Slavery
Madeira, August 15, 1761; June 26, 1762
Madeira Wine Merchant Distributes Slaves in Will
MDS

[SLAVERY.] Richard Hill, Copy of Manuscript Document Signed, Last Will, August 15, 1761, Madeira, with Manuscript Endorsement Signed, Certifications, June 26, 1762, Madeira. 4 pp., 9.25" x 14.5". Expected folds, reinforced with cellophane tape; chipping to top and bottom with loss of one or more lines at bottom of pages 1 and 2.

With this 1761 will, Quaker wine merchant and American expatriate Richard Hill distributes his land and personal estates in Maryland and Madeira among his children and other relatives. His son, granddaughter, and sister-in-law each received enslaved African Americans through the provisions of the will.

Excerpts
"I Richard Hill of the Island of Madeira Merchant make this my last will as followeth Vizt.
"Imprimis I give & bequeath unto my Dear Son Henry Hill all my Lotts & Lands in Maryland To him & his heirs forever. I also give to my said Son all my household plate in Madeira, Except a Coffee & a Tea pot with the rest of the tea table furniture which I give to my dear Daughter Deborah Bisset.
"Item I give to my said Son Henry Hill all the Negroes belonging to me on his Estate in Maryland & one Negroe boy in Madeira named Valetine; also my gold watch.
"Item I bequeath to my Sister in law Rachel Moore of Philadelphia The use and Occupation of all my negroes which are at her Plantation on the Anarundel Mannour in Maryland for and during her natural life.
"Item I give to my Sister in Law Elizabeth Hill relict of my late brother Leven Hill deceased Fifty pounds Sterling as a token of my esteem & affection for her....
"Item I leave to my Grand Daughter Mary Bisset one Negroe girl named Jemima now in Madeira"

Richard Hill (1698-1762) was born in Maryland into a Quaker family. He married his cousin Deborah Moore in 1721 in Maryland, and they had ten children. He became both a physician and a merchant, as well as an amateur botanist. He studied the medicinal effects of plants and owned at least four vessels as a merchant. He also owned at least forty slaves, though he sold thirty-seven of his Maryland slaves to John Galloway in 1737. In 1739, to avoid creditors, Hill, his wife m, and two of their daughters relocated to the Madeira Islands. The other children remained with their oldest sister and her new husband. In Madeira, Hill developed a wine business, which eventually included his sons and sons-in-law. Over the second half of the eighteenth century, "Hill's Madeira" became a highly prized, premium wine brand. His son Henry Hill (1732-1798) successfully marketed it to the Philadelphia social and political elite, including George Washington, Robert Morris, John Hancock, and various military regiments. Hill died in Philadelphia in January 1762 and was buried in the Friends Arch Street Meeting House Burial Ground.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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  • Dimensions: 9.25" x 14.5"
  • Medium: MDS

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