James Swaby

James Swaby (14 January 1798 – 3 February 1863) was a Jamaican man of colour who was one of the first non-white commissioned officers in the British Army. He purchased a commission with the 49th Regiment of Foot[1] when aged 16, and served as an ensign on half pay from 1814[2] to 20 November 1829.[3]

For the Anglican archdeacon, see James Swaby (priest).

He was the son of John Swaby and Frances King, "a free mulatto".[4] He was educated at Charterhouse School in England.

Swaby inherited substantial estates and became a wealthy planter and slave owner;[5] he owned "considerable property" in Manchester Parish, Jamaica. In 1823, he was granted "all the privileges ... of a British subject".[6] As a slave owner, he received compensation under the Slave Compensation Act 1837.

References
  1. "No. 16963". The London Gazette. 6 December 1814. p. 2410.
  2. 1821 Army List
  3. "No. 18630". The London Gazette. 20 November 1829. p. 2133.
  4. Mintz, Sidney (2010). Three Ancient Colonies: Caribbean Themes and Variations. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. p. 107. ISBN 9780674050129.
  5. Mintz, Sidney (2010). Three Ancient Colonies: Caribbean Themes and Variations. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. p. 107. ISBN 9780674050129.
  6. Barrett (1828). A reply to the speech of Dr. Lushington: in the House of Commons, on the 12th June, 1827, on the condition of the free-coloured people of Jamaica. Shackell & Baylis. pp. 9, 10.
  • James Swaby on the Legacies of British Slave-ownership database



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