Other useful records
Until about 1817 there were few local or central government records specifically relating to enslaved people. References to slaves tend to be ad hoc and intermingled with other records relating to other individuals and to the administration of the country.
Most records are to be found in Caribbean archives and register offices, but some copies may be held in the UK National Archives (TNA) in London. Also, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS) has microfilm copies of many records, including Jamaican and Barbadian births, marriages and deaths.
'Until 1834, church registers gave details on ethnicity and the name of the owner ofenslaved people, and sometimes the name of the estate'
The following types of records can contain useful information about slaves and slave owners:
Church records in most British colonies slaves were not allowed to attend church, especially the Anglican church. From the 1790s there was a growth of non-conformist churches (eg Moravian, Baptist and Methodist) established in village locations, which encouraged African-Caribbean congregations. Also, from the 1820s the Anglican church was encouraged to accept enslaved people into their churches.
Until 1834, church registers gave details on ethnicity and the name of the owner ofenslaved people, and sometimes the name of the estate. Church records may be held by Caribbean archives or register offices, and some may still be held with the church. The LDS has microfilm copies of many church registers (check out Family Search for a catalogue of its holdings and locations of its family history centres).
Court records for cases of theft, murder and rebellion, and matters relating to property ownership, financial disputes, legitimacy, status, and inheritance.
Manumission records (grants of freedom) were often filed in local deeds registers, but they could be recorded separately. Manumission could also be granted by the local government and details may be found in local legislation and minutes of the assembly. TNA holds copies of Caribbean laws and minutes of the local assemblies.
Reports of Protectors of Slaves start in 1824 and provide details on punishments, conditions on the estates, complaints by slaves against their owners, marriages and manumissions. TNA holds reports for St Lucia, Trinidad and Guyana.
Colonial Office records, held by TNA, contain a wide variety of material relating to slaves, such as rebellions; court cases; petitions from free men and women; lists of slaves received by the government in lieu of taxes or for debt; sales of these slaves; and runaways detained in gaol or the workhouse. In the 1820s, the government asked for information on slave imports and exports, grants of freedom, baptisms and marriages. These reports are held in Colonial Office files - many just give numbers, but others give names.
Slave registers. The central registries of slaves are a census of all slaves held in the Caribbean, covering from about 1817 to 1834 when slavery was abolished. They were first established under British laws in Trinidad in 1813 and St Lucia in 1815. The other countries passed their own laws to establish local slave registries. Between 1816 and 1817, most had done so, although some started later: Bermuda in 1821, the Bahamas in 1822, Anguilla in 1827, and the Cayman Islands and Belize in 1834. Duplicate registers were sent to London and these survive at TNA in the series T 71.
The slave registries were set up under a mixture of central and local laws, so the information recorded varies from country to country. The registers are arranged by owner and most contain indexes to owners or estates.
The first return is a general list of all slaves. Most later returns show only the changes to the slave populations such as deaths, births and manumissions and the movement of slaves between owners: imports, exports, sales, purchases, inheritances and gifts. Most returns group the slaves according to gender and age - so there are lists of men, boys, women and lastly girls, with few clues to family relationships.
The registers provide personal information on enslaved people:
- Name - usually this is only the plantation name, but St Lucia, Trinidad and Belize give surnames and Jamaica states a baptismal name.
- Age - this may be an estimate, especially for people born in Africa.
- Colour - often this is only black/negro for people of pure African descent, or mulatto/coloured for people of mixed European and African origins and usually means that the person is of European paternal ancestry.
- Place of birth - this might just say African or Creole (born in the Americas); others may give country of birth and occasionally African ethnic group.
Other information may include mother's name, physical description including disabilities, country marks for Africa-born people, date of birth, death or manumission, and the names of people receiving or purchasing slaves.
The registers also provide some information on owners. For example, they indicate if a person had died, or recently married because slaves were often included as dowry gifts. Registers for Barbados, Antigua and St Vincent indicate if the owner was a freed man or woman.
Slave Compensation Commission papers: Under the 1833 Emancipation Act slave owners were granted compensation. These papers held by TNA in T 71 relate to compensation claims and, although they apply mainly to owners, they can provide useful information on enslaved people such as:
- - Claim certificates can include names of slaves omitted from the registers or were born between the last registration and 1 August 1834, and will usually name the mother.
- - Sales of slaves, which give the names of slaves and may indicate family groups.
- - Counter claims occurred where there were disputes over the ownership of the estate or slaves. For example, the land was mortgaged or a will was invalid or being disputed. Evidence presented may contain useful information about the property that includes slaves.
Newspapers contain notices of runaways, which give names, occupations, and physical description. Other notices include slave auctions, arrival of ships, names of slaves for hire, and lists of runaway slaves found. The British Library has a good collection of Caribbean newspapers.
Published: 2007-01-22
