# James C. Gibson

James Clark Gibson, Esq., better known by J.C. Gibson (4 May 1869 – 6 July 1948) was a Scottish landowner, military veteran, plantation manager, and community leader who spent the better half of his life in British Guiana (modern-day Guyana).
As a director of Booker Bros., the company that controlled over 80% of British Guiana’s sugar industry, J.C. Gibson played a pivotal role in shaping the colony’s agricultural policies. A known contemporary of the Baron Campbell of Eskan, Gibson’s progressive ideas influenced key reforms in plantation management, which were further adapted on by the Baron. Recognized for his innovative approach, he significantly improved living and working conditions for plantation labourers. His legacy extends beyond plantation management, as he is the one credited with beginning and championing the Port Mourant Cricket Club, which has produced several notable West Indian cricketers.

## Early life

J.C. Gibson was born on 4 May 1869 in Glamis, Angus, Scotland, at Huntingfaulds Farm House near Tealing. He was the middle child of 6. His parents were Sir Andrew Gibson, a wealthy farmer and landowner, and Margaret Clark.
As a young man, Gibson apprenticed as a cooper in Aberdeen, honing his craftsmanship before transitioning to military service in Perth.

## Military service

Gibson began his military career on 13 February 1888, enlisting with the Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland in Perth. According to his attestation records, his military career spanned 12 years, from 1888-1910.
During World War I, Gibson served in the British Army as part of the Royal Army Service Corps (A.S.C.). His medal index card indicates he held the rank of Acting Staff Corporal and was awarded the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.

## Career in British Guiana

J.C. Gibson emigrated to British Guiana as a young man, where he quickly became the deputy manager (and later manager) of the Rose Hall sugar estates from 1895–1905, and the Port Mourant sugar estates from 1908 to 1939, respectively. Through both tenures, Gibson implemented progressive reforms to improve the welfare of his workers:
* Construction of better housing facilities for laborers and their families.
* Introduction of supplementary rice farming to provide workers with additional income and food security.
* Access to plantation land for fishing and gathering wild vegetables.
* Use of locomotives to transport workers to and from the plantation backdams.
* Free medical services for workers.
On June 3, 1910, Gibson was appointed a Justice of the Peace. This appointment, made by the Governor of British Guiana, tasked him with aiding in the partition of the undivided lands of Rose Hall Village. His role as a Justice of the Peace further solidified his influence in the region's legal and civic affairs.
Later on, a notice published on December 30, 1916, in a British Guiana newspaper lists Gibson as one of the executors of the estate of Cecil Morris, the former plantation manager of Albion Estate.
In 1920, Irrigation was reported as incredibly poor, as sanitation issues plagued the sugar estates on the Corentyne. During this crisis, "the condition of man and beast was said to be ‘pitiable.’ Water for drinking and other household purposes, in the ponds and ditches in the villages, had dried up. Many villagers in the neighbourhood of Plantation Port Mourant survived, only because the manager of this estate, J. C. Gibson, made the water in his canals available to all.” This act of relief saved many lives and was commended by labourers.
Under Gibson’s management, Port Mourant sugar plantations became the healthiest and least malarial regions in colonial British Guiana. These reforms were later acknowledged by Cheddi Jagan, the fourth President of Guyana, as a model of progressive plantation management.
Jagan, reflecting on his childhood at Port Mourant, wrote about Gibson's commanding presence and authority:
   "At Port Mourant, the premier plantation in Berbice, the manager was J.C. Gibson. His reputation extended far and wide; he was czar, king, prosecutor, judge, all in one. Almost everyone looked upon him with awe and fear. One particular event in my experience typified the authority which he wielded... As soon as he was spotted half-a-mile away, we either had to scamper away or be prepared to pay obeisance."
This excerpt underscores both Gibson's influential role in the plantation community and the rigid hierarchy that characterized colonial plantation society.
J.C. was the planting attorney for several sugar estates, including Rose Hall, Port Mourant, Skeldon, Enmore, Cane Grove, Lusignan, and La Bonne Intention. This made him one of the most powerful figures in the sugar industry of British Guiana during the early 20th century.
Over the course of thirty-five years, Gibson was responsible for forming and leading the British Guiana Sugar Experiment Stations' Committee as a director for the Booker Group. His directorship, which spanned past his plantation management career, later transitioned into an advisory role for plantation estates during his retirement. In this capacity, he traveled extensively to countries such as the United States, Spain, Italy, Germany, and Luxembourg, where he studied agricultural advancements and exchanged knowledge on sugar production and labor practices.

## Contributions to cricket

J.C. was instrumental in fostering the growth of cricket in British Guiana. As a strong supporter of Indian cricket, in 1916, J.C. provided resources for the start of the Port Mourant Cricket Club. He worked alongside Indian businessman J. W. Permaul, and became the president of the club from its inception in 1916 to 1938. The captain of the club was Gibson's chauffeur, James Kempadoo, the father of Peter Kempadoo.
The club has produced several celebrated West Indies cricketers, including:
* Rohan Kanhai
* Basil Butcher
* Joe Solomon
* John Trim
* Ivan Madray
Gibson was a proponent of youth athletics, and established the Gibson Shield, a school cricket tournament that was held annually at the Bourda cricket grounds. The competition was intended to promote youth participation in sports. In 1940, the Eversham Church of Scotland School won the trophy.

## Freemasonry

J.C. Gibson was initiated into Freemasonry in 1898 as a member of the Ituni Lodge, Lodge No. 2642, located in New Amsterdam, British Guiana. The lodge, under the jurisdiction of the United Grand Lodge of England, served as a key social and networking institution during British colonial rule. Gibson remained an active member, with lodge records indicating consistent payments and participation from at least 1910 to 1921.

## Personal Life

In 1897, J.C.'s father, Sir Andrew Gibson (1825–1897), passed away, leaving him a substantial inheritance, including over £5000, cattle, and more than 100 acres of arable land in Tealing Parish.
Gibson maintained strong ties with his family and ensured his children had access to higher education and opportunities. During his time as deputy manager at Rose Hall, he had a relationship with Hannah Emelia DeCruz (or DeVries), a woman of mixed Dutch and Indian descent, who he held in high esteem. From this relationship, he had his first child, Walter Henry (1901–1991). However, by 1904, their relationship had deteriorated, further exacerbated by child support disputes.
On July 12, 1905, J. C. married Isabella Gowans Duncan at Carmyllie Parish Church in Scotland. The ceremony, officiated by Rev. J.G. Lyon, J. C.'s cousin, and assisted by Isabella’s uncle, Rev. W.O. Duncan, was reported in the Arbroath Herald on July 20, 1905.
On January 15, 1940, Isabella Gowans Gibson died in the Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.
Throughout his life, Gibson formed connections with various influential figures, including the Baron Campbell of Eskan. While Campbell saw Gibson as a “tough man” and a “just ruler”, he also respected him, acknowledging his firm leadership and the impact of his management style.

## Contemporary Views and Reputation

Gibson’s leadership and reforms at Port Mourant earned him both admiration and fear among his contemporaries. Baron Campbell of Eskan regularly visited Gibson at Port Mourant, which was the estate next to his, and took note of his approach to plantation management. Unlike any estate manager of the time, Gibson prioritized worker welfare alongside productivity. His policies—including improved housing, supplementary farming, and greater access to food sources—set him apart from those who focused solely on the profit. Campbell, influenced by these same methods, came to regard Gibson’s model as his own benchmark for estate administration.
Historian Clem Seecharan noted Gibson’s efforts to improve labour conditions, recognizing him as an unprecedented exception in colonial administration. Indian independence activist C. F. Andrews was flattered by the candor of Gibson, his 'efficiency', 'knowledge', and the 'progressive character' at Port Mourant. Activist Eric Huntley called Gibson a powerful man whose word was law not just within the sugar estates, but also within the surrounding villages.The cricketer Clyde Walcott described him as an "enlightened" pre-war manager, particularly toward Indian workers. However, Cheddi Jagan criticized Gibson, viewing his reforms as a means to preserve the plantation system. Jagan particularly despised Gibson’s wife, whose callous acts, such as throwing coins for impoverished children to scramble for, left a lasting impression on him. These experiences, along with Gibson's rigid control over labourers, planted the early seeds of Jagan’s communist leanings. Despite his reforms, Gibson's legacy remains debated, with some seeing him as progressive and others as an enforcer of colonial order.

## Death and legacy

James Clark Gibson passed away at his home on 6 July 1948 in Georgetown, East Coast, Demerara-Mahaica, at the age of 79. Gibson was a progressive leader who left behind a legacy of social reform and community development. His contributions to plantation management and West Indies cricket remain celebrated in Guyana.

## Ancestry

As a son of Sir Andrew Gibson, J. C. was a direct descendant of Gilbert MacAuslan, 8th Laird of Buchanan, and a member of the Gibson sept of the Clan Buchanan.
Through his mother, Gibson is a direct descendant of the Clan Sutherland and the Clan Lyon of Aberdeen and Glamis. His mother, Margaret Clark, was a granddaughter of Francis Gray, 14th Lord Gray. By his mother, he was also a great-grandson of Thomas Lyon-Bowes, Lord Glamis, who was the father of Claude Bowes-Lyon, 13th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne, grandfather of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, and great grandfather to Queen Elizabeth II.

## Issue

James Clark Gibson had six children:
* Walter Henry Gibson (1901–1992), a mechanical engineer who aided miners in excavating the interior of British Guiana.
* Kenneth Duncan Gibson (1906–1978), participated in World War II as a member of the Royal Navy.
* Margaret Jean Stanley (1909–1974)
* Norah Beatrice Wilson (1917– 2004)
* Two additional daughters, both of whom are still living. Their names are not publicly disclosed out of respect for their privacy.