George Suckling
Encyclopedia
George Suckling was a lawyer
who was appointed to be the first Chief Justice
of the British Virgin Islands
in 1776. Suckling's appointment was not popular in the islands, which were at the time a notorious haunt for the lawless and for those seeking to evade their creditors elsewhere. He also served as a member of the 1st General Assembly of Nova Scotia
from 1758 to 1759 and was the first Attorney General in Quebec
, serving under James Murray from 1764 to 1766, when he was removed from office.
He was in Halifax
in 1752, where he practised law and also was a merchant in partnership with William Nesbitt
. In 1759, Suckling married Frances Duport, his second wife. In Quebec, he also served as advocate general for the Court of Vice-Admiralty
. He left the province in 1771.
Suckling's arrival in the Virgin Islands was successfully delayed by the Lieutenant Governor John Nugent
, and Suckling did not, in the event, actually arrive in the Territory until January 1778.
The machinations of the local population continued, and although the British Virgin Islands had been granted its own Legislative Assembly by the Governor of Leeward Islands
by proclamation on 30 November 1773, and the Assembly first sat on 27 January 1774, it was not until ten years later, in 1783, that the Assembly would pass the Court Bill, forming a court in the Territory.
Even then, Suckling was destined to be frustrated. Ultimately he would leave the Territory on 2 May 1788 without ever taking up his appointment, and without ever having been paid, when his own funds run out.
Suckling's brief time in the British Virgin Islands provides a valuable historical insight into the British Virgin Islands at this formative time in the Territory's history; his repeated letters both to the Governor-General in Antigua
and to London
provide some of the best records of what the islands were like at the time. Suckling, perhaps unsurprisingly, had remarkably little positive to say about the population over whom he was supposed to have sat in judgment.
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
who was appointed to be the first Chief Justice
Chief Justice
The Chief Justice in many countries is the name for the presiding member of a Supreme Court in Commonwealth or other countries with an Anglo-Saxon justice system based on English common law, such as the Supreme Court of Canada, the Constitutional Court of South Africa, the Court of Final Appeal of...
of the British Virgin Islands
British Virgin Islands
The Virgin Islands, often called the British Virgin Islands , is a British overseas territory and overseas territory of the European Union, located in the Caribbean to the east of Puerto Rico. The islands make up part of the Virgin Islands archipelago, the remaining islands constituting the U.S...
in 1776. Suckling's appointment was not popular in the islands, which were at the time a notorious haunt for the lawless and for those seeking to evade their creditors elsewhere. He also served as a member of the 1st General Assembly of Nova Scotia
1st General Assembly of Nova Scotia
1st General Assembly of Nova Scotia represented Nova Scotia between October 2, 1758 and December 4, 1759, its membership being set in the 1758 Nova Scotia general election....
from 1758 to 1759 and was the first Attorney General in Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, serving under James Murray from 1764 to 1766, when he was removed from office.
He was in Halifax
City of Halifax
Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...
in 1752, where he practised law and also was a merchant in partnership with William Nesbitt
William Nesbitt
William Nesbitt was a lawyer and political figure in Nova Scotia. He served as a member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1758 to 1783....
. In 1759, Suckling married Frances Duport, his second wife. In Quebec, he also served as advocate general for the Court of Vice-Admiralty
Vice admiralty court
Vice admiralty courts were juryless courts located in British colonies that were granted jurisdiction over local legal matters related to maritime activities, such as disputes between merchants and seamen. Judges were given 5% of confiscated cargo, if they found a smuggling defendant guilty...
. He left the province in 1771.
Suckling's arrival in the Virgin Islands was successfully delayed by the Lieutenant Governor John Nugent
John Nugent
John Nugent may refer to:* John Nugent , journalist and agent of United States President James Buchanan* John F. Nugent , United States Senator from Idaho* John Cullen Nugent, Canadian sculptor...
, and Suckling did not, in the event, actually arrive in the Territory until January 1778.
The machinations of the local population continued, and although the British Virgin Islands had been granted its own Legislative Assembly by the Governor of Leeward Islands
Leeward Islands
The Leeward Islands are a group of islands in the West Indies. They are the northern islands of the Lesser Antilles chain. As a group they start east of Puerto Rico and reach southward to Dominica. They are situated where the northeastern Caribbean Sea meets the western Atlantic Ocean...
by proclamation on 30 November 1773, and the Assembly first sat on 27 January 1774, it was not until ten years later, in 1783, that the Assembly would pass the Court Bill, forming a court in the Territory.
Even then, Suckling was destined to be frustrated. Ultimately he would leave the Territory on 2 May 1788 without ever taking up his appointment, and without ever having been paid, when his own funds run out.
Suckling's brief time in the British Virgin Islands provides a valuable historical insight into the British Virgin Islands at this formative time in the Territory's history; his repeated letters both to the Governor-General in Antigua
Antigua
Antigua , also known as Waladli, is an island in the West Indies, in the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region, the main island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua means "ancient" in Spanish and was named by Christopher Columbus after an icon in Seville Cathedral, Santa Maria de la...
and to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
provide some of the best records of what the islands were like at the time. Suckling, perhaps unsurprisingly, had remarkably little positive to say about the population over whom he was supposed to have sat in judgment.
See also
- History of the British Virgin IslandsHistory of the British Virgin IslandsThe History of the British Virgin Islands is usually, for convenience, broken up into five separate periods:* Pre-Columbian Amerindian settlement, up to an uncertain date* Nascent European settlement, from approximately 1612 until 1672...