Colhoun (Colquhoun) of Glasgow family papers

IDENTITY STATEMENT AREA

Reference code(s): TD 301

Title: Colhoun (Colquhoun) of Glasgow family papers

Date(s): 1552 - 1853

Level of description: Fond

Extent and medium of the unit of description: 9 files

CONTEXT AREA

Name of creator(s):

Administrative/Biographical history: The Colhoun (also Colquhoun) family of Trongate in Glasgow were involved in the tobacco trade and slave trading throughout the 17th century.

Archival history: Deposited at the Glasgow City Archive in August 1974.

Immediate source of acquisition or transfer:

CONTENT AND STRUCTURE AREA

Scope and content: This collection comprises 9 files of business and family papers for the Colhoun family of Glasgow. During the 18th century the family were involved in the slave trade and the letters found in file TD301/6 document the experiences of William Colhoun, who worked as chief mate on a number of slave ships travelling between West Africa, North America and Britain between 1768-1776.

In file TD301/6 there are nine letters to Miss Betty Colhoun of Trongate Glasgow, from her brother William, 1768-1771. In 1769 William sends letters from his voyages on the 'Trent' man-o-war, and ships called the 'Bellsavage' [sic] and the 'Industry.' One of his letters, dated June 1770, is written from Senegal in West Africa, telling his sister about his first experiences aboard a slave trader. He states 'We shall sail tomorrow with a hundred and 50 slaves for Potouchan River in Virginia in a very fine vessel which I am chief mate of...it is a very precarious cargo as for me it is the first time...we have always plenty of noise and stink in proportion.' His next letter, dated October 1770, was written in Oxford, Maryland, and tells Betty that the slaves were sold there and the ship is returning to Glasgow loaded with tobacco. Later his sister marries a Glasgow merchant, Archibald Patterson, and William continues to write to Patterson about his dealings in slaves. In one letter, written from Sierra Leone in April 1775, he promises to send 'three prime slaves which will amount to 120 pounds sterling' to be sold, whenever he can finds the means to remit the proceeds to Archibald, and '...a very fine girl about twelve years of age' which he will send home to Glasgow if one of his sisters would like her. In a later letter from Yongia, Dimba River, dated May 1776 he writes, 'I have sent likewise by Captain Richard Wilding of Liverpool two fine slaves to be sold at the West Indies and the money or bills to be remitted to you...The slaves will come to about 80 pounds sterling.'

The remainder of the collection contains miscellaneous 18th and 19th century family letters and accounts, primarily concerning the management of cotton spinners in Scottish-based cottage industries.

Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information:

Accruals:

System of arrangement:

CONDITIONS OF ACCESS AND USE AREA

Conditions governing access: Members of the public have full access to the collection on completion of a requisition form.

Conditions governing reproduction:

Language/scripts of material: English

Physical characteristics:

Finding aids: Printed catalogue

ALLIED MATERIALS AREA

Existence and location of originals: Glasgow City Archives, The Mitchell Library, 210 North Street, Glasgow G3 7DN

Existence and location of copies:

Related units of description:

Publication note:

DESCRIPTION CONTROL AREA

Recorder's note:

Rules or conventions: Compiled in compliance with General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997.

Date(s) of descriptions: 19th September 2001

Interest: Black

Specific group:

Subjects

Tobacco plantations

Trade

Slavery

Personal/Corporate names

Places

Sierra Leone

Senegal

Maryland, United States of America

Virginia, United States of America

Glasgow, United Kingdom

Caribbean