Day 5. Barrell arrives in Barbados
I was lucky to come across the Barrell Family Papers which are archived at Columbia University, New York. Theodore Barrell was born in Boston in 1771 and spent most of his adult life as a merchant. His wife was a Gall and he wrote some notes about the dispute that arose from Elizabeth Gall's will, his wife's aunt. He died in Saugerties, NY in 1846.
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
BRIDGETOWN, BARBADOS 1832
The road from Dalkeith Cottage was busy with hucksters making their way into the city market. Samson quietly chuckled to himself as yet another chicken had escaped from its owner’s clutches causing pandamonium. His master was getting increasingly annoyed, shouting at the slowly moving crowd to get out of his way. His antics had the opposite effect. Henry arrived at his premises overlooking the Careenage hot and dusty; and late. Barrell, according to the stevadors, had disembarked at first light and taken the first lighter from the ship anchored in Carlisle Bay. He had hired a pony trap and driver giving directions to an address in Christchurch. Henry’s brain raced with the possibilities. There was no family for him to visit. He was not aware of any friends his uncle might wish to visit. Was he going to make contact with Aunt Elizabeth’s cronies who had been named in the will? What mischief was he up to?
From further enquiries he learnt that his uncle’s baggage had been taken to the Anchor where he had taken the best room. At least Henry’s wife would be spared the pretence of welcoming an unwelcome guest to her home; though she had little idea of the machinations of her husband. She did know that she disliked Barrell; he had been scathing about her Dutch ancestry and Dutch ways. He had disliked the ways Dutch neighbours in Demerara had just invited themselves into his house and expected hospitality. Demerara was now British and he had little time for the Dutch who insisted on living their lives in much the same way as they had before the colony had been handed over as part of the European peace settlement at the end of the Napoleonic wars.
There was nothing else for it, but to leave a written note at the Anchor welcoming his “Dear Uncle Barrell” to the island and hoping that they might dine together that evening. Samson was nowhere to be seen; he should be waiting by his horse and trap. Henry shouted for him until he was red in the face. He had no time to search him out and was not going to spend a single halfpenny on a pickaninny to fetch him out from some side street rum shack. He mounted the trap and inexpertly drove back home.
* * * * *
Theodore Barrell had been pleased to get off the ship as soon as he could. There was some sickness on board and if this became known too widely the whole vessel would have been quarantined. It would have become a deathtrap. His brother-in-law, Henry Park the sea captain and fellow merchant, had regaled him often of the time that his ship flying the American flag had been impounded in St.Lucia and he thrown into jail. After paying the hefty fine he had returned on board to find that most of the crew had died of a fever.
Theodore was no longer the young adventurous man he had once been. His health had suffered. Indeed it was his health more than his wife’s pleadings not to travel to the West Indies that had delayed his coming to the island and given Henry a false sense of security that his plans had not been discovered.
Theodore was a punctilious person and always liked to be well prepared for any of his business meetings; this family matter was no different. He did not know any of the names mentioned in the will other than the family members. He did however remember Mrs Thorpe who was one of those people who knew everyone else’s business and had indeed known Elizabeth Gall. Her memory may have been failing but she was able to fill in many of the gaps in Theodore’s knowledge of the history of the Gall estate. It was she who told him that Old Stingo’s estate was now called Galls Retreat - a rather pretentious name to his mind.
Theodore was armed and ready when Henry arrived; punctually this time. After exchanging perfunctory enquiries about the health of their families they sat down to business. Henry was to learn to his suprise how much his uncle had been able to learn in the short time since his arrival in Barbados. Most of which he would have rather he had not discovered.
Comments
Post a Comment