Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Price, Charles
PRICE, Sir CHARLES (1708–1772), speaker of the House of Assembly of Jamaica, sometimes called the ‘Jamaica patriot,’ was born on 20 Aug. 1708, probably in the parish of St. Catherine, Jamaica. His father was Colonel Charles Price; his mother Sarah was daughter of Philip Edmunds; his grandfather had settled in Jamaica immediately after its conquest by England in 1658. He was sent to England, resided for a time at Trinity College, Oxford, whence he matriculated in October 1724, made the ‘grand tour,’ and returned to Jamaica in January 1730. On 23 May 1730 his father died, and he succeeded to the estates. At the same time he became an officer of the militia.
On 13 March 1732 Price was elected to the Jamaica assembly; on 17 April 1745 he was voted to the chair during the illness of the speaker, and a year later became speaker. During his long term of office many collisions occurred between the assembly and the executive [see Knowles, Sir Charles; Moore, Sir Henry]. By his attitude throughout, Price excited the admiration of his countrymen. Three times the house solemnly thanked him for his services—first, on 3 Aug. 1748, then on 19 Dec. 1760, and again when, owing to ill-health, he retired on 11 Oct. 1763; on each occasion it voted him a piece of plate. Price also at different times acted as a judge of the supreme court, and as the custos of St. Catherine, and became major-general of all the island militia forces. On his beautiful estates, Decoy Penn, Rose Hall (which was the finest of the old Jamaica houses), and Worthy Park, he spent most of his later years; many plants and animals of other countries were naturalised in the grounds. The Charley Price rat takes its name from him (Gosse, Naturalist in Jamaica).
On 7 Oct. 1768 Price was made a baronet of Rose Hall, Jamaica. On 26 July 1772 he died, and was buried at the Decoy, where a verse epitaph records his patriotism. He married Mary Sharpe. Their son, Sir Charles Price (1732–1788), matriculated from Trinity College, Oxford, May 1752, and subsequently took part in public life in Jamaica, becoming an officer of militia, and ultimately major-general. He first sat in the assembly in 1753, and on the resignation of his father, being at the time his colleague in the representation of St. Mary's, he was selected as speaker of the assembly (11 Oct. 1763); in the next assembly he was member for St. Catherine's, and was again chosen speaker on 5 March 1765; and on 13 Aug. 1765, after a new election. On this occasion a crisis was brought about by his refusal to apply to Governor William Henry Lyttelton [q. v.] for the usual privileges, and within three days the assembly was dissolved; he was chosen speaker once again on 23 Oct. 1770, and held the post till 31 Oct. 1775, when he was relieved of it at his own request, and left Jamaica for England for four years. He returned to Jamaica in 1779, and died at Spanish Town 18 Oct. 1788. Price married Elizabeth Hannah (d. 1771), daughter of John Guy, of Berkshire House, chief justice of Jamaica, and widow of John Woodcock, but left no issue.
[Inscription on tomb; Foster's Alumni Oxon. 1715–1888; Long's History of Jamaica, 1774, ii. 76; Notes from the local records by Mr. Cundall; Burke's Extinct Baronetage.]