Louis Celeste Lecesne
Encyclopedia
Louis Celeste Lecesne also known as Lewis Celeste Lecesne, was an anti-slavery activist from the Caribbean islands.
Lecesne was on a committee to improve the rights of free men of colour. He was arrested twice, and transported for life
from Jamaica with John Escoffery. Their case was taken up by Dr. Stephen Lushington
. Lecesne was compensated after successfully having the case reversed by the British government.
Lecesne became an activist against slavery and attended the world's first anti-slavery convention. He named his son after the British Member of Parliament who had fought for his case. Lecesne was a supporter when the 1839 Anti-Slavery Society
was formed.
in 1796 or 1798. His mother and father had arrived in Jamaica on 25 August 1798 with a child called Figge. Lecesne's father was French and had left St Domingo, whilst his mother was said to have African ancestry. According to some, his mother was pregnant, Figge died and this person was born. The Jamaican authorities believed however that this person was the child who arrived on the brig Mary with his mother.
Lecesne's date of birth was given as 30 August 1798 in Kingston, but he wasn't baptised until 5 March 1814. His place and date of birth were the subject of later court cases. At these cases it was noted that Lecesne's mother and the midwife said that he was born a few months (or days) after their arrival in Jamaica.
Others disagree with this version as his mother said that when they arrived in Jamaica they did have a two year old child but he died just after the birth of this child.
Lecesne had two younger brothers Lamorette and Louis Nicholas Lecesne. His mother was manumised by Lescesne's father. The date of the birth was important as a later law gave privileges to children born on the island.
He was taken to Mr Goff's school for "children of colour" in 1802 when his father
asked for him to be given "the best English education". Mr Goffe signed an affidavit later to say that he thought Lecesne to be four years old at the time but others think this a very young age to send such a child to school in Jamaica.
Others said that when Charlotte Celeste arrived she had a two year old son called Figge. They claim Lecesne was born in Port a Prince in St Domingo "opposite the post office".
When his father made a will and died in 1816 he made Lecesne his executor. Some claim that this means that his father knew he was 21 years of age, and therefore born before elsewhere.
the sister of John Escoffery.
At least three children were born to Louis Celeste Lecesne and Hannah Escoffery in Kingston. The first was Louise Amelia Lecesne (born 20 June 1817), followed by Elizabeth Adeline Lecesne (born 24 July 1818) and Celestine Aglaé Lecesne (19 June 1820 - 11 August 1821). On 7 May 1823 Louis Celeste Lecesne was a witness to the marriage of his wife's brother, Edward Escoffery to Marie Montagnac in the Roman Catholic Church, Kingston.
Lecesne and John Escoffery came to notice as members of a committee who were intent on changing the law such that free men "of colour" would be given free and equal rights to white people.
, the Governor of Jamaica. William Burge
, the Attorney General
, considered them to be of "dangerous character"; they were also considered to be aliens, because of claims that they were Haitian. Luckily they had time to raise a writ of Habeas Corpus
in the Supreme Court of Jamaica
While Lecesne and Escoffery were held in gaol, petitions made to the Governor were rejected as it was claimed that the signatories were all owed money by the accused. Later investigations showed that the largest debt involved was 25 pounds. After consideration by the judges the two were released as they were considered to be British-born despite the arguments described earlier. Chief Justice Scarlett
released them without bail as there were no charges.
Later, a member of the House of Representatives moved that a secret committee be formed to look at this case. This man, Hector Mitchell was made the chair of this committee, comprising three others including the Mayor of Kingston. Their investigations resulted in the forced exile of Lecesne and Escoffery to St Domingo. It had been said that Lecesne had sold arms to an insurrection in St George and that the two of them kept correspondence with people in Haiti
for treasonable purposes.
Having been separated from their families and possessions the pair had to sell their watches and with this money and the help of British people on the island they set out for England.
A young English sailor boy, Barnet Burns
had been found ill in Jamaica and was cared for by Lecesne and his family. Following the deportation of Lecesne, Burns followed Lecesne's family to London, where he received an education under the patronage of Lecesne.
who was a known abolitionist and anti-slavery campaigner. Lushington spoke to the house on 16 June 1825. This resulted in a number of publications
There was a libel case against John Murray
, not because he was the author, but because he was the publisher of a book that libelled Lecesne and Escoffery. The case was based on the fact that the book recorded that the politicians in Jamaica considered Lecesne and Escoffery guilty of a criminal conspiracy. This case was held in Britain in order that it should not be biased. If they were guilty of a conspiracy then under the
1818 Alien Act they could be transportation for life if they were born elsewhere.
The book concerned was "The annals of Jamaica, Volume 2" by the Reverend George Wilson Bridges
. Bridges combined leading worship at St Annes and speaking up for the value of slavery.
The libel case was successful and Lecesne was therefore innocent. Parliament ruled that they should both be allowed to return and be given compensation.
Lecesne believed in the law. In 1832, Lecesne was living in England at the Fenchurch buildings in Fenchurch Street
, London and on 26 June while walking outside his residence Lecesne was the victim of a pickpocket, Thomas Fielder, who had stolen a handkerchief. For this crime, Fielder, aged 15, was sentenced to transportation for life.
Lecesne was on the board of the Anti-Slavery Agency in 1832 with other notable abolitionists such as William Allen
, Zachary Macaulay
, Robert Forster, George Sracey
and Josiah Forster
Louis Celeste Lecesne and his wife had a son whilst they were in London whom they christened Stephen Lushington Macauley Lecesne. He was born on 6 March 1834 and was christened at Saint Matthew Church, Bethnal Green
, London on 25 June 1834.
In July 1838, Lecesne was one of the supporters of a campaign to raise a monument to Zachary Macaulay
in Westminster Abbey.
was formed to campaign for worldwide abolition of slavery. A short time later, the first World Anti-slavery Convention was held in London, attracting an international participation. Lecesne attended the convention and is depicted in a painting The Anti-Slavery Society Convention, 1840 by Benjamin Haydon
(1841).
Following a bout of pneumonia
, Louis Celeste Lecesne died on 22 November 1847 at his residence at the Fenchurch buildings, Fenchurch Street
in London.
At the end of May in 1848, The Times announced the sale of the "superior" effects of the late L.C. Lecesne Esq including his mahogany four poster and a six octave pianoforte.
Lecesne was on a committee to improve the rights of free men of colour. He was arrested twice, and transported for life
Penal transportation
Transportation or penal transportation is the deporting of convicted criminals to a penal colony. Examples include transportation by France to Devil's Island and by the UK to its colonies in the Americas, from the 1610s through the American Revolution in the 1770s, and then to Australia between...
from Jamaica with John Escoffery. Their case was taken up by Dr. Stephen Lushington
Stephen Lushington (judge)
Stephen Lushington was a Doctor of Civil Law, a judge, a Member of Parliament and a radical for the abolition of slavery and capital punishment.-Early life and education:...
. Lecesne was compensated after successfully having the case reversed by the British government.
Lecesne became an activist against slavery and attended the world's first anti-slavery convention. He named his son after the British Member of Parliament who had fought for his case. Lecesne was a supporter when the 1839 Anti-Slavery Society
Anti-Slavery Society
The Anti-Slavery Society or A.S.S. was the everyday name of two different British organizations.The first was founded in 1823 and was committed to the abolition of slavery in the British Empire. Its official name was the Society for the Mitigation and Gradual Abolition of Slavery Throughout the...
was formed.
Disputed birth
Lecesne was the son of Charlotte Celeste and Louis Nicholas Lecesne, and was born in either Port au Prince or KingstonKingston, Jamaica
Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley International Airport to the rest of the island...
in 1796 or 1798. His mother and father had arrived in Jamaica on 25 August 1798 with a child called Figge. Lecesne's father was French and had left St Domingo, whilst his mother was said to have African ancestry. According to some, his mother was pregnant, Figge died and this person was born. The Jamaican authorities believed however that this person was the child who arrived on the brig Mary with his mother.
Lecesne's date of birth was given as 30 August 1798 in Kingston, but he wasn't baptised until 5 March 1814. His place and date of birth were the subject of later court cases. At these cases it was noted that Lecesne's mother and the midwife said that he was born a few months (or days) after their arrival in Jamaica.
Others disagree with this version as his mother said that when they arrived in Jamaica they did have a two year old child but he died just after the birth of this child.
Lecesne had two younger brothers Lamorette and Louis Nicholas Lecesne. His mother was manumised by Lescesne's father. The date of the birth was important as a later law gave privileges to children born on the island.
He was taken to Mr Goff's school for "children of colour" in 1802 when his father
asked for him to be given "the best English education". Mr Goffe signed an affidavit later to say that he thought Lecesne to be four years old at the time but others think this a very young age to send such a child to school in Jamaica.
Others said that when Charlotte Celeste arrived she had a two year old son called Figge. They claim Lecesne was born in Port a Prince in St Domingo "opposite the post office".
When his father made a will and died in 1816 he made Lecesne his executor. Some claim that this means that his father knew he was 21 years of age, and therefore born before elsewhere.
Marriage
Louis Celeste Lecesne married Hannah Escoffery (born 15 November 1797 and also known as Anette),the sister of John Escoffery.
At least three children were born to Louis Celeste Lecesne and Hannah Escoffery in Kingston. The first was Louise Amelia Lecesne (born 20 June 1817), followed by Elizabeth Adeline Lecesne (born 24 July 1818) and Celestine Aglaé Lecesne (19 June 1820 - 11 August 1821). On 7 May 1823 Louis Celeste Lecesne was a witness to the marriage of his wife's brother, Edward Escoffery to Marie Montagnac in the Roman Catholic Church, Kingston.
Lecesne and John Escoffery came to notice as members of a committee who were intent on changing the law such that free men "of colour" would be given free and equal rights to white people.
Arrest
Louis Celeste Lecesne and John Escoffery were arrested on 7 October 1823 under the Alien Act by a warrant of the Duke of ManchesterWilliam Montagu, 5th Duke of Manchester
Colonel William Montagu, 5th Duke of Manchester , styled Viscount Mandeville until 1783, was a British peer, soldier, colonial administrator and politician.-Background and education:...
, the Governor of Jamaica. William Burge
William Burge
William Burge was a British lawyer and Privy Councillor.-Biography:William Burge matriculated at Oxford University in 1803 and was admitted to the Inner Temple being called to the bar in 1808...
, the Attorney General
Attorney General of Jamaica
Attorney General of Jamaica is the chief law officer in Jamaica.Section 79 of the Constitution of Jamaica states that "there shall be an Attorney General who shall be the principal legal adviser to the Government of Jamaica" and pursuant to the Crown Proceedings Act all civil proceedings by or...
, considered them to be of "dangerous character"; they were also considered to be aliens, because of claims that they were Haitian. Luckily they had time to raise a writ of Habeas Corpus
Habeas corpus
is a writ, or legal action, through which a prisoner can be released from unlawful detention. The remedy can be sought by the prisoner or by another person coming to his aid. Habeas corpus originated in the English legal system, but it is now available in many nations...
in the Supreme Court of Jamaica
While Lecesne and Escoffery were held in gaol, petitions made to the Governor were rejected as it was claimed that the signatories were all owed money by the accused. Later investigations showed that the largest debt involved was 25 pounds. After consideration by the judges the two were released as they were considered to be British-born despite the arguments described earlier. Chief Justice Scarlett
William Anglin Scarlett
Sir William Anglin Scarlett was Chief Justice of Jamaica.Scarlett was the son of Robert Scarlett who owned property in Jamaica. His elder brother, James, was to become Attorney General. He was educated in Edinburgh and at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he graduated B.A. in 1802. In 1809,...
released them without bail as there were no charges.
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
for treasonable purposes.
Having been separated from their families and possessions the pair had to sell their watches and with this money and the help of British people on the island they set out for England.
A young English sailor boy, Barnet Burns
Barnet Burns
Barnet Burns was an English sailor, trader, and showman who became one of the first Europeans to live as a Pākehā Māori and to receive the full Māori facial tattoo. He travelled to Australia and found employment as a trader of flax in New Zealand in the 1830s...
had been found ill in Jamaica and was cared for by Lecesne and his family. Following the deportation of Lecesne, Burns followed Lecesne's family to London, where he received an education under the patronage of Lecesne.
England
The case of Lecesne and Escoffery was raised in the House of Commons by Stephen LushingtonStephen Lushington (judge)
Stephen Lushington was a Doctor of Civil Law, a judge, a Member of Parliament and a radical for the abolition of slavery and capital punishment.-Early life and education:...
who was a known abolitionist and anti-slavery campaigner. Lushington spoke to the house on 16 June 1825. This resulted in a number of publications
- Debate in house of commons 16 June 1825 regarding deportation of two persons of colour
- A Reply to the Speech of Dr. Lushington, in the House of Commons by Mr Barret of the House in Jamaica, 1828
There was a libel case against John Murray
John Murray (publisher)
John Murray is an English publisher, renowned for the authors it has published in its history, including Jane Austen, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Lord Byron, Charles Lyell, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Herman Melville, and Charles Darwin...
, not because he was the author, but because he was the publisher of a book that libelled Lecesne and Escoffery. The case was based on the fact that the book recorded that the politicians in Jamaica considered Lecesne and Escoffery guilty of a criminal conspiracy. This case was held in Britain in order that it should not be biased. If they were guilty of a conspiracy then under the
1818 Alien Act they could be transportation for life if they were born elsewhere.
The book concerned was "The annals of Jamaica, Volume 2" by the Reverend George Wilson Bridges
George Wilson Bridges
Reverend George Wilson Bridges was a writer, photographer and Anglican cleric. After eloping with his wife, he was rector for the Jamaican parish of Manchester from 1817 to 1823. He was then rector at the neighbouring parish of St Ann from 1823 to 1837...
. Bridges combined leading worship at St Annes and speaking up for the value of slavery.
The libel case was successful and Lecesne was therefore innocent. Parliament ruled that they should both be allowed to return and be given compensation.
Lecesne believed in the law. In 1832, Lecesne was living in England at the Fenchurch buildings in Fenchurch Street
Fenchurch Street
Fenchurch Street is a street in the City of London home to a number of shops, pubs and offices. It links Aldgate at its eastern end with Lombard Street and Gracechurch Street to the west. To the south of Fenchurch Street and towards its eastern end is Fenchurch Street railway station...
, London and on 26 June while walking outside his residence Lecesne was the victim of a pickpocket, Thomas Fielder, who had stolen a handkerchief. For this crime, Fielder, aged 15, was sentenced to transportation for life.
Lecesne was on the board of the Anti-Slavery Agency in 1832 with other notable abolitionists such as William Allen
William Allen (Quaker)
William Allen FRS, FLS was an English scientist and philanthropist who opposed slavery and engaged in schemes of social and penal improvement in early nineteenth century England.-Early life:...
, Zachary Macaulay
Zachary Macaulay
Zachary Macaulay was a slavery abolitionist and campaigner.-Early life:Macaulay was born in Inveraray, Scotland, the son of the Rev. John Macaulay Zachary Macaulay (2 May 1768 – 13 May 1838) was a slavery abolitionist and campaigner.-Early life:Macaulay was born in Inveraray, Scotland, the son of...
, Robert Forster, George Sracey
George Stacey (abolitionist)
George Stacey was a leading English Quaker and abolitionist.-Biography:Stacey was born in Kendal.Stacey married a fellow Quaker and cousin, Deborah Lloyd, of the Llloyds banking family. Stacey was then living in Tottenham. He was a business partner in a Chemists business called Corbyn,Beaumont,...
and Josiah Forster
Josiah Forster
Josiah Forster was a teacher and philanthropist. He was an early member of the British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society in 1839 and a supporter of the British and Foreign Bible Society. Both he and his wife were senior figures in the British Quakers.-Biography:Forster was born in 1782...
Louis Celeste Lecesne and his wife had a son whilst they were in London whom they christened Stephen Lushington Macauley Lecesne. He was born on 6 March 1834 and was christened at Saint Matthew Church, Bethnal Green
Bethnal Green
Bethnal Green is a district of the East End of London, England and part of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, with the far northern parts falling within the London Borough of Hackney. Located northeast of Charing Cross, it was historically an agrarian hamlet in the ancient parish of Stepney,...
, London on 25 June 1834.
In July 1838, Lecesne was one of the supporters of a campaign to raise a monument to Zachary Macaulay
Zachary Macaulay
Zachary Macaulay was a slavery abolitionist and campaigner.-Early life:Macaulay was born in Inveraray, Scotland, the son of the Rev. John Macaulay Zachary Macaulay (2 May 1768 – 13 May 1838) was a slavery abolitionist and campaigner.-Early life:Macaulay was born in Inveraray, Scotland, the son of...
in Westminster Abbey.
1840 Anti-Slavery Society convention
On 17 April 1840, the British and Foreign Anti-Slavery SocietyAnti-Slavery Society
The Anti-Slavery Society or A.S.S. was the everyday name of two different British organizations.The first was founded in 1823 and was committed to the abolition of slavery in the British Empire. Its official name was the Society for the Mitigation and Gradual Abolition of Slavery Throughout the...
was formed to campaign for worldwide abolition of slavery. A short time later, the first World Anti-slavery Convention was held in London, attracting an international participation. Lecesne attended the convention and is depicted in a painting The Anti-Slavery Society Convention, 1840 by Benjamin Haydon
Benjamin Haydon
Benjamin Robert Haydon was an English historical painter and writer.-Biography:Haydon was born in Plymouth. His mother was the daughter of the Rev. Benjamin Cobley, rector of Dodbrooke, near Kingsbridge, Devon. Her brother, General Sir Thomas Cobley, was renowned for his part in the siege of Ismail...
(1841).
Following a bout of pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
, Louis Celeste Lecesne died on 22 November 1847 at his residence at the Fenchurch buildings, Fenchurch Street
Fenchurch Street
Fenchurch Street is a street in the City of London home to a number of shops, pubs and offices. It links Aldgate at its eastern end with Lombard Street and Gracechurch Street to the west. To the south of Fenchurch Street and towards its eastern end is Fenchurch Street railway station...
in London.
At the end of May in 1848, The Times announced the sale of the "superior" effects of the late L.C. Lecesne Esq including his mahogany four poster and a six octave pianoforte.