Day 13. Permission to leave Demerara

There are few documents available in Guyana to help the family historian but some information is available online. I found announcements of births, marriages and deaths in the Essequebo and Demerary Gazette which confirmed much of what I already knew.  There were quite a number of advertisements by Henry Beckles Gall listing out what he had for sale. Intriguingly there was an announcement in the issue dated 1^st June 1816 concerning his two sons - William and Henry Beckles junior.

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At the beginning of the 19^th century when Henry Beckles Gall started his business in Demerara, he was trading horses, cattle, grain, lumber as hoops and staves, beef, cheese, flaxseed and potash which had been transported by his brother-in-law from Connecticut.  Whilst these goods were essential and always in short supply there was a growing demand for medicines to alleviate the tropical ailments faced by the colonists. He soon became known as the local apothecary though he had no formal training; learning the trade from reading books on the subject. Indeed the Society of Apothecaries in London was only enabled by statute to conduct examinations and to grant licences to practise Medicine in 1815.  As the only self-appointed English apothecary in town his services soon extended to acting as a doctor, dentist and pharmacist to the English speaking populace, both prescribing and dispensing his medicines. He was always in demand in this sickly climate and the tinctures and remedies he dispensed were the only medicine available to them. 

In the Essequebo and Demerary Gazette, Henry advertised that he had for sale “a large and general assortment of Fresh and Valuable Medicines, viz: Best pale and red bark, Cantharides, Opium, Ipecacuana, Verdigrease, blue vitriol, myrrh, aloes, rhubarb, jalap, oil of vitriol, spirits of nitre and vitriol, Hoffman's anodyne liquor, spirit of turpentine, camphor, salt nitre, glauber salts in kegs of 1½ pounds, with every other Medicine in modern Practice.” 

It seems that Henry was resentful that he gained little thanks from his customers or patients; and more resentful that the Dutch population would only visit his premises if they had been unable to obtain what they needed elsewhere. Indeed he felt that the English planters, with their Barbadian attitudes which Henry Beckles Gall otherwise so admired, rather looked down on the merchant class and an apothecary was hardly a reputable profession - more a trade. At the time, especially in England, many doctors were considered as mere “Quacks” and their patients felt themselves lucky to survive their ailments let alone the medications and treatments they were prescribed. The Dutch dismissed him as an Englishman and a latecomer to their colony, who couldn’t speak their language and refused to accept payment in guilders.

Barbados was a past dream for Henry. He was unlikely to return. His partnership with Mr Lewis of Bridgetown, Barbados had been strained and had an acrimonious ending. Henry Beckles felt that he had been left with the task of collecting in the debts whilst his partner lived comfortably in Barbados on the profits he had skimmed off. He was in any case unlikely to get permission to leave the colony whilst his business was in a precarious position and he would never be able to collect the money owed to him if he left the colony. In any case he had relied more and more on the income he received as assistant surgeon to the Lieutenant Governor of the colony since 1804 and this position would be lost.

But there still lingered in Henry's heart the dreams of regaining a lost Gall fortune. As his children grew up Henry’s thoughts must have turned to his sons’ futures. Perhaps Henry had tried to make peace with his Aunt Elizabeth. She had cut him out of his will dated 3 December 1813, but included his three children. After two years, was it time for the boys to earn their future inheritance?

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William and Henry Beckles Gall had been going about their childhood lives oblivious to their father’s plans for them. Life in Demerara had been difficult for their parents. The colony had only recently been in Dutch hands and many hoped that it would return to the old ways. The old currency was still in use and the laws remained unchanged; there did not appear to be many advantages in being of British descent. But the children had grown up in a secure family surrounded by uncles and aunts who had left Barbados for the opportunities in Demerara or Essequibo the two neighbouring colonies. Their futures did not seem very certain. 

The boys were aware of the hard times that befell them when their father was struggling to call in the debts his customers had racked up. They lived in town in a rented house bordering Plantation Vlissingen, an area scooped out from the muddy lands below sea-level which had been made habitable by the Dutch, who, in the previous century had brought their sea-defence and land-drainage skills to the Colony.

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It came as a bolt out of the blue when the two brothers saw the advertisement in The Essequebo and Demerary Gazette dated 1^st June 1816. Their father had given notification that they were leaving the colony. William was 13 years old and Henry Beckles had just turned 12 - so it was time for them to be educated. Their father considered himself to be a prominent merchant and Apothecary and by 1816 held an important government medical position. He needed to uphold high standards for his family. He had therefore ensured that the children had lessons at home, but they had not received any formal education in a school. The nearest schools were in Barbados. William thrust the paper at his father across the table and demanded an explanation.

“Papa – why are we to be sent from here? What have we done to offend thee? And where are we to go? Why are you not coming with us?” 

“William – you are to go to Barbados with your brother. I cannot keep you here. Your mother and your sisters are costing me enough. You will have to make your own way in the world now. Your great Aunt Elizabeth has been asking when her nephews are coming to help her on the plantation. You must now learn all you need to know to help her.”

Their mother was weeping, for she was truly fond of her children. 

“Why are you sending the boys away now?” their mother said. “They are so useful to the family now that you are spending so much time away from the home”

“I have to meet my commitments to my patients. If I don’t visit them they won’t buy their medicines from me” 

“But the children haven’t finished their education. They don’t know anything about the ways of the Barbadians. Who is going to look after them?” she now pleaded “Let them stay until after the hot season. It is too dangerous for them to go there. The slaves are more dangerous than ever. They will kill all the white people like they did in Haiti. Why send them now?” 

“Sarah. The boys are my flesh and blood. I would not send them to Barbados if I did not think it was all for the best. They will have ample opportunities to learn about the ways of Barbados. William will be under the guardianship of Aunt Elizabeth…’ 

“She is an old and feeble woman. Look how she has treated you. Cut you out of her will.” She spat the words out.  “All she wants from William is cheap labour to manage her estates. And what does he know? He will end up as a servant without any future.”
“My dear Sarah. He will be fine. My cousin, Mr Reece, will have him under his wing. He will teach him how to become an able manager: better than my father who was well respected and successful until the great storm destroyed everything he had built up. He was still successful until those vulture moneylenders sucked every last penny from him and then had him slung into the debtors jail - as though that would secure them repayment.” 

Sarah sighed. She knew that there was no point in arguing further, once her husband started to repeat the poisonous stories told to him by the Barrells about the scheming Jewish moneylenders who trampled over worthy planters when they were subject to misfortune beyond their control; buying up their estates cheaply at Marshall sales.

“Henry will do well as a merchant’s clerk. He has a good head for figures and he will learn the latest methods of accountancy in Bridgetown. If I leave him here he will just learn lazy habits.” 

“Anyway,” he continued, “Captain Benjamin was in Barbados just a fortnight ago and says that the danger from the slaves is now over. The ringleaders have been rounded up and are now hanging from the trees. The slaves know that there is no point in revolution. The more trouble they create in Barbados the less likely Wilberforce will be able to do them any good in England. Aunt Elizabeth has never had any trouble on her estate.” 

“How do you know this? You have never been to Barbados since we came here. And you have never received any letters from your aunt until she instructed you to send her the boys. Are you going to cow tow to her now after all these years?” 

“It is the right thing for William to learn about planting. It is what I have always wanted him to do. As you have said, Aunt Elizabeth is a weak and feeble old woman so can’t harm William; and my cousin Reece will stick by him. Hasn’t he written the best guide for young men wishing to become plantation managers? It’s in William’s blood. It was in my blood as well but the circumstances were not auspicious and we had to come here. So I will not hear any more of this. If it is safe enough for Captain Benjamin to take his young son with him on the voyage then it is safe enough for my sons. The cousins get on well together. Young Benjamin is adventurous and will be a good companion to them. You’ll see!” And with that, he got up from the breakfast table, put on his hat and strode  purposefully out of the house and down the street to his Apothecary.

The children were her one solace in this tough life. Her husband rarely had time for her now. He had made it quite clear to her that the life of a merchant and apothecary was not an easy one and he had to attend long hours in his shop from six in the morning to nine at night. And then he had to meet the demands to attend to his patients at their homes. Any time left was for collection of outstanding accounts. He of course also had to attend the meetings of the Freemasons and the church wardens. And this left little time for his wife and family.

Dr Gall’s eldest surviving son, William, had been named after his grandfather and his second son took his own name, Henry Beckles Gall. He was proud of the name Beckles since the Beckles family were still prominent in Barbados and indeed one Beckles had acted as Governor from time to time. The link to the Beckles family was through his grandmother. His mother Sarah Gill was the daughter of William Gill and Sarah Beckles. His son did not appreciate the advantages of bearing the Beckles name and no inheritance had come from this route. Indeed no one in Demerara knew of the good reputation of the Beckles family unless they had originated in Barbados themselves. A move for his sons to Barbados was clearly in their best interests.

Captain Benjamin