A Freed Slave in Acrise 1755

‘Library Notes’ in Newsletter 26 referred to the indexing project now being undertaken on the Faussett notebooks. More details can be found on the kentarchaeology website, to show that this task is not merely a tedious listing of names, occasionally a gem does come to light. An example is the inscription found by Faussett in the churchyard at Acrise around 1757:

“Here lieth Nathaniel Johnson, of African extraction, born in Maryland, sent young to the proprietor, Sam Hyde Esq. …….. (died) ... Corporation 28th January 1755.”

This inscription was “made on a wooden rail” and Faussett’s note is clearly timely in that the rail and name have survived for long afterwards.

Research shows that in brief, the Hydes were London merchants who had a good size tobacco plantation located roughly where the Washington DC now stands. Some 120 negroes with their property were employed there. Samuel Hyde controlled a small fleet of ships operating between Maryland/Virginia and London. He also acted as go-between in negotiating the proceeds of a Maryland tobacco cargo and an ammunition for sugar to the ‘Indies’ – some of which seems instead to have been diverted to Samuel’s own use.

When he died in 1755 his property passed to his daughter, who married a member of the family of the Earls of Somerset, and who continued to live in Knowle House, Wiltshire, until her own death in January 1755. In her will she bequeathed a small annuity to ‘my black boy Nathaniel Johnson’.

Shortly afterwards Nathaniel was moved to Acrise, Kent, the home of the Papillon family. David Papillon (MP) and Samuel Hyde had married sisters.

By Ian Cousins