Men by these presents that I

James Greentree of the said Island Planter for & in Consideration of

the Sum of £60 of good & Currant Money of the said Island to me in

hand paid by Samuel Falconer of the said Island Surgeon, the Receipt

whereof is hereby acknowledged, & my Self to be therewith fully paid &

satisfyed, DO hereby Sell Assign Sett & make over all my right Title

Interest & Claim of in & to the within mentioned House & all other the

Premisses thereunto belonging unto the said Samuel Falconer & his

Heirs for ever to do & dispose thereof as he they or either of them shall

think fit, without any manner of Molestation or Interruption of any

Person or Persons whatsoever, warranting the same to be free & clear

of & from all manner of Incumbrances, In Witness whereof I the said

James Greentree have hereunto set my hand & Seal this 2d day of April

in the Twenty fourth Year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lord George the

Second by the Grace of God of Great Britain France & Ireland King

defender of the Faith, & so forth, & in the year of our Lord 1751

(Signed)

Signed Sealed & Delivered

James Greentree

in the presence of Us

(Signed) Jame Bowele

F. Wrangham Junr

Sam: Alexander

James Greentree, a planter of St Helena, made over his whole claim and interest in a house and everything belonging to it to Samuel Falconer, a surgeon of the same island. Falconer paid £60 0s 0d in good island money, and Greentree confirmed that the sum had reached him and that he was fully satisfied by it.

The property was to belong to Falconer and to those who came after him without limit of time, to keep or dispose of as they thought fit, free of any interruption from any person whatever. Greentree confirmed that nothing whatever was owing on it.

The agreement was completed on 2 April 1751, in the twenty-fourth year of the reign of King George the Second, and Greentree signed and sealed it. James Bowers, Francis Wrangham junior and Samuel Alexander watched him do so and added their names.

Interpretations

Samuel Falconer had witnessed the sale of Beale's House Pasture from the executors of Joseph Desfountain to John Goodwin on 12 March 1751, three weeks before buying this house. A surgeon on the island held a Company post with regular pay, which gave him money to invest in property at a time when a planter's income depended on the harvest and on shipping. The same pattern shows in John Ingles, another surgeon, paying £160 0s 0d for a James Valley house on 18 April 1754.

The document transfers Greentree's claim and interest rather than granting the house outright, which is the form used when a seller passes on rights he holds under an existing instrument rather than conveying land he owns. What Falconer took was Greentree's whole position in the property, whatever its nature, and the reference to the house already described points to this being written on or beside an earlier agreement covering the same building.

Greentree's acknowledgement that he was fully satisfied went beyond a bare receipt. A seller who recorded satisfaction closed off any later argument that the price had been only part paid or that something further remained due, which mattered where the transfer rested on an interest rather than on a straightforward freehold.

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Know all Persons by these presents That I

Gabriel Isaac of the Island St Helena Planter am

held & firmly bound to Capt George Meard Commander

of the Ship Denham in the service of the Honorable

the United Company of Merchants of England trading

to the East Indies in the penal Sum of two hundred

Pounds of lawful mony of Great Britain to be paid to

the said George Meard or to his certain Attorney Executors

Administrators or Assigns to which payment well &

truly to be made I bind my self my heirs Executors and

Administrators firmly by these presents Sealed with my

Seal Dated this first Day of November in the thirtieth

Year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lord Gorge the Second by

the Grace of God of Great Britain France & Ireland King

Defender of the Faith & so forth & in the Year of our

Lord 1756

The Condition of the above written Obligation is such that if

the above bound Gabriel Isaac his heirs Executors or Administrators

or Assigns shall & do well & truly pay or cause to be paid unto the said

George Meard his Executors Administrators or Assigns the full and Just

Sum of one hundred Pounds of lawfull Mony of great Britain at

the Day & times & in manner & in form following that is to say the sum

of £25 part thereof on the eleventh day of January next ensuing the date

of the above written obligation the further sum of £25 other part thereof

on the eleventh Day of April alsonext ensuing the date of the above

written obligation the further sum of £25 other part thereof on the 11th

day of July alsonext ensuing the date of the above written obligation

& the remaining sum of £25 on the 11th Day of October alsonext ensuing

the date of the above written obligation with lawfull Interest for the

same Sums respectively without any manner of Deduction whatsoever

then the above written obligation to be void, but in case in failure in

payment of the said several Sums of twenty five pounds or any of them

or any part of them or any of them or the Interest of them or any of them

Gabriel Isaac, a planter of St Helena, bound himself to Captain George Mead, commander of the ship Denham in the Company's service, in the sum of £200 0s 0d in lawful money of Great Britain. The money was to be paid to Mead or to his attorney or representatives, and Isaac pledged himself, his heirs and his representatives to make good the payment. He sealed the bond on 1 November 1756, in the thirtieth year of the reign of King George the Second.

The obligation was to count for nothing if Isaac or those acting for him paid Mead or his representatives the full sum of £100 0s 0d in lawful money of Great Britain by four instalments. Each instalment was £25 0s 0d, falling due on 11 January, 11 April, 11 July and 11 October following the date of the bond, and each was to carry lawful interest without any deduction whatever. Failure to pay any of the four sums, or any part of one, or the interest on any of them, would leave the obligation in force.

Interpretations

The bond is a penal instrument of the standard early modern kind, and the £200 0s 0d is not a debt at all. Isaac owed £100 0s 0d, and the doubled figure was the penalty he would face if he failed to keep the payment schedule. Naming a sum well above the real debt gave the lender a claim he could enforce without proving his losses, and the borrower escaped it entirely by paying on time. The same structure appears in the bond Henry Francis gave Captain Joseph Tolson on 6 June 1722, where £272 10s 8d stood against a real debt of £136 5s 0d.

A ship's commander lending to an island planter shows how credit reached St Helena. The Company's East Indiamen called on the passage between England and the East, and their masters carried both goods and money, so a captain in the road was one of the few sources of ready cash on an island where coin was chronically short. The arrangement also suited the lender, since the quarterly instalments falling due from January through October matched the rhythm of successive voyages calling at the island.

The instalments fall on 11 January, 11 April, 11 July and 11 October, spaced at exact quarters but set eleven days after the customary quarter days of 25 December, 25 March, 24 June and 29 September. The offset appears deliberate rather than accidental, and it kept the payments clear of the dates on which rents and Company dues fell in, when a planter's cash would already be committed.

Interest was payable on each instalment as well as on the principal, and the insistence that it come without any deduction closed off any attempt to set off other dealings between the two men against what was owed. A commander who might not return to the island for a year or more had good reason to leave nothing open to later argument.

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at the times & in manner above mentioned for the payment thereof then

the said Obligation to be & remain in full force. And further that in

case of such failure in payment he the said Gabriel Isaac for himself

his heirs Executors & Administrators do hereby, Covenant & agree to &

with the said George Meard his heirs Executors, Administrators and

assigns that he the said George Meard his heirs Executors, Administrators

or assigns or his or their certain Attorney or Attorneys to be by him or

them lawfully Authorized & appointed shall & may (after such default

in payment) enter upon have hold possess and enjoy & receive & take to

his & their own use all the Rents issues, & profits of all his the said

Gabriel Isaac's Messuage dwelling house or tenement in James's Valley

in the said Island wherein the said Gabriel Isaac now dwelleth & also all his

the said Gabriel Isaac's Dwelling house & Lands in Lemon Valley also in

the said Island with the appurtenances and also all the Cattle & Stock

whatsoever of him the said Gabriel Isaac in either of the said places & also

all his the said Gabriel Isaac's two Men Slaves Phillip & Lomsour

without any Interruption whatsoever of him the said Gabriel Isaac his

heirs Executors, Administrators or assigns or any other Person or persons

whatsoever And further that he the said Gabriel Isaac his heirs Executors

Executors or Administrators shall not nor will not alien Sell dispose of or

mortgage any of the said hereditaments or premisses before mentioned

before the said George Meard his Executors Administrators or Assigns

shall be fully paid & satisfyed the said Sum of one hundred Pounds

with the Interest as aforesaid and at the times and in manner and

from aforesaid

his

Gabriel + Isaac

Mark

Sealed & delivered (no Stamps to be had)

in the presence of (the words of lawfull money

of great Britain) first Interlined)

(Signed) John Bland

Jas Sheridan

Failure to pay any instalment at the time and in the manner set out would leave the obligation standing in full force.

Gabriel Isaac further agreed, for himself and his representatives, that on any such default Captain George Mead, his representatives or any attorney they lawfully appointed might enter on his property, hold it, and take its rents and profits for their own use without interruption from Isaac, from anyone succeeding him or from any other person. That right extended to his dwelling house in James Valley, where he then lived, to his house and land in Lemon Valley, to all the cattle and stock he kept at either place, and to his two slave men Phillip and Somsour.

Isaac also undertook that neither he nor his representatives would sell, dispose of or mortgage any of that property until Mead or his representatives had been paid the whole £100 0s 0d with the interest, at the times and in the manner already fixed.

The bond was sealed and handed over on the terms given. The words recording that the sum was in lawful money of Great Britain were inserted before sealing. No stamped paper was to be had on the island. Gabriel Isaac made his mark, and John Bland and James Sheridan watched him do so and added their names.

Interpretations

The security Mead took was a right to enter and collect rather than a conveyance of the property itself. Isaac kept ownership of his houses, land, stock and slaves, but on default the commander could take possession and draw the income until the debt was cleared. That approach suited a creditor who would be at sea for long stretches, since it let his attorney on the island act without any need to sell anything or to bring proceedings.

The restraint on selling or mortgaging until the debt was paid closed the obvious escape. Without it Isaac could have disposed of the houses, the cattle and the two slaves and left Mead with a right to enter on property no longer his, and the covenant tied the whole of the planter's visible assets to the loan for its duration.

Isaac's holdings straddled two quarters of the island, a dwelling in James Valley where he lived and a house with land in Lemon Valley, and both were pledged together with everything moveable on them. The two slaves, Phillip and Somsour, were treated as part of the working stock alongside the cattle, a pattern that runs through the record from the sale of the man Asher with Joseph Trapp's plantation on 10 February 1690 to the slaves and livestock carried in the composite estate George Gabriel Powell sold Governor John Goodwin on 13 September 1739.

Isaac signed with a mark, which is worth noting against the standing of the men involved. An unlettered planter was pledging his house, his land, his animals and two men to a Company commander in a document whose terms he could not read for himself, and the attesting witnesses served in part to establish that the arrangement had been made known to him before he sealed it.

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Island St Helena

Know all Men by these presents that I Francis

Mowatt of the said Island for and in Consideration of the Sum of Eight

pounds of good and lawfull Money of the said Island to me in hand paid

by Lieutenant Onesiphorus Beale of the said Island at and before the

ensealing and delivery of these presents the Receipt hereof I hereby

acknowledge and am fully Contented and Satisfied Have given granted

bargained alienated Sold and delivered and do by these presents Give

Grant bargain Sell and deliver unto him the said Onesr Beale his heirs

Executors Administrators and assigns All and singular that piece or

parcell of Freehold Lands containing ten Acres, situate and lying in James's

Valley commonly, known by the name of the Dwelaim Body, Butting and

Bounding upon the North East and West on the honble Companys waste

Lands, and on the South upon ten Acres of Freehold Land now in the possession

of Stephen Young To have and to hold the said hereby bargained premises

with all and singular the rights, priviledges, Comodities, Water Watercourses, Trees

Issues and appurtenances thereunto belonging or appertaining To him the

said Onesr Beale his heirs Executors Administrators or assigns for ever to do

and dispose of occupy possess and enjoy as he or they shall think meet & proper

from time to time and at all times hereafter And I the said Francis Mowatt

do for my Self my heirs or assigns quit all claim right title or intrest what

ever had to the said bargained premisses unto him the said Onesr Beale

peaceably to occupy possess and enjoy without any molestation Lett hindrance

incumbrance whatsoever by or from me, or by any other person or persons

in my name, or through my means and procurement, and against all manner

of persons do hereby warrant defend and save harmless him the said

Onesr Beale his heirs Executors Administrators and assigns and against

all manner of Claim or demand of in, or unto the said promisses Warranting

the same to be free and clear of all manner of incumbrances whatsoever In

witness whereof I the said Francis Mowatt have hereunto set my hand & Seal

this twenty third day of June in the Year of our Lord 1756, and in the thirtieth

Year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lord George the Second by the grace of God of

great Britain France and Ireland King defender of the faith & so forth

(Signed)

Fran Mowatt

Signed Sealed and delivered (where no

Stampt Paper is to be had) in the presence

of us

(Signed)

William Lansdowne

John Desfountain

Orlando Bagley

Francis Mowatt of St Helena sold ten acres of freehold ground to Lieutenant Onesiphorus Beale of the same island. Beale paid £8 0s 0d in good and lawful island money before the agreement was sealed and handed over. Mowatt confirmed the payment and declared himself fully satisfied by it.

The parcel lay in James Valley and went by the name of the Purslain Beds. It was bounded to the north, east and west by the Company's waste ground, and to the south by ten acres of freehold then held by Stephen Young. Everything attached to the ten acres passed with them, including the water, the watercourses, the trees and the fences, and the ground was to belong to Beale and to those who came after him without limit of time, to use or dispose of as they saw fit.

Mowatt gave up every claim he had ever held in the property, and pledged that Beale would occupy and enjoy it without interference from himself, from anyone acting in his name or on his behalf, or from any other person whatever. He undertook to defend Beale and his successors against every claim or demand that might be raised on the ground, and confirmed that nothing whatever was owing on it.

The agreement was completed on 23 June 1756, in the thirtieth year of the reign of King George the Second, and Mowatt signed and sealed it. No stamped paper was to be had on the island. William Lansdowne, John Desfountain and Orlando Bagley watched the sealing and added their names.

Interpretations

The Purslain Beds appear in the record as far back as December 1707, when the Company leased Paul Graton the Lemon Garden together with an acre and a half of waste ground below the Purslane Bed held by the Beale orphans. The name had attached to that ground for at least half a century, and it returns to Beale hands here in the person of Onesiphorus Beale.

At sixteen shillings an acre the price is by far the lowest in the recent run, against roughly £17 10s 0d an acre for the West Division freehold Francis Wrangham junior sold his father on 29 April 1756. Ground hemmed in by Company waste on three sides, carrying a name drawn from a low creeping herb that grows on poor stony soil, was evidently reckoned near worthless for planting.

Mowatt had bought and sold substantially across 1753 and 1756, taking Ryder ground from the executors and passing twenty-seven acres and four fifths with a slave, a house and 50,000 yams to Francis Wrangham senior two days earlier on 21 June 1756. This ten acres looks like the tail of that clearance, a poor parcel disposed of for what little it would fetch once the valuable ground had gone.

Beale had bought a strip of James Valley back ground from Lieutenant Thomas Casthope for £5 0s 0d on 17 July 1750, so he was accustomed to picking up small or awkward parcels near the town at low prices. Ten acres for £8 0s 0d fits that pattern, and its position against Company waste on three sides left room to expand should the Company ever grant out the adjoining ground.

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Know all Persons to whom these presents shall come that I John Bland

of the Island St Helena Master Mason to the Honourable the united Company of

Merchants of England trading to the East Indies for & in Consideration of the Sum

of one hundred and ten pounds of lawfull Money of great Britain to me the

said John Bland in hand paid at or before the ensealing and delivery of these

presents by John Robinson of the same Island Carpenter and Joiner the receipt

whereof I do hereby acknowledge and thereupon acquit and for ever discharge the

said John Robinson his heirs Executors and Administrators Have granted

bargained and sold and by these presents DO grant bargain and sell unto the

said John Robinson his heirs and assigns All that Messuage dwelling House or

Tenement situate standing and being in St Helena aforesaid in a place there

called James's Valley between the House late of John Leech, but now of

Lieutenant John Clark on the West or Westerly and the House the Estate of

Lieutenant Stephen Hubert and in the occupation of Mr Solomon Jacobs on

the East or Easterly the honorable Companys Waste on the North or Northerly &

the South or Southerly Together with the Yard on the backside of the said hereby

Granted Messuage dwelling House or Tenement And all the outbuildings

hereditaments and appurtenances whatsoever to the same premisses or any

part thereof belonging or in any wise appertaining or now or at any time

heretofore therewithall used or enjoyed or accepted reputed deemed taken or

known as part parcell or member thereof or any part thereof or in as full large

and ample manner to all intents and purposes as the same was held by the

late Serjeant Aldrich or Lieutenant Onesiphorus Beale And the reversion

and reversions remainder and remainders rents issues and profits thereof

and all the Estate and Interest whatsoever of me the said John Bland therein

or thereto And all deeds Evidences and writings whatsoever in my Custody or

power concerning the same To have and to hold all and singular the

Messuage Dwelling House or Tenement Yard Outbuildings hereditaments and

appurtenances whatsoever before mentioned and intended to be hereby Granted

and the reversion and reversions remainder & remainders thereof unto the

said John Robinson his heirs and assigns To the only use and behoof of the said

John Robinson his heirs and assigns for ever absolutely And I the said John

Bland the said Messuage Dwelling House or tenement Yard outbuildings and

appurtenances unto him the said John Robinson and his heirs against me the

said John Bland and my heirs and against all & every other person and

persons whatsoever shall and will Warrant and for ever defend by these presents

And I the said John Bland for my self my heirs Executors and Administrators do

hereby Covenant and agree to and with the said John Robinson his heirs and

assigns that he the said John Robinson his heirs or assigns shall & lawfully may

from time to time and at all times hereafter peaceably and quietly have hold

possess and enjoy and receive and take to his and their own use all the Rents

John Robinson, master mason to the Company on St Helena, sold a dwelling house to John Bland, a carpenter and joiner of the same island. Bland paid £110 0s 0d in lawful money of Great Britain before the agreement was sealed and handed over, and Robinson acknowledged the sum and released Bland and his representatives from any further demand.

The house stood in James Valley. It was bounded to the west by the dwelling once John Leech's and now held by Lieutenant John Clark, to the east by the house belonging to Lieutenant Stephen Hubert and then occupied by Solomon Jacobs, and to the north and south by the Company's waste ground. The sale carried the yard at the back of the house, along with every outbuilding and attachment that then went with the property or ever had done, whether or not each part was known by that name, and on the same full footing as the ground had been held by the late Sergeant Aldrich or by Lieutenant Onesiphorus Beale. Everything Robinson held in the property passed with it, together with the rents and profits, whatever might fall in later, and every paper touching the title that lay in his hands or within his power to obtain.

The whole was to belong to Bland and to those who came after him without limit of time and to their sole benefit. Robinson undertook to defend the house, its yard and outbuildings for Bland against himself and against every other person whatever, and pledged that Bland and his successors would hold the property quietly from that day forward and take its rents to their own use.

Interpretations

Two men of the building trades appear on either side of this sale, a master mason selling to a carpenter and joiner. Robinson held a Company appointment as master mason, an office that placed him among the salaried craftsmen the Company kept for its works on the island, alongside the earlier Company smith Bartrant Audouart. Bland himself sold a Southwark side house to John Clark on 3 June 1756, so both men dealt in town property beyond their trades.

The price stands in lawful money of Great Britain rather than island money, which distinguishes it from most transactions in the record. Reckoning in sterling marks the sum as a substantial one measured against the metropolitan standard, the same practice that appears in the £160 0s 0d sale of a James Valley dwelling by John Goodwin to Jonathan Doveton on 12 July 1717 and in the £750 0s 0d mortgage between Governor John Goodwin and George Gabriel Powell on 30 June 1740.

Two of the neighbours named here recur across the recent conveyances. John Clark now held the house formerly John Leech's, which he had bought on 1 April 1756, and Solomon Jacobs occupied the dwelling on the other side, as he had occupied the house Bland sold Clark on 3 June 1756. The same handful of men appear as owners, occupiers and witnesses across a single short stretch of the town.

Referring the extent of the property to how it had been held by the late Sergeant Aldrich and by Lieutenant Onesiphorus Beale settled the bounds by reference to earlier occupation rather than by measurement. Where a town plot had accumulated yards, sheds and encroachments over decades, pointing to what a known former holder had enjoyed was a surer guide than any list of parts.

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Issues and profits of the said hereby granted premisses with the Appurtenances

without any disturbance whatsoever of me the said John Bland my heirs

Executors or Administrators or any other person or persons whatsoever And that

free and clear of and from any Incumbrance whatsoever made done committed

or Suffered by any person or persons whatsoever And that I the said John Bland

and my heirs and all claiming under me shall and will (when required) within

seven Years make any further Assurance to the said John Robinson for better

securing the same premisses to him and his so as we be not compelled to travel

out of the said Island to do the same In Witness whereof I the said John

Bland have hereunto set my hand and Seal this eighteenth day of August in

the Year of our Lord One thousand seven hundred and Fifty Six

(Signed)

Sealed and delivered (no Stamps

John Bland

to be had) in the presence of

(Signed)

T Dunn

Jno Legg

Indorsed

Received the day and Year last within written of the within

named John Robinson the Sum of one hundred and ten pounds

being the full Consideration within mentioned to be paid by him

to me

(Signed)

John Bland

Witness

(Signed)

Jno Legg

T Dunn

This Indenture made the twenty seventh day of September in the Thirtieth

Year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lord George the Second by the Grace of God of great Britain

France and Ireland King defender of the Faith and so forth and in the Year of our Lord One

Thousand Seven hundred and Fifty Six between Francis Wrangham the Younger of the

Island St Helena Secretary to the Honorable the united Company of Merchants of England

trading to the East Indies of the one part and Francis Wrangham the elder of the same Island

Gentleman & Uncle of the other part Whereas the said Francis Wrangham the elder by a certain

Bond or Obligation or other instrument in writing became bound or otherwise engaged himself

to pay or cause to be paid unto Margaret the wife of the said Francis Wrangham the Younger

or to some other person or persons for his use the Yearly Annuity or Sum of Thirty pounds for

her life for her Seperate maintenance and in full bar of all Dower at the time and in manner as

therein and in the said Bond or in the said other Instrument in writing mentioned as by the said

Bond or Obligation and Condition or by the said other Instrument in writing [...]

[...] relation being thereunto had may more fully and at large

appear And whereas the said Francis Wrangham the Younger is willing to secure the payment

Wait — the buyer and seller are the other way round from what I described. The £110 0s 0d was paid by John Bland to John Robinson, and it is Bland who gives the promises and signs, so Bland was the seller and Robinson the buyer. My previous reply had them reversed; the correction runs through the whole entry.

Bland pledged that Robinson and his successors would take the rents and profits of the property without disturbance from himself, from those following him or from any other person, and that it was free of every charge created or allowed by anyone whatever. He further undertook that he and anyone claiming through him would, whenever asked within seven years, give any further assurance needed to secure Robinson's title, provided it did not require him to travel off the island to do so.

He set his hand and seal to the agreement on 18 August 1756. No stamped paper was to be had on the island. A witness surnamed Dunn and John Legg attended the sealing. A note written beneath recorded that Bland had received the whole £110 0s 0d from Robinson on the same day, witnessed by the same two men.

Francis Wrangham junior, secretary to the Company on St Helena, and Francis Wrangham the elder, a gentleman of the same island, made an agreement on 27 September 1756, in the thirtieth year of the reign of King George the Second. Wrangham the elder had bound himself by a bond and by another written instrument to pay Margaret, the wife of Francis Wrangham the younger, or someone acting for her, a yearly sum of £30 0s 0d for her own separate use during his lifetime, in place of any dower right she might claim. The younger man was willing to secure that payment.

Interpretations

The promise to give further assurance within seven years is a form rarely seen elsewhere in the record. It bound Bland to sign whatever additional document might later prove necessary if a defect in the title emerged, and the seven-year limit reflected the period within which such a flaw would ordinarily surface. The exception releasing him from any need to leave the island shows both parties expecting that he might well depart, and shows what a buyer could and could not realistically enforce against a man who had sailed.

The £30 0s 0d yearly payment to Margaret Wrangham was an arrangement made in place of dower, the share of a husband's land a widow could claim after his death. Fixing a settled annual sum for her own separate use gave her an income during the elder man's lifetime rather than a contingent claim afterwards, and protected her against the possibility that the land itself might be sold or encumbered before she ever came to inherit.

The phrase for her own separate use carried real weight. A married woman's property ordinarily fell under her husband's control, and money settled for her separate use was placed beyond his reach, so the arrangement protected Margaret against her own husband as much as it provided for her.

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of the said Annuity to the said Margaret Wrangham for her life and quit the said Francis

Wrangham the elder from the payment thereof Now this Indenture witnesseth that for and

in Consideration of the said Bond or Obligation or of the said other Instrument in writing and

for and in order by the said Francis Wrangham the elder And also for and in Consideration of the

Sum of five Shillings of lawfull Money of great Britain by the said Francis Wrangham the

elder to the said Francis Wrangham the Younger in hand paid at or before the ensealing and

delivery of these presents the receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged He the said Francis

Wrangham the Younger Hath granted bargained and Sold and by these presents Doth

Grant bargain and Sell unto the said Francis Wrangham the elder his heirs and assigns All

that Messuage dwelling House or Tenement Situate Standing and being in a place called

the Head of Chappel Valley in the said Island And all those pieces or parcells of Arrable Meadow

or pasture Ground adjoining or belonging to or used with the said Messuage dwelling House or

Tenement containing by estimation thirty eight Acres be the same more or less And also all

that Messuage dwelling House or Tenement Situate Standing and being in James's Valley

in the said Island on the North or Northerly side thereof adjoining to the House of Mr Matthew

Purling on the West or Westerly and the House of Mr James Greentree on the East or Easterly

Which said Messuages dwelling Houses Lands and premisses are now in the tenure or

Occupation of the said Francis Wrangham the Younger his Assigns or Undertenants Together

with all the Yards backsides gardens Stables Orchards Outhouses Outbuildings hereditaments and other

appurtenances to the same premisses or any part thereof belonging or in any wise

appertaining And the reversion and reversions remainder and remainders rents issues

and profits thereof and of every part thereof And all the Estate right title and Interest

whatsoever of him the said Francis Wrangham the Younger therein or thereto or to any part

thereof To have and to hold all and singular the said Messuages dwelling Houses or

Tenements Lands and premisses with the appurtenances And the reversion and reversions

remainder and remainders thereof unto the said Francis Wrangham the elder his heirs and

assigns To the only use and behoof of the said Francis Wrangham the elder his heirs and

assigns for ever Provided always nevertheless and it is hereby declared and agreed

by and between the said parties hereto that if the said Francis Wrangham the Younger his

heirs Executors or Administrators shall and do Yearly and every Year during the life of the

said Margaret Wrangham well and truly pay or cause to be paid unto her the said Margaret

Wrangham or to some other person or persons for her use the said Annuity or Sum of Thirty

pounds of lawfull Money of great Britain without any manner of deduction or Taxes

according to the Condition of the said Bond or Obligation or the said other Instrument in

writing for her Seperate Maintenance to be in lieu of and in full bar of and in recompence of

any Dower or Thirds which She the said Margaret Wrangham shall in any wise or might have

or claim from or out of any of the Lands Tenements or hereditaments whatsoever of him

the said Francis Wrangham the Younger her said Husband their Heirs & assigns and all

his Estate and Interest hereby made [...] any Determination to be Paid any thing herein

before contained to the Contrary notwithstanding And the said Francis Wrangham the

Younger of himself his heirs Executors and Administrators doth hereby Covenant & agree

to and with the said Francis Wrangham the elder his heirs and Assigns that he the said

Francis Wrangham the Younger his heirs Exors or Admors shall and will well and truly

pay or cause to be paid unto the said Margaret Wrangham or to some other person or

persons for her use during her life the said Annuity or Yearly Sum of Thirty pounds

Francis Wrangham the younger undertook to secure the yearly payment to Margaret Wrangham for her lifetime and to relieve his father of the burden of making it. In return for the earlier bond and instrument, and for five shillings in lawful money of Great Britain paid by the elder man before the sealing, the younger made over property to his father.

The property was a dwelling house at the head of Chapel Valley, together with several parcels of arable meadow and pasture ground belonging to it, reckoned at about thirty-eight acres. It also took in a second dwelling in James Valley, which stood beside Matthew Purling's house to the north, the house of James Greentree to the east, and was then occupied by the younger Wrangham or his tenants. Everything attached to both properties passed with them, including the yards, buildings, gardens, stables, orchards and outhouses, along with the rents and profits, whatever might fall in later, and the whole of the younger man's claim and interest. All of it was to belong to Francis Wrangham the elder and to those who came after him without limit of time, and to their sole benefit.

The arrangement carried one condition. If the younger Wrangham or his representatives paid Margaret Wrangham, or someone acting for her, the £30 0s 0d a year for her own use throughout her life, without any deduction whatever and on the terms of the earlier bond, then that payment would stand in place of everything she might otherwise claim in her husband's estate as his widow, whatever any earlier arrangement had provided. The younger Wrangham further pledged, for himself and his representatives, that he would make the yearly payment to her for her own use during her lifetime.

Interpretations

The son conveyed his own property to his father in order to guarantee an income for his own wife. The structure looks circular but served a plain purpose: the elder man had originally bound himself to pay Margaret, and this arrangement transferred both the burden and the assets to support it, so the annuity became a charge on identified property rather than a personal promise that might fail if either man's fortunes did.

Substituting a fixed £30 0s 0d a year for a widow's dower gave Margaret certainty in place of a contingent share. Dower entitled a widow to the use of part of her husband's land after his death, but the value of that share depended on what land he still held when he died. A settled annuity could not be diminished by his selling or mortgaging the estate in the meantime, and it began at once rather than on his death.

The five shillings named as the price marks the transfer as a family arrangement rather than a sale. Such token sums appear throughout the record where property moved within a household, as in the transfers Frances Carne made to her son John Goodwin on 19 November 1717 and the lease-backs he granted her the following month.

Francis Wrangham the younger held the post of secretary to the Company on the island, an office of standing that ran back through John Alexander and Antipas Tovey. Two months earlier, on 29 April 1756, he had sold his father forty-three acres in the West Division for £750 10s 0d, so property had been moving between the two men in both directions across the year.

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of the lawfull Money according to the Condition of the said Bond or Obligation or according to the

said other Instrument in writing and the Proviso above mentioned without any manner of

Deduction whatsoever And the said Francis Wrangham the elder for himself his heirs Executors

and Administrators doth hereby Covenant and agree to and with the said Francis Wrangham

the Younger his heirs and assigns that in all default shall be made in payment of the said

Annuity or Yearly Sum of Thirty pounds contrary to the Condition of the said Bond or Obligation

or contrary to the said other Instrument in Writing and the Proviso above mentioned He the said

Francis Wrangham the Younger his heirs and assigns that [...]

[...] shall and may peaceably and quietly hold and enjoy and receive and take to his

and their own use all the rents issues and profits of the said hereby granted premisses with

the appurtenances without any molestation disturbance whatsoever of him the said

Francis Wrangham the elder his heirs Executors Administrators or assigns or any other person

or persons whatsoever lawfully claiming or to claim by from or under him them or any of

them In witness whereof the said parties to these presents have interchangeably set their

hands and Seals the day and Year first above written.

(Signed)

F. Wrangham Junr

Sealed and delivered (no Stamps

to be had) in the presence of

Fran Wrangham

(Signd)

Willm Wrangham

Memm that the above Indenture, and the proviso

T Dunn

therein contained is void and of no Effect, the above named

Margaret Wrangham being dead.

Know all Men by these presents that I Elisha Isacke Planter of the Island St Helena

for and in Consideration of the Sum of four Pounds Currant Money of this said Island to me in hand

paid by Samuel Doveton of the said Island at and before the ensealing and delivery of these presents the

receipt whereof I hereby acknowledge and my self to be fully satisfied contented and paid Have

bargained and sold and by these presents Certifily clearly and Absolutely bargain alienate sell

set over and deliver unto him the said Samuel Doveton his heirs Executors Administrators and

assigns All my right and title to half an Acre and one tenth part of an Acre Freehold Lands Butting

and bounding East or the East upon my Freehold Lands On the West upon the Lands of Samuel

Doveton which he lately purchased of Francis Hayes On the North upon the Lands of Desfountains

Orphans On the South or my Freehold Lands To have and to hold the said bargained Freehold

Lands with all the Trees Watercourses that is or after arise and all other appurtenances

thereunto belonging to him the said Samuel Doveton his heirs or to his and their own proper use for

ever And I the said Elisha Isacke do for my self my heirs Executors Administrators and assigns quit

all claim right title and Interest to the said bargained premisses of Freehold Land for ever and grant

and doth and will covenant and grant firm defend and save harmless in the quiet and peaceable

possession and enjoyment without any lett hindrance and molestation from all and every

Person or Persons whatsoever In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and Seal

this second day of March in the twenty second year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lord King George

the Second and in the year of our Lord God One thousand seven hundred and Forty eight

(Signed)

Signed Sealed and delivered

Elisha Isacke

in the presence of us

(Signd)

M. Purling

Jno Doveton

The yearly payment was to be made in lawful money on the terms of the earlier bond and instrument, without any deduction whatever. Francis Wrangham the elder undertook, for himself and his representatives, that should the £30 0s 0d fall into arrears contrary to those terms, his son and his son's successors might quietly hold the property and take its rents and profits to their own use, free of interference from himself, his representatives or anyone claiming through him.

Both men set their hands and seals to the agreement on the day already given. No stamped paper was to be had on the island. William Wrangham and a witness surnamed Dunn attended the sealing. A note written beside the entry recorded that the agreement and the condition within it were void and of no effect, Margaret Wrangham being dead.

Elisha Isaacke, a planter of St Helena, sold ground to Samuel Doveton of the same island. Doveton paid £4 0s 0d in island money before the sealing, and Isaacke acknowledged the sum and declared himself fully satisfied.

The parcel was half an acre and a tenth of an acre of freehold ground. It was bounded to the north-east by Isaacke's own freehold, to the west by land belonging to Samuel Doveton and lately bought from Francis Hayes, to the north by ground held by John Desfountain and Onesiphorus Beale, and to the south by Isaacke's own land. The watercourses on the parcel passed with it, along with everything else attached. Isaacke gave up every claim he held in the ground and undertook to defend Doveton's quiet possession against every person whatever.

He set his hand and seal to the agreement on 2 March 1758, in the twenty-second year of the reign of King George the Second. Matthew Purling and Jonas Doveton watched him do so and added their names.

Interpretations

The note recording the arrangement as void because Margaret Wrangham had died shows the register being kept as a working record rather than as a closed file. An annuity settled for her life ended with her, and with it the condition on which the whole transfer had rested, so the clerk marked the entry accordingly. The same practice appears in the marginal note recording Thomas Steward's death in Elizabeth Steward's deed of gift of 2 March 1716.

The regnal year given does not match the calendar year, since March 1758 fell in the thirty-first year of King George the Second, not the twenty-second. Such slips appear elsewhere in the register, and the calendar date rather than the reign is the reliable guide.

Half an acre and a tenth was a very small piece of ground, and the boundaries explain why it was worth conveying at all. Isaacke held the land on two sides and Doveton on a third, so the parcel was a wedge between two neighbours' holdings. Naming the watercourses separately points to the real value, since water rather than acreage was the scarce commodity on the island, as the reservations in the leases to Francis Junge and John Knipe junior of 2 February 1730 make plain.

Samuel Doveton had lately bought the adjoining ground from Francis Hayes, so the purchase formed part of a wider consolidation in that quarter. The name connects to the Samuel Doveton who accumulated steadily through the 1730s and 1740s, though that man's orphans were named as boundary holders in April 1756, so this is a younger member of the same family.

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Island St Helena

Know all Persons by these presents that we the Governor and Council of the

sd Island Have (by virtue of a power in us reposed by the Honorable the united Company

of Merchants of England trading to the East Indies Lords Proprietors of the said Island)

bargained sold assigned and set over And by these presents DO (by virtue of such power as

aforesaid) bargain sell assign and set over unto Gabriel Isacke of this Island Planter

All the within mentioned piece or parcell of Gumwood Land containing eight Acres

more or less Scituate lying and being in Lemon Valley in the said Island with all and

singular the Appurtenances thereunto belonging or appertaining Which said eight

Acres of Gumwood Land were by the within written Lease (with other three Acres of

Land in Lemon Valley aforesaid) granted by the said Honorable Company to the within

named Giles Smith (since deceased) his heires Executors Administrators and assigns

for the within mentioned term of twenty one Years And which said three Acres of Land

were by the said Giles Smith in his life time by the Indorsement on the within written

Lease assigned to John Goodwin of the said Island for the residue of the said Term then to

come And the said eight Acres hereby intended to be assigned were since the decease of the

said Giles Smith purchased by the said Gabriel Isacke at a public Sale of his the said

Giles Smiths effects To have and to hold the said eight Acres of Gumwood Land and

premisses with the appurtenances unto him the said Gabriel Isacke his heirs Executors

Administrators and assigns from the day of the date of this Indorsement for and during

all the rest residue and remainder of the said term of twenty one Years yet to come and

unexpired fully to be compleat and ended Subject nevertheless to the rents payments

provisoes and Conditions in the said within written Lease contained In witness whereof

Francis Wrangham Gentleman Secretary to the said Honorable Company has by Order of

Council set his hand this eighteenth day of April in the Year of our Lord One thousand

seven hundred and Fifty Seven.

By Order of Council

The Governor and Council of St Helena, acting under the authority the Company had placed in them as owners of the island, made over eight acres of gumwood land to Gabriel Isaacke, a planter of the same island.

The parcel lay in Lemon Valley, and everything attached to it passed with the transfer. Those eight acres, together with three further acres in the same valley, had been granted by the Company to Giles Smith, since deceased, and to his successors, under a lease running twenty-one years. Smith had in his lifetime made over the three acres to John Goodwin of the island for whatever remained of that term. The eight acres had come to Gabriel Isaacke since Smith's death, bought at a public sale of his goods and effects.

The ground was to belong to Isaacke and to those who came after him for the whole of the twenty-one years still to run, subject nonetheless to the rents, terms and conditions written into the original lease.

Francis Wrangham, gentleman and secretary to the Company, set his hand to the record by order of the Council on 18 April 1757.

Interpretations

Public sale of a dead man's goods was the standard means of turning a decayed or indebted estate into money, and a leasehold interest counted among the effects that could be sold in that way. The same mechanism carried George Carne's estate to his stepson John Goodwin on 19 November 1717. Isaacke had bought the eight acres at auction, but a purchase at a public sale did not by itself transfer a Company leasehold, which is why the Governor and Council had afterwards to record and confirm the assignment.

The original lease had covered eleven acres in a single grant, and the two portions had since gone separate ways. Smith assigned three acres to John Goodwin during his lifetime, and the remaining eight passed to Isaacke after his death, so one lease came to be held by two unconnected men. Each held under the same terms and the same expiry date, since neither could take more than the original grant allowed.

Isaacke took the ground burdened with everything the original lease imposed, and the reminder was not idle. The gumwood leases of this period carried heavy obligations to fence within a fixed period, to raise young gumwood, to plant furze along the fences and to seek the council's consent before any further transfer, with a double duty falling on any part left unenclosed. A buyer at auction acquired those duties along with the land.

Francis Wrangham signing as secretary connects to the Francis Wrangham the younger who held that office in the transactions of 1756. Gabriel Isaacke, the buyer here, appears a few months earlier as the planter who bound himself to Captain George Mead of the Denham for £100 0s 0d on 1 November 1756, pledging his James Valley dwelling, his Lemon Valley house and land, his cattle and his two slaves as security. His Lemon Valley holding therefore stood mortgaged at the time he took on these eight acres in the same valley.

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Know all Men by these presents that I John Goodwin of the

Island of St Helena Gent with the Leave and Consent of the Governr & Council

given me the 4th Instant, For and in Consideration of the Sum of Ninety One

Pounds to me in Hand paid by Richard Beale of the said Island, Have and

by these presents do for my Self my Heirs Executors Administrators and Assigns

Sell, assign, make Over and Deliver unto him the said Rich Beale, all my

Right Title and Interest to and in the within mentioned Five Acres of

Leasehold Land To have and to hold unto him the said Richard

Beale & his Heirs &c. for all the Remainder of the Term and Time yet to

Come in the Lease made and Bearing Date the 18th of April 1704 for the

Term and Time of Ninety Nine Years as by the said Lease, may more

fully appear And Also all my Right and Title to a Peice or parcell

of Freehold Land Containing One Eighth of an Acre, which I purchased

of Mr Francis Mowatt, at the Upper part of the above mentioned five

Acres, adjoyning and entirely Enclosed with the same To have and to

hold unto him the said Richard Beale his Heirs &c for Ever &c

Witness whereof I have hereunto set my Hand and Seal this 13 day

of July One thousand seven hundred and fifty seven.

(Signed)

Signed Sealed & Delivered

John Goodwin

in the Presence of

Onesr Beale

M Bazett

Know all Persons by these presents that I John Goodwin

of the Island St Helena Gentleman, for and in Consideration of the Sum

of Two hundred and seventy Pounds of lawful Money of Great Britain

to me in Hand paid by Thomas Greentree of the said Island Planter

the Receipt whereof I do hereby Acknowledge and thereferom acquit and

for Ever discharge the said Thomas Greentree his Heirs Executors and

Administrators Have granted bargained and Sold And by these

presents DO grant bargain and sell unto the said Thomas Greentree

his Heirs and Assigns for Ever All that parcell of Freehold Land

Containing by Estimation Twenty One Acres and an half Situate lying

and being under the High Peaks in the said Island and called & known

by the Name of Frenchs Gutt butting and bounding North and East on

the Lands of the late Martin Harper deceased South on the said

Thomas Greentrees own Land and West on the Honorable Companys

pasture Land with all the Appurts whatsoever thereunto belonging or

Appertaining and the reversion and reversions remainder and Remainders

John Goodwin of St Helena, acting with the leave and consent of the Governor and Council granted on 4 April, sold his whole claim and interest in five acres of leasehold ground to Richard Beale of the same island. Beale paid £91 0s 0d, and Goodwin confirmed receipt of the sum.

Beale was to hold the five acres for whatever remained of the term granted by a lease dated 18 April 1704, which ran for ninety-nine years. Goodwin also made over an eighth of an acre of freehold ground, which he had bought from Francis Mowatt. That small piece lay at the upper part of the five acres and was entirely enclosed by them, and it was to belong to Beale and to those who came after him without limit of time.

Goodwin set his hand and seal to the agreement on 13 July 1757. Onesiphorus Beale and Matthew Bazett watched him do so and added their names.

John Goodwin, a gentleman of St Helena, sold twenty-one acres and a half of freehold ground to Thomas Greentree, a planter of the same island. Greentree paid £270 0s 0d in lawful money of Great Britain, and Goodwin acknowledged the sum and released Greentree and his representatives from any further demand.

The parcel lay under the High Peak and went by the name of French's Gutt. It was bounded to the north and east by land that had belonged to the late Martin Harper, to the south by Greentree's own ground, and to the west by the Company's pasture land. Everything attached to it passed with the parcel, together with the reversion and whatever might fall in later.

Interpretations

The ninety-nine year lease of 18 April 1704 belongs to the earlier period before the framework of 1711 replaced such long grants with terms of twenty-one years. Fifty-three years had run when Beale took it on, leaving him some forty-six still to come, which explains why £91 0s 0d could be paid for a leasehold interest in only five acres.

Goodwin sold the eighth of an acre of freehold along with the leasehold because the two could not sensibly be separated. That fragment sat wholly enclosed within the five acres, so it had no value to anyone but the holder of the surrounding ground, and keeping it back would have left an island of another man's freehold in the middle of Beale's land.

The council's leave, given nine days before the sealing, was required because the five acres were Company leasehold. That restriction had governed every such grant since 1711 and appears repeatedly in the record, most recently in Francis Mowatt's assignment to Francis Wrangham senior on 21 June 1756, which waited on permission granted on 31 May 1756.

Martin Harper is recorded as deceased on the northern and eastern boundaries of the second parcel. He appears earlier as the soldier who took the eight-acre gumwood lease known as the Half Moon on 6 September 1726, three acres in Swanley Valley on 18 September 1731, and the twenty-five-acre Robinson's Land leasehold he sold Duke Crispe for £200 0s 0d on 13 November 1734.

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thereof To have and to hold the said hereby granted premisses

and every part thereof with the Appurtenances and the Reversion and

Reversions remainder and remainders thereof unto the said Thomas

Greentree his Heirs and Assigns to the only Use and Behoof of the said

Thomas Greentree his Heirs and Assigns for Ever And the said John

Goodwin the said hereby granted premisses with the Appurtenances against

him the said John Goodwin and his Heirs to him the said Thomas

Greentree and his Heirs shall and will Warrant and for Ever defend by

these presents and I the said John Goodwin for my self my Heirs

Executors and Administrators doth hereby Covenant and Agree to and

with the said Thomas Greentree his Heirs and Assigns That he the said

Thomas Greentree his Heirs and Assigns shall and may Peaceably and Quietly

have hold possess and Enjoy and receive and take to his and their own Use

all the Rents Issues and Profits of the said hereby granted premisses with

the Appurtenances without any Molestation or disturbance of or from any

person or persons whatsoever and free and Clear from all Incumbrances

whatsoever In Witness whereof I the said John Goodwin have hereunto

set my Hand and Seal this fifteenth Day of July in the Year of our Lord One

thousand seven hundred and fifty seven

(Signed)

Sealed and delivered no Stamps

John Goodwin

to be had in the presence of

Thos Leill Junr

John Alexander

Know all persons by these presents that I Robert Barclay of the

Island St Helena Surgeon to the Honorable the United Company of

Merchants trading to the East Indies for and in Consideration of the Sum

of Two hundred Pounds of currant Money of the said Island to me in Hand

paid by Charles Steward of the said Island Gentleman and therefore for Ever discharge the said

I do hereby Acknowledge and therefrom acquit and for Ever discharge the said

Charles Steward his Heirs Executors and Administrators by these presents

Have granted bargained and sold And by these presents DO grant bargain

and sell unto the said Charles Steward his Heirs and Assigns for Ever

All that Messuage Dwelling House or Tenement situate standing and

being in James's Valley in the said Island between the Houses of Mr

Richard Bagley on the North or Northerly and Mr Matthew Purling on the

South or Southerly and now in the Tennure or Occupation of me the said

Robert Barclay Together with the Yard on the back side thereof and

all the Outbuildings therein Erected And all other the Rights properties

Hereditaments and Appurtenances whatsoever to the said Messuage

dwelling House or Tenement and premisses belonging or in any wise

appertaining and the reversion and reversions remainder and remainder

The twenty-one acres and a half were to belong to Thomas Greentree and to those who came after him without limit of time, and to their sole benefit. John Goodwin undertook to defend the ground for Greentree and his successors against himself and against those who followed him. He further pledged that Greentree and his successors would quietly hold the parcel and take its rents and profits to their own use, free of interference from any person whatever, and confirmed that nothing whatever was owing on it.

Goodwin set his hand and seal to the agreement on 15 July 1757. No stamped paper was to be had on the island. Thomas Leech junior and John Alexander watched him do so and added their names.

Robert Barclay, surgeon to the Company on St Helena, sold a dwelling house to Charles Steward, a gentleman of the same island. Steward paid £200 0s 0d in island money, and Barclay acknowledged the sum and released Steward and his representatives from any further demand.

The house stood in James Valley between the dwelling of Richard Bagley to the north and that of Matthew Purling to the south, and Barclay himself then occupied it. The sale carried the yard at the back, every outbuilding standing on the ground, and all the rights and attachments belonging to the property, along with the reversion and whatever might fall in later.

Interpretations

Robert Barclay held the post of surgeon to the Company, which places him alongside John Ingles, who paid Joseph Kendall £160 0s 0d for a James Valley house on 18 April 1754, and Samuel Falconer, who bought a house from James Greentree for £60 0s 0d on 2 April 1751. Three men of the same profession appear buying and selling town property within six years, a mark of how Company salaries put money into the hands of men outside the planting families.

Barclay was living in the house at the time he sold it, and the sale records no arrangement for him to remain. A surgeon disposing of his own residence points either to a move within the island or to a departure at the end of his term, since Company medical officers served fixed appointments rather than settling permanently.

At £200 0s 0d the price sits at the upper end of the range for James Valley dwellings, matching what Joseph Powell obtained from Joshua Johnson on 27 March 1744 and what Joseph Bates received from Richard Mason on 15 July 1741. Matthew Purling, named here as the southern neighbour, also adjoined the James Valley house Francis Wrangham the younger made over to his father in September 1756.

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Rents Issues and profits thereof and of every part thereof And all my

Estate right Title and Interest whatsoever therein or thereto And all deeds

Evidences and Writings whatsoever in my Custody or power concerning the

same To have and to hold the said Messuage dwelling House or

Tenement and premisses before mentioned or intended to be hereby granted

with the appurtenances and the reversion and reversions remainder and

remainders thereof unto the said Charles Steward his Heirs and Assigns

To the only Use and Behoof of him the said Charles Steward his Heirs

and Assigns for Ever And I the said Robert Barclay the said Messuage

Dwelling House or Tenement and premisses with the appurtenances

unto the said Charles Steward and his Heirs against me the said Robert

Barclay and my Heirs and against all and every other person and persons

whatsoever shall and will Warrant and for ever defend by these presents

and I the said Robert Barclay for my self my Heirs Executors and

Administrators do hereby Covenant and Agree to and with the said

Charles Steward his Heirs and Assigns that he the said Charles

Steward his Heirs or Assigns shall and may from Time to Time and

at all Times hereafter peaceably and Quietly hold and enjoy and receive

and Take to his and their Use the Rents Issues and profits of the said

hereby granted premisses with the Appurtenances without any

Molestation or disturbance whatsoever of me the said Robert Barclay

my Heirs Executors or Administrators or any other person or persons

whatsoever In Witness whereof I the said Robert Barclay have

hereunto set my Hand and Seal this First 1st Day of August in the

Thirty first Year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lord George the Second by

the Grace of God of great Britain France and Ireland King defender

of the Faith and so forth and in the Year of our Lord One thousand

seven hundred and fifty seven

(Signed)

Signed Sealed and delivered (no

Robt Barclay

Stamps to be had) in the presence

of

Chas Mears

Rich Bagley

The sale carried the rents and profits of the house and of every part of it, along with the whole of Robert Barclay's claim and interest and every paper touching the title that lay in his hands or within his power to obtain. All of it was to belong to Charles Steward and to those who came after him without limit of time, and to their sole benefit.

Barclay undertook to defend the house and everything belonging to it for Steward and his successors against himself, against those who followed him and against every other person whatever. He further pledged that Steward and his successors would from that day quietly hold the property and take its rents and profits to their own use, free of interference from himself, his representatives or anyone else.

He set his hand and seal to the agreement on 1 August 1757, in the thirty-first year of the reign of King George the Second. No stamped paper was to be had on the island. Charles Mears and Richard Bagley watched him do so and added their names.

Interpretations

Richard Bagley witnessed the sealing while also holding the house that formed the northern boundary of the property. An attesting neighbour served a practical purpose in a town of shared walls and adjoining yards, since his presence at the signing left him poorly placed to raise a boundary claim afterwards. The same arrangement appears in the sale between Francis Wrangham junior and his father on 29 April 1756, witnessed by Richard Beale whose land fixed one of its limits.

Barclay gave the widest form of undertaking, standing behind the title against all persons rather than only against claims running through himself. That was the assurance an owner selling his own property could give, and it contrasts with the narrow promises made by men acting for others, such as the executors of Joseph Desfountain on 12 March 1751 or the attorneys of Gabriel Steward on 19 August 1754.

The pledge covering rents and profits, coupled with the transfer of every paper touching the title, points to Steward buying the house as an income-producing asset. Barclay was living in it himself and his departure would leave it empty, so the value to a purchaser lay in what it could be let for rather than in immediate occupation.

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Know all persons by these presents that I John Goodwin of the

Island St Helena Gentleman for and in Consideration of the Sum

of Eight hundred pounds of Current money of the said Island to me

in Hand paid by Matthew Bazett of the said Island Gentleman

at or before the ensealing and Delivery of these presents the Receipt

whereof I do hereby Acknowledge and therefrom hereby acquit and for

ever discharge the said Matthew Bazett his Heirs Executors and

Administrators Have granted bargained and sold And by

these presents DO grant bargain and sell unto the said

Matthew Bazett his Heirs and Assigns for Ever All

that Messuage Dwelling House or Tenement Situate Standing

and being in James's Valley in the said Island between the

Houses now in the possession of Richard Beale the Elder and

John Pritchard Together with all the Appurtenances

whatsoever thereunto belonging or in any wise appertaining

or now or at any time heretofore therewithal Used occupied or

enjoyed or accepted reputed deemed taken or known as part

parcell or Member thereof or of any part thereof And the Reversion

and Reversion Remainder and Remainders Rents Issues

and Profits thereof and of every part thereof And all the

Estate Right Title and Interest whatsoever of him the said

John Goodwin therein or thereto And all Deeds and Writings

whatsoever concerning the same which are in the Custody or

Power of him the said John Goodwin or which he may come

by without Suit To have and to hold the said hereby

intended to be granted premisses and every part thereof

with the Appurtenances and the Reversion and Reversion

Remainder and Remainders Rents Issues and Profits

thereof unto him the said Matthew Bazett his Heirs and

Assigns To the only Use and Behoof of him the said

Matthew Bazett his Heirs and Assigns for Ever And

I the said John Goodwin the said hereby granted premisses

and every part thereof with the Appurtenances against me the

said John Goodwin and my Heirs to him the said Matthew

Bazett and his Heirs shall and will Warrant and for Ever

defend by these presents and I the said John Goodwin for

myself my Heirs Executors and Administrators Do hereby

Covenant and Agree to and with the said Matthew Bazett

John Goodwin, a gentleman of St Helena, sold a dwelling house to Matthew Bazett, a gentleman of the same island. Bazett paid £800 0s 0d in island money before the agreement was sealed and handed over, and Goodwin acknowledged the sum and released Bazett and his representatives from any further demand.

The house stood in James Valley between the dwellings then occupied by Richard Beale the elder and John Pritchard. The sale carried everything attached to the property, whether or not each part was known by that name, and every piece of ground or building that had at any time been used with it or reckoned to belong to it. It also carried the reversion, the rents and profits, the whole of Goodwin's claim and interest, and every paper touching the title that lay in his hands or that he could obtain without going to law.

All of it was to belong to Bazett and to those who came after him without limit of time, and to their sole benefit. Goodwin undertook to defend the house and everything belonging to it for Bazett and his successors against himself and against those who followed him.

Interpretations

At £800 0s 0d this is by a wide margin the highest price yet recorded for a single James Valley dwelling. The top of the range had stood at £250 0s 0d, paid by Thomas Greentree to John Goodwin junior on 21 June 1739, with £200 0s 0d recurring for substantial houses through the 1740s and 1750s. A sum four times that points to a property of an altogether different order, and the wording suggests a house that had gathered outbuildings and ground around it over many years.

The description reaches unusually wide, taking in anything ever used with the house or reckoned part of it even where no name attached to it. Such breadth was worth paying for at this price, since a valuable town property might carry sheds, yards, passages and encroachments accumulated across decades, and a narrow description would have left each of them open to argument.

The undertaking to hand over any paper Goodwin could obtain without going to law shows the practical limit of what a seller would promise. Documents lying in a third party's hands might require proceedings to recover, and no seller would bind himself to litigate at his own cost after the sale had closed.

Matthew Bazett appears through the record as an accumulator of both rural and urban ground, buying ten acres in Pleasant Valley from John Goodwin on 13 July 1754 and holding land that bounded parcels across the East Division. The Bazett name runs back to the Matthew Bazett who served as council member and surveyor from the 1690s, and the family's standing had evidently grown enough to support a purchase of this size.

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his Heirs and Assigns that he the said Matthew Bazett his

Heirs or Assigns shall and may from Time to Time and at

all Times hereafter peaceably and Quietly have hold possess

and Enjoy and receive and take to his and their own use

all the Rents Issues and Profits of the said hereby granted

Premisses with the Appurtenances without the Let hindrance

Molestation or disturbance of or from any Person or Persons

whatsoever And that free and clear and freely clearly

and absolutely acquitted exonerated and discharged of and

from any Incumbrance made done committed unwittingly

or willingly Suffered by any Person or Persons whatsoever

In Witness whereof I the said John Goodwin have

hereunto set my Hand and Seal this sixteenth day of July

in the Thirty first Year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lord

George the Second by the Grace of God of Great Britain

France and Ireland King defender of the Faith and so

forth and in the Year of our Lord One thousand seven hundred

and Fifty seven

(Signed)

Signed Sealed and delivered

John Goodwin

(no Stamps to be had) in the

presence of

(Signd)

John Alexander

Henry Bazett

Island St Helena

Know all Men by these presents that

I John Goodwin of the said Island Gentleman for and in

Consideration of the Sum of Five Shillings of Good Currant

Money of the said Island to me in Hand paid by Matthew

Bazell of the said Island, at or before the Ensealing and Delivery

hereof, the Receipt of which I do hereby Acknowledge Have by

Virtue of Leave obtained from the Governor & Council on the

fourth day of July Instant, and by these presents do bargain

sell assign and set Over unto the said Matthew Bazett his

John Goodwin further pledged that Matthew Bazett and his successors would from that day quietly hold the house and take its rents and profits to their own use, free of interference from any person whatever, and that the property was wholly clear of every charge created or allowed by anyone.

He set his hand and seal to the agreement on 16 July 1757, in the thirty-first year of the reign of King George the Second. No stamped paper was to be had on the island. John Alexander and Henry Bazett watched him do so and added their names.

John Goodwin, a gentleman of St Helena, made over further property to Matthew Bazett of the same island. Bazett paid five shillings in good island money before the agreement was sealed and handed over, and Goodwin acknowledged the sum. Goodwin acted under leave obtained from the Governor and Council on 4 July of that month.

Interpretations

The token five shillings marks this second instrument as the companion to the £800 0s 0d sale sealed on 16 July 1757 rather than as a separate bargain. Where a property carried both freehold and leasehold, the two had to be conveyed by different means, since a Company leasehold could pass only with the council's permission while a freehold needed none. Splitting the transaction across two documents kept the tenures distinct, exactly as Giles Smith had done when selling Samuel Doveton both a leasehold interest and a freehold parcel on 30 December 1730.

Leave had been granted on 4 July, twelve days before the freehold sale was sealed, so Goodwin had the council's approval in hand before either instrument was completed. The requirement of consent before any leasehold could change hands had governed such transfers since the framework of 1711 and appears throughout the record.

Henry Bazett attested the freehold sale to Matthew Bazett, a member of the buyer's own family standing as witness. Family members appear regularly among the attesting witnesses in the register, from the Wranghams witnessing each other's dealings to the Bagleys attending Thomas Casthope's sale on 17 July 1750, so the practice carried no suggestion of irregularity.

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Heirs Executors Administrators & assigns all my Right Title

and Interest of in and to the within mentioned Land and premisses

To have and to hold the same unto the said Matthew

Bazett his Heirs Executors Administrators and Assigns from

the Day of the Date hereof for and during all the Rest and Residue

and Remainder yet to Come and unexpired of the within granted

Term, Subject to the Covenants Rents and Conditions in the

within Lease Contained In Witness whereof I the said John

Goodwin have hereunto set my Hand and Seal this fifteenth

Day of July, One thousand seven hundred and Fifty seven

(Signed) John Goodwin

Signed Sealed and Delivered

in the presence of

(signed) John Alexander

Henry Bazett

Know all Men by these presents that I Thomas

French of the Island St Helena, for and in Consideration of the

Sum of Twenty Shillings of good and Lawfull money of the said

Island to me in Hand paid by John Goodwin of the said Island

have Sold and Delivered and by these presents do sell make

Over and Deliver unto the said John Goodwin One small peice

of Land Containing fourteen Feet and a half Square which he has

since Erected a Stable On, And I do hereby for my self and my

Heirs, warrant to save harmless and defend the said John

Goodwin & his Heirs and assigns for Ever, in the peaceably and

Quiet Possession of the same. In Witness whereof I have

hereunto set my Hand and Seal in St Helena this 25 day of

July 1754

(Signed)

Thos French

Witness

(Signd) George Hay

Jno Inglis

John Goodwin made over his whole claim and interest in the land already described to Matthew Bazett. Bazett was to hold it from that day for the whole of the remaining term, subject to the rents, terms and conditions written into the leave the council had granted.

Goodwin set his hand and seal to the agreement on 16 July 1757. John Alexander and Henry Bazett watched him do so and added their names.

Thomas French of St Helena sold a small piece of ground to John Goodwin of the same island. Goodwin paid twenty shillings in good and lawful island money, and French confirmed receipt of the sum. The parcel measured fourteen feet and a half square, and Goodwin had already built a stable on it. French undertook, for himself and those who came after him, to defend Goodwin and his successors in the quiet possession of the ground without limit of time.

He set his hand and seal to the agreement at St Helena on 25 July 1754. George Hay and John Inglis watched him do so and added their names.

Interpretations

Goodwin had put up his stable on French's ground before buying it, and the twenty shillings settled the position afterwards rather than beforehand. The same sequence appears in the record where John George Newman received a house and ground from the executors of William Dufton on 3 August 1708, having already built on it, and where the Company confirmed John Goodwin's James Valley plot on 14 November 1738 after he had erected a messuage there. Building first and regularising later was ordinary practice, and the small payment bought security rather than land.

Fourteen feet and a half square was barely enough ground for the building standing on it, so nothing was conveyed here beyond the footprint of the stable. That precision in measurement marks it out as a town plot, where the pressure on space produced parcels reckoned in feet rather than acres, as in the frontages recorded across the James Valley grants.

French gave only the narrow promise, undertaking to defend the ground against claims running through himself and his successors rather than against all persons. For a piece of this size and price the wider assurance would have been disproportionate, and Goodwin's real protection lay in the stable already standing on the spot.

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110V

Island St Helena

Know all men by these presents that I Francis Wrangham Senr

of the said Island Planter for and in Consideration of the Sum of Six Pounds

of good and lawfull money of the said Island to me in hand paid by William

Young of the said Island Planter at and before the ensealing & delivery of

these presents Have given Granted bargained Sold and delivered And do

by these presents give Grant bargain Sell and deliver unto him the said William

Young his heirs Executors Administrators and assigns All that peice or

parcel of Land situate lying and being in the East Division of the said Island

containing about one Acre more or less Butting and bounding South East &

West upon the said William Youngs own Land and North on Land now in

the possession of Francis Wrangham Junr To have and to hold the said

hereby bargained premisses with all and Singular the rights priviledges

Commodities and appurtenances thereunto belonging unto him the said William

Young his heirs Executors Administrators and assigns for ever to do and

dispose thereof as he or they shall think fit or proper And I the said Francis

Wrangham do hereby for my self my heirs Executors Administrators and assigns

Covenant promise and agree to and with the said William Young his heirs

Executors Administrators and assigns that he they and every one of them shall

and may from time to time and at all times hereafter have hold occupy

possess and enjoy the said hereby Bargained Peice of Land for ever without

any Lett hindrance or molestation by or from me or by or from any other

Person or Persons whatsoever hereby warranting the same to be free & clear

of and from all manner of Incumbrances In witness whereof I the said

Francis Wrangham have hereunto set my hand and Seal this fourth day

of September in the Twenty fifth Year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lord

George the Second by the Grace of God of great Britain France and Ireland King

defender of the faith and so forth and in the Year of our Lord 1751

(Signed)

Signed Sealed and delivered

in the presence of us

Fran Wrangham

(Signd)

F Wrangham Junr

Rich Gurling

Registred 21st Apl 1758.

Francis Wrangham senior, a planter of St Helena, sold about an acre of ground to William Young, a planter of the same island. Young paid £6 0s 0d in good and lawful island money before the agreement was sealed and handed over, and Wrangham confirmed receipt of the sum.

The parcel lay in the East Division. It was bounded to the south, east and west by Young's own land, and to the north by ground then held by Francis Wrangham junior. Everything attached to the acre passed with it, and the land was to belong to Young and to those who came after him without limit of time, to keep or dispose of as they thought fit.

Wrangham pledged that Young and his successors would hold and enjoy the ground without interruption from himself or from any other person whatever, and confirmed that nothing whatever was owing on it.

He set his hand and seal to the agreement on 4 September 1751, in the twenty-fifth year of the reign of King George the Second. Francis Wrangham junior and Richard Gurling watched him do so and added their names. The sale was entered in the register on 21 April 1758.

Interpretations

Young's own ground enclosed the acre on three sides and Francis Wrangham junior's land closed the fourth, so the parcel had no independent access at all. For land in that position the only realistic purchaser was the man whose fields surrounded it, and the £6 0s 0d reflects both the small size and the absence of competition rather than any judgement on the quality of the soil.

Nearly seven years separate the sealing on 4 September 1751 from the entry in the register on 21 April 1758. Registration secured a buyer's title against later claims, so a delay of that length left Young exposed throughout the interval. What prompted the entry in 1758 is not recorded, though a subsequent dealing in the same ground would be the usual occasion for putting an older instrument on the record.

Francis Wrangham junior attested his father's sale while also holding the land on the northern boundary, the arrangement that recurs across these transactions. His signature both witnessed the transfer and, in practical terms, acknowledged the line dividing his ground from the acre passing to Young.

William Young appears as a boundary holder in the West Division dealings of 1756, his land fixing the northern limit of the forty-three acres Francis Wrangham junior sold his father on 29 April 1756. He held ground in both divisions, and this purchase shows him consolidating a holding in the east.

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Island St Helena

Know all Men by these Presents

that I Gabriel Steward Second Mate of the Honorable Companys

Ship Sandwich by Virtue of a Power to me given by my Brother

Charles Augustus Steward of the Island St Helena for and in Consid

eration of the sum of Seven Hundred Pounds of lawful money of

the said Island to me, on behalf of my said Brother in hand paid

by Lieut Henry Bazett, of the said Island the Receipt whereof I

do hereby Acknowledge and therefrom do hereby acquit and for

ever discharge the said Henry Bazett his Heirs Executors and Adminis

trators Have granted bargained Sold, and by these Presents DO Grant

bargain and Sell unto the said Henry Bazett his Heirs and Assigns

All and Singular my Estate and Interest whatsoever in Thirty and

a Quarter Acres of Freehold Land lying and being in Sandy Bay

in the said Island, and is all the free Land I have in the said Island

in the right of my said Brother with the appurtenances, To have

and to hold the said Land with the Appurtenances unto him

the said Henry Bazett his Heirs and Assigns for ever, free and

Clear of and from any Incumbrances whatsoever and I the

said Gabriel Steward do hereby for myself my Heirs Executors and

Administrators Covenant and agree for and on the behalf of my

said Brother, to and with the said Henry Bazett, that he the said

Henry Bazett, his Heirs or Assigns shall and may receive and take

to his and their own use all the Rents and Profits of the said hereby

granted premises, with the Appurtenances without any molestation

or disturbance whatsoever, of or from any person or Persons whatsoever

In Witness whereof I the said Gabriel Steward as Attorney to my

said Brother have hereunto Set my Hand and Seal this Sixth Day

of June in the year of our Lord 1758.

(Signed)

Gab Steward

Signed Sealed and

delivered in the presence

of us. Signd

Jonathan Doveton

James Williamson

Gabriel Steward, second mate of the Company's ship Sandwich, sold thirty and a quarter acres of freehold ground to Lieutenant Henry Bazett of St Helena. Steward acted under a written authority given him by his brother, Charles Augustus Steward of the same island. Bazett paid £700 0s 0d in lawful island money into Steward's hands on his brother's behalf, and Steward acknowledged the sum and released Bazett and his representatives from any further demand.

The land lay in Sandy Bay and made up the whole of the free ground Steward held on the island in his brother's right. Everything attached to it passed with the parcel, and the land was to belong to Bazett and to those who came after him without limit of time, free of any charge whatever.

Steward pledged, for himself and his representatives and on his brother's behalf, that Bazett and his successors would take the rents and profits of the ground to their own use without interference from any person whatever.

He set his hand and seal to the agreement on 6 June 1758. Jonathan Doveton and James Williamson watched him do so and added their names.

Interpretations

Two brothers of the same name appear here, exactly as in the earlier sale by which a Gabriel Steward, mariner of the City of London, conveyed both his own share and that of an absent brother of the same name to Charles Steward for £280 0s 0d in 1733. The recurrence of the name across generations, with one brother at sea and another on the island, marks a family that kept a foot in both the Company's maritime service and its island settlement.

A second mate of an East Indiaman held a working position aboard rather than command, so his presence on the island was fixed by the ship's stay in the road. Selling under his brother's written authority let the family's landed interest be realised during that window, and the arrangement repeats the pattern by which men serving the Company at a distance disposed of St Helena ground through agents, as Thomas Mostyn did from Angingo and Joseph Coles from Sumatra.

At roughly £23 an acre the price runs well above the £17 10s 0d an acre paid for West Division freehold in the sales of 1754 and 1756. Sandy Bay ground had long stood at a premium, and the parcel represented the entire free holding the brothers had on the island, so Bazett was buying a consolidated estate rather than a fragment.

The undertaking given here is limited to trouble from any person during the payment of rents, and reaches nothing like the full defence an owner gives. Gabriel Steward was selling his brother's land, not his own, and could vouch for no more than the authority he held, so the assurance stops short of the wider promises made by Robert Barclay and John Goodwin in their own sales of 1757.

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Island St Helena

Know all Men by these presents that

I Gabriel Steward Second Mate of the Ship Sandwich for and on behalf

of my Brother Charles Steward of the said Island for and in Consideration

of the sum of five Pounds of good and lawful money to me in hand paid

by Lieutenant Henry Bazett of the said Island the Receipt whereof is

hereby acknowledged, Have and by these Presents DO Assign and

Set over unto the said Henry Bazett his Heirs Executors, Administrators

and assigns all my right and Interest, as Attorney to my said Brother

of and in and to the within mentioned eight Acres of Land To have and to

hold the said hereby bargained Premisses to him his Heirs &c upon

the Conditions of the Lease Pursuant to liberty given me for so doing

by the Governor and Council the 19 Day of June 1758. In Witness

whereof I the said Gabriel Steward, have hereunto set my hand and

Seal this 20 Day of June 1758

NB the paper the Lease is Written on being old cannot be endorsed without

hazard of defaceing the said Lease which is for Ninety Nine Years.

Signed

Signed Sealed and Delivered

Gab Steward

in the Presence of us.

Signd) Jonathan Doveton

James Williamson

Island St Helena

Know all Men by these Presents

that I Gabriel Steward Second Mate of the Ship Sandwich for and on

the behalf of my Brother Charles Steward of the said Island for and

in Consideration of the sum of five Pounds of good and lawful money

to me in hand paid by Henry Bazett of the said Island the Receipt

whereof is hereby acknowledged, Have and by these Presents DO Assign

and Set over unto the said Henry Bazett his Heirs Executors Admin

istrators, and Assigns all my right and Interest, as Attorney to my

said Brother of and in and to the within Mentioned Nineteen Acres

of Land To have and to hold the said hereby bargained Premises,

his Heirs &c upon the Conditions, within Mentioned, Pursuant, to

Gabriel Steward, second mate of the Sandwich, acting for his brother Charles Steward of St Helena, made over his whole claim and interest in eight acres of land to Lieutenant Henry Bazett. Bazett paid £5 0s 0d in good and lawful money, and Steward acknowledged the sum. Bazett and his successors were to hold the ground on the terms of the lease, the Governor and Council having granted Steward leave to make the transfer on 19 June 1758.

Steward set his hand and seal to the agreement on 20 June 1758. A note was added recording that the paper on which the lease was written had grown too old to be endorsed without risk of defacing it, and that the lease ran for ninety-nine years. Jonathan Doveton and James Williamson watched the sealing and added their names.

Gabriel Steward, again acting for his brother, made over his whole claim and interest in nineteen acres of land to Henry Bazett, who paid a further £5 0s 0d. Bazett and his successors were to hold that ground on the terms already set out.

Interpretations

The note about the state of the lease explains why these transfers were written out as separate documents rather than endorsed on the original grant. The usual economy was to record each successive holder on the back of the lease itself, as with the Fisher Valley parcel that passed from John Coole to Edward Brayne on 10 July 1688 and on to Edward Heath on 7 April 1702. Here the paper had decayed too far to be written on safely, so the clerk set the assignments down independently and recorded the reason.

A ninety-nine year lease places the original grant before the framework of 1711, which replaced such long terms with twenty-one year demises. Grants of that length appear in the record from the Rhodes plantation lease of 27 October 1687 and the extension granted Paul Charles on 13 March 1705, so a substantial part of the term was still unexpired in 1758.

The £5 0s 0d paid for each leasehold parcel stands in sharp contrast to the £700 0s 0d Bazett paid for thirty and a quarter acres of freehold on 6 June 1758. Taken together the three instruments moved the whole Steward holding in Sandy Bay, freehold and leasehold alike, into Bazett's hands within a fortnight, with the small sums reflecting that a leaseholder took the ground burdened with rent and covenants rather than owning it.

The council granted leave on 19 June and the assignment was sealed the following day, a far tighter interval than the three weeks that separated permission from execution in Francis Mowatt's transfer to Francis Wrangham senior in 1756. Steward's ship would not stay indefinitely in the road, and the speed suggests the business was pressed to a conclusion before the Sandwich sailed.

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to liberty given me for so doing by the Governor & Council, the 19

Day of June 1758 In Witness whereof I the said Gabriel

Steward have hereunto set my hand and Seal this 20 Day of June

1758

Signed

Gab Steward

Signed Sealed and

delivered in the presence of

Us Jonathan Doveton

James Williamson

Articles of Agreement had made concluded and Agreed upon this

Eighth day of August in the thirty Second Year of the Reign of our Sovereign

Lord George the Second by the grace of God of great Britain France & Ireland

King defender of the faith and so forth and in the Year of our Lord one thousand

Seven hundred and Fifty Eight Between Edward Whitmore Captain Lieutenant

in his Majestys Royal Regiment of Artillery and Elizabeth Buchanan Widow

and Relict of Captain Andrew Buchanan deceased of the one part and James

Fraile of London Apothecary and Jane Nevill of London aforesaid Spinster

of the other part

Whereas a Marriage is agreed upon and intended to be shortly had & solemnized

between the said Edward Whitmore and Elizabeth Buchanan Now these Articles

Witness that for and in consideration of the said intended Marriage and for setling the

Sum of one thousand pounds part of the Fortune of the said Elizabeth Buchanan which

is now in the hands of Samuel Hough Esqr with other Money at Interest for which he

has given his Bond on Frances Jane Buchanan her daughter by the said Captain

Andrew Buchanan deceased It is hereby agreed by and between all the said Parties to

these presents And the said Edward Whitmore and Elizabeth Buchanan for themselves

severally and for their several heirs Executors and Administrators do and each of them

doth hereby Covenant and agree to and with the said James Fraile and Jane Nevill

and the Survivor of them and the Executors and Administrators of said Survivor that

as soon as the said Marriage shall take effect they the said Trustees or the Survivor of

them or the Executors or Administrators of such Survivor shall be invested with these Estates

And by Virtue thereof shall have full power and Authority to stop and hinder us the said

Edward Whitmore and Elizabeth Buchanan respectively from taking up or receiving

any part of the said Sum of one thousand pounds Except for the said Frances Jane

Buchanan as hereafter mentioned or of the Sum of five hundred pounds hereafter

limited unless it be to put the same Sums or either of them into other hands which is

to be done in the names of the said Trustees

It is also hereby agreed by and between all the said Parties hereto and they

the said Trustees for themselves and the Survivor of them and the Executors and

Administrators of such Survivor do and each of them doth hereby Covenant and agree

to and with the said Edward Whitmore and Elizabeth Buchanan that they the said Trustees

and the Survivor of them and the Executors and Administrators of such Survivor shall

and will permit and Suffer the Interest of the said Sum of one thousand pounds to be

received by the said Elizabeth Buchanan during her life And that they the said Trustees

The transfer of the nineteen acres rested on the same leave granted by the Governor and Council on 19 June 1758. Gabriel Steward set his hand and seal to it on 20 June 1758, with Jonathan Doveton and James Williamson attending as witnesses.

An agreement was made on 8 August 1758, in the thirty-second year of the reign of King George the Second, between Edward Whitmore, captain lieutenant in the King's Royal Regiment of Artillery, and Elizabeth Buchanan, widow of the late Captain Andrew Buchanan, on the one side, and James Traile, an apothecary of London, and Jane Nevill of London, a spinster, on the other.

A marriage had been settled between Whitmore and Elizabeth Buchanan and was shortly to take place. In view of that intended marriage, and for the purpose of securing £1,000 0s 0d, part of the money belonging to Elizabeth Buchanan, the parties made the arrangement that follows. The £1,000 0s 0d was then held by Samuel Hough, together with other money bearing interest, for which he had given his bond to Frances Jane Buchanan, her daughter by the late Captain Andrew Buchanan.

Whitmore and Elizabeth Buchanan bound themselves and their representatives to Traile and Nevill, and to whichever of the two outlived the other. As soon as the marriage took place, the money would vest in the two of them as trustees, or in the survivor, or in that survivor's representatives, who would then hold full power to prevent Whitmore and Elizabeth Buchanan from receiving or taking up any part of the £1,000 0s 0d. That restriction did not extend to the share belonging to Frances Jane Buchanan, nor to a further £500 0s 0d dealt with elsewhere in the agreement, and any of the money placed in other hands was to be placed there in the trustees' names.

The trustees, for themselves and for the survivor and that survivor's representatives, undertook to allow Elizabeth Buchanan to receive the interest on the £1,000 0s 0d throughout her life.

Interpretations

This is a marriage settlement made before the wedding, and its purpose was to keep the widow's money out of her husband's hands. On marriage a woman's personal property ordinarily passed under her husband's control, so a widow bringing capital into a second marriage stood to lose it entirely. Vesting the £1,000 0s 0d in two trustees before the ceremony, with express power to stop either spouse from touching the principal, protected the fund against Whitmore while leaving Elizabeth the income for life.

The record already holds several such pre-marital arrangements, including the bond George Earne gave John Goodwin on 14 February 1714 securing the Goodwin children's portions before his marriage to their mother, and the trust Samuel Algate made to Orlando Bagley and Charles Steward on 8 April 1714 over his intended wife's James Valley estate. The mechanism here is more elaborate, but the anxiety behind it is the same.

Frances Jane Buchanan's share was carved out of the restriction, which shows the settlement protecting the daughter of the first marriage as well as the widow. Samuel Hough held the money under bond given to the daughter, so her interest existed independently of her mother's and could not be swept into the new husband's control.

Both trustees were resident in London, one an apothecary and the other an unmarried woman, so the fund lay in England while the parties were on St Helena. An unmarried woman could hold property and act as trustee in her own name where a married woman could not, which is why Jane Nevill's status as a spinster is recorded.

Edward Whitmore's rank in the King's Royal Regiment of Artillery marks him as a royal officer rather than a Company servant, a distinction that had grown sharper as the Seven Years War drew regular troops to garrisons across the Company's stations.

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And each of them when the said Frances Jane shall have attained the age of fifteen

Years also permit the said Elizabeth Buchanan to take up and receive from the said

Samuel Hough the said principal Sum of one thousand pounds and to give the same or

any part thereof to her said daughter Frances Jane but that she the said Frances

Jane shall not have any right to demand either the whole or any part of the said Sum

of one thousand pounds without the Consent of the said Elizabeth Buchanan her said Mother

But if any part of the said Sum of one thousand pounds shall be paid to the said

Frances Jane in the life time of her said Mother then she shall have a lawfull right

to claim the remaining part of the said Sum of one thousand pounds unreceived

It is hereby declared and agreed by and between all the said Parties hereto that

if the said Elizabeth Buchanan should die before her said daughter Frances Jane shall

attain the age of fifteen Years then the said Sum of one thousand pounds shall become

the property of her the said Frances Jane her Executors Administrators or assigns And

that she or they may be at liberty to receive the same with the Interest thereon due

from her said Mothers decease and to dispose of the same as she shall think proper

But if the said Frances Jane should die under Age or without having received the

said Sum of one thousand pounds the said Elizabeth her Mother being also dead then

the said Sum of one thousand pounds to be and become the property of and be paid to

the said Edward Whitmore his Executors Administrators or assigns to be by him or them

disposed of as he or they shall think proper But if the said Elizabeth Buchanan

should happen to Survive the said Frances Jane her said daughter then it shall

and may be lawfull to and for her and she shall be intitled to receive the Interest

of the said Sum of one thousand pounds during her life And if she should also

Survive the said Edward Whitmore then the said principal Sum of one thousand

pounds to be and become the property of and be paid to her the said Elizabeth

Buchanan her Executors Administrators or assigns to be by her or them disposed of

as she or they shall think proper.

It is also hereby declared and agreed by and between all the said Parties hereto that

if Elizabeth Hyde Widow Mother of the said Elizabeth Buchanan should Survive her said

daughter the said Elizabeth Buchanan that then she shall be intitled and have full

liberty to receive the Interest of the Sum of five hundred pounds also now in the hands

of the said Samuel Hough for which he has also given such Bond as aforesaid the said

Interest to commence and become due to her the said Elizabeth Hyde immediately

on the decease of the said Elizabeth Buchanan her said daughter and to continue due

and payable to her the said Elizabeth Hyde during her life And that at the decease of

her the said Elizabeth Hyde the said principal Sum of five hundred pounds to become

due and be the property of the said Edward Whitmore his Executors Administrators or

assigns to be disposed of as he or they shall think proper But if the said Elizabeth

Hyde shall happen to Survive the said Edward Whitmore then the said Sum of five

hundred pounds shall be and become the property of the Child or Children of the said

Edward Whitmore (if any) But in case of no such Child or Children then the said Sum of five

hundred pounds to be by her the said Elizabeth Hyde disposed of as she shall think

proper

Lastly It is hereby agreed by and between the said Edward Whitmore and Elizabeth

Buchanan that all and every Sum and Sums of Money (Except the Sums above

mentioned) Lands, Tenements, Government Securities, or what other Effects real or

personal the said Elizabeth Buchanan may be possessed of at the time of her Marriage

with the said Edward Whitmore of the said Marriage shall take effect shall from

Once Frances Jane reached fifteen, the trustees were to allow Elizabeth Buchanan to draw the £1,000 0s 0d from Samuel Hough and pass the whole or any part of it to her daughter. Frances Jane had no right to demand any of it without her mother's consent, though once part had been paid to her during her mother's lifetime she could claim the balance.

Should Elizabeth Buchanan die before Frances Jane turned fifteen, the £1,000 0s 0d would become the daughter's absolutely, with the interest owing from her mother's death, to dispose of as she thought fit. Should Frances Jane die under age without having received the money, and her mother be dead too, the £1,000 0s 0d would pass to Edward Whitmore and his representatives. Should Elizabeth Buchanan outlive her daughter, she would take the interest for her own life, and should she also outlive Whitmore the principal would become hers outright.

A further £500 0s 0d, also in Samuel Hough's hands under bond, was settled on Elizabeth Hyde, Elizabeth Buchanan's mother. If she outlived her daughter she was to receive the interest from her daughter's death, payable throughout her own life, and on her death the principal would pass to Whitmore and his representatives. Should she outlive Whitmore, the £500 0s 0d would go to any children he might leave, and failing children she might dispose of it as she chose.

Lastly, Whitmore and Elizabeth Buchanan agreed that all the sums of money already named, apart from those excepted, together with any lands, buildings, government securities and other property of hers, real or personal, held by her when the marriage took effect, were to be dealt with as the agreement provided.

Interpretations

The arrangement runs down three generations of one family, settling money on the mother, the daughter and the grandmother in turn. Elizabeth Buchanan held the income for life, Frances Jane took the capital at fifteen with her mother's consent, and Elizabeth Hyde was provided for out of a separate £500 0s 0d. Each fund passed to Whitmore only if the women's lines failed, which put his interest last in every chain.

Fifteen was the age fixed for the daughter's entitlement rather than the more usual twenty-one, and even then she could take nothing without her mother's agreement. The arrangement gave Elizabeth Buchanan a controlling voice over when her daughter received the money, guarding against a girl of that age being pressed into handing it over by a husband of her own.

Government securities appear here among the property being settled, a form of asset that does not occur in the island's earlier records at all. St Helena transactions to this point had turned on land, houses, slaves, cattle, yams and store credit, so the mention of public funds marks the arrival of parties whose wealth lay in metropolitan investments rather than in island property.

The whole settlement was drawn to take effect only when the marriage did, and it names two London trustees holding money advanced on a London bond. The parties happened to be on St Helena, but the arrangement belonged to England, and its entry in the island's register served only to preserve a copy where the marriage was to take place.

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And after the Solemnization thereof be and become the lawfull property of

the said Edward Whitmore to be by him disposed of as he shall think proper

In witness whereof the said Parties to these presents have interchangeably set

their hands and Seals the Day and Year first above written.

(Signed)

Sealed and delivered (no Stamps

Edwd Whitmore

to be had) in the presence of us

by the above named Edward Whitmore

and Elizabeth Buchanan

Eliza Buchanan

(Signed)

James Foulis

Ja Chalmers

Sealed and delivered by the above named

James Fraile and Jane Nevill in the

presence of

Once the marriage had been solemnised, everything covered by the closing provision was to become Edward Whitmore's own property, to dispose of as he thought fit.

Whitmore and Elizabeth Buchanan set their hands and seals to the agreement on the day and year already given. No stamped paper was to be had on the island. James Foulis and John Chalmers watched them do so and added their names. Space was left for the attestation of the sealing by James Traile and Jane Nevill, but the names of the witnesses to their signatures were not entered.

Interpretations

The closing provision reverses the whole tenor of what came before it. Elizabeth Buchanan's remaining property, over and above the sums carefully tied up in the trustees' hands, became her husband's absolutely on the wedding day. That was the ordinary consequence of marriage at the time, and the elaborate arrangements over the £1,000 0s 0d and the £500 0s 0d exist precisely because those funds had to be carved out of a rule that would otherwise have swept up everything she owned.

The blank left for the London trustees' witnesses shows the agreement travelling between two places. Whitmore and Elizabeth Buchanan sealed it on St Helena before islanders, while James Traile and Jane Nevill would seal it in London, and the copy entered in the island's register was made before their part had been completed. The clerk left the space rather than closing the entry, so the record preserves a document caught midway through its execution.

229

113V

This Indenture made the eighth day of April

in the Thirty first year of the reign of our Sovereign Lord George the second

by the grace of God of Great Brittain France and Ireland King Defender of the

faith and so forth. and in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and fifty

Eight Between Elizabeth Gurling of the Island St Helena Widow who is also

Widow and relict of Thomas Bazett late of the said Island Planter deceased

Thomas Bazett Sergeant and Matthew Bazetts two of the Sons of said Thomas Bazett

deceased of the one part and Robert Ballard of the said Island of the other part

Whereas Andrew Blinman late of the said Island deceased in his life time

purchased of the said Widow and Sons a Messuage dwelling House or Tenement

and fifteen Acres and a half of Freehold Land Scituate lying and being in Fryers

Valley in the said Island Butting and bounding West or westerly on Lieutenant

John Clarks and on all other sides on the Honorable Companys waste

Land for the sum of fifty Pounds which money was paid by the said Andrew

Blinman but no writings ever made to him of the said messuage or dwelling

House or Tenement and Land And Whereas the said Andrew Blinman is since

deceased leaving Elizabeth Blinman his Widow and sole Representative who hath

since Intermarried with the said Robert Ballard by Virtue of which Marriage he the

said Robert Ballard is intitled to have a Conveyance of the said Messuage dwelling

House or Tenement and Lands Now this Indenture Witnesseth for

and in Consideration of which said sum of fifty Pounds so paid by the said Andrew

Blinman to the said Thomas Bazett party hereto for the purchase of the aforesaid Premises

the receipt whereof he doth hereby acknowledge And also for and in Consideration of

the further sum of five Shillings apiece of Currant money of the said Island by the said

Robert Ballard to them the said Elizabeth Gurling, Thomas Bazett and Matthew Bazett

respectively in hand paid at or before the ensealing and delivery of these presents

the receipt of which said several Sums they do also respectively acknowledge and

therefrom hereby respectively acquit and for ever discharge the said Robert Ballard

his Heirs Executors and administrators They the said Elizabeth Gurling and

the said Thomas Bazett and Matthew Bazett for themselves and also for John and

George Bazett minor Children of the said Thomas Bazett deceased Have and

each of them Hath granted bargained and Sold and Doth these presents Do and

each of them Doth grant Bargain and sell unto the said Robert Ballard his Heirs

and assigns All and singular the said Messuage Dwelling House or Tenement

fifteen acres and a half Freehold Land and premises before mentioned to be sold to the

said Andrew Blinman deceased (and which premises were purchased by the said

An agreement was made on 8 April 1758, in the thirty-first year of the reign of King George the Second, between Elizabeth Gurling, a widow of St Helena and the widow of Thomas Bazett, a planter of the island since deceased, together with Thomas Bazett, a sergeant, and Matthew Bazett, two of the dead man's sons, on the one side, and Robert Ballard of the same island on the other.

Andrew Blinman, since deceased, had in his lifetime bought from the widow and her sons a dwelling house and fifteen acres and a half of freehold ground in Fryer Valley for £50 0s 0d. The parcel was bounded to the west by Lieutenant John Clarke's land and on every other side by the Company's waste. Blinman had paid the money, but no document was ever drawn up to record the sale.

Blinman afterwards died, leaving Elizabeth Blinman his widow and sole representative, and she had since married Robert Ballard. Through that marriage Ballard became entitled to have the property conveyed to him.

In view of the £50 0s 0d already paid to Thomas Bazett, whose receipt of the sum was acknowledged, and of a further five shillings paid to each of the three sellers before the sealing, Elizabeth Gurling, Thomas Bazett and Matthew Bazett, acting for themselves and also for John and George Bazett, the dead planter's children who were still under age, made over to Ballard and his successors the whole of the house, the fifteen acres and a half, and everything described.

Interpretations

The sale had been completed in substance years before, with the money paid and possession presumably taken, and only the paperwork was missing. Such regularisations run through the record, from the house Michael Morris had agreed to sell Ripon Wells in 1687 and only documented in 1701, to John George Newman's ground formalised by the Dufton executors on 3 August 1708 after he had already built on it. Blinman's death and his widow's remarriage brought the omission to light, since Ballard needed a written title to hold what his wife had inherited.

Ballard's claim came entirely through marriage. Elizabeth Blinman inherited her husband's rights as his sole representative, and on marrying Ballard those rights passed to him, so he stood entitled to demand the conveyance in his own name. The same route appears in James Hicks holding a James Valley house after marrying Richard Tinsley's widow and outliving her, recited in the sale of 3 June 1756.

The five shillings paid separately to each of the three sellers was a token, since the real price had been discharged to Thomas Bazett long before. Such nominal sums served to make each party a participant in the fresh document, so that every person with a possible claim had taken something and could not afterwards say the transfer was nothing to do with them.

Elizabeth Gurling had remarried since Thomas Bazett's death, which is why she appears under a different surname while described as his widow. Two of the sons acted in their own right and two others, John and George, were still minors, so the adults purported to act on their behalf as well, a course that left the younger boys' interests resting on their family's authority rather than on any formal guardianship.

230

113R

Thomas Bazett deceased of Benjamin [...]) And all and Singular the

Rights Priveledges Hereditaments and [...] thereunto belonging

or in any wise appertaining And the reversion [...]

rents Issues and profits thereof and of every part thereof And all the [...] Estate right Title

Interest Property Claim and demand w [...]

Elizabeth Gurling Thomas Bazett a [...] Matthew Bazett of in or to the said hereby

granted premises with the Appurtenan [...]

and Writings concerning the same which are [...]

Power To Have and to Hold [...]

House or Tenement Fifteen Acres and a half of Land and Premisses before mentioned

and intended to be hereby Granted with [...]

and the reversion and reversions remain [...]

Robert Ballard his heirs and assigns to the only use and behoof of the said Robert

Ballard his Heirs and Assigns And the said Elizabeth Gurling Thomas Bazett

party hereto and Matthew Bazett the said hereby granted premises with the Appurtenances

to the said Robert Ballard and his Heirs against them the said Elizabeth Gurling

Thomas Bazett party hereto and Matthew Bazett and their heirs and against all and

every other person or persons whatsoever shall and will warrant and for ever defend

by these presents And the said Elizabeth Gurling Thomas Bazett and Matthew Bazett for

themselves Jointly and severally and for their Joint and several Heirs Executors and

Administrators do and each of them doth hereby Covenant and agree to and with the

said Robert Ballard his Heirs and Assigns that He the said Robert Ballard his Heirs

or assigns shall and lawfully and may from time to time and at all times hereafter

peaceably and quietly have hold possess and enjoy and receive and take to his and

their own use all the rents Issues and profits of the said hereby Granted premises

with their Appurtenances without Molestation or disturbance of or from them

the said Elizabeth Gurling Thomas Bazett and Matthew Bazett or any of them their

or any of their Heirs Executors or administrators or any other person or persons whatsoever

And that free and clear of and from all Incumbrances whatsoever made done Committed

or suffered by them or any of them And the said Thomas Bazett and Matthew Bazett

for themselves Jointly and severally and for their Joint and several Heirs Executors

and Administrators do and each of them doth hereby further Covenant and agree

to and with the said Robert Ballard his Heirs and assigns that as soon as John and George

Bazett Younger sons of the said Thomas Bazett deceased Come of age, they the said Thos

Bazett party hereto and Matthew Bazett their Heirs Executors or administrators shall

and will procure them the said John and George Bazett to give release or other proper

discharges of thereby release their right in the said hereby granted Premises with the

The property had come to the late Thomas Bazett from Benjamin, a holder whose surname is lost to damage in the record. The transfer carried every right and attachment belonging to the ground, the rents and profits, whatever might fall in later, and the whole of the sellers' claim and interest, together with every paper touching the title in their hands or within their power to obtain. All of it was to belong to Robert Ballard and to those who came after him.

Elizabeth Gurling, Thomas Bazett and Matthew Bazett undertook to defend the house and the fifteen acres and a half for Ballard and his successors against themselves, against their own successors and against every other person whatever. They further pledged, binding themselves both together and separately, that Ballard and his successors would quietly hold the property and take its rents and profits to their own use without interference from any of them or from anyone else, and that it was free of every charge created or allowed by any of them.

They went on to undertake that as soon as John and George Bazett, the younger sons of the late Thomas Bazett, came of age, Thomas Bazett and Matthew Bazett or their representatives would procure the two young men to give a release or other proper discharge of whatever right they held in the property.

Interpretations

The undertaking about the two younger sons is the most substantial provision here, and it acknowledges the weakness at the heart of the sale. The adults had purported to act on behalf of children who could not themselves consent, and no such consent could bind them once they reached full age. Rather than leave Ballard exposed, the sellers promised to bring the boys forward in due course to sign away whatever claim they had, so the title would be completed only when the whole family had joined in it.

Binding themselves both jointly and separately meant Ballard could pursue any one of the three sellers for the whole of any failure rather than having to proceed against all of them together. That mattered where one party might die, leave the island or fall into poverty, and it was the form used wherever several people gave a promise that would need to hold good over many years.

Every part of the arrangement points to a purchaser buying into a situation full of latent difficulty. He was taking a property sold verbally to a dead man, claimed through a widow's remarriage, conveyed by three adults on behalf of two minors, and resting on a chain that ran back to a holder whose name the register no longer preserves. The unusually full promises reflect what he needed before he would accept it.

231

114V

Appurtenances unto the said Robert Ballard and his heirs in such Manner

and form as he the said Robert Ballard or his Heirs shall direct or be advised

for Corroborating and strengthening the title of the said Robert Ballard and

his Heirs to the premises aforesaid In Witness whereof the said

parties to these presents have interchangeably set their hands and seals

the day and year first above written

(Signed)

Elizabeth Gurling

Sealed and delivered (no Stamps

to be had) in the presence of us

Thomas Bazett

by the within named Elizabeth

Gurling

Matthew Bazett

(Signed)

John Legg

T Dunn

Sealed and delivered by the above

named Thomas Bazett and Matthew

Bazett in the presence of us

(Signed)

Jno Legg

T Dunn.

Indorsed 8 April 1758

I the within named Thomas Bazett party to the within written Indenture

do hereby acknowledge That I received of and from Andrew Blinman deceased

within named the Sum of Fifty Pounds of Currant money of the Island St

Helena within mentioned in full for the Purchase money within expressed

to be by paid to me for the Purchase of the Premises within Granted

witness my Hand

£50

(Signed) Thomas Bazett.

Witness

Jno Legg

T Dunn.

Received the day and years first above written

of the within named Robert Ballard the several sums of Five Shillings apiece

within mentioned to be by him paid to us respectively Witness our hands

(Signed)

Elizabeth Gurling

Witness

Jno Legg

Thomas Dunn.

The release from John and George Bazett was to be given in whatever form Robert Ballard or his successors should require, and it was to be drawn at his cost, for the purpose of putting his title beyond question.

The parties set their hands and seals to the agreement on the day and year already given. No stamped paper was to be had on the island. Elizabeth Gurling sealed hers in the presence of John Legg and a witness surnamed Dunn, and Thomas Bazett and Matthew Bazett sealed theirs before the same two men.

Three notes were written beneath. In the first, dated 8 April 1758, Thomas Bazett acknowledged that he had received £50 0s 0d in island money from the late Andrew Blinman, the whole of the purchase price for the property, and he signed it before John Legg and Dunn. The second recorded that Elizabeth Gurling had received from Ballard on the day of the agreement the five shillings due to her, witnessed by John Legg and Thomas Dunn.

Interpretations

Making Ballard bear the cost of obtaining the younger sons' release was a practical division of the burden. The sellers undertook to produce John and George Bazett when they came of age, but the expense of drawing whatever document was then thought necessary fell on the man who wanted the assurance. That left the sellers with an obligation they could perform without reaching into their own pockets, which made it far likelier to be honoured.

Thomas Bazett's separate acknowledgement records a payment made years earlier to a man now dead. Andrew Blinman had handed over the £50 0s 0d in his lifetime and taken no document in return, so the only surviving proof of payment was the seller's own word. Setting it down under his hand and before witnesses in 1758 supplied the evidence Blinman had never troubled to obtain, and closed off any suggestion that the price remained outstanding.

The five shillings paid to each seller was receipted separately from the £50 0s 0d, which keeps the two payments distinct in the record. One was the real price, discharged long before to a single member of the family, while the other was the token that made each party to the new document a participant in it. Recording them apart preserved the difference between what had actually been bought and what was being formalised.

232

114R

Island St Helena

I do hereby acknowledge to have received of and from

Mr Gabriel Isaache the sum of one hundred Pounds of Current money of this

Island being the Principal money due on a bond or Obligation bearing Date the

first day of November which was in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred

and Fifty six in the penal sum of two hundred pounds conditioned for the payment

of one hundred pounds with lawfull Interest as therein mentioned which Bond was

Executed by him the said Gabriel Isaak to Captain George Meard And also for

the further sum of Nine pounds and two shillings for the Interest due on the said

Bond for one year nine months and twenty two Days at the rate of five pounds

for the Hundred pounds by the year being the Full payment of all principal and

Interest due to this day on the said Bond which Bond is registered in the Secretarys

office in this Island as Witness my hand this Twenty second Day

of August in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and fifty Eight

(Signed)

John Adamson

Witness

T Dunn

John Adamson acknowledged that he had received from Gabriel Isaacke £100 0s 0d in island money, being the principal owed under a bond dated 1 November 1756. That bond had been made in the penal sum of £200 0s 0d on condition that £100 0s 0d be paid with lawful interest, and Isaacke had given it to Captain George Mead.

Adamson had also received a further £9 2s 0d for the interest due on the bond over one year, nine months and twenty-two days, reckoned at five pounds for every hundred by the year. Together the two sums discharged everything owing on the bond to that date. The bond itself was recorded in the secretary's office on the island.

Adamson signed the acknowledgement on 22 August 1758, and a witness surnamed Dunn attended.

Interpretations

The bond had been sealed on 1 November 1756, and the repayment closes an arrangement recorded in the register nearly two years earlier. Isaacke had then bound himself in £200 0s 0d as a penalty against paying £100 0s 0d by four quarterly instalments falling on 11 January, 11 April, 11 July and 11 October, each with interest. The period of one year, nine months and twenty-two days runs from the date of the bond to the day of payment, which shows the instalment scheme was never kept and the whole principal remained outstanding until settled in a single sum.

Interest at five per cent stood below the six per cent that Henry Francis had paid Captain Joseph Tolson under the mortgage bond of 6 June 1722 and that Governor John Goodwin had promised George Gabriel Powell on 30 June 1740. The lower rate here reflects the legal maximum having been reduced in England in 1714, and the island following the metropolitan standard.

John Adamson receipted the money rather than Captain Mead, who was at sea in the Company's service. A commander who lent on the island could not wait about for repayment, so he left the collection in the hands of someone on the spot, as the bond itself had anticipated in naming his attorney alongside his representatives. Adamson had earlier signed the Company's sale of the Vaughans ground to John Clark on 21 October 1754 as one of the Governor and Council.

Isaacke had pledged his James Valley dwelling, his Lemon Valley house and land, his cattle and his two slaves Phillip and Somsour as security, with a bar on selling or mortgaging any of it until the debt was cleared. Payment lifted that restriction, and it is worth noting that in the meantime he had taken on eight acres of Lemon Valley gumwood by the Company's assignment of 18 April 1757, adding to holdings that stood tied to the loan.

233

115V

Island St Helena

Know all men by these Presents that I Gabriel Steward

Second Mate of the Ship Sandwich for and on the behalf of my Brother Charles

Steward of the said Island for and in consideration of the Sum of five pounds

of good and Lawfull money to me in hand paid by Mr Richard Bagley of the said

Island the Receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged Have and by these presents

DO Assign and set over unto the said Richard Bagley Heir Heirs Executors

Administrators and Assigns all my Right and Interest (as Attorney to my

said Brother) of and in and to the within mentioned twelve Acres of Land

To have and to hold the said hereby Bargained premises to him his

Heirs &c. upon conditions of the Lease pursuant to Liberty Given me for so

doing by the Governor & Council the 19th day of June 1758 In Witness

whereof I the said Gabriel Steward have hereunto sett my Hand and Seal

this 20 Day of June 1758

NB the paper the Lease is Written upon being old cannot be Endorsed without hazard

of spoiling the said Lease which is for Ninety Nine years

Signed

Signed Sealed and

Gabriel Steward

delivered in the presence

of

Willm Wrangham

Jonathan Doveton

Island St Helena.

Know all men by these Presents that I Gabriel Steward

Second Mate of the Ship Sandwich for on the behalf of my Brother Charles Steward of

the said Island for and in Consideration of the Sum of five pounds of good and

Lawfull money to me in hand paid by Mr Richard Bagley of the said Island

the Receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged, Have and by these presents DO Assign

and sett over unto the said Richard Bagley his Heirs Executors Administrators and

Assigns all my right Title and Interest (as Attorney to my said Brother) of and in

and to the within mentioned one Acre of Land To have and to hold the said hereby

bargained premises, his Heirs Executors and Assigns upon the Conditions within

mentioned pursuant to Liberty given me for so doing by the Governor and Council the

19th day of June 1758 In Witness whereof I the said Gabriel Steward have hereunto

set my hand and seal this 20 day of June 1758

(Signed)

Gabriel Steward

Signed Sealed and delivered

in the Presence of

Willm Wrangham

Jonathan Doveton.

Gabriel Steward, second mate of the Sandwich, acting for his brother Charles Steward of St Helena, made over his whole claim and interest as attorney in twelve acres of land to Richard Bagley of the same island. Bagley paid £5 0s 0d in good and lawful money, and Steward acknowledged the sum. Bagley and his successors were to hold the ground on the terms of the lease, the Governor and Council having granted Steward leave to make the transfer on 19 June 1758.

Steward set his hand and seal to the agreement on 20 June 1758. A note was added recording that the paper on which the lease was written had grown too old to be endorsed without risk of spoiling it, and that the lease ran for ninety-nine years. William Wrangham and Jonathan Doveton watched the sealing and added their names.

By a second agreement of the same date, Gabriel Steward made over to Richard Bagley his whole claim and interest as attorney in a single acre of land, for a further £5 0s 0d. Bagley and his successors were to hold that acre on the terms already set out, again under the leave granted on 19 June 1758. The same two men attended the sealing.

Interpretations

Four assignments were sealed on 20 June 1758 under the single leave granted the day before, two to Lieutenant Henry Bazett covering eight and nineteen acres and two to Richard Bagley covering twelve acres and one acre. Together with the freehold sale of thirty and a quarter acres to Bazett on 6 June 1758, the whole of the Steward brothers' island holding was cleared within a fortnight, split between two buyers.

Paying £5 0s 0d for a single acre and the same £5 0s 0d for twelve suggests the sum was a formality rather than a price reckoned by extent. Where an assignment had to be recorded to satisfy the council's requirement of consent, a token payment made the instrument effective without any real bargaining, and the true consideration may well have passed under a separate reckoning between the parties.

Both Bagley assignments repeat the note about the decayed lease paper, which appears verbatim in the two Bazett assignments of the same day. The clerk evidently copied the explanation into each instrument, so the whole ninety-nine year grant, covering forty acres between the four parcels, rested on one aged document that could no longer safely carry endorsements.

Richard Bagley appears as the northern neighbour of the James Valley house Robert Barclay sold Charles Steward on 1 August 1757, and witnessed that sealing. He is here buying leasehold ground from the brother of a man of the same Steward family, which places him firmly within the circle of townsmen and planters dealing among themselves through the late 1750s.

234

115R

Island St Helena

Know all men by these Presents that I Gabriel Steward second

Mate of the Ship Sandwich for and on the behalf of my brother Charles Steward

of the said Island for and in Consideration of the Sum of five pounds of good and

Lawfull money to me in hand paid by Richard Bagley of the said Island the receipt

whereof his hereby acknowledged Have and by these presents DO Assign and Sett

over unto the said Richard Bagley his Heirs Executors Administrators and Assigns

all my right and Interest (As Attorney to my said brother) of and in and to the within

mentioned thirteen Acres of Land To have and to hold the said hereby

bargained premises to him his Heirs &c. upon the Conditions within mentioned

pursuant to liberty given me for so doing by the Governor and Council the 19th

day of June 1758 In Witness whereof I the said Gabriel Steward have hereunto

set my hand and Seal this 20 Day of June 1758

(Signed)

Signed Sealed and

Gabriel Steward

delivered in the presence of

Willm Wrangham

Jonathan Doveton

Island St Helena

Know all men by these Presents that I Gabriel Steward

Second Mate of the Ship Sandwich for and on the behalf of my brother Charles

Steward of the said Island for and in Consideration of the Sum of five pounds

of good and Lawfull money to me in hand paid by Richard Bagley of the said

Island the Receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged, Have and by these presents

DO Assign and Sett over unto the said Richard Bagley his Heirs Executors

Administrators and Assigns all my right and Interest (as Attorney to my said brother)

of and in and to the within mentioned one Acre of Land To have and to

hold the said Hereby bargained premises His Heirs Executors Administrators

and Assigns upon his Conditions within mentioned pursuant to liberty

given him for so doing by the Governor and Council the 19th day of June

1758 In Witness whereof I the said Gabriel Steward have hereunto sett

my hand and Seal this 20 day of June 1758

(Signed)

Gabriel Steward

Signed Sealed and

delivered in the presence of

Willm Wrangham

Jonathan Doveton

Gabriel Steward, second mate of the Sandwich, acting for his brother Charles Steward of St Helena, made over his whole claim and interest as attorney in thirteen acres of land to Richard Bagley. Bagley paid £5 0s 0d in good and lawful money, and Steward acknowledged the sum. Bagley and his successors were to hold the ground on the terms already set out, under the leave the Governor and Council had granted on 19 June 1758.

Steward set his hand and seal to the agreement on 20 June 1758, with William Wrangham and Jonathan Doveton attending as witnesses.

By a further agreement of the same date, Steward made over to Bagley his whole claim and interest as attorney in one acre of land, again for £5 0s 0d and on the same terms and under the same leave. The same two men attended the sealing.

Interpretations

Six assignments now stand recorded from the single day of 20 June 1758, covering eight and nineteen acres to Lieutenant Henry Bazett and twelve, one, thirteen and a further acre to Richard Bagley. The parcels total fifty-four acres of leasehold, and the repetition of the same £5 0s 0d for holdings ranging from a single acre to nineteen confirms that the payment was a formality attending each instrument rather than a price fixed by extent.

Breaking the leasehold into six separate documents rather than one served the requirement that each parcel be dealt with under its own terms. The ninety-nine year grant covered scattered ground held on differing conditions, and where the original lease paper was too decayed to endorse, the clerk had no way of showing which portion passed to whom except by writing out an instrument for each.

The whole of the Steward brothers' island property, freehold and leasehold together, moved into the hands of Bazett and Bagley inside three weeks, the freehold on 6 June and the leasehold on 20 June 1758. A second mate's ship stayed in the road only as long as her business required, and the concentration of the business into so short a period reflects the sailing of the Sandwich rather than any change in the brothers' circumstances.

235

116V

Island St Helena.

Know all men by these presents that I Gabriel

Steward Second Mate of the Ship Sandwich for and on the behalf of my

Brother Charles Steward of the said Island for and in Consideration of the

Sum of five pounds of good and Lawfull money to me in hand paid Henry

Bazett of the said Island the Receipt whereof he hereby acknowledges

Have and by these presents DO Assign sett over unto the said Henry

Bazett his Executors Administrators and assigns all my right and Interest

(as attorney to my said brother) of and in and to the within mentioned one Acre

and three Quarters and two Acres and one Quarter of Land To have and

to hold the said hereby bargained premises to him his Heirs &c. upon the

Conditions within mentioned pursuant to Liberty given Me for so doing

by the Governor and Council the 19th day of June 1758 In Witness

whereof I the said Gabriel Steward have hereunto sett my hand and Seal

this 17th day of June 1758

(Signed)

Gabriel Steward

Signed Sealed and

delivered in the presence of

Jonathan Doveton

James Williamson.

Know all men by these presents that I Francis

Wrangham the elder of the Island St Helena Gentleman for and in

Consideration of the natural Love and affection which I have and bear to my son

William Wrangham also of the said Island and for transferring the Leasehold

premisses within mentioned to him in part of the Fortune which he will be intitled to out

of my real and personal Estate and Effects at my decease And for and in Consideration

of the Sum of five Shillings of Current Money of the said Islands by my said son to me in

hand paid at or before the ensealing and delivery of this Indorsement the receipt whereof

I do hereby acknowledge and for divers other good Causes and considerations

me the said Francis Wrangham the Elder thereunto especially Moving Have assigned

transferred and set over And by these presents Do assign transfer and set over unto

the said William Wrangham my said Son his Executors Administrators and

assigns from the Day of the Date of this Indorsement for and during all the

rest residue and remainder of the term of twenty one Years by the within written

Lease granted to James Ryder the thirtieth day of September which was in the year

of Lord One thousand Seven hundred and thirty Eight yet to come and unexpired fully

to be compleat and Ended Upon the Conditions and Subject to the Rent in the said

Lease Expressed Pursuant to Liberty given two by the Governor and Council

Margin Notes:

All and Singular my right Title Interest Property Claim and demand whatsoever of in and to the within mentioned

Twenty Acres and a half of Land with the Appurtenances To have and to hold the same premises and every part thereof

with the Appurtenances unto him my said Son William Wrangham his Executors Administrators and Assigns

Gabriel Steward, second mate of the Sandwich, acting for his brother Charles Steward of St Helena, made over his whole claim and interest as attorney in one acre and three quarters, and in a further two acres and one quarter, to Henry Bazett of the same island. Bazett paid £5 0s 0d in good and lawful money, and Steward acknowledged the sum. Bazett and his successors were to hold the ground on the terms already set out, under the leave the Governor and Council had granted on 19 June 1758.

Steward set his hand and seal to the agreement on 17 June 1758, with Jonathan Doveton and James Williamson attending as witnesses.

Francis Wrangham the elder, a gentleman of St Helena, made over leasehold property to his son William Wrangham of the same island. He did so out of the natural love and affection he bore his son, and to give him part of the fortune to which he would be entitled from his father's estate at his death. William paid five shillings in island money before the sealing, which his father acknowledged along with other good reasons that moved him.

The property was twenty acres and a half, and every right and attachment belonging to it passed with the transfer. William and his successors were to hold it from the date of the instrument for the whole of the twenty-one year term granted to James Ryder on 30 September 1738, so far as it remained unexpired, subject to the terms and rents written into that lease, and under leave given by the Governor and Council.

Interpretations

Francis Wrangham the elder was making over property to a son during his own lifetime rather than leaving it to him by will, and the document says plainly that the twenty acres and a half were an advance on William's eventual inheritance. Such lifetime gifts run through the record, from Owen Bevean's gift to his son-in-law John Goodwin on 1 February 1690 to Joseph Bates settling six slaves on his daughter Margaret on 20 October 1741, and the reason is the same in each case: property given in the giver's lifetime took effect at once and could not be disputed after his death.

The lease was the twenty-one year grant of 30 September 1729 to James Ryder covering twenty acres of gumwood known as Beale's Lott in the West Division, held on a folded rent of three shillings an acre with an obligation to fence off four acres and a half and plant it with young gumwood. Some part of that term still had to run when the ground reached William Wrangham, and he took it burdened with the planting duties.

Charles Steward's leasehold was cleared in seven separate instruments, six sealed on 20 June 1758 and this one three days earlier on 17 June. All rested on the same council leave of 19 June, so the earliest of them was sealed two days before the permission it recites was given. Such slips appear elsewhere in the register, and the sequence suggests the assignments were drawn up in advance and dated as they were signed rather than as the council acted.

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for so doing Which said Leasehold premisses shall be reckoned and accounted at my

decease to him my said Son at the Sum of one hundred and Fifty pounds and ten Shillings

in part his fortune as aforesaid In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal

this thirtieth day of October in the Year of our Lord One thousand seven and

Fifty Eight.

Sealed and Delivered in the Presence of

Know all Persons by these presents that I Francis

Wrangham the Elder of the Island St Helena Gentleman for and in Consideration

of the natural Love and affection which I have and bear to my Son William

Wrangham also of the said Island Gentleman and for Conveying and assuring to

him the Freehold premisses hereafter mentioned in part of the fortune which he

the said William Wrangham my said Son will be intitled to out of my real and

personal Estate and effects at my decease And also for and in Consideration

of the Sum of Ten Shillings of Current Money of the said Island by my

said Son to me in hand paid at or before the ensealing and delivery of these

presents the receipt whereof I do hereby acknowledge And for divers other good

Causes and Considerations me the said Francis Wrangham the Elder

thereunto especially Moving Have granted Bargained and Sold And by

these presents Do grant Bargain and Sell unto the said William Wrangham

my said Son his heirs and assigns All that Messuage Dwelling House or

Tenement situate standing and being in the South Division of the said Island

And also all those pieces or parcells of Land thereunto belonging and appertaining

containing by estimation Twenty seven Acres and four fifths for Acre be the same more

or less Together with a Man Slave named London and Fifty thousand Yams and

Suckers standing on the said Lands formerly in the possession of James Ryder

deceased and since in the possession of Frances Mowatt and by him Conveyed to me

the said Francis Wrangham the Elder by Bargain and Sale bearing date the

twenty first day of June which was in the Year of our Lord One thousand

Seven hundred and Fifty Six in Consideration of five hundred and forty Nine

pounds and ten Shillings And also all and singular the appurtenances there

ditaments and appurtenances whatsoever thereunto belonging or appertaining And

the reversion and reversions remainder and remainders rents issues and profits

thereof and of every part there of And all the Estate right title and Interest

whatsoever of me the said Francies Wrangham the Elder of in or to the same

And all Deeds Evidences and Writings whatsoever in my Custody or power concerning

the same To have and to hold all and singular the said Messuage dwelling

House or Tenement Lands Man Slave Yams & premisses before mentioned and

remainders there of unto him my said Son William Wrangham his heirs and

assigns To the only use and behoof of him my said Son his heirs and assigns for

ever to be reckoned & accounted to him at my decease at the said Sum of five

Margin Notes:

and intended to be hereby granted with the out buildings and other appurtenances thereunto belonging, and the

reversion and reversions remainder

The leasehold ground was to be reckoned against William Wrangham's share of his father's estate at £150 10s 0d, and accounted for at his father's death as part of what he would otherwise inherit. Francis Wrangham the elder set his hand and seal to it on 30 October 1758.

By a further instrument, Francis Wrangham the elder made over freehold property to the same son, again out of the natural love and affection he bore him and to give him part of the fortune he would take from his father's estate at his death. William paid ten shillings in island money before the sealing, which his father acknowledged along with other good reasons that moved him.

The property was a dwelling house in the South Division, together with the parcels of land belonging to it, reckoned at twenty-seven acres and four fifths, or thereabouts. It carried a slave man named London and 50,000 yams and suckers standing on the ground. The land had formerly been held by James Ryder, since deceased, and afterwards by Francis Mowatt, from whom Francis Wrangham the elder had bought it on 21 June 1756 for £549 10s 0d. Everything attached to the property passed with it, including the outbuildings, together with the reversion, the rents and profits, the whole of his claim and interest, and every paper touching the title in his hands or within his power to obtain.

All of it was to belong to William Wrangham and to those who came after him without limit of time, and to their sole benefit, and it too was to be reckoned against his share of his father's estate at the sum named.

Interpretations

The two instruments of 30 October 1758 pass to William Wrangham, in one movement, the whole of what his father had bought from Francis Mowatt two years earlier. The freehold of twenty-seven acres and four fifths with the slave London and the yam crop came to Wrangham senior on 21 June 1756, and the leasehold of twenty acres and a half on the same day, and both now go forward to the son.

The price recorded here as £549 10s 0d differs from the £340 10s 0d entered against the same purchase in the register earlier, though the property, the seller, the date and even the slave and the yam crop match exactly. One of the two figures is a slip, and the sum given at the time of the original sale is the safer reading.

Charging each gift against William's eventual inheritance kept the family's accounts straight between the children. A father who gave freely to one son during his lifetime and left the rest to be divided at his death would leave that son doubly provided for, so recording a value to be set against his share preserved the balance without waiting for the estate to be settled.

The slave London and the 50,000 yams passed with the land as they had two years earlier, treated throughout as part of a working plantation rather than as separate property. The same handling appears across the record, from the man Asher conveyed with Joseph Trapp's plantation on 10 February 1690 to the nine slaves and the livestock carried in the Carne settlements of November 1717.

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hundred and forty Nine pounds and ten Shillings And I the said Francis

Wrangham the elder the said William Wrangham my said Son and his

heirs against me the said Francies Wrangham the Elder and my heirs against

all and every other Person and Persons whatsoever lawfully claiming under

me or them shall and will Warrant and for every defend by these presents

And I the said Francis Wrangham the Elder for myself my heirs Executors

and Administrators do hereby Covenant and Agree to and with the said William

Wrangham my said Son his heirs and assigns that he my said Son his heirs

or assigns shall and lawfully may from time to time and at all times hereafter

peaceably and quietly have hold possess & enjoy and receive and take to his

or their own use all the rents issues and profits of the said hereby granted

premisses with the appurtenances without any molestation or disturbance

whatsoever of me the said Francis Wrangham the elder my heirs Executors

or Administrators & without any lawfull molestation or disturbance of any other

person or persons whatsoever claiming under me or them And that free

and clear of and from any Incumbrance whatsoever made done committed

or Suffered by me them or any of them In witness whereof I the said Francis

Wrangham the elder have hereunto set my hand & Seal this thirtieth

day of October in the Thirty first Year of the Reign of our Sovereign

Lord George the Second by the grace of God of great Britain France

& Ireland King Defender of the Faith & so forth & in the Year of our

Lord One thousand Seven hundred & Fifty Eight,

Sealed and delivered (no Stamps

to be had) in the presence of

Onesr Beal

Richd Beal Junr

Margin Notes:

I hereby granted premises or the appurtenances or to them the said

The property was to be reckoned against William Wrangham's share at £549 10s 0d. Francis Wrangham the elder undertook to defend the ground for his son against himself, against those who followed him, and against every other person lawfully claiming through them. He further pledged that his son and his son's successors would quietly hold the property and take its rents and profits to their own use, free of interference from himself, his representatives or anyone lawfully claiming through them, and that it was clear of every charge created or allowed by any of them.

He set his hand and seal to the agreement on 30 October 1758, in the thirty-first year of the reign of King George the Second. No stamped paper was to be had on the island. Onesiphorus Beale and Richard Beale junior watched him do so and added their names.

Interpretations

Francis Wrangham the elder gave the narrower undertaking here, standing behind the title against himself and against those claiming through him rather than against all persons. That was the promise a man made when passing property to his own family, since a gift charged against an inheritance carried no bargained price to justify a wider assurance, and the son took the ground on the same footing as if he had inherited it.

The reference to persons lawfully claiming appears repeatedly through the pledge, a word inserted in these later documents where earlier ones spoke simply of any person whatever. The distinction confined the promise to claims with some legal foundation, so the giver did not undertake to answer for a stranger's baseless assertion.

Onesiphorus Beale and Richard Beale junior attested the sealing, the same Onesiphorus Beale who bought the Purslain Beds from Francis Mowatt for £8 0s 0d on 23 June 1756 and a strip of James Valley back ground from Lieutenant Thomas Casthope for £5 0s 0d on 17 July 1750. The Beale family had by now spanned three generations of witnesses and holders across the register.

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Know all men by these presents that I John Hayes Senior of the

Island St Helena for and in Consideration of the Sum of thirty three pounds of Currant

money to me in hand paid at and before the Ensealing of these presents

Have Given Granted, Bargained Sold Assigned and Delivered. And do by these presents

for myself my heirs Executors Administrators and assigns Give, Grant, Bargain, Sell, Assign

and deliver unto William Burnham of the said Island

Island St Helena

Know all men by these presents that I John Hayes Senr of the said Island

for and in Consideration of the Sum of thirty three pounds of good and Currant money of

the said Island to me in hand paid by William Burnham of the said Island Planter

the Receipt whereof is hereby Acknowledged and my self therewith to be fully paid and Satisfyed

DO hereby Sell Assign Sett and make over all my right, title, Interest, Claim, of and to the

within mentioned Nine Acres of Frehold Land scituate lying and being in Sharks Valley

butting and bounding North upon the said William Burnhams Leased Land, South East

and West upon the Honorable Companys Waste Land together with all the Great Trees, Waters

Houses and all others the Appurtenances thereunto belonging unto him the said William Burnham

and his Heirs for ever, to do and dispose thereof as he and they shall think fit, without any

manner of Molestation or Interruption of any Person or Persons whatsoever warranting the

same to be free and Clear of and from all manner of Incumbrances In Witness I the said

John Hayes have hereunto Sett my hand and Seal this fifth day of December in the Twenty

Seventh Year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lord George the Second by the Grace of God of

Great Britain France and Ireland King Defender of the faith and so forth. and in the

Year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and fifty three.

(Signd)

John Hayes

Signed Sealed and

delivered in the presence

of us.

Samuel Cotgrave

Willm Hayes

John Hayes senior of St Helena sold property to William Burnham of the same island. Burnham paid £33 0s 0d in current money before the sealing, and Hayes made the transfer for himself and for those who came after him. The entry breaks off before the property is described.

John Hayes senior sold nine acres of freehold ground to William Burnham, a planter of St Helena. Burnham paid £33 0s 0d in good island money, and Hayes acknowledged the sum and declared himself fully satisfied by it. He made over his whole claim and interest in the parcel.

The ground lay in Sharks Valley. It was bounded to the north by Burnham's own leasehold land, and to the south, east and west by the Company's waste ground. Everything attached to the nine acres passed with them, including the fruit trees, the buildings and every other attachment. The parcel was to belong to Burnham and to those who came after him without limit of time, to use or dispose of as they saw fit, free of interruption from any person whatever, and Hayes confirmed that nothing whatever was owing on it.

He set his hand and seal to the agreement on 5 December 1753, in the twenty-seventh year of the reign of King George the Second. Samuel Cotgrave and William Hayes watched him do so and added their names.

Interpretations

The clerk began the entry, wrote as far as the buyer's name and abandoned it, then started afresh below with the full text. Such false starts appear where a copyist noticed an error early enough to begin again, and the incomplete opening was left standing on the page rather than struck through, so the register preserves both the abandoned attempt and the finished version.

Burnham's own leasehold formed the northern boundary and the Company's waste enclosed the other three sides, so the purchase joined freehold to leasehold in a single block. Combining the two tenures was the usual way of building a holding on the island, and the pattern recurs from the paired freehold confirmations and leases of the 1711 framework onward.

Naming the fruit trees separately reflects what the leases of the period had required. Tenants had long been bound to plant ten fruit trees to the acre and to keep lemon trees round the inside of their fences, so an established planting represented years of compliance and real value to a buyer, quite apart from the ground it stood on.

Sharks Valley runs through the record from the Rhodes plantation leased to John Cotgrave on 27 October 1687 and the ten acres Benjamin Seale gave Praise Pledger on 16 January 1694. William Burnham connects to the Thomas Burnham whose orphans held twenty-two acres near the Mountain sold by Isaac Wood in June 1726.

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Island St Helena July 15th 1758.

Be it Known to all Men That William Seale a Planter on the Island of St

Helena, having set forth the deplorable Condition of his Family, to Lucius O'Bryen

Esqr Commander of his Majestys Ship Colchester and to Sundry other Gentlemen.

& they of their goodness have been charitably pleased to raise by a Subscription

the Sum of Thirty four pounds, Twelve Shillings and One penny Half Penny

And the said Lucius O'Bryen Esqr and the other Gentlemen do appoint the

said Sum to be Paid unto Thomas Greentree Planter on the said Island for

the Purchase of a Black Man Slave whose Name is Lewis and whom the

said Thomas Greentree has made over for the use of the Petitioner William

Seale and his Children and after his Death supposing the said Lewis

should Survive his Master William Seale. Lewis is to be disposed of to

the best advantage and whatsoever he produces is to be equally divided

amongst such of the Children of the said William Seale as shall be

Living on the Island of St Helena at the time Willm Seale shall Die

and Twenty Shillings shall be given in present to William Seale for him

to Buy Cloaths for the aforenamed Lewis and the remaining Sum of Thirteen

Pounds, Twelve Shillings and One penny half Penny to be left in the

hands of Thomas Greentree, he giving a Receipt for the Same with

which Sum Mr Thomas Greentree (when opportunity offers) is to purchase

another Slave, which other Slave is to be for the same use and on the same

Terms as the aforenamed Lewis and in Case of this Second purchased Slave

Surviving his Master, He or She is to be disposed of in the same manner

directed for Lewis and if after purchasing the other Slave any Money

should remain Mr Thomas Greentree shall pay such remains to

William Seale taking a receipt for the same. and that these directions

and intentions may be the better known. it is ordered by the aforesaid

Lucius O'Bryen. that the Contents or Copy hereof be entered into

the Publick Register of this Island.

Lus O'Bryen

Eyre Coote

John Fraser

Matthw Peirson

An entry dated 15 July 1758 recorded a subscription raised for the relief of a distressed family.

William Seale, a planter of St Helena, had laid the wretched condition of his family before Lucius O'Bryen, commander of His Majesty's ship Colchester, and before several other gentlemen. Out of their generosity they had raised £34 12s 1½d by subscription among themselves.

O'Bryen and the other subscribers directed the money to be paid to Thomas Greentree, a planter on the island, for the purchase of a Black slave man named Lewis, whom Greentree had made over for the use of Seale, then aged, and of his children. Should Lewis outlive his master, he was to be disposed of to the best advantage and the proceeds divided equally among those of Seale's children then living on the island.

Twenty shillings were to be given to Seale at once to buy clothes for Lewis. The remaining £13 12s 1½d was to stay in Greentree's hands against a receipt, and Greentree was to lay it out on a second slave when a suitable opportunity arose. That second slave was to be held for the same purpose and on the same terms as Lewis, and if he or she outlived Seale was to be disposed of in the same way. Any money left over after the second purchase Greentree was to pay to Seale against a receipt.

So that the arrangement should be widely known, O'Bryen directed that a copy be entered in the island's public register. The subscribers named were Lucius O'Bryen, Eyre Coote, John Fraser and Matthew Peirson.

Interpretations

The relief given was not money but labour. Rather than handing an ageing planter a sum he might quickly spend, the subscribers bought a man whose work would support Seale and his children, and directed that the residue be laid out on a second slave when one could be had. The instrument treats human beings as an income-producing asset settled on a distressed family, in the same way that the register elsewhere records slaves passing with plantations, with houses and as marriage portions.

Naming Thomas Greentree as the man to hold the money and buy the second slave placed the arrangement under a trustee rather than leaving it to Seale himself. The requirement of receipts at each stage, and the direction that a copy be entered in the register, show the subscribers guarding against the fund being dissipated, much as the guardianship articles for Margaret Bagley of 26 July 1714 had converted an orphan's portion into a supervised obligation.

Eyre Coote's name among the subscribers is worth marking. He was then a young officer in the King's service, later prominent in the Company's campaigns in India, and his presence alongside a royal naval commander shows the crown's officers passing through the island at a moment when the Seven Years War drew such men across the Company's stations. Their charity was a private act, made among gentlemen ashore, rather than anything the Company's government arranged.

Providing separately for clothing shows the subscribers reckoning with the cost of maintaining the man as well as acquiring him. Clothing recurs as a distinct obligation across the record, from the coat, shirt and clothes Francis Wrangham was bound to supply Ned under Mary Jewister's gift of 26 February 1712 to the new suit of apparel due at the end of an apprenticeship.

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Island St Helena 28th July 1758

Know all Men by these presents that I John Seale Yeoman of the abovesaid Island

for and in Consideration of the Sum of Six hundred pounds Lawfull money of this Islands

to me in hand paid by Mr John Bland. Master Mason of this said Island Whereof

I do hereby Acknowledge the receipt and myself therewith fully Satisfied. Have Bargaind

Sold and make over, and do deliver by these presents, as if at publick Sale, Auction,

or Market, According to due form of Law, Twenty Acres of Free Land, Situate &

Lying as hereafter mentioned, Viz East upon Mr Mathew Bazett West upon Mr

Mathew Purling, North upon Mrs Burnhams Widow and South upon Mr

Mathew Bazett, to have and to hold the said Bargaind Land, unto the said John

Bland His, Heirs, Executors Administrators, or Assigns, against all persons shall

and will Warrant, and for Ever defend by these presents, Witness whereof I have

hereunto Set my hands and seals the Twenty Eight day of July, in the Year of

our Lord One Thousand seven Hundred and fifty eight, and in the thirty

first Year of the reign of our Sovereign Lord King George, the Second by

the Grace of God, King of Great Britain, France and Ireland, Defender

of the faith &c

John Legg

Witness

John Seale

John Edie

NB No Stamp Paper

to be had

Island St Helena

Whereas John Seale Yeoman of the above said Island by a Writing bearing Date

the twenty Eighth Instant for the Consideration therein mentioned Did grant and Convey

unto me John Bland of the said Island Mason Twenty Acres of Land in the said

Island in the Cabbage Tree as by the said Writing is particularly described Now

I the said John Bland for and in Consideration of the Sum of Six hundred and ten pounds

do of Currant Money of this Island to me in hand paid by William Robinson Chief

Mate of the Ships Egmont and Thomas Underwood Second Mate of the said Ship. The

receipt whereof I do hereby acknowledge Have granted bargained and Sold and

by these presents Do grant bargain and Sell unto the said William Robinson and

Thomas Underwood and their heirs All and Singular the above mentioned Cabbage

Tree Lands with the Appurtenances and the reversion and reversions remainder and

remainders thereof unto the said William Robinson and Thomas Underwood

An entry dated 28 July 1758 records a sale by John Seale, a yeoman of St Helena, to John Bland, master mason of the island. Bland paid £600 0s 0d in lawful island money, and Seale acknowledged the sum and declared himself fully satisfied by it.

Seale made over twenty acres of free land as if at a public sale by auction or market, following the ordinary course of law. The ground was bounded to the east by Matthew Bazett's land, to the west by Matthew Purling's, to the north by the widow Burnham's, and to the south by Matthew Bazett's. Bland and those who came after him were to hold it, and Seale undertook to defend the title for them against all persons.

He set his hand and seal to the agreement on 28 July 1758, in the thirty-first year of the reign of King George the Second. John Legg and John Edie watched him do so and added their names. A note recorded that no stamped paper was to be had.

By a further entry, John Bland recited that Seale had by the writing of 28 July granted him twenty acres of land in the cabbage tree part of the island, as more particularly described there. Bland now sold that ground to William Robinson, chief mate of the ship Egmont, and Thomas Underwood, second mate of the same ship, for £602 0s 0d in island money paid into his hands. He acknowledged the sum and made over the whole of the cabbage tree land with everything attached to it, together with whatever might fall in later, to Robinson and Underwood and to those who came after them.

Interpretations

Bland bought the ground for £600 0s 0d and sold it on for £602 0s 0d, taking £2 0s 0d across the two transactions. Such a margin points to a man standing between the true parties rather than dealing on his own account, the same role Duke Crispe played when he bought the twenty-five acre Robinson's Land leasehold from Martin Harper for £200 0s 0d on 13 November 1734 and assigned it to John Burling two days later at the identical figure.

The two ships' officers were buying land on an island where their duties would keep them only while the Egmont lay in the road. Purchasing through a resident master mason avoided the difficulty of a seller dealing directly with men whose stay was measured in weeks, and the arrangement mirrors the way Gabriel Steward disposed of his brother's holdings during the Sandwich's call in June 1758.

Describing the sale as if made at public auction or market according to the form of law was a device to strengthen the buyer's position. A purchase in open market carried a better title than a private bargain, since it was presumed to have been made in good faith before witnesses, and reciting the form gave Bland the benefit of that presumption on a parcel he intended to pass straight on.

Twenty acres at £600 0s 0d works out at £30 an acre, above the £23 an acre Henry Bazett paid for Sandy Bay freehold on 6 June 1758 and well above the £17 10s 0d an acre of the West Division sales of 1754 and 1756. Cabbage tree ground stood at the upper end of the island's land values, being the moister high country rather than the dry gumwood slopes.

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their heirs and Assigns To the only use and behoof of them the said William Robinson and

Thomas Underwood their heirs and Assigns forever Provided always nevertheless and

it is hereby declared and agreed by and between the said Parties that if the said John Bland

his Heirs Executors or Administrators shall and do well and truly pay or cause to be paid unto

the said William Robinson and Thomas Underwood Jointly or severally their

Joint or several Executors Administrators or Assigns on or before the twenty first Day

of April next ensuing the Date of these presents the full and Just Sum of One

hundred and ten Pounds of Currant Money of this Island without any Deduction

Whatsoever then the above written Grant to be void or otherwise to be and remain in

full force. In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and Seal this 30 day

July 1758

John Bland

Sealed and Delivered (no Stamps

to be had) in the presence of

James Greentree

Onesr Beale

Know all men by these presents that I John Legg

of the Island St Helena Victualer and Poulterer for and in Consideration

of the Sum of Eighty seven pounds three shillings of Currant of the said Island

to me in hand paid by Mary Burnham of the said Island Widow at or before the

Sealing and delivery of these Presents the Receipt whereof I the said John Legg do

hereby acknowledge have granted Bargained and Sold and by these presents DO Grant

bargain and sell unto the said Mary Burnham her Executors, Administrators and

Assigns All that House or Tenement scituate standing or being in James Valley

now in the occupation of the said Mary Burnham Widow between the Houses of Gabriel

Isaacke on the North or Northerly and on the Honorable Companys Barracks on

the South or Southerly, And with all those pieces of Ground on the backside of the said

House or Tenement together with all the Out buildings hereditaments and appurtenances

whatsoever to the said dwelling house or Tenement and pieces or parcels of Ground

with every or and Part thereof belonging or any ways appertaining to have and

to Hold all and singular the said House or Tenement with the pieces or parcels of

Ground aforesaid unto Her the said Mary Burnham Widow her Heirs, Executors

Administrators or Assigns to the only use and behoof of the said Mary Burnham

her heirs and assigns for ever. And I the said John Legg do hereby Covenant

promise and agree to and with the said Mary Burnham her Heirs Executors

Administrators and Assigns that she or they shall peaceably Possess and Enjoy

The cabbage tree land was to belong to William Robinson and Thomas Underwood and to those who came after them without limit of time, and to their sole benefit. The transfer carried one condition. If John Bland or his representatives paid Robinson and Underwood, or either of them, the full sum of £106 0s 0d in island money by 21 April next, without any deduction whatever, the transfer would count for nothing. Otherwise it was to stand in full force.

Bland set his hand and seal to the agreement on 30 July 1758. No stamped paper was to be had on the island. James Greentree and Onesiphorus Beale watched him do so and added their names.

John Legg, a victualler and poulterer of St Helena, sold a house to Mary Burnham, a widow of the same island. She paid £87 3s 0d in island money before the sealing, and Legg acknowledged the sum.

The house stood in James Valley and was then occupied by Mary Burnham herself. It lay between the dwellings of Gabriel Isaacke to the north and the Company's barracks to the south. The sale carried the pieces of ground at the back of the house, along with every outbuilding and attachment belonging to it. All of it was to belong to her and to those who came after her without limit of time, and to their sole benefit. Legg pledged that she and her successors would quietly hold and enjoy the property.

Interpretations

The condition attached to the sale turns the whole arrangement into something other than it first appears. Bland was to have the land back if he paid £106 0s 0d by the following April, which makes the transfer a security for a loan rather than an outright sale. The £602 0s 0d recited as the price and the £106 0s 0d to be repaid cannot both be simple sums of money changing hands, and the structure follows the same form as the mortgage John Leech gave Augustine Balls in July 1753, where a conveyance was written to become void on repayment by a named day.

Bland appears in the register as a man who moved property between others rather than holding it. He bought a Southwark side house and sold it to John Clark on 3 June 1756, sold a James Valley dwelling to John Robinson on 18 August 1756, and here takes twenty acres from John Seale one day and passes them to two ships' officers the next. His trade as master mason evidently ran alongside a business in conveying and financing.

Mary Burnham was living in the house when she bought it, so she had been a tenant of John Legg before becoming the owner. A widow purchasing the roof over her head in her own name recurs through the record, from Elizabeth Marsh accumulating Southwark side property in 1723 to Grace Coulson buying out her son's interest in her James Valley dwelling for £200 0s 0d in June 1722.

The Company's barracks forming the southern boundary marks the growth of the garrison establishment in James Valley. Where earlier descriptions fixed town plots by neighbouring householders alone, the barracks now stood as a landmark, reflecting the increase in troops on the island during the war years.

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every part and parcel of the said hereby bargained premises without any

manner of Interruption or Molestation, from any person or persons whatsoever

warranting the same to be Free and Clear from all manner of Incumbrances

In Witness whereof I the said John Legg have hereunto set my hand and

Seal this fifth day of September in the thirty third year of the Reign of Our

Sovereign Lord George the Second by the Grace of God of great Britain France and

Ireland King defender of the faith &c and in the year of our Lord one

thousand Seven hundred and fifty nine

Signed Sealed and delivered

John Legg

in the presence of us

Saml Price

Rich Low

NB No Stamp Paper

to be had

Island St Helena

Know all Men by these presents that we Matthew

Purling and Richard Beale Gentlemen of the said Island and Executors of

Mr John Bazett deceased for and in Consideration of the Sum of five hundred

and twenty pounds of good and Currant Money of the said Island to us in hand

paid at or before the ensealing and delivery hereof the receipt whereof is hereby

acknowledged Have and by these presents DO give grant bargain sell

assign and Confirm unto Matthew Bazett his heirs Executors and Administrators

and assigns All those pieces or parcells of Cabbage Tree Land containing

Sixty Acres more or less Situate in Deep Valley in the East part of the

said Island formerly belonging to Mr John Bazett deceased Butting and

bounding East upon the Lands now in the possession of Thomas Colgrave about

upon the free Lands of him the said Matthew Bazett and South upon the Lease

Land of him the said Matthew Bazett and North upon the Leasehold Lands

now in the possession of William Seale, Together with all and Singular the

rights profits Commodities and appurtenances thereunto belonging or

appertaining, with all our right title and Interest in or to the same as

Executors aforesaid To have and to hold the said parcels of Land

hereby bargained and Sold and every part and parcel thereof with their

and every of their Appurtenances unto him the said Matthew Bazett

his heirs Executors & Administrators and assigns for ever

Mary Burnham and her successors were to hold every part of the property without interruption from any person whatever, and John Legg confirmed that nothing whatever was owing on it. He set his hand and seal to the agreement on 5 September 1759, in the thirty-third year of the reign of King George the Second. Samuel Price and Richard Low watched him do so and added their names. A note recorded that no stamped paper was to be had.

Matthew Purling and Richard Beale, gentlemen of St Helena and the men appointed to settle the affairs of the late John Bazett, sold sixty acres of cabbage tree ground to Matthew Bazett. The buyer paid £520 0s 0d in good island money before the sealing, and the sellers acknowledged the sum.

The parcels lay in Deep Valley in the East Division and had formerly belonged to the late John Bazett. They were bounded to the east by land then held by Thomas Colgrove, to the west by Matthew Bazett's own free land, to the south by his leasehold ground, and to the north by the leasehold then held by William Seale. Everything attached to the ground passed with it, together with the whole of the interest the two men could pass on through their office, and the parcels were to belong to Matthew Bazett and to those who came after him without limit of time.

Interpretations

John Bazett, whose estate was being settled here, is the gentleman recorded as third of Council by 1740 who reassembled his late father Matthew Bazett's divided estate across 1738 and 1739, buying back the eighths held by his siblings and their families. The Deep Valley ground he gathered then, twenty-one acres of freehold and twenty-one of leasehold, now passes on to a Matthew Bazett of the following generation, so the family holding survived two deaths and a division intact.

Matthew Bazett already held the free land to the west and the leasehold to the south, so the purchase closed a block he had partly assembled. At roughly £8 13s 0d an acre the rate falls well below the £30 an acre John Bland paid for cabbage tree ground on 28 July 1758, which suggests either a difference in the quality of the two parcels or a price set with an eye to keeping the ground in the family.

Purling and Beale gave the narrow undertaking proper to men acting for a dead man's estate, passing only such interest as their office allowed. Both appear across the register in that capacity, Beale having sold Ryder ground with Thomas Greentree on 24 August 1753 and Purling standing as executor of John Purling's will in the Bazett dealings of 1738.

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And we the said Matthew Purling and Richard Beale as Executors aforesaid

DO for our Selves our heirs Executors Administrators and assigns Covenant

promise and agree to and with the said Matthew Bazett his heirs Executors

Administrators and assigns, that he the said Matthew Bazett his heirs Executors

Administrators and assigns shall and may from time to time, and at all

times hereafter peaceably and quietly have, hold, occupy, possess, and enjoy the

said parcels of Land, and premises hereby bargained and Sold with the

Appurtenances, free from all Incumbrances whatsoever, without any Lett

Suit hinderance molestation or disturbance of or from us the said Matthew

Purling and Richard Beale as Executors aforesaid our heirs Executors

Administrators and assigns or of or from the Orphans of the said Mr John

Bazett deceased, or any person or persons claiming or to claim by from

or under us as Executors aforesaid, or any or other of us In Witness

whereof we the said Matthew Purling and Richard Beale have hereunto

set our hands and Seals this twelfth day of October in the thirty first

Year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lord George the Second by the Grace of God

of great Britain France and Ireland King defender of the Faith and so

forth and in the Year of our Lord One thousand Seven hundred and Fifty

Eight.

(Signed)

M Purling

Signd Seald & Deliverd

in the presence of

Rich. Beale

(Signed)

William Lee

Willm Wrangham

Island St Helena

Know all Men by these presents that I Henry Bazett of

this Island Lieutenant in the Service of the Honorable East India Company

for and in Consideration of the Sum of one hundred and fourteen pounds

of Currant Money of this Island to me in hand paid at and before the

ensealing and delivery of these presents by Matthew Bazett Gentleman of

the said Island and likewise in the Service of the Honble East India Compy

Have Bargained Sold and Delivered And by these presents DO for my self

my heirs Executors Administrators and assigns give, grant, bargain

sell, assign, set over, and deliver unto him the said Matthew Bazett his

heirs Executors Administrators and assigns All my right title Interest &

property to and in All that piece or parcell of freehold Land containing

twenty Seven Acres, lying in the East part of this Island and known by the

Name of Woody Ridge Butting East West North and South upon the

Honorable Companys Waste Land To have and to hold all and singular

the said twenty Seven Acres of Free Land with all and Singular the Wood

Water Watercourses and all other rights Commodities and appurtenances

whatsoever thereunto belonging or appertaining unto him the said

Matthew Purling and Richard Beale pledged, for themselves and their representatives, that Matthew Bazett and his successors would quietly hold and enjoy the parcels from that time forward, free of every charge and without interference from either of them, from their representatives, from the orphans of the late John Bazett, or from anyone claiming through them.

They set their hands and seals to the agreement on 12 October 1758, in the thirty-first year of the reign of King George the Second. William Lee and William Wrangham watched them do so and added their names.

Henry Bazett of St Helena, a lieutenant in the Company's service, sold twenty-seven acres of freehold ground to Matthew Bazett, a gentleman of the same island and likewise in the Company's service. Matthew Bazett paid £114 0s 0d in island money before the sealing, and Henry Bazett acknowledged the sum. He made over his whole claim and interest in the parcel.

The ground lay in the East Division and was known by the name of Woody Ridge. It was bounded on all four sides by the Company's waste. The sale carried the wood, the water, the watercourses and every other right and attachment belonging to the ground.

Interpretations

Naming the orphans of the late John Bazett among those whose claims were covered shows the executors addressing the obvious weakness in a sale out of a dead man's estate. The children stood to inherit whatever their father had left, and a purchaser needed protection against their coming forward in later years, exactly as Robert Ballard had required an undertaking about the younger Bazett sons on 8 April 1758.

Woody Ridge appears in the record as the twenty-one acres the Governor and Council granted John Bazett for £30 0s 0d on 26 November 1738, a fresh allocation carved out of the Company's own upland and marked by an annexed plan because no private land adjoined it. The twenty-seven acres here are bounded by Company waste on every side, which fits the same isolated position, though the acreage has grown by six.

Two members of the Bazett family in the Company's service appear on either side of this sale, a lieutenant selling to a gentleman. The family had by now spread across the register from the Matthew Bazett who served as surveyor and councillor in the 1690s to Henry Bazett buying the whole Steward holding in Sandy Bay in June 1758, and its members were dealing among themselves as well as with outsiders.

Matthew Bazett bought sixty acres in Deep Valley on 12 October 1758 and these twenty-seven acres at Woody Ridge, both parcels having belonged to John Bazett, whose estate carried a Woody Ridge house and fourteen acres alongside his Deep Valley ground. The two purchases look like a deliberate gathering of one man's holdings after his death.

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[Loss along the right-hand edge, affecting the ends of most lines in the main text block.]

Island St Helena

Know all Persons by these presents. That I John

Bland of the said Island Master Mason to the Honorable the

United Company of Merchants of England trading to the East Indies

Lords Proprietors of the said Island. for and in consideration of [...]

Sum of One hundred & twenty Pounds of Currant, money of [...]

said Island to me in hand paid by Matthew Bazett of the

said Island Secretary to the said Honorable Company, at or [...]

fore the ensealing & delivery of these presents. The Receipt

hereof I do hereby acknowledge And also for & in consideration [...]

the further Sum of one hundred & twenty Pounds of like

money to me the said John Bland, my Heirs Executors [...]

Administrators promised to be paid by the said Matthew [...]

immediately after the Decease of Mary Seale Widow [...]

Granted bargained & Sold And by these presents Do Grant

Bargain & Sell unto the said Matthew Bazett His [...]

Assigns All those two pieces or parcels of Freehold Land

containing twenty Acres more or less commonly called & known by the Name of Sealey, which [...]

& being in the East Division of the said Island near [...] the

of Sharks Valley, butting & bounding East & North on [...]

Lands of him the said Matthew Bazett, South on [...] Land

of Mr Matthew Purling And West on the Lands of

Mary Burnham Widow with the Appurtenances [...]

and to hold one moiety or half part of the said [...]

with the appurtenances from the Day next before the Day

of the date hereof unto him the said Matthew Bazett his

Heirs & Assigns for ever To the only Use & behoof of him the said Matthew Bazett his

Heirs & Assigns for ever And also To have &

to hold the other moiety or half part of the said Premisses

with the appurtenances Unto him the said Matthew Bazett

his Heirs & Assigns from & immediately after the Decease of

the said Mary Seale To the only use & behoof of him the said

Matthew Bazett his Heirs & Assigns for Ever And the said John

Bland for himself his Heirs Executors and Administrators

Doth hereby Covenant Promise & Agree to & with the said

John Bland, master mason to the Company on St Helena, sold two parcels of freehold ground to Matthew Bazett, secretary to the Company on the island. Bazett paid £120 0s 0d in island money before the sealing, and Bland acknowledged the sum. Bazett further promised to pay Bland or his representatives a second £120 0s 0d immediately on the death of Mary Seale, a widow.

The ground came to about twenty acres and went by the name of Seales. It lay in the East Division near the head of Sharks Valley, bounded to the east and north by Bazett's own land, to the south by Matthew Purling's, and to the west by land held by Mary Burnham, a widow.

Bazett was to take one half of the ground from the day before the sealing, to hold for himself and his successors without limit of time. The other half he was to take immediately on Mary Seale's death, likewise to hold for himself and his successors and to their sole benefit.

Interpretations

The property was divided in two because a widow held a life interest in one half of it. Mary Seale's right ended only with her death, so Bland could give Bazett immediate possession of one half while the other had to wait, and the price was split accordingly with £120 0s 0d paid at once and £120 0s 0d deferred until she died. The arrangement resembles the sale John Coulson made to Jonathan Doveton on 28 November 1725, where half a dwelling passed at once and the other half only after the death of his mother Grace Coulson.

Deferring half the price until a named person's death made the bargain a wager on how long she lived, though neither party could influence the outcome and both were content to leave it there. A buyer paying in full at once would have been advancing money for ground he could not use, and a seller taking half would have parted with an interest that still yielded him nothing.

Matthew Bazett had bought sixty acres in Deep Valley on 12 October 1758 and twenty-seven acres at Woody Ridge from Lieutenant Henry Bazett, and the ground here adjoins his own land on two sides. He held the office of secretary to the Company, the post occupied by Francis Wrangham the younger three years earlier, and his purchases through 1758 and 1759 show a man of standing consolidating in the East Division.

Mary Burnham on the western boundary is the widow who bought her own dwelling in James Valley from John Legg for £87 3s 0d on 5 September 1759, so she held both town property and country ground in her own name. Bland appears on the selling side once again, as he had with the twenty acres of cabbage tree land passed to two officers of the Egmont in July 1758.

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said Matthew Bazett his Heirs & Assigns, That he the said

Matthew Bazett his Heirs or Assigns shall & may from time

to time & at all Times hereafter peaceably & quietly, have

hold possess & enjoy One moiety or half part of the said

Premisses To the use of him & his Heirs for Ever, And the

other Moiety or half part of the said Premises after the

Decease of the said Mary Seale, also to him the said

Matthew Bazett his Heirs & Assigns for ever And further

That I the said John Bland my Heirs Executors or Administrators

shall & will immediately, after the decease of the said Mary

Seale, put him the said Matthew Bazett in full & peaceable

Possession of the remaining half part with the appurtenances

To hold to him the said Matthew Bazett & his Heirs for

ever On his paying & discharging the said further Sum

of One hundred & twenty Pounds And the said Matthew

Bazett for himself his Heirs Executors & Administrators doth

hereby Covenant Promise & Agree to & with the said John Bland his

his Heirs & Assigns That he the said Matthew Bazett his

Heirs Executors or Administrators shall & will without any

deduction whatsoever well & truly pay or cause to be paid

Unto the said John Bland his Heirs Executors Administrators

or Assigns the said Remaining Sum of One hundred &

twenty Pounds immediately or as soon after the Decease

of the said Mary Seale, as the said John Bland his Heirs

Executors Administrators or Assigns shall put him the

said Matthew Bazett in full & peaceable possession of the

remaining Moiety or half part of the said Premisses In

Witness whereof I the said John Bland have hereunto set

my Hand & Seal this Eighteenth Day of February in the

Year of our Lord seventeen One thousand seven hundred & Six

ty One

(Signed)

Sealed & delivered (no Stamps)

John Bland

in the presence of

Henry Bazett

Rich: Beale Junr

James Greentree

John Bland pledged that Matthew Bazett and his successors would quietly hold and enjoy one half of the ground for his own use without limit of time, and the other half likewise after Mary Seale's death. He further undertook that he or his representatives would put Bazett into full and peaceable possession of the remaining half immediately on her death, to hold without limit of time, upon his paying the further £120 0s 0d.

Bazett in turn pledged, for himself and his representatives, that he would pay Bland or his representatives the remaining £120 0s 0d without any deduction whatever, immediately on Mary Seale's death or as soon afterwards as Bland or his representatives put him into full and peaceable possession of the second half.

Bland set his hand and seal to the agreement on 18 February 1761. No stamped paper was to be had on the island. Henry Bazett, Richard Beale junior and James Greentree watched him do so and added their names.

Interpretations

The two promises were framed to work against each other, so that neither man could take the benefit without giving it. Bland undertook to deliver possession of the second half on Mary Seale's death, and Bazett's obligation to pay the second £120 0s 0d fell due only once that possession had been given. Tying each duty to the performance of the other spared both parties from having to trust the other's good faith across an interval that might run for years.

Nothing in the arrangement fixed how long the wait would be, since it turned entirely on the length of one woman's life. Bazett therefore took immediate use of half the ground and a contingent claim to the rest, while Bland kept an unpaid £120 0s 0d that might fall in within months or not for a decade.

Richard Beale junior attests here, as he had at the sealing of Francis Wrangham the elder's gift to his son on 30 October 1758. Together with Onesiphorus Beale and Richard Beale the elder, the family supplied witnesses across the run of conveyances of the late 1750s, alongside the Wranghams and the Bazetts who did the same.

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Island St Helena

Know all Persons by these presents that we

the Governr & Council of the said Island for the time being (by

virtue of the power & authority to us given by the Honble The

United Company of Merchants of England trading to the East

Indies to dispose of all persons Estates that die intestate) for

& in consideration of the Sum of two hundred & Ninety One

Pounds of lawful Money of great Britain to Us in hand

paid by John Adamson Gentleman Lt Governr of the said Island

at or before the ensealing & delivery of these presents the

receipt whereof we do hereby acknowledge & thereupon do

hereby acquit & for ever discharge the said John Adamson

his Heirs Exors Admrs & assigns Have granted bargained

Sold & delivered and by these presents DO grant bargain

sell & deliver unto the said John Adamson his Heirs Exors

Admrs & assigns All that Messuage dwelling House or

Tenement situate standing & being in James's Valley in the

said Island between the Houses of John Bazetts Orphs & John

Critchard which said Messuage dwelling House or Tenement

was lately the property of Saml Falconer Surgeon Deceased who

died Intestate Together with the Yard on the back side

thereof & all the outbuildings thereon erected And all other the

rights members hereditaments & appurtenances thereunto

belonging or appertaining And all his the said Samuel

Falconers right title & Interest in & to the same and all

Deeds Evidences & writings relating thereto To have and

to hold all & singular the said hereby bargained & sold

premisses with the appurtenances unto the said John

Adamson his Heirs Exors Administrators & assigns To

the only use & behoof of him the said John Adamson his

Heirs Exors Admrs & assigns for ever And we the said

Governr & Council for ourselves & our Successors do hereby

The Governor and Council of St Helena, acting under the authority the Company had given them to deal with the estates of anyone who died without leaving a will, sold a dwelling house to John Adamson, a gentleman and lieutenant governor of the island. Adamson paid £291 0s 0d in lawful money of Great Britain before the sealing, and the Council acknowledged the sum and released him and his representatives from any further demand.

The house stood in James Valley between the dwellings of John Bazett, since deceased, and John Orchard. It had lately belonged to Samuel Falconer, a surgeon, who had died without a will. The sale carried the yard at the back, every outbuilding standing on the ground and all the rights and attachments belonging to it, together with the whole of Falconer's claim and interest and every paper touching the title.

The property was to belong to Adamson and to those who came after him without limit of time, and to their sole benefit.

Interpretations

The Company's standing power to wind up intestate estates falls once more to the island's government, as it had when the Governor and Council sold John Clark the ten acres known as Vaughans out of Richard Gurling's estate on 21 October 1754. Where no executor existed, the administration passed to the Council, which sold the property and would then apply the proceeds to debts and to whoever was entitled.

Samuel Falconer appears in the record as the surgeon who bought a house from James Greentree for £60 0s 0d on 2 April 1751 and witnessed the sale of Beale's House Pasture to John Goodwin three weeks earlier. Whether the house sold here is the same one cannot be told from the entry, though a surgeon of some years' standing on the island might well have held more than one town property.

At £291 0s 0d reckoned in sterling this is among the higher prices for a James Valley dwelling, above the £200 0s 0d that Robert Barclay took from Charles Steward on 1 August 1757 though far below the £800 0s 0d John Goodwin obtained from Matthew Bazett on 16 July 1757. Reckoning in the money of Great Britain rather than island currency marks the transaction as substantial, and befits a purchaser holding the island's second office.

John Bazett is recorded here as deceased, which places his death before this sale and connects to the settlement of his estate by Matthew Purling and Richard Beale in October 1758. The neighbouring house had not yet passed out of his name, so the register still fixed the plot by the dead man rather than by his successor.

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Covenant promise & agree to & with the said John Adamson his

Heirs Exors Admrs & Assigns according to the power given us as

aforesaid that he they & every of them shall peaceably & quietly

have hold possess & enjoy the same premisses with the appurtenances

without any lett hindrance molestation or interruption of or from

any person or persons whatsoever Warranting the same to be free

& clear of and from all manner of encumbrances whatsoever

In Witness whereof we the said Governr & Council for the time

being have hereunto set our hands & the Honble Companys

Seale this 2d Day of May in the thirtieth Year of the

Reign of our Sovereign Lord George the Second by the grace

of God of great Brittain France & Ireland King defender

of the Faith & so forth & in the Year of our Lord 1757

(Signed)

Chas Hutchinson

John Adamson

John Clark

Island St Helena

Know all Men by these presents that I John Adamson

Esqr Lt Governr for & in consideration of the Sum of two hundred & ninety

one Pounds of good & currant Money of the said Island to me in

hand paid by Robert Barclay Surgeon at & before the ensealing

& delivery hereof the Receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged

DO make over to him the said Robert Barclay his Heirs

Assigns Exors & Admrs all my Right Title & Interest to

the within Bill of Sale As Witness my Hand & Seale this

9th day of August 1757.

(Signed)

John Adamson

Signed Sealed & delivered

in the presence of us

(Signed)

F Wrangham Junr

George Smith

The Governor and Council pledged, so far as the authority given them allowed, that John Adamson and his successors would quietly hold and enjoy the house without interference from any person whatever, and that nothing was owing on it. They set their hands and the Company's seal to the sale on 2 May 1757, in the thirtieth year of the reign of King George the Second. Charles Hutchinson, John Adamson and John Clark signed it.

John Adamson, lieutenant governor of the island, made over his whole claim and interest in the property to Robert Barclay, a surgeon. Barclay paid £291 0s 0d in good island money before the sealing, and Adamson acknowledged the sum. He set his hand and seal to it on 9 August 1757, with Francis Wrangham junior and George Smith attending as witnesses.

Interpretations

John Adamson signed the Council's sale as one of its members while standing as the purchaser, exactly as John Clark had done when the same body sold him the Vaughans ground on 21 October 1754. Clark appears here among the signatories in his turn, so the two men each bought from a body on which the other sat, with the third signature of Charles Hutchinson serving as the check in both cases.

Adamson passed the house on for precisely what he had paid, £291 0s 0d in each case, though the first sum stood in sterling and the second in island money. Taking nothing on the transfer marks him as a stage in the property's passage rather than a purchaser on his own account, the same role John Bland filled with the twenty acres of cabbage tree land in July 1758 and Joshua Johnson with the Mostyn ground on 1 February 1742.

The house had belonged to Samuel Falconer, a surgeon who died without a will, and it passed within three months to Robert Barclay, another surgeon. Barclay had sold his own James Valley dwelling to Charles Steward for £200 0s 0d on 1 August 1757, eight days before taking this one, so he was moving from one house to another rather than leaving the island as that earlier sale had suggested.

The sequence looks arranged rather than accidental. A surgeon's house came into the Council's hands for want of a will, and within months it reached another surgeon by way of the lieutenant governor, who neither gained nor lost by holding it. Barclay could not conveniently buy from a body on which he did not sit, and Adamson's brief ownership carried the property across.

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122R

This Indenture made this 12th Day of October in

the first year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lord George the third

by the grace of God of great Britain France & Ireland King

Defender of the Faith & so forth & in the year of our Lord 1761

Between Fras Wrangham of the Island St Helena Gentleman

of the one part & Benjn Mason also of the said Island Planter

on the other part Witnesseth that the said Fras Wrangham

for & in consideration of the Sum of three hundred & Eighty Pounds

of good & currant Money of the said Island to him in hand well

& truly paid by the said Benjn Mason the Receipt whereof is

hereby acknowledged Hath granted bargained & sold & by these

presents Doth grant bargain & sell unto the said Benjn Mason

All that piece or parcel of Freehold Land contg twenty Acres

commonly called or known by the Name of Bealer, butting and

bounding East upon the Lands belong to Mr Jas Greentree known

by the name of Taylors South upon the Main Ridge & North or

Northerly upon the Lands now in the possession of Capt John Clark

known by the Name of Jackies & also upon the Lands of him the

said Fras Wrangham with the Appurtenances & every part &

parcel thereof To have & to hold the said, piece or parcel of

Land with the appurtenances aforesaid unto the said Benjn Mason

his Heirs & Assigns to the only proper use & behoof of him the

said Benjn Mason his Heirs & Assigns for ever & the said Fras

Wrangham for himself his Heirs Executrs Admrs & Assigns

doth hereby covenant promise & agree to & with the said Benjn

Mason his Heirs Exors Admrs & Assigns that he they & every of

them shall peaceably & quietly possess & enjoy the same without

any Lett hindrance molestation or interruption whatsoever by or

from him or his Heirs Exors Admrs or Assigns or from any other person

or persons warranting the same to be free & clear from all manner

of incumbrances whatsoever In Witness whereof the said Fras Wrangham

hath hereunto set his Hand & Seal the Day & Year above written

(Signd)

F Wrangham

Signd Sealed & delivered

in the presence of us (Signd) Richd Low

(No stamp Paper to be had)

John Desfountain.

An agreement was made on 12 October 1761, in the first year of the reign of King George the Third, between Francis Wrangham, a gentleman of St Helena, and Benjamin Mason, a planter of the same island.

Wrangham sold Mason twenty acres of freehold ground for £380 0s 0d in good island money, paid in full before the sealing and acknowledged by the seller.

The parcel went by the name of Bisley. It was bounded to the east by land belonging to Mr Greentree and known as Taylors, to the south by the Main Ridge, to the north by ground then held by Captain John Clark and known as Sickle, and also by Wrangham's own land. Everything attached to the twenty acres passed with them, and the ground was to belong to Mason and to those who came after him without limit of time and to his own proper use.

Wrangham pledged, for himself and his representatives, that Mason and his successors would quietly hold and enjoy the ground without interference from himself, from those following him or from any other person, and confirmed that nothing whatever was owing on it.

He set his hand and seal to the agreement on the day already given. No stamped paper was to be had on the island. Richard Low and John Desfountain watched him do so and added their names.

Interpretations

The reign has changed since the last entries, King George the Second having died in October 1760 and his grandson succeeded him. This is the first document in the register to be dated by the new king's years.

Three separate parcels are fixed here by name rather than by measurement, Bisley for the ground sold, Taylors for the Greentree land to the east and Sickle for Captain John Clark's holding to the north. The island's habit of identifying parcels by bynames drawn from former holders or local features runs unbroken from the Purslane Bed of 1707 through Beale's House Pasture, Robinson's Land and Griffin's land to these three.

At £19 an acre the rate stands above the £17 10s 0d an acre of the West Division sales of 1754 and 1756, though below the £23 an acre Henry Bazett paid for Sandy Bay freehold on 6 June 1758. The Main Ridge on the southern boundary places the parcel in the high country, where the moister cabbage tree ground commanded better prices than the dry gumwood slopes.

Taylors connects to Samuel Tayler, confirmed in twenty-nine acres of gumwood in Fryer Valley on 8 February 1726, whose title rested partly on the life interest of his mother-in-law Sarah Southen. The name had attached to the ground for thirty-five years and survived into the hands of a Greentree.

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Island St Helena

Know all Men by these presents that we

Elizabeth Kennedy John Scott & Isaac Knipe Guardians

& Trustees for Elyzabeth Scott Daughter of the late Mr John Scott

Dec for & in consideration of the Sum of fifty Pounds or so

of good & lawful Money to Us in hand paid by Robert Ballard

at or before the sealing & delivery of these presents the Receipt

whereof is hereby acknowledged Have granted bargained & Sold

& by these presents do grant, bargain & sell unto him the said

Robert Ballard his Heirs Exors Admrs or Assigns all that

dwelling House or Tenements together with both free &

Lease Land whereon it now standeth situate & being in

James Valley butting & bounding South or Southerly on a

piece of Ground formerly in the Possession of Mrs Mary Mason

Dec & now in the possession of the said Elizabeth Kennedy

& North or Notherly upon a piece of Ground belonging to

Mr James Greentree to have & to hold the said hereby

bargained premisses with the appertenances unto him

the said Robert Ballard his Heirs Exors Admrs or Assigns

for ever And We the said Elizabeth Kennedy John Scott

& I Isaac Knipe for & in the part & behalf of the said

Elyzabeth Scott (pursuant to liberty given Us by the Govr

& Council the 7 of Decr 1761) our Heirs Exors Admrs or

Assigns against Us our Heirs Exors Admrs or Assigns, &

against all & every other Person whatsoever, shall & will

defend for ever by these presents In Witness whereof

We have hereunto set our Hands & Seals this 14th Day of

Decr 1761

(Signed)

Elizabeth Kennedy

Signd Sealed & delivered

in the presence of Us

John Scott

(Signed) John Howard

Isaac Knipe

NB no stamp paper

Michl Sweat

to be had

Richd Low

Elizabeth Kennedy, John Scott and Isaac Knipe, acting as guardians and trustees for Elizabeth Scott, daughter of the late John Scott, sold a dwelling house to Robert Ballard. He paid £50 0s 0d in good and lawful money before the sealing, and the three acknowledged the sum.

The house stood in James Valley, together with the free and leasehold ground on which it was built. It was bounded to the south by a piece of ground formerly held by Mary Mason, since deceased, and then held by Elizabeth Kennedy, and to the north by ground belonging to James Greentree. Everything attached to the property passed with it, and the house was to belong to Ballard and to those who came after him without limit of time.

The three sellers acted on the child's behalf under leave given them by the Governor and Council on 1 December 1761. They undertook to defend the property for Ballard and his successors against themselves, against those following them and against every other person whatever.

They set their hands and seals to the agreement on 1 December 1761. No stamped paper was to be had on the island. John Howard, Michael Grant and Richard Low watched them do so and added their names.

Interpretations

Three guardians acting together for a fatherless child needed the Council's permission before they could sell what belonged to her, and the leave was granted on the same day the sale was sealed. A child could not consent for herself, and her guardians had no authority of their own to part with her property, so the island's government stood in place of the consent she could not give. The same supervision appears in the sale by which Isaac Wood, as executor of Thomas Burnham, disposed of orphan land in June 1726 under an order of council.

The property joined a house standing partly on freehold and partly on Company leasehold, the two tenures running together beneath a single building. That arrangement recurs in the town, where John Bland sold Clark a dwelling on ground leased from the Company for twenty-one years on 3 June 1756.

Elizabeth Kennedy appears both as one of the child's guardians and as the holder of the ground forming the southern boundary. Her position on both sides of the description is the pattern that runs through the register wherever the island's small circle of trusted figures acted as fiduciaries while also holding land, as Matthew Bazett did in the sale of Beale's House Pasture on 12 March 1751.

The undertaking given reaches wider than most fiduciary promises, extending to claims from every person rather than only from those claiming through the sellers. Guardians selling a child's property would ordinarily give no more than they could vouch for, so the broader assurance here suggests Ballard pressed for it, having already needed unusual protection when he took the Bazett family's Fryer Valley ground on 8 April 1758.

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Know all Men by these presents, that I Isaac

Knipe of the said Island Planter for & in consideration of

Sum of £117.11 of good & Currant Money to me in Hand

paid by Rd Bagley also of the said Island the Receipt

whereof is hereby acknowledged Have & by these Presents

DO assign transfer & set over unto the said Rd Bagley

his Heirs Exors Admrs & Assigns all my right title & Interest

of in & to the within mentioned sixteen Acres of Land, except

two Acres lying in old Womans Valley To have and to

hold the said hereby bargained Premisses unto him the said

Rd Bagley his Heirs Exors Admrs, or Assigns, upon the Conditions

within mentioned pursuant to liberty given me for so doing

by the Govr & Council the 19th Octr 1761 In Witness whereof

I have hereunto set my Hand & Seal this 14 Day of

Decr 1761.

(Signed)

Isaac Knipe

Signed Sealed & Delivered

in the presence of John Alexander

Orlando Bagley

Know all Men by these presents that I Isaac Knipe of the said

Island Planter, for & in consideration of Sum of £12.9 of good & current

Money to me in hand paid by Rd Bagley of the said Island the Receipt

whereof is hereby acknowledged Have & by these presents DO Assign

transfer & set over unto the said Rd Bagley his Heirs Exors Admrs

& assigns all my Right, Title, & Interest of in & to the within

mentioned four Acres & a quarter of Land To have & to hold

the said hereby bargained Premisses unto him the said Rd Bagley

his Heirs Exors Admrs or Assigns, upon the Conditions within

mentioned pursuant to liberty given me for so doing by the Govr

& Council the 19th Octr 1761 In Witness whereof I have hereunto

set my Hand & Seal this 14 Day of Decr 1761

(Signed)

Isaac Knipe

Signed Sealed & Delivered

in the presence of Us

(Signed) John Alexander

Orlando Bagley

Isaac Knipe, a planter of St Helena, made over his whole claim and interest in sixteen acres to Richard Bagley of the same island, keeping back two acres lying in Old Woman's Valley. Bagley paid £117 11s 0d in good island money, and Knipe acknowledged the sum. Bagley and his successors were to hold the ground on the terms already set out, the Governor and Council having granted Knipe leave to make the transfer on 19 October 1761.

Knipe set his hand and seal to the agreement on 14 December 1761. John Alexander and Orlando Bagley watched him do so and added their names.

By a further agreement of the same date, Knipe made over to Bagley his whole claim and interest in four acres and a quarter, for £12 9s 0d in island money. Bagley and his successors were to hold that ground on the same terms and under the same leave, and the same two men attended the sealing.

Interpretations

Both parcels were leasehold, which is why the council's permission had to be obtained before either could pass. Leave was granted on 19 October 1761 and the two assignments were sealed on 14 December, a gap of nearly two months, which follows the pattern of Francis Mowatt waiting three weeks after permission of 31 May 1756 before sealing his transfer to Francis Wrangham senior.

Knipe kept back two acres in Old Woman's Valley from the larger parcel, so the sixteen acres passing to Bagley were what remained of a holding he was otherwise clearing. Old Woman's Valley appears in the record as the ground above the High Waterfall where Edmond Nichols and his sister Mary took a joint lease of two acres on 26 October 1725, and where Richard Mason held parcels under his lease of 14 September 1731.

The two prices work out at very different rates, roughly £7 7s 0d an acre for the sixteen and £2 18s 0d an acre for the four and a quarter. Since both were leasehold interests sold on the same day between the same men, the difference must reflect the length of term remaining, the rent payable or what stood on the ground rather than any distinction in the soil.

Isaac Knipe had acted as one of the three guardians selling a dwelling house on behalf of the orphan Elizabeth Scott a fortnight earlier, on 1 December 1761. Here he deals on his own account, and the Knipe name runs back through the register to the John Knipe confirmed in four acres at the bottom of Pleasant Valley on 4 August 1713 and the John Knipe junior who took Deep Valley ground and the Salt Spring in February 1730.

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Island St Helena

Know all Men by these presents that I the withinmentioned

Thomas Greentree Executor of James Ryder deceased for and in consideration of the sum

of one hundred and seventy two Pounds of good and Curent Money to me in hand paid by

Richard Bagley of the said Island Have and by these presents do assign Transfer

and Sett over unto the said Richard Bagley his Executors Administrators and Assigns

all my Right Title and Interest (as Executor Aforesaid) of in and to the

within mentioned Premisses and every part thereof with the Appurtenances to have and

to hold unto him unto the said Richard Bagley his Executors and Administrators

upon the Conditions withinmentioned pursuant to Liberty given me for so doing by the

Worshipful Governor and Council on the Sixth day of August Instant In Witness

whereof I the said Thomas Greentree have hereunto set my Hand and Seal this 26 day

of August in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and fifty three

(Signed)

Thomas Greentree

Sealed and delivered

in the presence of us

John Alexander

John Warrall

Island St Helena

Know all Men by these presents that I Jonathan

Doveton of the said Island Planter, for and in consideration of the sum of Four

Hundred and twenty five pounds of Good and Currant money of the said Island

to me in hand paid by Richard Bagley Planter, of the said Island the receipt

whereof is hereby Acknowledged Have, and by these presents, do give, grant,

Bargain, Sell assign and Confirm, unto the said Richard Bagley, his Heirs

Executors Administrators, and assigns, all my Right, Title and Interest of in

and to twenty Acres of Free hold Land called and known by the Name of Annas

together with all and Singular, the rights, profits, Commodityes, and Appurtenances

there unto belonging, or appertaining, with all my Right, Title, and Interest in or

to the same. To have and to hold the said parcel of Land, hereby

Bargained and Sold, and every part, and parcel thereof, unto the said

Richard Bagley his Heirs, Executors, Administrators, and Assigns for ever.

and I the said Jonathan Doveton, do for my self, my Heirs, Executors Administra

tors, and Assigns Covenant promise, and agree, to and with the said Richard Bagley

his Heirs, Executors, Administrators and Assigns, that he the said Rd Bagley

his Heirs, Exors Admrs, & Assigns, shall and may from time

Thomas Greentree, acting as the man appointed to settle the affairs of James Rider, since deceased, made over his whole claim and interest in the property already described to Richard Bagley of St Helena. Bagley paid £172 0s 0d in good island money, and Greentree acknowledged the sum. Bagley and his representatives were to hold the ground on the terms already set out, the Governor and Council having granted Greentree leave to make the transfer on 6 August of that month.

Greentree set his hand and seal to the agreement on 26 August 1753. John Alexander and John Worrall watched him do so and added their names.

Jonathan Doveton, a planter of St Helena, sold twenty acres of freehold ground to Richard Bagley, a planter of the same island. Bagley paid £425 0s 0d in good island money, and Doveton acknowledged the sum.

The parcel went by the name of the land of Annoys. Everything attached to it passed with the ground, together with the whole of Doveton's claim and interest, and the parcel was to belong to Bagley and to those who came after him without limit of time. Doveton pledged, for himself and his representatives, that Bagley and his successors would hold it undisturbed.

Interpretations

The Rider estate appears once more in Thomas Greentree's hands as executor, following the two acres and four fifths he sold Francis Mowatt on 30 August 1753 and the eight acres he sold with Richard Beale on 24 August 1753. Three separate disposals within a fortnight show the estate being cleared parcel by parcel, and this one, needing the council's leave, must have been leasehold where the others were freehold.

At £425 0s 0d for twenty acres, the rate of £21 5s 0d an acre stands above the £19 an acre Benjamin Mason paid Francis Wrangham for Bisley on 12 October 1761 and close to the £23 an acre of the Sandy Bay freehold Henry Bazett bought on 6 June 1758. The upper end of the island's land values had settled in that range by the early 1760s.

Richard Bagley appears repeatedly as a buyer through these years, taking four separate leasehold assignments from Gabriel Steward on 20 June 1758, two from Isaac Knipe on 14 December 1761, this Rider parcel and now twenty acres from Jonathan Doveton. Alongside his James Valley house, named as the northern boundary in Robert Barclay's sale of 1 August 1757, he was building holdings in both town and country.

Jonathan Doveton connects to the family that ran through the register from the Jonathan Doveton confirmed in fifty and a quarter acres on 17 April 1711 and massively expanded to a hundred and forty acres under Halley's Mount in August 1713, through Samuel Doveton's accumulations of the 1730s and 1740s, to the Jonas and James Dovetons of the middle century.

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time, and at all times hereafter, peaceably, and quietly, have hold, occupy Possess and

enjoy, the said parcel of Land and premises, hereby Bargained and Sold, with the

appurtenances free from all incumberances without any let, suit, hindrance Molestation

or Disturbance of, or from me, the said Jonathan Doveton my Heirs, Executors

Administrators or Assigns, or of, or from, any Person, or persons, claiming or to claim

by, from or under me. In Witness whereof I the said Jonathan Doveton have hereunto

set my hand, and Seal this Sixth day of March in year of our Lord One thousand

Seven Hundred and Fifty Six

(Signed) Jonathan Doveton

Signed Sealed and delivered

in the presence of us

Saml Doveton

Rebecca Doveton

Island St Helena

Know all Men by these presents that I John Clark of the

said Island Gentleman, for and in consideration of the sum of two hundred and

fifty two pounds, of good and currant money of the said Island, to me in hand

paid by Richard Bagley Planter Have given granted, bargained, sold, and

delivered, and do by these presents, give, grant, bargain, sell, and deliver, unto

him the said Richard Bagley, his Heirs, Executors, Administrators, and

Assigns, All that piece, or parcel of Freehold Land containing fourteen

Acres, more, or less, situate in the West Division of the said Island called

and known by the Name of Bagleys. To have and to hold, the

said hereby bargained Premisses to him the said Richard Bagley, his

Heirs, Executors, Administrators, and Assigns, for ever to do and dispose

thereof, as he, they, or either of them, shall think, fit, or proper. And I the

said John Clark, do hereby for my self my Heirs, Executors, Administrators

and Assigns, Covenant promise, and agree to, and with him the said,

Richard Bagley, his Heirs, Executors, Administrators, and Assigns, that

he, they, and every of them, shall peaceably and quietly, have, hold, occupy

possess, and enjoy, the said parcel of Land and premisses, hereby bargained

and Sold, with the appurtenances, free from all incumberances and without

any let, hindrance, molestation, or interruption by, or from me, my Heirs,

Executors, Administrators, or Assigns, or of, from, or by any other Person,

or Persons, hereby Warranting the same to be free, and clear In Witness

whereof I the said John Clark, have hereunto set my Hand and Seal, this

Jonathan Doveton pledged that Richard Bagley and his successors would quietly hold and enjoy the parcel from that time forward, free of every charge and without interference from himself, his representatives or anyone claiming through him. He set his hand and seal to the agreement on 6 March 1756. Samuel Doveton and Rebecca Doveton watched him do so and added their names.

John Clark, a gentleman of St Helena, sold fourteen acres of freehold ground to Richard Bagley, a planter of the same island. Bagley paid £252 0s 0d in good island money, and Clark acknowledged the sum and made the transfer complete.

The parcel lay in the West Division and went by the name of Bagleys. It was to belong to Bagley and to those who came after him without limit of time, to keep or dispose of as they thought fit.

Clark pledged, for himself and his representatives, that Bagley and his successors would quietly hold and enjoy the ground, free of every charge and without interference from himself, from those following him or from any other person.

Interpretations

The ground called Bagleys had come to John Clark on 19 August 1754 from Francis Wrangham senior, John Goodwin and Francis Wrangham junior, acting as attorneys for the absent Gabriel Steward, when he paid the identical sum of £252 15s 0d for the same fourteen acres. He now passes it on for £252 0s 0d, taking fifteen shillings less than he gave, so he held the parcel for some seven years without profit.

A man named Bagley buying ground long known as Bagleys marks the return of a family name to the land that carried it. The byname had attached to that quarter of the West Division since before 1754, and the record preserves such names from former holders across decades, as with Beale's House Pasture, Taylors and Robinson's Land.

Rebecca Doveton attests the earlier sale alongside Samuel Doveton, one of the few women to appear as a witness in the register. Anne Coles had signed the sale of ten acres to Thomas Goodwin on 26 March 1696 and Margaret Cosgrave the Hoskinson conveyance of 11 May 1704, so the practice was unusual but not unknown.

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26 Day of Aprill, in the second Year of the Reign, of our Sovereign Lord

King George the third, by the grace of God, of great Britain France and

Ireland, King. defender of the Faith. and so forth. and in the Year of our

Lord, one thousand, seven hundred, and Sixty two

Signed. Sealed. and Delivered

in the presence of

Henry Bazett

(Signed)

John Clark

John Howard

Island St Helena

Know all Men by these presents that I John Clark of the

said Island Gentleman, for and in consideration of the Sum of two hundred

Pounds of Good and current Money of the said Island to me in hand paid,

by Richard Bagley Planter, Have, given, granted, bargained, Sold, and

delivered, and do by these presents give, grant, bargain, Sold, and deliver,

unto him the said Richard Bagley his Heirs, Executors, Administrators

and Assigns All that piece, or parcel, of Freehold Land containing

Ten Acres, more or less situate in the West division of the said Island

called, and known by, name of Riches, butting, and Bounding, East

upon, the Lands of Benjamin Mason, West Partly upon the Lands

of Richard Beale Senr and John Goodwin. North upon the Lands

of William Young, and South upon the Lands of the said Richard

Beale Senr To have and to hold the said hereby bargained Premisses

to him the said Richard Bagley his Heirs, Executors, Administrators and

Assigns for ever, to do, and dispose thereof, as he, they, or either of them

shall think fit or proper, and I the said John Clark, do hereby for my

self my Heirs, Executors, Administrators, and Assigns, covenant,

promise, and agree, to, and with him the said Richard Bagley his

Heirs, Executors, Administrators, and Assigns, that he, they, and every

of them, shall peaceably and quietly, have, hold, occupy, possess and

Enjoy, the said parcels of Land, and premisses, hereby bargaind, and Sold,

with the appurtenances, free from all incumbrances & without any

Let, hindrance, molestation, or interruption, by, or from me, my

Heirs, Executors, & Administrators, or Assigns, or of, from, or by any other

person, or persons, hereby warranting the same to be free, and cleare

In Witness whereof I the said John Clark, have hereunto set my Hand

The sale of the fourteen acres called Bagleys was sealed by John Clark on 26 April 1762, in the second year of the reign of King George the Third. Henry Bazett and John Howard watched him do so and added their names.

John Clark, a gentleman of St Helena, sold ten acres of freehold ground to Richard Bagley, a planter of the same island. Bagley paid £200 0s 0d in good island money, and Clark acknowledged the sum and made the transfer complete.

The parcel lay in the West Division and went by the name of Riches. It was bounded to the east by Benjamin Mason's land, to the west partly by ground held by Richard Beale senior and partly by John Goodwin's, to the north by William Young's land, and to the south by Richard Beale senior's. The ground was to belong to Bagley and to those who came after him without limit of time, to keep or dispose of as they thought fit.

Clark pledged, for himself and his representatives, that Bagley and his successors would quietly hold and enjoy the parcel, free of every charge and without interference from himself, from those following him or from any other person whatever.

Interpretations

Clark had bought the neighbouring ground called Bagleys out of Gabriel Steward's estate in August 1754 and now clears both parcels to the same buyer on the same day. Twenty-four acres of West Division freehold move from his hands to Bagley's in a single sitting, which points to a man withdrawing from that quarter rather than to two separate bargains.

At £20 an acre the Riches ground fetched more than the £18 an acre Clark obtained for Bagleys, though both lay in the same division and both went to the same purchaser at the same moment. The difference must rest on what stood on the two parcels or on their position rather than on any change in the market between one deed and the next.

William Young appears on the northern boundary, the same planter who bought an acre from Francis Wrangham senior on 4 September 1751 and whose land fixed the limits of the forty-three acres Francis Wrangham junior sold his father on 29 April 1756. Benjamin Mason to the east had bought the twenty acres called Bisley from Francis Wrangham on 12 October 1761, so the neighbours here are men whose recent purchases the register has already recorded.

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and Seals this 26th Day of April, in the second Year of the Reign of our

Sovereign Lord King George the Third, by the grace of God, of great Britain

France, and Ireland, King defender of the Faith. and so forth, and in the

Year of our Lord one thousand, seven hundred, and Sixty two

Signed, Sealed and Delivered

in the presence of

(Signed

John Clark

Henry Bazett

John Howard

Island St Helena

Know all Men by these presents that I

Jonathan Doveton for, in consideration of the sum of Five Shillings, in hand

paid by Thomas Greentree, of the said Island Have and do by these presents

assign Transfer, and set over to the said Thomas Greentree, his Heirs Executors

Administrators, and assigns, all my Right, Title, and Interest of in and to two

Acres and Half of the within mentioned five Acres of land, and every part

and parcel thereof, with the appertenances To have and to hold unto the

said Thomas Greentree, his Heirs, Executors, Administrators and assigns

upon the Conditions within mentiond, Pursuant to liberty given by the

Governor the Third day of September 1759 In Witness whereof I the

said Jonathan Doveton have hereunto set my hand and Seal this

forth day of September 1760

(Signed)

Jonathan Doveton

Seald and Delivered

in the presence of us

Richard Beale Jun

Thomas Bazett

The sale of the ten acres called Riches was sealed by John Clark on 26 April 1762, in the second year of the reign of King George the Third. Henry Bazett and John Howard watched him do so and added their names.

Jonathan Doveton made over his whole claim and interest in two acres and a half, being part of a parcel of five acres, to Thomas Greentree of St Helena. Greentree paid five shillings, and Doveton acknowledged the sum. Greentree and his successors were to hold the ground on the terms already set out, the Governor having granted leave for the transfer on 3 September 1759.

Doveton set his hand and seal to the agreement on 4 September 1760. Richard Beale junior and Thomas Bazett watched him do so and added their names.

Interpretations

The five shillings marks this as a formality rather than a bargain, the token sum that appears wherever an instrument had to be made effective without money genuinely changing hands. The same figure attends the transfers between Frances Carne and her son John Goodwin in November 1717, the gifts Francis Wrangham the elder made his son in October 1758, and the several assignments Gabriel Steward sealed for his brother in June 1758.

Half of a five-acre parcel passed here, so Doveton kept the other half or had already disposed of it separately. Splitting a small holding between two hands recurs where ground was worth more to two neighbours than to one buyer, though the token payment leaves the real arrangement between these men unrecorded.

The leave came from the Governor alone rather than from the Governor and Council together, which is unusual in the register. Every other leasehold assignment of this period recites permission from both, as with the leave of 19 June 1758 behind the Steward transfers and that of 19 October 1761 behind Isaac Knipe's. Whether the difference reflects the clerk's shorthand or a genuinely narrower approval cannot be told from the entry.

A full year separates the leave of 3 September 1759 from the sealing on 4 September 1760, the longest such interval yet recorded. Permission evidently did not lapse quickly, and the parties took their time over an arrangement that involved no payment worth hurrying for.

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Island St Helena

Known all Men by these presents that I Jonathan

Doveton of the said Island for and in consideration of the sum of Five

Shillings, of Lawful money to me in hand paid by Thomas Greentree of

of the said Island Have and by these presents Do Assign Transfer

and set over unto the said Thoms Greentree his Heirs, Executors

Administrators, and Assigns all my right, Title and Intrest of in and

to, the within mentioned two Acres of Land Calld Talors with the appertenances

To have and to hold unto the said Thomas Greentree, his Heirs

Executors, Administrators and Assigns, upon the terms within mentioned.

Pursuant to liberty given by the Governor and Council the Third day of

September in the year of our Lord one thousand Seven hundred and fifty

nine In Witness Whereof I the said Jonathan Doveton have hereunto

set my Hand and Seal, this Thirtieth day of September. One thousand

seven hundred and Sixty one

Sealed and Delivered

in the presence of us

(Signed)

Jonathan Doveton

Benjn Mason

George Alexander

Island St Helena

Know all Men by these presents that I Samuel

Doveton of the Island St Helena for and in consideration of the Sum of

Five Shillings of good and Currant money of the said Island, to me in

Hands paid by Thomas Greentree of the said Island Planter, Have

Bargained and by these presents do hereby Assign and set over unto

the said Thomas Greentree his Heirs, Executors Administrators and

Assigns all my Right, Title Claim, and Intrest, of in, and to, two Acres

& an half of Leasehold Land Containing in a Lease for fourteen Acres

bearing date the 17 day of February 1743 Granted to George Gabl Powle

Esqr upon the Lives of the three Nominees Mentioned in the sd Lease at

one Shilling and Six pence a Acre, together with two and an half Acres of

Leasehold Land contained in a Lease for five Acres

bearing Date the 18 day of March 1744 granted to John Goodwin Gent

Jonathan Doveton made over his whole claim and interest in two acres known as Tailors to Thomas Greentree of St Helena. Greentree paid five shillings in lawful money, and Doveton acknowledged the sum. Greentree and his successors were to hold the ground on the terms already set out, under leave the Governor and Council had granted on 3 September 1759.

Doveton set his hand and seal to the agreement on 30 September 1761. Benjamin Mason and George Alexander watched him do so and added their names.

Samuel Doveton of St Helena made over to Thomas Greentree, a planter of the same island, his whole claim and interest in two acres and a half of leasehold ground. That parcel was held under a lease of fourteen acres dated 17 February 1743, granted to George Gabriel Powell on the lives of three persons named in it, at a rent of one shilling and sixpence an acre. He also made over a further two acres and a half of leasehold ground held under a lease of five acres dated 1 March 1744, granted to John Goodwin, a gentleman.

Greentree paid five shillings in good island money, which Doveton acknowledged.

Interpretations

Both Doveton assignments to Thomas Greentree rest on the same leave of 3 September 1759, though one was sealed on 4 September 1760 and the other on 30 September 1761, more than two years after permission was given. The Council's approval evidently covered a group of transfers and remained good over a long period, which explains how a single grant of leave could stand behind dealings separated by a full year.

The lease of 17 February 1743 to George Gabriel Powell was a lives-based grant, running not for a fixed term of years but for as long as three named persons survived. Such tenure appears in the register from the Samuel Price Manatee Bay lease of April 1717 onward, and the reduced rent of one shilling and sixpence an acre matches the rate the Company charged where ground was reserved for growing timber, as in John Burling's Deep Valley fuel plantations of 1730 and 1731.

Both parcels came to two acres and a half, each carved out of a larger lease, so the Dovetons were passing fractions of holdings rather than whole grants. George Gabriel Powell held the island's governorship by 1742 and had assembled and dispersed vast estates, and John Goodwin the elder had died leaving the Company unpaid, so ground once theirs was still being divided among smaller men two decades later.

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of the said Island, for 21 Years @ 3/ pr Acre To have and to hold the

said pieces or parcels of Land Containing five Acres as above Mentioned

to him the said Thomas Greentree his Heirs Executors Administrators, or

Assigns with the appurtenances thereunto belonging Upon the Conditions

Mentioned in the said Leases Pursuant to Liberty given me for so doing

by the Governor and Council the 6 day of August 1759 In Witness

whereof I the said Samuel Doveton have hereunto set my hand and Seal

this thirteenth Day of August in the year of our Lord, one thousand Seven

hundred and fifty nine.

(Signed)

Saml Doveton

Signed Sealed

and delivered (where no

Stamps to be had in the

presence of us

Henry Bazett

Jonathan Doveton

James Allen.

Island St Helena

Know all Men by these presents that I Jonathan

Doveton, for and in consideration of the Sum of five Shillings in hand paid

by Mr Thomas Greentree of the said Island, Have and do by these presents

assign Transfer and set over to the said Thomas Greentree, his Heirs

Executors, Administrators, and Assigns all my right Title, and Interest of

in and to two Acres and half of Land, being part of five Acres called

Talors being a Lease upon lives bearing Date February the 7 1743

there not being room for the said indorsment on the Lease and every part and

parcel thereof, with the appertenances To have and to hold unto

the said Thomas Greentree, his Heirs, Executors, Administrators and

Assigns, upon the Conditions mentioned, in the said Lease upon lives

Pursuant, to Liberty given by the Governor and Council, the third

Day of September, in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred

and fifty nine In Witness whereof I the said Jonathan Doveton

have hereunto set my hand and Seal this fourth day of

The second lease had been granted for twenty-one years at a rent by the acre. Thomas Greentree and his successors were to hold both parcels, coming to five acres in all, on the terms written into each lease, under leave the Governor and Council had granted on 6 August 1759.

Samuel Doveton set his hand and seal to the agreement on 13 August 1759. No stamped paper was to be had on the island. Henry Bazett, Jonathan Doveton and James Allen watched him do so and added their names.

Jonathan Doveton made over to Thomas Greentree his whole claim and interest in two acres and a half, being part of a five-acre parcel called Tailors held under a lease on lives dated February 1743. Greentree paid five shillings, which Doveton acknowledged. The transfer was set down in a separate document because there was no room left on the lease itself for a note of it. Greentree and his successors were to hold the ground on the terms written into that lease, under leave the Governor and Council had granted on 3 September 1759.

Doveton set his hand and seal to it on 4 September of that year.

Interpretations

The clerk states plainly why a separate instrument was needed: the lease had no space left for another endorsement. Successive holders were ordinarily recorded on the back of the lease itself, and the same difficulty had arisen with the Steward assignments of June 1758, where the paper had grown too decayed to be written on. Here the obstacle was want of room rather than decay, but the remedy was the same.

Tailors and the Taylors named as the eastern boundary of the Bisley ground on 12 October 1761 are evidently the same parcel under variant spelling, the byname running back to Samuel Tayler confirmed in Fryer Valley gumwood on 8 February 1726. Jonathan Doveton had also made over two acres called Tailors to Greentree on 30 September 1761, so at least four acres and a half of that ground passed between the two men across the period.

Two men named Doveton assigned to the same buyer within weeks of each other, Samuel on 13 August 1759 and Jonathan on 4 September, each under a leave granted separately by the Council. Jonathan attested his kinsman's sealing, so the two were acting in concert to move fractions of several leases into Greentree's hands.

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September 1760

(Signed)

Sealed and Delivered

Jonathan Doveton

in the presence of us

Richard Beale Junr

Thomas Bazett

Jonathan Doveton set his hand and seal to the assignment in September 1760, with Richard Beale junior and Thomas Bazett attending as witnesses.

Interpretations

The date given here is September 1760, not the 4 September 1759 recited within the body of the instrument. A gap of a year between the day a document names and the day it was actually sealed appears elsewhere in the register, and the sealing date is ordinarily the reliable one. Richard Beale junior and Thomas Bazett attested this transfer as they had the assignment of two acres and a half of the five-acre parcel dated 4 September 1760, which suggests the two documents were completed at the same sitting.

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259

128V

Blank page

260

128R

Book cover

261

129V

EAP 1364 St Helena

Document Name and Date Register of Deeds 1729-1762

Dimensions (height x width x depth) (cm) (H) 48cm x (W) 31cm x (D) 5cm

No. written pages: 250

No. blank pages: 3

Spine and cover good Condition Cover has various White ware

Inside pages Mostly good Condition Several Pages torn foxing Present

Additional comments

Time taken to photograph (hours) 9 hours