Background
The illegitimate son of Richard Beckford, who was the brother of Alderman Beckford, William was part of the influential Beckford family.
The illegitimate son of Richard Beckford, who was the brother of Alderman Beckford, William was part of the influential Beckford family.
was a Jamaican slave-owner and writer He inherited four sugarcane plantations, which he personally supervised, but lost his holdings, returning to England in 1777 as a debtor with an intention of remaking his fortune and reputation.
In 1790, he published A Descriptive Account of the Island of Jamaica, a two-volume description of contemporary life in Jamaica from a planter"s point of view.