A View of the Paraclete estate, Grenada
Description
On the left, in the foreground, is a corner of Paraclete plantation house. Two White men are portrayed: most likely Ninian Home and his close friend and part-owner of Paraclete, Alexander Campbell (1739-95).
Campbell had lived in North America in the mid-1750s and spent much of his life in the Caribbean. He and Ninian Home met on a ship sailing to the Caribbean, perhaps as early as the 1750s. Campbell co-purchased the Belmont and Tivoli estates in Grenada in 1763 and co-purchased the island of Mustique the same year.
In 1777, Campbell combined with Ninian Home, to acquire the 316-acre St. John plantation which was located on Tivoli’s southern border and acquired a half share of the 464-acre Paraclete estate, which was adjacent to St. John. Campbell served as a member of the Grenadian 2nd Assembly from 1766 and later as Speaker of the Assembly. He gave evidence to the British Parliamentary Select Committee on the abolition of the slave trade in 1789, supporting West Indian interests.
Ninian purchased enslaved African people on Campbell’s behalf and transported them to Campbell’s estates whilst Campbell was absent from Grenada. Other members of Campbell’s family co-managed the plantations with Ninian assisting. By 1790, Campbell had at least 12 plantations in the Caribbean with around 900-1000 enslaved people, including 180 children.
On his return to Grenada in 1794, Campbell and Home had their portraits painted at Paraclete; these have disappeared. A small oil portrait of Campbell is in the collection at Paxton House. Campbell was captured alongside Ninian and others in March 1795 and executed during the Fédon Uprising, on 8 April 1795.
This painting was conserved in 2022 with a grant from the Esmée Fairbairn Collections Fund.