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The mixed-race illegitimate daughter of a woman born enslaved in Jamaica, Frances moved to London and married a Scottish aristocrat: the Hon. George Duff. In 1738 her mother Susanna petitioned the Jamaica Assembly to grant her and her daughters, Frances and Mary, ‘the same rights and privileges with English subjects born of white parents’. The size of Susanna’s inheritance was exceptional, making her one of the wealthiest mixed-heritage women in the island’s history. Frances (with her brother Robert) inherited her father’s estates and 133 enslaved people. Letters to her agents in Jamaica show that she was a shrewd businesswoman, with extensive knowledge of how to run a plantation. She even sent detailed instructions on the design of the brand she wanted to be seared into the skin of the people she enslaved.
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