Ralph Brush Cleghorn
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Ralph Brush Cleghorn (1804—March 7, 1842[1]) was a formerly enslaved abolitionist from St. Kitts who served as president of the Council of Nevis, probably the first black British West Indian to lead a colony.
Early Life
Ralph Cleghorn was born in St. Kitts about 1804 to Margaret Steele, an enslaved woman of African descent, and Robert Cleghorn, a white attorney who would later be elected to the island's legislature. He remained on the island until he was five years old, when his father took him to England for an education. The circumstances of his manumission are not clear.[2]
Cleghorn returned to St. Kitts in 1823 and on July 22, 1824, married a free colored woman, Maria Berkeley. About the time of his marriage, Cleghorn's father died and between the two events, he became the owner of "in all 14 or 15" enslaved people.[3] With his inheritance and the help of English friends, Cleghorn opened a store in Saint George Basseterre parish, probably in the capital city, selling imported goods that initially earned him £1,200 per year. Within a few years, he was the wealthiest free colored man in Basseterre and probably in all of St. Kitts.[2]
Abolitionism and Activism
As a wealthy, slave-owning merchant, Cleghorn did not initially join the abolitionist movement on St. Kitts when he returned from England. His surviving letters do not explain his conversion to the cause. Initially, it may have been self-interest. In 1825, free colored residents of St. Kitts were given the right to vote, but the legislation did not make clear that they could run for elective office. Cleghorn signed a petition of free colored residents in 1828 seeking the right to hold office, and his compatriots selected him to go to England to make their case. He met Zachary Macaulay, a radical member of parliament and a leader of the British abolitionist movement, who became Cleghorn's supporter in England.[2] On his return to St. Kitts, Cleghorn took up the abolitionist cause and spent the rest of his life advocating for the civil rights of British African-Caribbean people. One of his first acts was to free his own slaves and to convince his sister-in-law to free hers.[3]
Cleghorn's political activism cost him his business. He explained in a letter to Macaulay that the "white population (planters) who are of course the only buyers" were boycotting his store, determined "not to purchase a single article at my Establishment."[3] His opposition to slavery had other financial risks. In the late 1820s, an enslaved woman on St. Kitts, Betto Douglass, attempted to use the court system to gain her freedom. Douglass was unsuccessful, and her case became a rallying cry for the anti-slavery movement which raised funds to purchase her freedom. He enslaver refused to sell her and she went into hiding. Ralph Cleghorn supported Douglass for four years at the risk of a 12s. per day fine, which would have bankrupted him.[3]
References
- ^ Oliver, Vere Langford (1927). The Monumental Inscriptions of the British West Indies. Dorchester: F. G. Longman, The Friary Press. p. 134.
- ^ a b c Cox, Edward L. (2007). "Ralph Brush Cleghorn of St. Kitts (1804–1842)". Slavery and Abolition. 28 (1): 43.
- ^ a b c d Cleghorn, Ralph Brush (June 29, 1833). "Letter from Ralph B. Cleghorn to Zachary Macaulay". Caribbeana : being miscellaneous papers relating to the history, genealogy, topography, and antiquities of the British West Indies, Vere Langford Oliver (editor). 6: 141.