Good Hope Great House

Parish: Trelawny

Good Hope Estate was formed through a land grant, given to Colonel Thomas Williams. The estate consisting of one thousand acres, bordering the Martha Brae river is situated in the parish of Trelawny. Colonel Williams was the grandson of one of the first settlers in the island after its conquest by the English. The estate later became the property of John Tharp who became the largest land and slave owner in Jamaica.

Tharp had four legitimate sons, John, William, Joseph, Thomas, and one daughter Eliza. Five years after the death of his wife, Tharp had a daughter by one of his slaves, and she became his favourite child. She later married well in England bringing with her an income of six hundred pounds a year given to her by her father. By 1788 Tharp was spending most of his time in England where he married again. This marriage, however, did not work out well for him. He was so discouraged by the scandal of his wife's affair with his daughter's husband, an Anglican minister, that he returned to Good Hope, where he remained for the rest of his life. His property was valued at over 4.5 million pounds after his death.

Good Hope Great House is a private property