BROMFIELDS
: SCOTLAND TO JAMAICA
ANDREW
BROMFIELD was the first BROMFIELD of our line who settled in Jamaica
between 1773 and 1775. He was the third eldest of six children born
to Stephen Bromfield and the former Margaret Elliot Paterson.
Andrew's elder brother was STEPHEN BROMFIELD and his younger brother was
named John; he also had three sisters - Elliot, Elizabeth and
Margaret.
Andrew's father
owned the ancestral lands of 'Hassington Mains' in the parish of Eccles,
county of Berwickshire in Scotland: this land had been in the family
since the 7th of October 1555 when it was granted by charter to James
Bromfield from Alexander Lord Home.
Andrew's mother -
the former 'Margaret Elliot Paterson' was the daughter of Sir John
Paterson the 2nd Baronet of Eccles. In accordance with Scottish
legal practice, the eldest son was always heir to the family estate and
properties. As such, it was Andrew's elder brother STEPHEN BROMFIELD
(later COLONEL STEPHEN BROMFIELD) who inherited the family's Scottish
holdings. As was the practice in Scotland at the time, the
second son (in this case ANDREW) was left to pursue his fortune on his own
with or without the financial aid of his family.
It was to pursue
this 'fortune' that Andrew Bromfield settled in Jamaica between 1773 and
1775. His elder brother STEPHEN BROMFIELD went on to lead a
distinguished career in the British 54th, 40th and 58th Regiments of Foot
between 1763 until his retirement as a Colonel in 1796. Colonel
Stephen Bromfield died at the 'ripe old age' of 83 in 1823 and is buried
under the monument to the BROMFIELD family in the parish church of Eccles,
county of Berwickshire in Scotland.
In addition to his
military exploits (which will be discussed later), Colonel Stephen
Bromfield had achieved substantial financial success above and beyond what
he had inherited. As a testament to this, one can view his extensive
Will and Inventory which was registered in 1824.
Click below to view
these documents and continue to visit this site as the story of the
BROMFIELD family continues...
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