Lucy Chester Parke facts for kids

Lucy Chester Parke (born January 1709 – died November 1770) was a British woman who lived in Antigua. She became known because she inherited a large plantation called Gambles from her father. She spent many years in court fighting for her inheritance against her father's family from America.

Early Life

Lucy Chester was probably born in January 1709 in St. John's, Antigua. Her father's will, written in January 1709, mentioned her as a baby who had not yet been christened.

Lucy was the daughter of Katharine Chester and Daniel Parke. Katharine was married to Edward Chester, a powerful businessman in Antigua. Edward was a manager for the Royal African Company and a member of the local government group called the Assembly. Daniel Parke was the governor of the British Leeward Islands.

Daniel Parke's will stated that Katharine's child would be his heir. He said she must be named after his mother and use his last name to inherit his property. When Daniel Parke was killed in December 1710, his will drew a lot of attention to Lucy.

One person who noticed Lucy was Charles Dunbar. He was a surveyor-general for the royal customs service in the Leeward Islands. Dunbar was not a good person and often tricked others for money. He planned for his nephew, Thomas Dunbar, to marry Lucy so he could get her money.

Lucy's mother, Katharine, died in 1715 when Lucy was about six years old. Before her marriage, Lucy started using the last name Parke. On December 10, 1720, Lucy Chester Parke married Thomas Dunbar. He then changed his last name to Dunbar Parke.

Inheritance and Legal Fight

Daniel Parke's will was officially accepted on May 15, 1711. It left all his properties on the four Leeward Islands to Lucy Chester. This was if she lived to be an adult and used his last name and family symbol.

He left his properties in Virginia and England to his other daughters, Frances Custis and Lucy Byrd. Their children would inherit these properties if they also kept his last name. If Lucy Chester did not survive or refused to take his name, her share would go to her mother.

Frances Parke was supposed to be the main person to receive money from the will. She was ordered to pay the many debts Daniel Parke had. Frances Parke had married John Custis. To pay the debts, they tried to get a law passed in 1712. This law would let them sell part of the estate. Frances Parke died in 1715, leaving her sons, Francis Parke Custis and Daniel Parke Custis, as heirs. Daniel Parke Custis later married Martha Washington.

Lucy Parke married William Byrd II. He agreed to take on Daniel Parke's debts in exchange for the land and enslaved people left to Frances Parke. Lucy Parke Byrd died in 1716. Her only heir was Wilhelmina Byrd, who married Thomas Chamberlayne.

Lucy Chester Dunbar Parke took control of the Leeward Island properties and Gambles Plantation in 1723. She asked John Custis to pay the debts on the Leeward Islands using the properties in Virginia and England. Custis refused. The Dunbar Parkes then started a lawsuit in the Virginia Court of Chancery.

Custis refused again, saying that Daniel Parke's only true children were his deceased wife and sister-in-law. He believed Daniel Parke meant for his true heirs to pay only the debts in Virginia and England. Thomas Dunbar Parke died in 1734. After his death, his legal helpers, including Charles Dunbar, continued the court case.

Lawsuits and counter-lawsuits, along with appeals, went on for almost 30 years. In 1754, the court said the Dunbar Parke claim was not valid. This decision was then appealed to the Privy Council, a high court in Britain.

In 1757, the Privy Council changed the Virginia court's decision. This made Martha Custis's lawyers tell her to get a legal guardian for her children. This was to protect their interests in the lawsuit. Martha Custis had become a guardian for her children after Daniel Parke Custis died. Her lawyers said she needed a formal guardian. George Washington, whom Martha Custis married in 1759, did not become the children's guardian until the case was settled in 1761.

Death and Legacy

Lucy Chester Parke died in Antigua and was buried on November 20, 1770. She left behind three children: Daniel, Lucy, and Elizabeth Dunbar Parke.