Governor Colonel Daniel Parke--His birth-place and parentage--
His actions at the battle of Holchet and Blenheim--His arrival
at Antigua--Dissensions with the Antiguans--Complaints against
him sent to England--Results of the applications at the court
of Queen Anne--Tyrannical behaviour of Colonel Parke--Events of
the 7th December, 1710--Death of Colonel Parke.
The year 1706 is celebrated in the annals of Antigua as that in
which that abominable and atrocious governor, Daniel Parke,
arrived to blast for a time with his unhallowed breath this
beautiful little island. Parke was an American of rather low
birth, a tobacco-planter in the state of Virginia, but who
succeeded in marrying a lady of good fortune, and of a
respectable family in that province. As money was the only thing
he cared for in this alliance, he contrived to secure that, and
then left his wife a prey to sorrow and regret, for having
sacrificed her peace for a handsome but unworthy man. After
acting in this inhuman manner to a woman whose only fault was her
love for him, Parke proceeded to one of the northern states,
where he committed a crime at a gaming-table, which obliged him
to fly to England to escape the punishment so justly due. Here he
purchased an estate, situated near Whitchurch, county of Hants,
of about 500l. a year, and got himself returned member for that
borough. He was, however, expelled the House for bribery, and
ordered to be prosecuted, but through the interference of the
Earl of Pembroke, he eluded his trial. His next action was to
form a _liaison_ with a lady, the wife of a captain in the
Guards; and, to escape the vengeance of the incensed husband, he
left England, and fled into Holland, where he entered into the
army as a volunteer, under the celebrated John Churchill, Duke of
Marlborough.
The Duke of Marlborough appears to have been caught with Mr.
Parke's insinuating manners and agreeable person, and made him
one of his aides-de-camp at the battle of Hochet; but having had
a quarrel with an officer in the Queen's Guards, Parke quitted
the service a few days previous to the memorable battle of
Blenheim. He still, however, remained within the precincts of the
camp until the very day when that decisive action was fought; and
when victory was about to be declared for the allied army, he
presented himself before Marlborough, and requested that he might
be the bearer of a line or two to acquaint the Queen of the
glorious conquest likely to be achieved. The brave General reined
up his panting war-horse, and with a heart bounding with
exultation, and a face flushed with expected success, wrote, with
a lead pencil, the following brief and soldier-like billet to his
duchess:--
August 13, 1704.
"I have not time to say more, than to beg of you to present my
duty to the Queen, and let her majesty know that her army has had
a glorious victory. Monsieur Tallard and two other generals are
in my court, and I am following the rest. The bearer, my
aide-de-camp, Colonel Parke, will give her majesty an account of
what has passed; I shall do it in a day or two, by another, more
at large.
"Marlborough."
At the English court, Colonel Parke gained the patronage of
Sarah, the haughty but fascinating Duchess of Marlborough;
through whose interest he became such a favourite with Queen
Anne, that she presented him with her picture, richly set in
diamonds, a purse of one thousand guineas, and afterwards made
him governor and captain-general of Antigua and the rest of the
Leeward Islands; where he arrived 6th July, 1706, in the squadron
commanded by Capt. Kerr, and where he gave full scope to his
licentious disposition.
Upon the first arrival of Colonel Parke, the assembly voted him
1000l. a year for house-rent, and great satisfaction was
expressed at his appointment. It was not long, however, before
this fair prospect of colonial happiness changed; and the
governor, by his arbitrary behaviour, forfeited all claims to the
good feeling and respect of the inhabitants. One of the earliest
offences Colonel Parke gave the Antiguans, was his making a low
man he brought to the island with him a member of the assembly.
Being a vulgar man, he delighted in vulgar associates; and
becoming acquainted with a private named Ayon, belonging to a
regiment of foot stationed in Antigua, he prevailed upon the
governor to appoint him provost- marshal. To the remonstrance of
the Antiguans against this proceeding, Parke replied, he should
make whom he chose provost-marshal; and that he would never
appoint any person to that office who did not agree to act
exactly as he wished, as well as empannel such juries as he
should direct.
The next act of the governor gave equal displeasure. This was
calling upon the Codrington family to shew their right to the
Island of Barbuda,[38] (which had been granted to General
Codrington by William III.;) and the Antiguans not only felt
interested in the affairs of him who had been their friend and
governor, but they supposed Parke would also be calling upon them
to shew their claim to their estates--an indignity which they
felt no inclination to put up with.
Another crime of huge magnitude was the seduction of Mrs.
Chester, the wife of Edward Chester, Esq., one of the most
opulent of the Antiguan merchants, and a member of the house of
assembly. Not content with injuring this gentleman in the deepest
manner by thus robbing him of the affections of his wife, Colonel
Parke, in his office of governor, proceeded to offer Mr. Chester
every insult which a little mind was capable of. Upon one
occasion, the governor had all his cocoa and other merchandise
seized, on an unfounded suspicion of its being illegally gained;
and then, supposing that all these several aggravations would
cause him to be justly disliked, he (Colonel Parke) accused Mr.
Chester of joining with other disaffected parties, in endeavours
against his government; and, upon the plea of doing it for the
establishment of the public peace, he broke into Mr. Chester's
house one evening, when that gentleman was entertaining a few of
his friends, who were obnoxious to the governor--and, by the
assistance of some of his armed sycophants, among whom was the
provost-marshal, dragged Mr. Chester and his friends to prison.
In order to give some face to his proceedings, Colonel Parke
accused other gentlemen of joining in this pretended
insurrection, and, accordingly, he sent some of his brutal
partisans to an estate called "Denbows," with orders to take into
custody Mr. Ffrye and Mr. Cockran, (members of the assembly,) and
bring them to town to stand their trial upon that charge. While
the magistrates were taking depositions in this case, Sergeant
Bowes, a creature of the governor, beat Captain Kallabane (one of
the witnesses for the defendant) in the open court. For this
offence the sergeant was broke by his colonel, and ordered to be
whipped; but when this circumstance came to the ears of the
governor, he immediately restored Bowes to his rank of sergeant,
and protected him from all further punishment.
Another source of dissatisfaction, upon the part of the assembly,
arose from the circumstance of the governor taking the soldiers
off duty to watch his private property. The following extract,
taken from a message addressed to his excellency from the members
of the house of assembly, relates to this subject:--"We always
conceived her Majesty's troops were sent to do duty on our
_standing guards_, and not to be altogether employed in guarding
your excellency's person, your several buildings, your lumber,
your heaps of bricks, mortar, and pantiles."
It must not be supposed that these were the only complaints
alleged against Colonel Parke. His whole conduct, both in public
and private life, was arbitrary in the extreme; and so
supercilious was his treatment of the magnates of the island,
that before he had held the government for twelve months,
articles of impeachment were prepared to be forwarded to England.
In 1707, a petition was drawn up and signed by eighty of the
principal inhabitants, praying for his recall; a sum of money
raised in order to defray the expenses of sending Mr. Nevin to
England, to lay their grievances before her Majesty and council;
and letters were written to Richard Cary, Esq., the colonial
agent, calling upon that gentleman to assist them in their
designs.
While these measures were pursued by the disaffected party, the
governor, who was not ignorant of these cabals against him, lost
nothing of his arrogance of manner, which so incensed his
adversaries, that at length an attempt was made upon his life. As
he was riding along the high road, leading from St. John's to
English Harbour, a negro, named "Sandy," fired at him from a
piece of canes belonging to the plantation of the Honourable Otto
Baijer,[39] and dangerously wounded him, of which deed Colonel
Parke accused Mr. Jacob Morgan and some of the other members of
the assembly, with being the instigators.
About this time, Colonel Parke thought proper to accuse Barry
Tankard, Esq., (a proprietor of sugar estates in Antigua, and an
intimate friend of Colonel Codrington,) of caballing against his
government; and accordingly he despatched his emissaries to the
estate of that gentleman, with orders to seize his person, and
bring him into town. Upon their arrival at Mr. Tankard's house,
they were informed of his absence from home; but doubting the
truth of this information, they broke open the door of Mrs.
Tankard's chamber, (who was confined to her bed from severe
indisposition,) and so alarmed that lady, that for some time her
life was in danger. This arbitrary behaviour on the part of the
governor led Barry Tankard to resent it, by calling his
excellency out in a duel; but Colonel Parke, considering it
beneath the dignity of the queen's representative to accept the
challenge of a private gentleman, the matter ended.
While these dissensions were going on in Antigua between the
governor on the one side, and the members of the assembly and the
principal inhabitants on the other, Mr. Nevin and Mr. Cary were
using their best endeavours to get a favourable answer to their
complaints from the home government. At length, after many
delays, Mr. Nevin returned to Antigua, bringing with him the
queen's letter, directing that witnesses should be examined to
prove the several articles of impeachment sent home against the
governor, as well as his excellency's answers to the same. "The
depositions and answers were sworn before Edward Byam, Esq., one
of the council, and Nathaniel Crump, Esq., speaker of the house
of assembly, and were ordered to be sealed with the broad seal of
the island, and forwarded immediately to England." The governor,
however, refusing to seal the affidavits of the complainants,
upon the plea that his own answers were not ready, from the
delays of the justices before whom they were sworn, his opponents
were obliged to use another seal, and then despatch them, under
the care of Mr. Nevin, to England.
During the year 1709, Queen Anne recalled Colonel Parke from his
government, to the great joy of the Antiguans. To this command
the infatuated man, however, would pay no attention; and,
exasperated by the triumphant looks of his accusers, which they
could not, or would not, conceal, he proceeded to measures which
could be only deemed those of a maddened despot.
The year 1710 was ushered in with no better feeling between the
governor and the members of the legislature. One of their first
causes of complaint alleged against his excellency arose from the
following circumstance:--
It had ever been the privilege of the house of assembly to choose
their own "clerk;" but during this despotic administration, the
governor overlooked this, and wished to appoint to that office a
friend of his own--a Mr. Hinton.[40]
This encroachment upon the assembly's privileges gave rise to a
great deal of ill feeling, and many acrimonious messages passed
between his excellency and the members of that body. The
following paragraph, copied from one of the governor's speeches,
alludes to this subject:--
"If you still persist that it is your undoubted privilege to
choose your 'clerk,' and will do no business until that be
yielded to you, you certainly will have the 'Lords' Committee'
opinion. It is an undutiful attempt upon her majesty's
prerogative; and I do assure you, gentlemen, if the queen does
not appoint any other before I go, I will leave you time enough
to raise money during this crop to pay off all the public
debt!"[41]
This unhandsome taunt of the governor's was deeply felt, and
resented by the "house," who, in reply to it, remarks--
"We cannot but observe how severe and bitter your excellency
reflects upon, and reproaches our country with, the not paying
its debt, but compounding the same. We well remember, when the
country paid your excellency 1000l. in sugar, at 12s. 6d., your
excellency sold that very sugar for 18s.; so that we hope your
excellency has but little reason to complain of the public
compounding their debt."
And then, in reference to a recommendation of the governor's to
enlarge the provision for the clergymen, they go on to mention--
"Your excellency next recommends to provide a better maintenance
for the clergy. They are already allowed 100l.; but as we are a
people so much in debt, as your excellency observes, it cannot be
expected, during these troublesome times, for us to advance their
salaries, especially such scandalous persons as too many of the
present clergy are."
This was only the third meeting of the legislature since the
election, after a recess of three years; although, from the
unsettled condition of the West Indies, (arising from the state
of affairs in Europe, where Marlborough, at the head of the
British forces, was engaged in frequent skirmishes with the
French,) the Antiguans were in momentary expectation of an
invasion. After being prorogued from the 18th of November to the
27th, (1710,) the legislature again met, but without any better
feeling between the governor and the members of the assembly. A
fresh cause of dispute arose, from his excellency having caused a
Mr. Hill to be sworn in as clerk of the assembly, (in place of
his former favourite, Mr. Hinton,) but whom the members would not
recognise; and after a great deal of altercation upon the
subject, that body addressed the following to the governor:--
"If your excellency's resentment so far prevails as to despise
these our propositions, and that the public affairs must with us
still suffer, as unworthy your regard and consideration, we do
then, as the only and last expedient, humbly propose your
excellency's visiting some other island of the government;
thereby to afford us the opportunity and means, in conjunction
with the lieutenant-governor and council, to provide for the
public security, to heal our divisions, restore discipline, and
our broken constitution, after the best manner we can. And we are
unanimously of opinion, that in case your excellency rejects this
our humble motion, and will not surcease such administration, as
afore-mentioned, (which is so very opposite to the nature of our
constitution, to the opinion of the lieutenant-governor, the
council, as well as this house, and to the sense of the
inhabitants in general,) we shall be under the unhappy necessity
of withdrawing our obedience from you as chief governor, which,
by your dispensing with her majesty's positive command for
leaving the government, we shall, in duty to her and justice to
ourselves, (which we ought long since to have done;) and that
this her colony, our persons and estates, may no longer be
exposed to such unhappy conduct and administration, which seems
entirely--we must say, foully--devoted to the ruin and
destruction of all."[42]
After receiving this message, the unhappy, infatuated governor
sent the following to the house:--
"Gentlemen,--You are adjourned until Thursday, the 7th of
December, then to give myself and council a meeting at the town
of St. John's, by eight of the clock in the morning.
"By command," &c.
Alas, that very morning, the sun arose for the last time to him!
and by a fearful and unhallowed death, he was sent with all his
sins upon his head, to render in an account of his stewardship.
The cause which led to this melancholy event was this:--Worn out
with the proceedings of Colonel Parke, and looking upon him as an
usurper of the government, the Antiguans threw off all restraint;
and as the last remedy, determined to arm against, and force him
to quit the island.
Accordingly, upon the morning of the 7th December, 1710, a large
body of men, in number about 500, proceeded to Government House,
in two parties--the one headed by Mr. Piggot, then speaker of the
house of assembly; the other, by Captain Painter, another member
of that body. Colonel Parke, who was not ignorant of these
proceedings against him, had quartered in Government House, some
time before, the soldiers stationed in the capital; and who,
along with many of his private friends, (among whom was Mr.
French, his historian,) had made arrangements for resisting any
attack upon the governor.
Upon the approach of the armed party, Colonel Parke sent the
provost-marshal (the man whose appointment to that office had
given the Antiguans such offence) with a proclamation, ordering
them to disperse immediately. This they refused to do; but in
order, if possible, to save an effusion of blood, they despatched
Nathaniel Crump, Esq., (the former speaker of the assembly,) and
George Gamble, one of the council, to the governor, desiring him,
in the name of the inhabitants, to discharge his guards, and quit
the government, without any further contest. Colonel Parke
returned for answer, "that neither threats nor fear of death
should make him do so; for the queen had intrusted him with it."
Through the delegates, Mr. Crump and Mr. Gamble, he bid the
assembly "sit at Parham, if they were afraid of the troops at St.
John's," but consented at the same time to dismiss the soldiers,
if six of the principal inhabitants would remain with him as
hostages. As the negotiators considered the proposal of the
governor's to be far preferable to commencing hostilities, they
agreed to be two of the hostages, and endeavour by their
influence to obtain four more from among the assembled multitude.
Many of their party, upon hearing this proposition of the
governor's, agreed with them in their opinions, and laid down
their arms; but the majority of the people, fearful of any
agreement made with the governor, and thinking that delays might
induce others of the group to withdraw also, determined to
commence the attack, and endeavour to secure the person of the
governor. The two companies, headed by Captain Piggot and Captain
Painter, immediately drew up before Government House, which they
saluted with a warm discharge of musketry. This was returned by
the governor's party; volley succeeded volley from within and
without; the balls whistled hotly around; until at length the
assailants burst open the doors, and rushed into the dwelling.
Captain Piggot fell by the hand of Colonel Parke, at the
commencement of the affray, although it was the belief of many
that Ayon, the provost-marshal and _ci-devant_ foot-soldier, came
behind him and shot him in the back. After some deaths on both
sides, Colonel Parke, who had retired into his bedroom, received
a shot in his thigh, which, breaking the bone, disabled him from
further retreating, and the people rushing upon him, literally
tore him to pieces while alive. They afterwards burnt down
Government House, the ruins of which remain to this day a memento
of his dreadful crimes and fearful punishment. Colonel Parke was
dragged into the streets by some of his adversaries, where he
remained for some time, still sensible, but suffering agonies
impossible to describe, until at length his mutilated body was
carried to the house of a person named Wright, who lived near to
the spot, where he shortly expired. His body was deposited in the
vault of the old church; but so detested was his memory, that the
people broke down the pew which had been appropriated for him and
his predecessors.
Some writers maintain that only the _common people_ were
concerned in the last act of this tragedy; that those of the
higher rank proceeded to the house of John Yeamans, the
lieutenant-governor, and quietly laid down their arms. Mr.
French, the historian of Colonel Parke, writes, however, very
differently upon this part of the subject; but it ought to be
taken into consideration, that he was a particular friend of
Colonel Parke, and consequently might give a higher colouring to
the melancholy picture. He says, that when Colonel Parke lay in
the street suffering the pangs of a dismembered body, the members
of the house of assembly stood round reviling and insulting him
in his last agonies; that among the number were Andrew Murray,
Francis Carlisle, Mr. Tomlinson, and Captain Painter. I cannot
believe this assertion. Although Parke was their common foe,
still they must have been possessed of those feelings of honour,
if not humanity, which would forbid them to triumph over a dying
enemy. Mr. French goes on to state, that it was Colonel Byam who
was most active in convening the inhabitants, and appointing a
certain day for them to come into town well armed. This, too, has
been contradicted. There were not many clergymen then upon the
island; but among their number, Mr. James Field, rector of St.
John's, took the part of the people; and Mr. Baxter, rector of
Parham, that of Colonel Parke.
All writers upon the West Indies mention the crimes and fate of
Parke; and consequently I am obliged to follow in the wake, or
else I should have buried his errors--or, more properly speaking,
his vices--in oblivion.[43]
------
[38] Barbuda is a small island, about twenty miles broad, and
lies twenty-six miles to the north of Antigua. It has belonged to
the Codrington family from about the year 1691, when William III.
granted it to General Codrington, then governor-general of the
Leeward Islands. It raises a great number of horned cattle,
ponies, donkeys, &c., and its shores are very prolific in turtle
and various kinds of fish; while its beach is strewed with many
beautiful shells. Deer, also, range amid its sylvan glades; and
their flesh occasionally affords another dish at a West Indian
dinner. The chief emoluments arising from this island, however,
are the number of wrecks; three or four sometimes occurring in a
year. The reason of these frequent maritime disasters is, that
the island lies so low, and is generally encompassed with fogs,
that vessels are upon the reefs (by which it is almost entirely
surrounded) before they are aware. It was upon one of this chain
of reefs, that H. M. S. Woolwich was wrecked.
Barbuda contains about 1500 inhabitants, of which the greater
part are employed as huntsmen and fishermen: the former make use
of the lazo to catch the wild horses, &c.
------
[39] This spot is now appropriated for the Wesleyan
burial-ground.
[40] The following is an authentic copy of Mr. Hinton's
commission and warrant, as drawn out in Colonel Parke's own
handwriting:--
"By his Excellency Daniel Parke, Esq., Captain-General and
Governor-in-Chief in and over all her Majesty's Leeward
Caribbee Islands in Antigua.
"I do hereby authorize and appoint you, Gabriel Hinton, of the
said island aforesaid, to be clerk to the assembly of this
island, and which is this day appointed to meet; and to receive
all fees, proffitts, and perquisites thereto belonging, for which
this shall be your sufficient warrant and commission.
"Given under my hand and seal this twenty-second day of May,
1710.
(Signed) "Daniel Parke."
[41] At this period, the island had fallen considerably in debt;
and the legislature not having met for some time, from the
unhappy differences between them and the governor, they had no
opportunity of relieving themselves from their burdens; which
difficulties were pleasing to Colonel Parke, in the hopes of
their being compelled to make a general compromise.
[42] It may be well to remark, that any peculiarities in the
diction of the foregoing extracts must be attributed to the time
in which they were written: they having been copied _verbatim_.
For a list of the members of the house of assembly at this time,
see Appendix, No. 11.
[43] The last will of Governor Parke will be found in Appendix,
No. 12.