The West Indies, C. 1792, by Sir William Young Colonial Wat...

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€10,000 - €15,000

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The West Indies, C. 1792, by Sir William Young

Colonial Watercolours, etc. A highly important group of original watercolours etc. inherited by the Day Family of Co. Cork, and now on the market for the first time in approx. 230 years.  

The Collection includes the following: 

1. “View of the Vale of Beaucament and Pembroke House and Estate in the Island of St. Vincent”, 1792.  Inscribed.   25 x 38cms (10” x 15”)

2. “View of the Villa and Calliagua Estate in the Island of St. Vincent”, 1792.  Inscribed. 25 x 38cms (10” x 15”)

3. “View of the Louisdor House and Estate in the Island of Tobago 1792”.  Inscribed. 25 x 38cms (10” x 15”) 

4. “View of the Old Road House and Estate in the Island of Antigua, 1792”.  Inscribed and signed in pencil, by ‘Sir William Young, Bart’.  25 x 38cms (10” x 15”)

5. “Landscape with Settlement and Palm Trees in foreground”, not titled.  Approx. 23 x 40cms (10” x 15”)  

6. “Landscape with two buildings surrounded by trees”, not titled.  20 x 33cms (8” x 13”)

7. “Delaford , [Manor House]” Near Uxbridge.  27.5 x 38cms (10¾” x 15”) A late 18th Century, Naïve Watercolour Study.

8. Map, Kitchin (T.)  “Plan of the Harbour of Port Antonio in the Island of Jamaica”.  1774.  Single page map.       

Together 8 items, removed from an 18th Century Album, tipped on to plain white pages, some stains, the two smaller watercolours with small damage and some loss. 
As watercolours, w.a.f.  A unique collection. 

Provenance:  The above group have been inherited by the present owner passed down by direct line from Sir William Young, Bart., great-great Grandfather of K.M.A. Day, through his daughter Eliza’s marriage to Richard Ottley.    

Sir William Young [1749-1815] 2nd Baronet, F.S.A., was a British Diplomat, Colonial Governor, Politician, of Delaford Manor House, near Uxbridge, England. His Father, Sir William Young, [1725-1788], 1st Baronet, was also a Politician, Sugar Planter and Slave Owner. This family is the subject of the famous painting by Zoffany, entitled “Sir William Young and his Family”, c.1767.

The 1st Baronet served as President of the Commission for the Sale of Lands in the Ceded Islands, and was the first non-military Governor of Dominica in 1768. He was the author of “An Historical, Statistical and Descriptive Account of the island of Tobago …..”

On the death of his Father, the 1st Baronet, the younger Sir William Young, now 2nd Baronet, inherited four plantations in the West indies, one in Antiqua, two in Saint Vincent, and another on Tobago. He benefited greatly from the slave trade, and owned 896 enslaved Africans at the time of his inheritance. In 1791, he embarked on a tour of his estates in the Caribbean, surveying the land, gaining information on conditions of those he enslaved and the sugar industry in the region.  He published his findings in 1801, under the title “A Tour through the several Islands of Barbados, St. Vincent, Tobago and Grenada in the years 1791 and 1792”         

He was appointed Governor of Tobago in 1807, a post he held until his death. He had been entrusted to supply an in-depth report, on condition, treatment of slaves, etc. etc. At the time of the report, the free population of Tobago was calculated to be 959, with a militia of 333 men, while the number of enslaved people on the island was estimated at 16,671. His book contains many watercolours, maps, clippings and descriptions of the plantations on the island. 

A unique and highly important Collection. 
As watercolours, w.a.f. (1)

More Information

Watercolours are on woven paper with no obvious watermarks.
Watercolours 1,2,3 and 4 are identified and named/dated 1792.
Tear to watercolour number 5.
Damage to top of watercolour number 7.
Some foxing and staining.

Please see extra images attached

Closed
Auction Date: 30th May 2023 at 10:30am

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