[...cont'd]
the Trinidad site was only a temporary base of operations. In June 1846, Payne was struck by an attack of dysentry, and although weakened, he made a partial recovery. He survived long enough to see the TES purchase its second site in the Venezuelan interior (in August 1846), which must have made him very glad given his commitment to this project. However, in September 1846, he became ill once again, and this time did not recover.
In a letter dated 7 September 1846, the TES Secretary Thomas Powell (writing from Trinidad), said:
"[...] We have to announce the death of Enock [sic] Payne, one of our members from Leicester, who departed this life on Thursday, September 3rd, at half-past ten o'clock, A.M., and was buried on the following day on the estate. All of us who could leave our occupation were present. He has left a daughter of fourteen and a son of five years old, who have been brought on the estate to reside, and are now kept at the expense of the Society. The daughter will easily gain her own living, but the son we must take care of for some time. Their friends in Leicester have been written to, and we shall attend to whatever instructions they may send respecting them—in the interim we shall act as parents towards these orphan children. [...]"
Beneath this obituary (part of a much longer report of TES affairs in Trinidad), there is a note which reads:
"Payne had been ill of dysentry for some time, and imprudently removed off the estate to a cottage situated low and damp before he was quite recovered. He soon had fever and ague which gradually increased. Besides, his food was usually too gross for this climate. Animal food he often ate, particularly when he could get it cheap."
[NB: by "animal food", Powell just means meat. Many Etzlerists were vegetarians, and there was a pseudoscientific belief circulating at the time that meat was especially unhealthy in tropical climates. TES health advisories like this were quite common, so although the wording sounds harsh, Powell may just be trying to guess what factors caused Payne to be ill so others wouldn't suffer the same fate]
Payne's children appear a few more times, starting with a TES report of 4 October, 1846. At this point, Payne's daughter Mary was being encouraged, out of necessity, to find work in Trinidad (a sad irony for the daughter of a work-abolitionist! Most of the TES in Trinidad ended up having to take on conventional employment in this way, so she wasn't alone). The extract reads:
"The death of Enoch Payne has thrown his two children upon our care. Since his decease they have resided on the estate under our superintendance [sic]. For the girl, being old enough (14) to maintain herself, we have given instructions to obtain a situation—the boy (5) we intend to place with one of the families residing on the estate."
The National Reformer, a radical paper friendly to the Etzlerists, carried the following information about the Paynes in its 13 March, 1847 issue:
"Payne, Enock [sic]...Resided here at first, took a piece of land rather damp, fell ill, partly recovered, and then became ill again, worked for the society occasionally, his illness increased and he died, his children were removed to the estate, both well, the daughter is now in service, and the son sent to one of the members to maintain at the expense of the society."
A report for 7 Feb 1847 lists, under the expenditures of the society, $7.50 US spent "For Paynes Boy". So the Society continued to look after him, although his older sister had begun working in Trinidad in order to earn pocket money and pay her own way. Other such entries like "Maintenance of E Payne", "Payne's Maintenance", &c., appear repeatedly in Tropical Emigration Society accounts during this period.
Finally, a TES Directors' Report of 4 April, 1847 reads:
"A letter has been received from the grandfather of Enock [sic] Payne's children, by a merchant of this town [i.e. Port of Spain], requiring that they should be sent to England. Of course this request has been complied with. They are expected to sail on the 6th inst., in the Fanny, for Liverpool."
No further information specific to the Paynes seems to appear in the archival sources I'm using after that date.
So there you have it: Enoch Payne died in Trindad in 1846 as part of a utopian work-abolitionist experiment, and was buried in Erthig, Port Spain, where he and his community were living while getting ready to build their new home. His son and daughter survived, and lived there for 6 more months. Mary Payne worked in Trinidad during this time, and Enoch junior was a ward of the Tropical Emigration Society. They returned to Leicester, probably via Liverpool, in around April 1847.
I've spent the last few years gathering information about the Etzlerists, and my research aims to significantly correct existing histories of the whole affair, so I'd be interested to know of any additional material you have about Payne and his descendants, especially if it concerns their involvement with Chartism, Etzlerism or other radical political movements.
Likewise, if you have any questions about your ancestor's time in Trinidad, or his participation in Etzler's work-abolition movement, I'd be happy to answer them to the best of my ability.
Sincerely,
James McIntyre
PhD Researcher
Department of Politics and International Studies
Loughborough University
