John Dukinfield facts for kids

John Dukinfield (also known as Duckinfield) was a merchant from Bristol, England. He was born on August 12, 1677, in Bristol and passed away in 1745. John had two brothers, Robert and William. He was part of the Dukinfield baronetcy family and a member of the Society of Merchant Venturers, a group of important business people in Bristol.

Role in the Trans-Atlantic Trade

John Dukinfield became involved in the Trans-Atlantic slave trade starting in 1713. His last voyage in this trade was in 1731. His ships made about 23 trips, forcibly transporting around 6,448 people from Africa. Of these, about 5,183 survived the journey.

These individuals were then taken to be sold in different places, mostly Jamaica and Virginia. A small number, less than 3%, went to other Caribbean ports. Sadly, about 20% of the people on his ships did not survive these voyages. This was a higher number compared to the average death rate of 12.1% during the "Middle Passage" at that time.

Dukinfield also transported 641 people from South Africa and the Indian Ocean area. Of these, 443 survived the journeys. He also took 336 people from the Gold Coast, and 46 of them died during the voyage. Overall, about 14% of the people he transported did not survive before reaching their destination. Most of his 23 voyages went to Jamaica. In 1719, one of his ships carried the largest number of people, 715.

He owned many ships with others, including The Little Bristol, The Dukinfield, The Rebecca Snow, The Berkley, The Berkley Gally, The Abington, The Prince Eugene, The Tunbridge Gally, The Peterborough, The Joseph Anna, and The Betty.

Trading and Challenges

In 1717, Dukinfield got a special permission from the East India Trading Company. This allowed him to transport people from Madagascar to Jamaica. However, many of the people he transported were young children, and more than half of them died during the trip.

Later, Dukinfield made another trip to Madagascar without the necessary permission from the East India Company. When his ship arrived in Virginia, it was found to be trading illegally. Because of this, his cargo was taken away, and Dukinfield was sent back to England for a trial.

During this time, ships often faced problems with pirates. Dukinfield's ships were sometimes robbed or even completely taken over. On one occasion, a whole crew and their captain were captured by pirates.

Other Business Ventures

When Dukinfield's ships returned from Africa, they often carried other goods. These included items like redwood, ivory, pepper, and exotic animal hides. He was also a major trader in sugar. This was because he owned a large sugar plantation in Jamaica called Dukinfield Hall.

Family Life

John Dukinfield married Ann Andrews. Ann was the daughter of Captain William Andrews, who was also a merchant from Bristol. William Andrews had actually trained Dukinfield when he was younger.

John and Ann had 11 children together. When John Dukinfield passed away, he was survived by three daughters and his sons, William, Samuel, and Robert. Samuel later became the 4th baronet in the Dukinfield family. Robert inherited the large plantation in St. Thomas-in-the-East, Jamaica, known as Dukinfield Hall.