Images courtesy of the Barbados Museum and Historical Society
HISTORIC TREASURES
EXPLORE
Left: Contemporary newspaper report on the Somerset case focusing on John Alleyne’s arguments Right: John Alleyne was christened in St. Peter’s Parish Church
John Alleyne The Alleyne family has a long and illustrious history on Barbados. The eighteenth century Barbados Chronicle described the Alleynes as “one of the most ancient families in this island… of respectable descent.” In the limited context of our island, certainly the most prominent of the Alleynes was Sir John Gay Alleyne, after whom the present day Alleyne School is named. However in an international context, there were Alleynes or extended members of the Alleyne family who played important roles. One such was Alleyne Fitzherbert, Lord St. Helens, for whom the famous mountain in Washington, USA is named. Alleyne Fitzherbert, whose grandmother, Judith Alleyne was a Barbadian, played an important role at the diplomatic talks resulting in the signing of the Treaty of Paris which concluded the American Revolutionary War. John Alleyne was born 25th September 1748, the son of Thomas Alleyne and his wife Hannah née Downes. Thomas Alleyne owned Four Hills and the Rock Plantations. The Alleynes took their son to England in later years to be schooled at Eton. In England, the young Alleyne met his prominent relatives and was introduced to other influential people who formed part of his family’s circle. One such individual was Benjamin Franklin. Franklin knew John Alleyne well enough to give him a pet name... ‘Jack’. The Franklins and Alleynes became linked through marriage, as John’s aunt, Elizabeth Downes married William Franklin, the son of Benjamin. William Franklin was named the last Royal Governor of New Jersey and during the American revolution, this caused a rupture in family relations as William was deemed a traitor to the American cause. After leaving Eton, he was admitted to the Middle Temple in 1767 and called to the bar in 1772. Soon after, the young lawyer was called on by Granville Sharpe to join a team he was assembling to fight what would be the landmark case of the slave Somerset. Somerset was being forcibly shipped from England to the West Indies. Alleyne joined four eminent lawyers who all worked pro bono to prepare and plead the case before the Chief Justice, Lord Mansfield.
The signal honour of presenting the closing arguments went to Alleyne. Slavery was not natural he argued. There was no scriptural or theological justification for slavery, nor was there any legal basis for slavery as it was diametrically opposed to the idea of human rights. He stressed the “despicable condition in which Negroes have the misfortune to be considered.” And he talked about “the horrid cruelties scarce credible in recital perpetrated in America.” His concluding sentence was : “Nor can I believe, we shall suffer any individual living here to want that liberty, whose effects are glory and happiness to the public and every individual.” The newspaper accounts of the day speak to his eloquence and well constructed arguments. In fact in his summation, Mansfield singled out Alleyne and Hargreaves for praise, commenting on their “talents and great industry.” Somerset won his freedom and many historians have interpreted the Mansfield ruling as “being of crucial importance in the struggle against slavery.” Barbados’ agent in England at the time, Samuel Estwick, blasted the Mansfield decision and berated Alleyne for his “ill grounded and uncalled for approach” which he suggested was grounded in emotion or as he put it, “mere argumenta ad pasiones.” Nevertheless, Estwick could not help admiring his fellow Barbadian and declared “it was with infinite pleasure I perceived those rays of genius and abilities in him, which promise to shine forth so conspicuously, to the ornament of this country, and to the honour of Barbadoes, his native island in America.” The abolitionist William Dickson wrote, “I understood that a Mr. Alleyne (a name justly distinguished in Barbadoes for humanity and good sense) did himself and that his native island, much credit by exerting his eloquence and learning in behalf of the Negro Somerset.” Just as Alleyne’s star was in the ascendancy, for he became a published author and was elected to the very prestigious Royal Society, fate intervened. John Alleyne died young. He was twenty nine when he passed away at his father-in-law’s house in July, 1777.
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