Great Houses Found In Grenada

Hermitage Plantation House

Hermitage Estate, located in St. Andrew's, Grenada, was historically owned by prominent figures, including Alexander Fraser, who managed the estate alongside his involvement with Baillie’s plantation. Fraser, a planter with significant experience, married Emilia Duff of Muirton, the niece of Evan Baillie. Their son, Evan Baillie Fraser (1800-91), was born in Grenada.

By 1807, Fraser had relocated to the UK, and by 1812, following the death of Evan Baillie, he entered into a partnership with Baillie’s son, James Evan Baillie, to form the company JE Baillie, Fraser & Co. Based in London, the company dissolved in 1820.

In 1836, a compensation claim for 149 slaves at the Hermitage Estate was filed for £4030 4s 3d, with Evan Baillie (deceased) serving as trustee. Previous part-owners included Colin Chisholm and James Baillie, father of the Baillie brothers.

John Sleeper, in 1860, described Hermitage as one of the finest plantations in Grenada, situated on elevated ground with a residence once occupied by Mr. Houston, the estate's attorney. Under Houston’s management, many fruit trees planted by a previous owner, referred to as “Bailey,” were replaced with sugar cane crops.

Levera Estate Plantation, St. Patrick Grenada

Levera Estate was owned by a Mr. Snell in April 1785. By the late 1790s, Alexander Fraser (1759-1837) of Inchcoulter, Kiltearn, Scotland, became involved with the estate. Fraser, who also contributed to raising funds for the Northern Infirmary in Inverness, purchased his own estate in 1806 and founded the village of Evanton. He was a friend of William Smith of Revolution Hall, who bequeathed him £2000 in his will. Fraser is confirmed to have owned Levera Estate by 1825.

Following the abolition of the slave trade in 1811 and the subsequent legal developments, Fraser submitted a claim to the Slave Compensation Commission on November 9, 1835, for 94 slaves at Levera Estate, seeking £2759 1s 0d in compensation. However, a successful counterclaim was made by Hugh Duncan Baillie, James Evan Baillie, and George Henry Ames, who acted as assignees for the compensation funds.

Revolution Hall Estate Plantation, St. Johns Grenada

The Revolution Hall Estate was overseen by Joseph Barlow during the 1795 ‘insurrection’ in Grenada. Described in 1845 as a fertile sugar estate located about two to three miles from the village of Goyave, the estate was involved in a compensation claim in 1836. Richard Oliver Smith, the owner-in-fee, claimed compensation for 168 slaves at the estate amounting to £4210 16s 8d. However, successful counterclaims by the Baillie brothers, acting as mortgagees, resulted in Smith receiving no compensation.

Richard Oliver Smith (May 1788 - ????) was the illegitimate son of Grenada slave-owner William Smith and Sarah Jean. He lived in Britain from around 1793 to 1833. Richard's father’s will, dated 1793, left provisions for Sarah Jean and their children, including Richard, who was five years old at the time. Richard Smith married twice: first to Harriet Gee in 1806, with whom he had a daughter, Emily, and later to Mary Broderip in 1819, with whom he had a daughter, Elizabeth Georgiana.

Records from the Revolution Hall Estate, including accounts from 1821, provide detailed lists of slaves, livestock, and estate maintenance. These documents are held at the Burke Library, Hamilton College, and include correspondence about the estate's unprofitability in the early 1830s. In 1833, Richard moved to Grenada, and his daughter Emily later married Rev. John Nurse in 1835.

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