Jamaican Family Search Genealogy Research Library
JAMAICA
23rd September 1670.
May it please Your Lordship.
By the extraordinary diligence of His Majesty's Receiver General I have recovered the promised Survey the which I could wish were perfect, however this will I give Your Lordship some Light of this place, which I hope betwixt this and March to reduce to a more certainty, as is the promise.
Your Lordship will find great quantities of land granted to some persons among whom my Son 6000 acres whose name I made use of for myself having about 400 Persons in Our Family and so but one half acre due. 5000 to Capt. Noy which is the Wast Land by the Sea Side, most part covered with Salt Water where is a very hopeful work began for Salt etc.
There is 3200 to one Styles, who never had hands proportionable, nor ever will as I judge, but the reasons of it was that within a year of my coming he made oath His Majesty had granted a Privy Seal for that Quantity which he had lost by the War and faithfully promised to stock it which being when nobody would take lands I granted it and desire Your Lordship to direct my son to search the Privy Seal Office, whether there be any such grant.
As to the rest the Proportion of Hands is not wanting or for its security and in the whole grant added together Your Lordship will find double the number. I humbly beg Your Lordship's excuses for the Haste and that you would be pleased to own me.
Your most faithful and obedient servant,
THOMAS MODYFORD
An abstract of the whole Parishes
Parish/ acres patented/Families/Numbers of persons
St. Thomas Parish, 14,825 1/2 acres, 59 families, 590 persons
St. Davids Parish 11946 3/4 acres, 80 families, 960 persons
St. Andrews Parish 29199 3/4 acres, 194 families, 1552 persons
St. Catherines Parish 68590 acres, 158 families, 2374 persons
St. Johns Parish 25197 3/4 acres, 83 families, 996 persons
Clarendon Parish 39260 3/4 acres, 143 families, 1430 persons
NOTE. Privateers Hunters Sloop and Boatmen as at 2500
We likewise calculate the privateers Hunters Sloop and boats many which ply about the Island and are not reckoned in any of the above parishes to be at least 2500 able lusty men. The four Parishes on the Northside viz St. Georges, St. Marys, St. Anne's and St. James and the leeward most Parish St. Elizabeth hath not been yet collected as not worth it, by reason of its distance
and new settlements where
we find about 20,000 acres patented
and calculate there cannot be
less than 1500 people: 20,000 acres, 1500 people
Total acres patented 209,020 1/2, 717 families, 11,898 people
More we calculate of persons
in the towns of Port Royal and St.
Jago to be no less than men women
and children 3,300
Total people, 15,198
The Receiver General hath not received any rent these two years it not being worth the going so far for every year, the last collection amounting to but £151. 9/ whereof some being for 3 and some two years. But now this Michaelmas he begins to collect for 2 years and is ordered at the same time to take an exact account of all the persons in every Family, which with the Rentall (when finished) shall be presented for His Majestys view, and we are confident will amount to one half more at least than the above calculation this being guessed at according to the last collection made 2 years since.
Commodities which this Island produceth with a calculation of the Quantities of some of them
Here are 57 Sugar Works which may produce yearly 1710 thousand weight of sugar, those still increasing, and others a going up.
Also 47 Cocoa Walks which may yield 188,000 pound weight of nuts in seasonable years, these improving, and many young walks planted, which will very speedily produce.
Also 49 Indigo works which may produce about 49,000 weight of Indigo per annum, to which many more works are daily adding.
Three salt Ponds containing 4000 and odd acres under the management of Capt. Noge yielded this year about 10,000 Bushels he affirming to have been able to make as many tuns, if he could have had vent for it.
The Mountains are full of Pumento also Jamaica Pepper everywhere, and some have planted it, so that if there were encouragement there might be yearly sent of about 500 00 weight.
Here is also an undestroyable quantity of Fustick, Brasiletto, Lignum Votae, Ebony, sweet smelling and other curious woods for several uses of which great quantities are daily exported.
We have also Anotto by the Spaniard called Acheot began to be made which we expect will prove a great commodity.
WE have also Vanillious, China Roots, Cassia Fistula and Tamarinds, which the Planters do endeavour to encrease they being very good Drugs.
We find the land very good for cotton and Tobacco but the other Commodities being more staple and profitable very few busy themselves with it
We have large Savannas, and now great stocks of Cattle which we judge have increased within these six years from 60 tame cattle to 6000.
Sheep goats and tame Hogs great Plenty, so that we are past all Danger of Want, and hope in a short time to be able to furnish the ships homewards bound.
By His Excellencys Command
signed Thomas Tothill
Receiver General.
Data and text were published in 1909 by Noel B. Livingston, and were included in his "Sketch pedigrees of some of the early settlers in Jamaica."
For a layout of the parishes that existed at the time, please see MAP of Jamaica in 1670.
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