MS 681 04

MS 681 04

Moulton-Barrett family papers: Papers and portraits of Edward Barrett Moulton-Barrett (1785-1857)

Series

MS 681 02: Papers relating to the Jamaican estates of the Moulton-Barrett Family: MS 681 02 01: Box 1 (1774-1841) ‘Q1 1774-1841’ [Quarto size letters and documents] MS 681 02 03: Box 3 (1875-1927) ‘Q3 1875-1927’ and N[o].D[ate] [Quarto size letters and documents] MS 681 01 03 Papers of the wider family Box 1 (1772-1838), Box 2 (1838-1851) Box 3 (1851-1942)

Edward Moulton-Barrett was the son of Charles Moulton (17??-1819) and Elizabeth Barrett (1765-1830). Born in Jamaica, Edward and his siblings were raised on his grandfather Edward Barrett’s estate - Cinnamon Hill. In 1792 he and his brother Samuel Moulton-Barrett (1787-1837) were sent to England to be educated - Edward for a short time at Harrow, then tutored privately before going up to Trinity College Cambridge in 1801, but did not take his degree. He stayed with his mother’s chosen guardian, entrepreneur John Graham-Clarke and his family near Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Edward married his daughter Mary Graham-Clarke in 1805. They had 12 children – only Mary, their fourth, did not survive infancy. In 1809 the Moulton Barretts were living in Upper Barkley Street in London and then in Baker Street, also at Hammersmith and Mickelham (home of Elizabeth Moulton, Edward’s mother). On reaching 21 in 1806, Edward took an interest in his grandfather’s estates (including Sam's portion) of around 10,000 acres in total, on Jamaica's north side. On Sam's death in 1837, his portion passed to Edward. In England, Edward leased Coxhoe Hall in County Durham, followed by the purchase of Hope End, a substantial property near Ledbury, Herefordshire in 1810. The house was converted into stables and a new house constructed on an orientalist ‘Moorish’ theme.

The sugar trade in Jamaica flourished, reaching its highest point between 1799 and 1804. Edward’s estates shipped sugar, rum, coffee and pimentos to Liverpool and London. An absentee proprietor, his estates were run at first by agents and overseers. Slavery was abolished in 1807 but its gradual implementation was only carried out from 1833. The price of sugar dropped steadily from 1815. Both these factors began to impact on the liquidity of Edward’s estates. He was influenced by the anti-slavery movement in England and made changes to the treatment of enslaved persons on his estates, including allowing missionaries - chiefly Reverend Hope Masterton Waddell - to settle and work on the estates. From the 1820s, Edward’s Jamaica estates incurred financial losses. By 1827, the estates needed direct family intervention and Edward's brother Sam went to Cinnamon Hill to take direct control over them.

Samuel Moulton-Barrett had been MP for Carlton in Yorkshire (1820-1827) and resigned his seat and gave up his home at Carlton Hall, near Richmond to go to Jamaica. He was Custos of St Ann’s Parish. Sam’s first wife Mary Adams died in Jamaica and he married secondly, Anne Gordon in 1833, who also died there. Finally, Sam formed a union with a woman of colour and they had a daughter Elizabeth Barrett. She formed a union with Sam's nephew Charles John (Storm) and Arabella Moulton-Barrett (1860-1953) was their daughter.

During the 1820s and 1830s, a prolonged dispute arose between Edward, Sam and their cousin Richard Barrett, the leader of the Barrett family in Jamaica, concerning the estate of his brother Samuel Barrett (1788-1824), involving ownership of enslaved persons and stock of his father Samuel Barrett (1765-1794), resulting in lengthy and costly litigation. Tensions also arose between Sam Moulton-Barrett and Hope Waddell concerning the welfare and treatment of enslaved persons on the Barrett estates. During the slave rebellion of 1831-32, the Barrett estates were spared damage and were defended by the slaves from marauders.

Further challenges arose when in 1828, Edward’s wife Mary died, followed by his mother Elizabeth Moulton in 1830, and he eventually gave up his Hope End estate and the family moved to a rented house in Sidmouth in 1832; then in 1835, they moved to Gloucester Place in London and finally, to 50 Wimpole Street in 1838.

In 1833 Edward sent his eldest son Edward (Bro) to gain experience with his uncle Sam of managing the Jamaica estates. He returned in 1835 and was followed by his younger brother Sam in late 1836. Samuel Moulton-Barrett, Edward’s brother died in December 1837. Next, his son Charles John (Storm) was sent to the Cambridge estate. His son Sam died in Jamaica in 1840 and his son Edward drowned in England in the same year. Devastated by the loss of his wife, mother, brother and two of his sons, followed by the marriage of two daughters and a son against his will, Edward suffered bouts of ill health and died in London in April 1857, after breaking a leg following a fall from his carriage.

1799-1857

24 files and 15 items

The papers of Edward Moulton-Barrett chiefly concern his Jamaica estates, his business and legal affairs in England and his probate and estate papers

These papers originally formed part of an amalgamated chronological series described as ‘The Jamaica papers’, arranged for the process of publication in the 1960s. In 2025 they were substantially re-arranged and re-catalogued in order to respect archival provenance, original order, context and improve clarity and access for researchers. In this process, Edward Barrett’s papers have been separated from the Jamaica papers to form their own series. Papers of his brother Sam and his son Sam, in relation to their acting as agents of Edward, overseeing the family’s estates, have also been incorporated into Edward Moulton-Barrett’s series. The papers have been further arranged into five sub-series to include separate aspects of Edward Moulton-Barrett’s affairs:

01 Papers relating to Jamaica estates inherited by Edward Moulton-Barrett
02 Papers relating to his proprietorship of the Barrett estates in Jamaica, related business and family matters in England
03 Financial papers of Edward Moulton-Barrett
04 Family letters of Edward Moulton-Barrett
05 Portraits of Edward Moulton-Barrett and his immediate family

These papers have been published or cited in Kelley, Hudson et al.: The Brownings’ Correspondence Vols 1-31, 1809-1865 - as Letter numbers or ‘Supporting Documents’ (SDs) Nos. Also, transcripts of some letters and documents have been published online at www.browningscorrespondence.com

For information on the Barrett family's compensation as the owners of enslaved persons, see the database Legacies of British Slavery