Alleynedale Hall

In 1674, the owners of this plantation were William and Secunda Browne who six years later sold its 100-acres and 60-slaves for £1,700 to Captain Michael Terrill, elder brother of William Terrill (1674-1735). By the time William married Rebecca Spiar in 1698, he was styled "of Cabbage Tree Hall," his brother's property that had since passed to him. He rebuilt the house and named it for the double row of cabbage trees - also known as Royal Palms - that lined either side of the drive, until torn down by a hurricane in 1780.

Cabbage Tree Hall and the Ghost of William Terrill

The house built here by William Terrill replaced an earlier one, evidence of which is in the 17th century cellars. But his ending here was not a pleasant one: In 1735, he reputedly slit his own throat in one of the servant's rooms and its thought that the coffin-shaped cavity in the cellar contains the lead coffin in which he is buried. Since then, rumours have circulated that he can still be heard ascending the staircase and opening doors.

After the death of his parents (William and Rebecca), Major Joseph Terrill (1713-1755) took up residence at Cabbage Tree with his wife, Sarah Brace (d.1752). Their eldest son, the Rev. William Tirrell (1741-1796), was the next to make his home here before it passed to either his son or nephew, Edward Brace Terrill (1787-1849), by which time the plantation had grown to 220-acres worked by 105-slaves. In 1804, reflecting the value of the sugar trade then, Edward sold Cabbage Tree Hall for the enormous sum of £29,250 to James Maxwell, a merchant at St. Michael. He increased the plantation by a further 75-acres and added another 10-slaves, but the value of sugar plantations plummeted during his 12-year tenure and in 1816 he sold it on at a considerable loss for a comparatively paltry £15,000.

The Alleyns of Alleynedale Hall

The new owner, Sir Reynold Abel Alleyne, 2nd Bt., renamed the old house Alleynedale Hall. He had grown up at nearby St. Nicholas Abbey where in his youth he was remembered for riding his horse up the Chinese Chippendale staircase in pursuit of a woman! Alleyne was not a stranger here, his grandmother, Mary, was a daughter of Colonel William Terrill (1674-1735), the first owner of the plantation.

In about 1830, Sir Reynold Alleyne built a new staircase into the attic and added gabled windows into the hipped roof for the purpose of creating more bedrooms. At about the same time, he also put up the stone arcade verandah that fronts the north facade, noted for the drip-stones which purify the rain water as it falls for drinking.

Alleyne's son, Sir John Gay Newton Alleyne, helped bring the plantation into order before leaving Barbados for England. There he pursued a career as an engineer and is remembered for designing the roof at St. Pancras Railway Station in London which was then the largest steel surface ever built. By 1895, Sir John was long settled in England at Chevin House in Derbyshire and Alleynedale was put up for sale in the Court of Chancery.

From Chancery to Chandler

Alleynedale was purchased by the Chandler family, the sons of Andrew Boyce Chandler (1815-1877) whose family had come to Barbados from Scotland in 1638. It was Andrew's third son, the distinguished Sir William Kellman Chandler (1857-1940), K.C.M.G., who took up residence here with his wife, Ella Delisle Jones. A former President of Legislative Council, he is said to be the first Barbadian to be knighted - twice. It was at about the turn of the century that they added the supporting buttresses seen on the south facade.

The Nortons & Alleynedale Farms

In 1950, the widowed Lady Chandler and her children made the decision to convey Alleynedale (which now encompassed 701-acres) and another family property to Alleynedale and Portland Estates Ltd., of which they were the directors. They continued to live here up until the end of the 20th century when it was sold to husband and wife, Guy and Gail Norton. The Nortons have done an excellent job with Alleynedale, not only rejuvenating the house to its former splendour, but also creating Alleynedale Farms Ltd.