John Sutherland

In July 1792 John Sutherland, Esq. merchant, in Demerary, married Mrs Margaret Raeburn, daughter of the late Peter Rolland, of Kinnaird, Esq.[Edinburgh Magazine]

The Essequebo en Demerarische Courant of 1793 refers both to the ‘Copartnership of John Sutherland & Co’ and to ‘the late firm of Sutherland McRae & Co’. The ‘McRae’ was almost certainly one of the Macraes of Inverinate.

In 1803 John Sutherland was elected as one of Demerara’s financial representatives to the Court of Kiezers for the colony and served in this role until 1807. An advertisement for the sale of a boat in 1807 shows him to have lived at Mahaicony and in 1808 he granted a mortgage on plantations Guiana Grove and Dundee, both on Mahaicony Creek, in favour of Davidson & Graham of London. He subscribed his name to an address to Thomas Cuming in 1812 and made a contribution to a public appeal the following year. [Essequebo & Demerara Gazette.] By 1816 Davidson & Graham had gained possesion of the two plantations following legal action against Sutherland [London Gazette].