Joseph Liggins

Born on Christmas Day in 1791 to William and Hannah Liggins, Joseph Liggins was a West Indies merchant and eventual claimant or beneficiary tied to plantations across Antigua; particularly, the Rigby, Old Road, Richmond and Howard’s, Little Sion, Collen’s, and Manning’s estates. Liggins was the administrator of the Rigby and Manning’s plantations, which themselves encompassed 80 enslaved individuals, whilst serving as the trustee of Collen’s estate, whereby 127 people were enslaved. In total, Liggins was associated with plantations overseeing the enslavement of 751 individuals. Following the 1837 Slave Compensation Act, Liggins claimed for all the aforementioned plantations; whilst his claim for the Old Road estate was denied, Liggins likely gained over £9,003 in compensation. Whilst there is not much known about Liggins’ own life outside his mercantile pursuits, his connections formed due to his involvement in slavery are interesting; Liggins would serve as the consignee for the Codrington Baronets, owners of plantations within Antigua, whilst Liggins also served as the executor for John Adams Wood, a prominent planter who had enslaved Mary Prince, whose own memories and histories formed the first ever slave narrative of a Black woman to be published in England.