James Laing (c.1749–1831) was a Scottish doctor and slave plantation owner in Dominica .
46-716: James Laing may refer to: James Laing (doctor) (c. 1749–1831), Scottish medical man and plantation owner in Dominica James Laing (footballer) (1897–1917), Scottish footballer Jim Laing , Canadian sportscaster and radio station owner James Laing (archer) , participated in Archery at the 2010 Commonwealth Games – Men's recurve individual James Laing (shipbuilder) (1823–1901), Tyne and Wear shipbuilder and High Sheriff of Durham, 1879 See also [ edit ] James Lang (disambiguation) Jamie Laing (born 1988), on
92-557: A Wesleyan Methodist mission to the slaves of the estates in Dominica; and he is mentioned in Rose's 1823 book on the conversion to Christianity of slaves. The missionary James Catts mentioned in 1823 that his colleague Thomas Harrison was visiting Laing's estates. The anonymous work Sketches and Recollections of the West Indies of 1828, by "a Resident", was dedicated to Laing. As well as being
138-419: A gift of £700 of plate was made to Henry Hamilton as Governor, for his efforts in repelling a French invasion of Dominica, Laing with Thomas Daniell was chosen for the formal presentation on 14 June 1796. In 1798 Laing was acting as Collector for the island. In 1804 a parliamentary report recorded Laing as the owner of 51 enslaved people. During the 1805 French attack on Roseau , the island's capital, Laing
184-401: A legacy of what one historian has noted was the significant tenure of Secretary of War and Colonies before Palmerston in the 19th century. This fact is often overlooked since Bathurst was far from being a radical. The social diarist Maria Edgeworth, often alluded to by Jane Austen, wrote that he was an "old school dog". A "formalist", she thought who was "very much from that class". Lord Apsley
230-545: A personal account, it discussed slavery and its abolition, in terms of measures of amelioration and the need for compensation. The authorship was attributed by John Malcolm Bulloch to Hugh Gordon, a soldier involved in the defence of Roseau. Some years after Laing's death, compensation was paid on the Macouchorie estate (tentative identification of claim), when slavery was abolished in the British Empire. Some of it went to
276-497: A position he held when George Metcalfe was acting Governor (period 1805–8). James Laing was involved in land deals with Metcalfe. John Laing was the eldest son of Thomas Laing (Thomas Laing Esq. of Haddo). Thomas Henderson (died 1816), an assembly member, was another nephew of Laing. Under Laing's will, his estate at Haddo went to William John Laing, and the Union Estate on Dominica to Allan Stewart Laing. Laing's trustees were
322-453: A signal speech to the Lords governing the conditions under which Napoleon had been sent to St Helena in which he made it clear the hardship the former emperor was facing. Bathurst's official position caused his name to be mentioned frequently during the agitation for the abolition of slavery , and with regard to this traffic, he seems to have been animated by a humane spirit. This is recognised in
368-579: A supporter of the Corn Laws . As Colonial Secretary, he would be hostile both to the introduction of representative institutions, and to the development of a free press in Britain's possessions. While himself an efficient and conscientious bureaucrat, he ran the Colonial Office on traditional, paternalistic lines and overseas posting owed much to status, nepotism and family contacts. He appointed his brother-in-law
414-694: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages James Laing (doctor) He was born in the parish of Crimond , c. 1748, the son of Alexander Laing and Jane Henderson. According to later testimony, he was resident as a young man in Dominica, by the later 1760s. There were other Scots of the same name in the Caribbean at this period, including Dr James Laing in Tobago , from Elgin, Moray . Laing acquired lands in Scotland, at Haddo-Rattray, Buchan , in 1789. According to
460-688: Is hardly flattering but remains largely because it was published in his Memoirs . Lord Bathurst married Lady Georgiana, daughter of Lord George Henry Lennox , in April 1789. He died in July 1834, aged 72, and was succeeded in the earldom by his eldest son, Henry . Lady Bathurst died in January 1841, aged 75. Sir Thomas Lawrence was the court painter when Bathurst sat for his studio. Subsequent etchings were done in London, in 1810, by Thomas Phillips and Henry Meyer. One example
506-538: The Topographical Dictionary of Scotland (London, 1846), writing about Crimond, "There is an ancient seat called Haddo, and an elegant modern mansion has been built on the estate of Rattray." In that year Laing had given evidence on plantation life in Dominica to the Privy Council, later commented on by John Ranby , James Stephen and Eric Williams . In 1793 Laing was provost marshal in Dominica. When
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#1732855515559552-488: The 'Ultra Tories', refused to serve under him due to the new prime minister's humble origins, liberal policies and support for Catholic emancipation . When Wellington in turn was called to form a government a few months later in the aftermath of Canning's death, he opted for a middle-of-the-road cabinet and Bathurst had to contend with the relatively minor position of Lord President of the council. A close friend of Castlereagh's and Wellington's, Bathurst shared their view that
598-569: The Aberdeen Estate coffee plantation, who married Jane Mary Laing. Bremner was a Scottish physician and sailed for Dominica in 1794, leaving in 1815 and leaving a memoir in manuscript. He bought the Dawn plantation in 1805, with Dr Johnstone, another physician with whom he was in practice; that partnership was dissolved in 1807. He then went into business with Thomas Laing & Co. On 29 August 1808 John Laing died, at age 28, as acting provost marshal,
644-560: The Board of Control from 1793, he was sworn to the Privy Council on 21 June. When awarded a salary by Pitt he rejected it for the sinecures that already obtained. He was again at the centre of cabinet government, but had failed to make his mark attending only a quarter of the meetings held every ten days. In the Commons, he was a diffident speaker, and not a great orator, which hampered advancement to
690-588: The British TV series Made in Chelsea [REDACTED] Topics referred to by the same term This disambiguation page lists articles about people with the same name. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=James_Laing&oldid=1152354200 " Category : Human name disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description
736-657: The Cape of Good Hope colony in Feb 1801, voted to keep the Aliens Act 1793 and wanted foreigners to carry passports. He accepted the Peace Treaty of Amiens in 1802 following Pitt's lead, whom Malmesbury said: "he looked up to". In 1817 he dispatched a commission of inquiry to Australia to investigate the colony's use of transportation and treatment of convicts. John T Bigge sent back three Reports recommending that more settlers should be sent to
782-702: The Colonies under Lord Liverpool ; a position he retained until Liverpool resigned in April 1827. Bathurst deserves some credit for improving the conduct of the Peninsular War , while it was his duty to defend the government concerning its treatment of Napoleon Bonaparte . Bathurst endorsed Sir George Prévost 's policy in British North America when war broke out in 1812. He ordered the Provincial Marines to be replaced with Royal Navy personnel authorising
828-463: The Duke of Richmond , who was in financial straits, Governor-General of Canada and sent out his son-in-law, Major General Sir Frederic Ponsonby, to be Governor of Malta. He appointed as Governor of Cape Colony Lord Charles Somerset, a son of his friend the Duke of Beaufort. On the other hand, while not an abolitionist, he was a friend of William Wilberforce and he pressed his colonial governors hard to improve
874-638: The General Election in 1790 in his father's interest at Cirencester. Granted the reversion in 1786 from Lord Hardwicke to the tellership sinecure worth £2,700 per annum in the Commons as a lord of the treasury to 1791. A cousin Richard Hopkins vacated a junior post at the Treasury on 10 August 1789. He was therefore responsible for counting the government's votes on divisions in the chamber as well as recording expenditure. On 19 April 1791, he voted for repealing
920-582: The Macoucherie sugar estate (there are different spellings), with Robert Reid. A legal agreement of 1811 shows that there was a previous owner of this estate in St Joseph parish, John Mair. At that time there were three owners, with one of them, Thomas Lucas, disposing of his one-third share to Laing and Robert Reid. Laing is described as of Streatham. In his will, Laing left his one-half share to his younger son. In 1822–3 Laing with George Henry Rose supported
966-690: The Pitt and Grenville factions to unite. He advised Grenville that the king would not tolerate Catholic officers in the Army during a national crisis, on the Whig's summons to the palace. His friend's death on 23 Jan 1806 prompted Bathurst to quit politics, but the Ministry of all the Talents was very brief. Appointed as President of the Board of Trade in March 1807, Bathurst's first concern
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#17328555155591012-623: The Younger , he became a broker of deals across cabinet factions during the Napoleonic era . After the Napoleonic Wars , Bathurst was on the conservative wing of the Tory party. Lord Bathurst was the elder son of Henry Bathurst, 2nd Earl Bathurst , by his wife Tryphena Scawen, daughter of Thomas Scawen . He was educated at Eton College from 1773 to 1778 and then up to Christ Church, Oxford . This college
1058-469: The border. The failure of the Plattsburgh Expedition destroyed Prevost's reputation among Royal Navy officers. He was recalled to face a court-martial on Bathurst's orders, but died in 1815. When King George IV turned to George Canning to form a government following Liverpool's resignation, Bathurst, along with Wellington and Lord Eldon on the far right of the Tory party, who called themselves
1104-572: The colony, and therefore transportation should continue. Bathurst ordered changes to the administration of justice and land distribution in the colony. He was made Knight of the Garter in 1817, and he held several lucrative sinecures . The collapse of wages and economic depression since 1800 exercised the mind of the Board President "When I paused over this scene of misery, unequalled in the history of civilised times, I felt naturally to demand, how it
1150-507: The first responsibility of government was to try to preserve the established order both at home and overseas. He enjoyed sinecure incomes as Teller of the Exchequer and Clerk of the Crown and, as such, was a beneficiary of the 'old corruption' system loathed by radicals. He was a High Churchman and a High Tory, a significant Gloucestershire landowner, a lifelong supporter of agricultural interests and
1196-521: The great offices of state. He relinquished office on his father's death in 1794. Lord Mornington offered the Governorship of Madras, but even on appointment, he withdrew from travelling to India, to which his wife objected strongly. In 1801 he was a Joint clerk of the crown in Chancery worth £1,100 pa; a position that monitored claims and civil suits, giving him an eye for better administrative competence. At
1242-565: The height of Bonaparte's invasion scares he returned home to command the Cirencester Volunteer Cavalry. When Pitt was asked to resume as Prime Minister he chose his old friend again in May 1804, to be Master of the Mint in new offices built by Robert Smirke in July, while he worked on the entrance hall at Cirencester. He professed to Pitt he was "well provided for" after he had tried to bring
1288-404: The island. In England, Laing was High Sheriff of Surrey in 1815, as James Laing of Streatham. He lived at Moor Park, Farnham ; William Cobbett commented in the 1820s on the change of ownership as recent. Laing died on 24 April 1831, at age 82. A land grant was made in 1804 in the parish of St Joseph, Dominica to James Laing, John Lucas and Robert Reid. By 1804, Laing was an owner of
1334-442: The living conditions of Caribbean slaves. Bathurst reorganized the department with his capable Under-secretary Henry Goulburn . Blue books were introduced for the first time with new office routines. Goulburn's successor, Wilmot Horton was an admirer of practical good sense and discretion. Bathurst appears to have been personable, amused and capable of delegating tasks. To prevent a Tory split he supported Pitt's decision to return
1380-547: The naming of the town of Bathurst, Eastern Cape, which was renamed in memorial for a humanitarian gesture towards the settlers of Albany, and parliamentary censure of Lord Charles Somerset, its excessively punitive governor-general. The current capital of The Gambia , Banjul , was originally named Bathurst after the earl. Bathurst was Lord President of the Council in the government of the Duke of Wellington from 1828 to 1830, and favoured
1426-545: The occupation of the Great Lakes; yet organized with the defence of Canada in mind. The strategy remained essentially defensive and underfunded until Napoleon I was sent to Elba in 1814; by which time it was too late. Bathurst refused to send large-scale reinforcements. However, when operations switched to the north-western forests and inlets of Vancouver Sound in British Columbia 20,000 troops arrived to prevent incursion over
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1472-496: The policy as "the most disastrous." In defending royalty when the Duke of York resigned as Commander-in-chief he refuted the allegation of corruption, being bribery for the sale of commissions. "There is no calculation to advantages...to the capture of the Island of Flushing" he told the vice-president at the Board. Bathurst also advised the King on Portland's resignation from ill health. For
1518-528: The removal of the disabilities of Roman Catholics, although did not believe that it would improve the constitution and so voted against. He was however a sturdy opponent of the Reform Bill of 1832. The Earl, who had four sons and two daughters, died on 27 July 1834 at his London home, 16 Arlington Street, Piccadilly. He was buried in Cirencester Abbey's parish church. Charles Greville's much-quoted encomium
1564-500: The slave trade in the first such vote on abolition. He was however not in favour of repealing the Test Act in Scotland. On 3 June 1791 he sat on the committee of Inquiry into the Prince of Wales' civil list and use of funds which were granted for the heir apparent's household at Carlton House . Yet by the 21st he had resigned to attend to his dying father at home. As an unpaid Commissioner of
1610-431: The solicitor Abel Jenkins, and Allan Stewart Laing. Laing's wife Eliza (or Elizabeth) died in 1816, at age 61 (or 63). Their children included: Henry Bathurst, 3rd Earl Bathurst Henry Bathurst, 3rd Earl Bathurst , KG , PC (22 May 1762 – 27 July 1834) was a High Tory , High Church Pittite . He was an MP for thirty years before ennoblement. A personal friend of William Pitt
1656-469: The trustees for Laing, an amount that may have been equal going to Abraham Wildey Robarts . Elizabeth Stewart Hay, Laing's niece, was a counter-claimant. The daughter of David Stewart Hay of Perth, Scotland , she married the Rev. Thomas Maude , the poet. The estate was sold by the government in 1938, and it was bought in 1943 by Howell Donald Shillingford CBE , with a cane mill and rum distillery. In 1953 it
1702-555: The two months from 11 October 1809 he was briefly in charge of the Foreign Office he imposed a travel ban to Portugal, withdrawing diplomat Henry Williams-Wynne . Thinking of the lines at Torres Vedras he sent the King a board of backgammon, a strategic victory. He remained Master of the Mint during the ministries of the Duke of Portland and Spencer Perceval , only vacating these posts in June 1812 to become Secretary of State for War and
1748-569: Was Napoleon's Continental System against free trade . Yet he was defeated by cabinet 'hawks', who closed all British ports, invoking the Navigation Acts at home and abroad. Bathurst's response was the Orders-in-council of 11 and 25 November 1807. He was behind Admiral Berkeley's posting to Lisbon, and subsequent championing of John VI of Portugal as Emperor of Brazil . Obliged to concede Napoleon's Convention of Cintra , Canning criticised
1794-657: Was a junior civil lord of the Admiralty from 1783 to 1789 adhering firmly to the Pittites. At Carshalton a by-election missing voter agents Bathurst sent a former employee to aid Pitt's party cheering on his friends to help. The department included five lords, of whom all the others were MPs with 20 clerks and a secretary, Paul Stephens. He was assisted at the Navy Board by a "hard-working" Captain Charles Middleton. Apsley contested
1840-655: Was an eye-witness, and later gave testimony on it. In 1806, as Collector and member of the Dominica Council, he gave evidence to a committee of the House of Commons. At the beginning of 1814, George Robert Ainslie was Governor of Dominica, and involved in a campaign against the island's Maroons . Laing was still holder of the position of provost marshal, but was in the United Kingdom on sick leave. Ainslie considered him old, and asked to have him replaced, by his own brother. He
1886-573: Was challenged by a Fox–North coalition , Bathurst headed back to London in February 1783. Immediately upon entering politics, he admired the patriotism and oratory of William Pitt. It was through the ultra Tories Pitt and Wellington that he helped to gain recognition for the independence of Spain and Portugal; a policy decision that was influential on the Peninsular War. Later on, he would support Canada and Australia to establish 'white' dominion status,
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1932-538: Was considered the most academic at Oxford, and he went up with his closest companions at Eton William Wyndham Greville , Richard, Lord Wellesley and Canon Bathurst, his cousin. He matriculated at Christ Church on 22 April 1779, at the age of sixteen. In 1781, he decided to embark on a Grand Tour of Europe. Without taking a degree, Bathurst left Oxford for Germany, where he travelled with Greville. From Switzerland, he went to Italy, before moving north to Paris. On hearing that William Petty, 2nd Earl of Shelburne 's government
1978-599: Was member of the British Parliament for Cirencester from July 1783, when he was elected the moment he turned 21 but refused to serve with the Whigs owing to a friendship with Tory William Pitt . A maiden speech bravely opposing the East India Bill was sufficiently impressive to bring down the government. On New Year's Eve 1783 the "mince pie" administration was without the young lord who was called away to Cirencester. He
2024-504: Was owned by H. Shillingford. It is still active and producing rum , the last such estate on Dominica. Details of the compensation claim for the Springfield estate on Dominica show two-thirds going to Allan Stewart Laing, and one-third to Robarts & Kendall. James Laing came to own or part own also the Union and York Valley estates on Dominica. Laing was the uncle of William Bremner of
2070-442: Was possible to sustain existence in such circumstances, and whether it were not practicable to administer charitable aid?" Rising unemployment brought a real sense of crisis to Bathurst's statement to the Lords. Much of the blame for importuned labourers begging in the streets was protectionism, Lord Brougham demanding on 13 March 1817, "a full and unsparing review of the whole commercial policy of this country". Also in 1817 he made
2116-471: Was rebuffed in March 1814 by Lord Bathurst , the Secretary of State for War and the Colonies , who considered Laing fit for his duties. During trials of Maroons of that summer, Thomas Laing was acting provost marshal. In 1815 Sir Robert Heron, 2nd Baronet , whose wife was a relation of the dismissed Ainslie, spoke in defence of his conduct on Dominica, and incidentally mentioned Laing's 48 years of residence on
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