John Lamont (sugar planter)

John Lamont
Born	3 February 1782 Inverchaolain, Scotland
Died	20 November 1850 Diego Martin, Trinidad
Nationality	Scottish
Occupation	Sugar planter
Known for	plantations, Benmore Estate

John Lamont from Inverchaolain, by Toward in Cowal, emigrated from Scotland in 1801 to Trinidad where he served his apprenticeship as an overseer and manager on a sugar plantation. He purchased his own estates, and became a wealthy sugar planter. From 1828 he made annual visits back to Scotland, and bought Benmore Estate in 1849 for his nephew James Lamont, but died in 1850 before planned construction of the new Benmore House was completed.

The McGorrie Lamonts "of both Inverchaolain and Knockdow" were a cadet family of Clan Lamont. Their home was in Inverchaolain parish, on the east shore of Loch Striven in the Cowal peninsula in Argyll, Scotland. The hamlet of Inverchaolain is about 7 miles (11 km) to the north of Toward where Loch Striven joins the Firth of Clyde.

John Lamont was born on 3 February 1782 and christened on 3 February at Inverchaolain church. The parish record states "John Lamont Natural Son to Mr. James Lamont Esq. of Knockdow & Isobel Clerk daughter to Duncan Clerk in Gortainamiaig". His mother has been described as "a person of lower station", and the term natural son indicates that his parents were not married. The legal situation was that, although he was his father's first son, John could not inherit land from the family. His father subsequently married Elizabeth Robertson and had more children, the first being Alexander Lamont. Eventually, the family included 14 sons and one daughter.

At the age of 20, John Lamont emigrated to the Caribbean, and arrived in Trinidad around 1801 or 1802. He served his apprenticeship as overseer and manager on the Eccles sugar plantation. before becoming a planter himself. In 1809, he and a friend bought the Cedar Grove sugar estate of 360 acres (150 ha) in South Naparima, which had more than a hundred slaves on it.

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