Rev Robert Hawthorn

The Vicar of Stapleford was awarded compensation following the abolition of slavery.

Rev Robert Hawthorn received £204 for the slaves on the Penshurst estate in St Ann, Jamaica as judgement creditor from 1803 according to a new slavery compensation website.

He was the son of Robert Hawthorn of St Ann, Jamaica who died in 1798, who owned the Valley Minor estate.

Rev Hawthorn, who was born in Jamaica, was one of the claimants of the Penshurst Estate in Jamaica which had between 23 and 82 slaves.

The estate was owned by Gilbert and Sarah Senior. Even so, Rev Hawthorn made a counter claim for compensation from the British Government for £1700 when slavery was abolished. In the end, he got what was described as “interest and accruals.”