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August 23, 2013

Historical Notes

The Acquisition of Troumaca as part of 1899 Land Settlement Scheme

Troumaca was acquired on April 12, 1899 as part of the Linley Valley estates. The other areas involved were Rose Hall (717 acres), Rose Bank 285, Belmont 273. Troumaca was 195 acres.{{more}}

The original allottees were R.Anthony, E.Anthony, J. Anthony, A.Anthony, R. Anthony, A. Farrel, J.White, N.J Byam, J. Byam, J. Cottle, S.Akers, T. James, H.Charles, J. Prince, D.H Sheen, T. Herbert, T.Edwards, J. Peters, D.James, Lacquart, Bonadie, R. Hepburn, Herbert, Cottle, Browne and Harry. The acreage ranged from 1-7 acres; 4 acres were allotted to refugees, two lots (size not stated), for the Village and a lot for the Burial Ground..

The other estates in the Linley Valley were Rose Bank (285 acres), Belmont 273 and Rose Hall (717 acres)

The inauguration of the Peasant Land Settlement Scheme was complemented by the establishment of the Department of Agriculture in 1898 and the opening of an Agricultural School in 1900. The Department was to provide certain services to the allottees on the lands that were acquired. Failure to follow their instructions would have led to the forfeiture of the allotments that were in default.

Every purchaser was “to carry out such instructions as to the area of cultivation, the nature of products to be planted in a particular spot, the manner in which the land is to be cultivated and the products for market as may from time to time be given to him by the Officers of the Imperial Department of Agriculture for the West Indies.”

Other estates included in the 1899 scheme were – in The Cumberland Valley (Hermitage (400), Convent (200), Grove (315), Spring (428) and New Works (288): Richmond Hill (285), New Adelphi (305), Park Hill (796) ((Land Settlement Records)