[1] Catherine Phipps was born in Moree on the Gold Coast, now known as Ghana, to a Dutch soldier and an African woman.
Her life was marked by her involvement in the slave trade and her familial connections to notable individuals in English society.
James Phipps's last will, he referred to Catherine as having been born in "Morea" (most likely Moree), which was then a Dutch trading post but being from Axim in the Gold Coast.
[2][3] Phipps's husband, James Phipps, rose through the ranks of the Royal African Company (RAC) and became the Governor of Cape Coast Castle, a major British trading fort on the Gold Coast, and Captain-General of the RAC, the highest-ranking position in the company's operations in West Africa.
[2][3] After her husband's death, Catherine Phipps inherited a share of his estate, which was worth at least £3 million in today's pounds.