Just a question inserted here regarding the Scots... My Brown line were planters in Grenada... I know they were there in mid 1800's.. what would be the earliest date for the Scots to establish, or possibly purchase. estates or establish plantations..? Where can you find information regards the establishment of a plantation?? I am sure there would be Tax Lists or something???? I know someone on this site had a list of plantations and when formed in general,, but I have been unable to find it. I am just curious as to when the Scots might have started appearing.. Trying to sort out the Browns I found in Grenada and their realtionships. Thanks again. Lenora ----- Original Message ----- From: "Dean de Freitas" <caribgw@bellsouth.net> To: <CARIBBEAN-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Thursday, May 22, 2003 5:51 AM Subject: Re: Scots in the BWI (was Doctors of Physic and Surgery in the British West Indies) > I can second Richard's comments about the Scots. My own Great Grandfather, > a Scotsman, was a plantation overseer, as was his father, and as were many > of the Scots who came to Trinidad. They seemed to be more willing to get > their hands dirty, whereas many of the English seemed to come to Trinidad to > take up positions in the government (this is my personal observation, so it > should be taken as opinion and not fact. And, as with any generalization, > there are exceptions). > > The Scots were also quite instrumental in the early development of > Trinidad's oil industry. > > More generally, here's a pertinent paragraph from a summary of the book > Scots in the West Indies, 1707-1857 > (http://www.genealogy.com/268facd.html?AID=5838130&PID=990659) > > ++++ > > Scotland has had direct social and economic links with the West Indies for > nearly 400 years. Settlement started in 1626 when James Hay, the Earl of > Carlisle, was appointed Proprietor of Barbados. After the union of Scotland > and England in 1707 and the lifting of restrictions on trade between these > two countries, Scotland's trade with the islands expanded and so did its > stream of immigration throughout the West Indies. To a larger extent than > elsewhere, the colonies of the West Indies attracted Scots with skills or > money to invest. Scotsmen figured prominently in the Indies sugar cane, > cotton, and tobacco-growing businesses. These new businesses promoted trade > between the Indies and the mainland ports of Boston, New York, Philadelphia, > Charleston, and Savannah. In due course, families moved between these > various locations, and links were established. The Scottish population of > the West Indies also increased when many Loyalists took refuge there > following the American Revolution. > > ++++ > > Some more interesting articles: > > A description of Scottish Guiana, and the Scots Antilles. > http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/belhavia/Description.htm > > Emigrant Entrepreneurs > http://www.beamccowan.com/entrepre.htm > > Dean > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Richard Allicock" <richwyn@idirect.com> > To: <CARIBBEAN-L@rootsweb.com> > Sent: Thursday, May 22, 2003 4:22 AM > Subject: Doctors of Physic and Surgery in the British West Indies > > > > Hi Joan, > > > > I have found the children of West Indian plantation owners training in > > Scotland as early as the mid-1700's, training in various fields like > > Chemistry and Agronomy, and other fields which I think would have been > > useful to them as the sons of Plantation owners. This particuIar example > > came from Scotland from a University. Another example that I have, is of a > > son of a Plantation owner, who went to Scotland and trained as a Doctor in > > the very period you mention, even establishing his own Spa or Baths as > they > > were called then. He trained at University too. > > > > But I think the training was more integrated then, with study in > class-rooms > > in the hospitals combined with walking the wards, very similar to the > > teaching hospitals of to-day. I am sure that as soon as many plantation > > owners established a family, and by the time the sons had reached an age > to > > go to university, and had demonstrated the aptitude or inclination for > > further education, some of them did go to university, but not necessarily > to > > study medicine. Many of them did not return to practise in the colonies, > but > > some did. > > > > Your "plethora" of Practitioners in Physic and Surgery probably had some > of > > these. Surgery in those days frequently did not go beyond amputations, or > > lancing boils, which even barbers or ships carpenters could and did do. > > Doctors of Physic was usually one who dispensed medicines, and may have > dome > > some blood letting or leeching. Any apothecary or apothecary's assistant > > could have set himself up as Doctor with or without fake papers. So I > > suspect that there may have been some of these in the mix as well. > > > > But for sure there may have been a few genuine doctors, and for the > British > > West Indies the first place I would look is Scotland. > > > > It seems to be a little known fact on how much the Scots more than the > > English pre-dominated in the day to day life of places like Guyana and > > Jamaica, and I suspect many of the other islands. Once the Crown Colony > > system was established, the English dominated at the political levels, but > > the Scots were well represented, and in some places, and at some times, > even > > predominant in trade and finance, the skilled trades and as Overseers on > the > > Plantations. And not to forget in education as well, through the Scottish > > Missionary Societies, especially afer slavery was abolished, again in the > > period you mention. After the abolition of slavery in 1838, I suspect that > > some older out of work Overseers who may have had years of experience in > > dispensing Apothecaries' potions to the slaves or even performing the odd > > amputation, may have set themselves up with the same title of Doctor of > > Physic and Surgery. > > > > One traveller in the very period you mention commented on how British > Guiana > > was the most Scottish of the British colonies, while Barbados was the most > > English. I am sorry that I did not have the pleasure of reading the whole > > book, as I was reading only in relation to Demerara. However it might help > > to know that I did correspond with some-one at one of the Scottish > > Universities a few years ago, who had just finished a thesis on the Scots > in > > the West Indies. His base of operations was Jamaica and he was a good > > advertisement for Red Stripe beer:)) > > > > I hope this helps. > > > > Richard > > > ==== CARIBBEAN Mailing List ==== > For information on individual islands, research aids, island bulletin boards or history please visit the CaribbeanGenWeb project at > http://www.rootsweb.com/~caribgw/