Colonel Peter Beckford was acting Governor

Governors of Jamaica

This is a list of viceroys in Jamaica from its initial occupation by Spain in 1509, to its independence from the United Kingdom in 1962. For a list of viceroys in Jamaica after independence, see Governor-General of Jamaica....

 of Jamaica

Jamaica

Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...

 in 1702.

Peter was the son of another Peter Beckford, of Maidenhead

Maidenhead

Maidenhead is a town and unparished area within the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, in Berkshire, England. It lies on the River Thames and is situated west of Charing Cross in London.-History:...

. Sir Thomas Beckford

Thomas Beckford

Major Thomas Beckford was a London clothworker and slopseller who became Sheriff of London.He was the son of Peter Beckford of Maidenhead and married the sister of Sir William Thomas and the widow of John Eversfield....

, Sheriff of London was his uncle as was Captain Richard Beckford, who was trading in Jamaica from 1659. Peter emigrated there in 1662, afterwards becoming Governor.

He arrived in Jamaica with 2 or 3 enslaved

Slavery

Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...

 Africans shortly after it became an English

British Empire

The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...

 colony

Colony

In politics and history, a colony is a territory under the immediate political control of a state. For colonies in antiquity, city-states would often found their own colonies. Some colonies were historically countries, while others were territories without definite statehood from their inception....

 and engaged himself as hunter and horse catcher. When he died suddenly in a fit of passion in 1710, he was the wealthiest planter in Jamaica, and it was claimed he was "in possession of the largest property real and personal of any subject in Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

."

Having served as a seaman, he was granted a thousand acres (4 km²) of land in Clarendon

Clarendon Parish, Jamaica

Clarendon is a parish in Jamaica. It is located on the south of the island, roughly half-way between the island's eastern and western ends...

 by Royal Patent on 6 March, 1669. He took an active part in island politics, representing St. Catherine

Saint Catherine Parish, Jamaica

St Catherine is a parish located in the south east of Jamaica. It is located in the county of Middlesex, and is one of the island's largest and most economically valued parish because of its many resources. It includes the first capital of Jamaica, Spanish Town, originally known as San Jago de la...

 in the Assembly

House of Assembly

House of Assembly is a name given to the legislature or lower house of a bicameral parliament. In some countries this may be at a subnational level....

 in 1675, and was later called to the Council where he was appointed President. He was the first Custos

Custos

Custos is the Latin word for guard. It occurs in titles such as* Custos rotulorum, keeper of the rolls* Custos * Custos...

 of Kingston

Kingston, 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...

, and a street was named after him there. He was renowned for being haughty with a strong temper and was involved in many heated debates.

He was twice married - to Bridget who died in 1691, and to Anne Ballard in 1696. He had two sons. Peter

Peter Beckford (junior)

Peter Beckford , , was the son of Peter Beckford, founder of one of the most powerful families in colonial Jamaica.Peter joined the Jamaican House of Assembly and became the Speaker. In 1710, during a debate at the Assembly, things became extremely heated and some members drew their swords and...

 was the elder. The death of Peter senior resulted from an accident when he rushed to the defence of his son, who had caused such a commotion in the House of Assembly that swords were drawn. Peter junior gave him a grandson, William Beckford

William Beckford (politician)

William Beckford was a well-known political figure in 18th century London, who twice held the office of Lord Mayor of London . His vast wealth came largely from his plantations in Jamaica...

 who in turn produced the great grandson, William Thomas Beckford

William Thomas Beckford

William Thomas Beckford , usually known as William Beckford, was an English novelist, a profligate and consummately knowledgeable art collector and patron of works of decorative art, a critic, travel writer and sometime politician, reputed to be the richest commoner in England...

, the writer. The latter had his great grandfather's portrait on display according to Henry Venn Lansdown:

"That is the portrait of my great-grandfather, Colonel Peter Beckford. It was painted by a French

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 artist, who went to Jamaica for the purpose, at the time he was Governor of the island. It is a full length portrait, large as life, the Colonel dressed in a scarlet coat embroidered richly with gold."

Petersfield

Petersfield, Jamaica

Petersfield is a small town in Westmoreland Parish, Jamaica. It shares its name with five other places in Jamaica.The town was founded in the 18th century and named after Peter Beckford, a slave owner who settled the Roaring River Estate...

 in Westmoreland

Westmoreland Parish, Jamaica

Westmoreland is the westernmost parish in Jamaica, located on the south side of the island. It is situated to the south of Hanover, the southwest of Saint James, and the northwest of Saint Elizabeth, in the county of Cornwall. The chief town and capital is Savanna-la-Mar...

is named after him.