About
Type: Ruin
Parish: St.John
Founding date: 1700s
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Current Status
The sugar mill on this site no longer exists except for some stones and remnants of old walls. The mill had been converted to steam power in the mid-1800s, along with the mills at Bendel’s (#37) and Belvedere (#39).
Estate Related History/Timeline
In 1763, George Byam, his wife Louise, and their daughter Selina were painted by Gainsborough in his Bath studio. George was the son of a sugar plantation owner and a colonial official from Antigua. By 1763, the Byam’s sugar plantation was one of the largest on the island and was worked by 132 slaves.
Dr. James Athill was one of three brothers who were the first of the Athill family to settle in Antigua. Dr. John Athill and his wife, Jane (Dunbar) Athill, were the parents of Joseph Lyons Athill, born August 30, 1748, and baptized at St. Paul’s on September 8, 1748.
In 1820, Brother Newby went to George Byam’s Plantation, then the property of Dr. James Athill, where, during the breakfast hour, the negro slaves assembled hear the lessons of the day. Moravian Archives, Bethlehem, PA, US.
With the abolition of slavery by the British Parliament in 1833, Byam’s Plantation was granted a Legacy award (Antigua 92) of £2,238. 2s. 3p. for granting freedom to 133 enslaved. Henry Moreton Dyer was the sole awardee. Alexander Coates was listed as “other associate,” and John Athill was unsuccessful. Additionally, the plantation was granted a second Legacy award (Antigua 126) of £932. 4s. 2p. for freeing 63 enslaved. Samuel Athill Turner was the sole awardee.
Enslaved People’s History
Based on contemporary research, we have little information to share about the enslaved peoples from this plantation at this time. With the abolition of slavery by the British Parliament in 1833, Byam’s Plantation was granted a Legacy award (Antigua 92) of £2,238. 2s. 3p. for granting freedom to 133 enslaved. Additionally, the plantation was granted a second Legacy award (Antigua 126) of £932. 4s. 2p. for freeing 63 enslaved. According to the Moravian Archives, Bethlehem, PA, in 1820, Brother Newby went to George Byam’s Plantation, then the property of Dr. James Athill, where, during the breakfast hour, the negro slaves assembled hear the lessons of the day. We will continue our quest for more information about these vital individuals.
Ownership Chronology
- 1700’s: George Byam (1704-1779)
- 1750: Heirs of George Byam
- 1790: Dr. James Athill b. 1759 (1777-1778 map by cartographer John Luffman.)
- 1820: Heirs of James Athill – 336 acres; 132 slaves
- 1843: James Athill
- 1851: John Foreman – 300 acres
- 1872: Fryer’s Sugar Concrete Company
- 1933: E. L. Ward (1933 Camacho map.)
- 2000: Joseph Horseford