Lord Seaforth: Highland Proprietor, Caribbean Governor and Slave Owner
Historians have recently investigated the inter-relationship between Scotland and various parts of the British Empire. Francis Humberston Mackenzie of Seaforth (1754–1815) was a Highland proprietor in what has become known as ‘The First Phase of Clearance’, was governor of Barbados (1801–6) in the sensitive period immediately before the abolition of the British slave trade and was himself a plantation owner in Berbice (Guiana). He overcame his profound deafness to become an energetic public figure. The article compares his attitudes and actions to establish how far there was a consistency of approach in each of his capacities. It is suggested that his concern for his Highland small tenants was paralleled by his ambition in Barbados to make the killing of a slave by a white a capital offence, by his attempts to give free coloureds the right to testify against whites and by his aim to provide good conditions for his own enslaved labourers in Berbice. It is argued that he had a conservative world view which led him to support slavery and the slave trade (for which he can be criticised), but which also gave him a concern for the welfare of people for whom he felt responsible. The balance between humanitarianism and more pragmatic considerations in his decision-making is considered. Another parallel between the Highlands, Barbados and Berbice is that his good intentions were often of short-term or limited advantage to the intended beneficiaries. The reasons for this are investigated. A comparison is also made between Seaforth's authority and influence as a Highland proprietor and the restrictions and the frustrations he experienced as an active Caribbean governor.