William Beckford of Somerley
Encyclopedia
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...
n slave
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...
-owner and writer. Illegitimate son of Richard Beckford, he was part of the influential Beckford family and inherited four sugar
Sugar
Sugar is a class of edible crystalline carbohydrates, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose, characterized by a sweet flavor.Sucrose in its refined form primarily comes from sugar cane and sugar beet...
plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
s, which he personally supervised:
- Roaring River EstateRoaring River ParkRoaring River Park is a heritage and nature park near Petersfield, Westmoreland Parish, Jamaica.The park is on the site of the Roaring River Estate which belonged to the Beckford family: Peter Beckford, William Beckford....
, WestmorelandWestmoreland Parish, JamaicaWestmoreland 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...
In 1790 he published A Descriptive Account of the Island of Jamaica, a two volume description of contemporary life in Jamaica from a planter's point of view.