University of London Library: Papers of William Hewitt (1719-1981)

Title: University of London Library: Papers of William Hewitt (1719-1981)

Description: William Hewitt (1719-1781) was Commissioner for the sale and disposal of land in the Ceded islands of the British West Indies1766-1772 and 1776-1781. The papers in this research level collection consist of 4 boxes and 14 volumes. They are held in the Archives, in the Historic Collections Services section of the ULL, and are accessible only on request [for details of access to this material see: http://www.ull.ac.uk].
The papers are concerned chiefly with William Hewitt's work in the West Indies 1767-1771 and 1776-1781, predominantly the latter period. The West Indian territories covered by the papers are Grenada, the Grenadines, St Vincent, Dominica and Tobago, primarily Dominica. There is material relating to his land interests in Dominica and his dealings with British merchants who invested in the West Indies.
The financial papers and accounts (1759-1781) in the collection cover a longer time span than any other type, as some of the material dates from before he went to the West Indies. There are also documents concerning Hewitt's personal property, mainly bonds concerning payment for Crown lands in Dominica, 1767-1777. There are papers relating to slaves owned by him between 1768-1781. There are also legal papers (1768-1781) and official documents concerning land in Tobago, St Vincent and Dominica, 1764-1781, including commissioners' instructions, surveys, maps and correspondence. The collection also includes papers created following the death of William Hewitt, mainly relating to the settlement of his estate, 1781-1790.
The material also spans the period of the American War of Independence, and there is material from 1779-1780 which contains detailed information concerning military and naval movements in the West Indies.
Finding aids and guides to the collection include the following:

• William Hewitt papers: a handlist; Compiled by C.E. Micklem, 1969 - ULL Location: Special Collections [GOLD] G.L.]03 [Hewitt-Micklem]
• William Hewitt papers: a handlist of the second deposit with an index of persons for the whole collection; Compiled by Paul Kelly, 1972 - ULL Location: Special Collections [GOLD] G.L.]03 [Hewitt-Kelly]
• William Hewitt papers (MS 522), 1756-1790: in the University of London Library; Introduction by Paul Kelly. East Ardsley, Wakefield, West Yorkshire: Microform Academic Pub.,1985 (ISBN: 1851170022) - ULL Location: Palaeography CC25.8 (P.C.4)(14).

An entry about the Hewitt Papers is also listed in the ULL guide to the Historic Collections, available in PDF format at http://www.ull.ac.uk/library/historic.pdf (Please note that Adobe Acrobat Reader may be required to view this document).

Strengths: Information on Dominica, Grenada, St Vincent and the Grenadines and Tobago during the 18th century.

Size: 14 volumes and 4 boxes of archive material

Catalogue: University of London Library Main Catalogue (Innopac)

Catalogue URL: http://193.63.81.240/search~b1o1c1i1r1/

Main URL: http://www.ull.ac.uk/

Access: Please visit the ULL web site at http://www.ull.ac.uk/ for full details about access conditions, registration fees and borrowing information.

Acquisition dates: 1969 - 1972

Note:

Interest: Caribbean

Complete: Complete

Subjects

Trade

Slavery

Plantation economy

Land tenure

Economic history

Personal/Corporate names

Hewitt, William, 1719-1781

Places

Trinidad and Tobago

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Grenada

Dominica

Caribbean