JOHN DUCKENFIELD
Bristol Trader

• Slave Trader and Member of the Merchant Venturers an elite body of Bristol Merchants


• Married to Ann Andrews, Captain Andrews daughter with whom he had seven sons and four daughters. Four sons and all his daughters died young or without issue. His eldest son, Robert married Isabella Miller the daughter of John Miller of Jamaica, they had two children who died young


• As Duckenfield & Co he owned 6 ships and by 1701 was very wealthy


• Between 1712-1735 he sent out at least one of his ships on slaving voyages - mostly to Africa.


• The Slave Trade to Madagascar was run under Licence from the East India Company


• He gained a temporary licence in 1717 and loaded up 540 slaves from Madagascar, mostly boys and girls, but half of them died on the journey


• He realised he should have dealt with trade in grown men and applied for another licence, but this was never granted


• His ship's Captain William Stretton on the Prince Eugene went on at least one other illegal journey. William had done a deal with the pirate General Collins to exchange goods for money on the way, but he didn't get away with it and his cargo was impounded.


• £10,000, besides twelve large bags of money he had deposited with councillor Cole Digges at Williamsburg, Virginia also claimed to have landed four chest and five or six bags of silver on a sandy point at the river's mouth


• John Duckenfield owned a large plantation at St Thomas in the East Jamaica, his eldest son Robert born circa 1700 decided to go an live on this plantation when he attained his majority

Sources:"Barons and Bastards" - A History of the Duckenfield Family - from English Origins to an American Presence by Thomas Averill Duckenfield III - copy at Tameside Local Studies and Archives Centre

"History Alive Tameside" - issue 3 2008 page 23 Dukinfield Halls in North Carolina and Jamaica - Gay J Oliver

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