Comprehensive Study Notes on the History of Slavery in Bermuda

Overview and Origins of Slavery in Bermuda

• Timeline and Duration: Slavery existed in Bermuda for approximately $200$ years, spanning from the early $1600s$ until its formal abolition in $1834$.

• Legal Definition of Slavery: Slavery was defined as the legal ownership of a person. This ownership extended to everything the person produced, encompassing:

  • Goods.

  • Services.

  • The person's children.

• Purpose of Lifetime Slavery: It was implemented as a mechanism to ensure that black people were perpetually available as a source of cheap labour.

• Origins of Slaves: Most slaves in Bermuda were natives of:

  • The West Indies.

  • Central America.

  • Africa.

• Arrival Methods: Slaves arrived in Bermuda through several means:

  • Surviving shipwrecks at the island.

  • Capture by Bermudian privateers.

  • Purchase in West Indian slave markets.

  • Direct transport from Africa (though the transcript notes this was rare).

• Sale and Distribution: Slaves were bought and sold at public auctions held in major hubs like St. George's and Hamilton.

• Demographic Impact: By the early $1700s$, slaves constituted one-third ($1/3$) of the island's total population.

Labour and Slave Jobs

• Skill Adaptability: Bermudian slaves were required to possess many skills and often adapted to the specific business interests of their owners.

• Domestic Roles (House Servants): Many slaves worked as house servants.

  • Female Slaves: Responsibilities included washing, ironing, cooking, cleaning, and caring for the owner's children and livestock.

  • Male Slaves: Roles included house servants or gardeners.

• Specialized and Technical Trades: Many slaves were master artisans and craftsmen. Trades included:

  • Carpenters.

  • Masons.

  • Sawyers.

  • Boat-builders.

  • Mechanics.

  • Shoemakers.

• Maritime and Industry-Related Roles:

  • Fishermen.

  • Boat pilots.

  • Dockworkers.

  • Messengers.

  • Whale-hunters.

  • Sailors.

  • Field hands.

Living Conditions and Resourcefulness

• Self-Sufficiency: Due to limited free time and money, slaves were highly resourceful:

  • Tools: They wove palmetto leaves to create brooms, baskets, and fishpots.

  • Furniture: They carved furniture from local cedar wood.

  • Gardening: Many maintained small personal gardens to grow their own vegetables.

• Dietary Habits:

  • Typical Diet: Consisted of fish, corn, and occasional whale meat.

  • Staples: Salted codfish imported from Newfoundland was a popular dish.

  • Homespun Recipes: Included cassava pie, mullet roe, guava jelly, and arrowroot pudding.

• Housing:

  • Living quarters were typically cellar-like rooms within the owner's home or separate small cottages on the same property.

  • Quarters were often situated near the kitchen so slaves could be summoned to work quickly.

• Social Life and Holidays:

  • Social activities included weddings, funerals, and "special slave balls."

  • Christmas: Slaves were granted several days of holiday, during which they were permitted to visit family members residing in other parishes.

Crime, Punishment, and Restrictions

• Legal Restrictions: Bermuda's government established strict laws to curb black freedoms. Prohibitions for slaves included:

  • Going out at night.

  • Carrying sticks.

  • Wearing silk.

  • Wearing bracelets.

• Systemic Punishment:

  • Flogging: A common form of punishment for various crimes. Public whipping stations were established in every parish.

  • Capital Punishment: For serious crimes like murder, burglary, or witchcraft, slaves were hanged from gallows constructed along the island's coastline.

  • Banishment: Convicted slaves were sometimes shipped from Bermuda to be sold in overseas slave markets.

• Documented Case Study (The Case of Meroy Mason):

  • Subscriber: WM. LIGHTBOURN.

  • Location: Airmont, Pagets.

  • Date: $18th$ March, $1893$.

  • Incident: A Negro man named MEROY, a Mason, Stone-cutter, and Wall-builder, absconded. The notice warned all persons against harbouring, employing, or taking him off the islands under penalty of Law.

Resistance and the Quest for Freedom

• Methods of Fighting Back: Slaves resisted captivity through:

  • Poisoning owners.

  • Running away (absconding).

  • Refusing to work.

  • Organizing revolts and uprisings (though most were discovered by authorities before execution).

• Paths to Manumission (Freedom): Though difficult, freedom could be obtained in a few ways:

  • Reward for good behaviour or a brave deed.

  • Requests left in owners' wills upon their death.

  • Self-Purchase: This was nearly impossible because slaves were barred from owning land and rarely earned enough money to buy their way out of bondage.

Seafaring Slaves and Maritime Industry

• Shipbuilding: Local shipyards employed hundreds of slaves to construct sloops and schooners.

• Atlantic Trading World: Slaves served as crew on vessels transporting goods between Nova Scotia and the Caribbean.

• Turks Island Salt Industry: Many slaves were taken to the Turks Islands to perform hard labour in the salt industry.

• Maritime Roles: Slaves spent months or years at sea working as whalers, pilots, and sailors.

• Market Demand Example (Dec 5, 1810): An advertisement sought to purchase one Negro boy (age $18$), one Negro boy (age $12$), and hire a Negro man (boatman) specifically for Turk's Island.

Religious and Educational Barriers

• Initial Exclusion: Slaves were generally barred from schools and churches until the $1800s$.

• Educational Development:

  • Joshua Marsden: A Methodist missionary who preached from Somerset to Spanish Point. He opened Zion Chapel at the corner of Church and Queen Streets in Hamilton.

  • Methodist Influence: Marsden dedicated one side of Zion Chapel to black attendees, started a Sunday school for black children, and encouraged slave literacy.

• Community-Built Institutions:

  • Cobb's Hill Methodist Church (Warwick, 1827): Built by slaves and free blacks in their spare time. They used stone from nearby quarries to build it block by block. It remains a place of worship today and a symbol of black faith.

• Segregated Worship: Some churches, such as St. Peter's in St. George, had special galleries for slaves. Often, black people were forced to stand outside and watch services through windows.

• Burial: Slaves and free blacks had their own dedicated graveyards around Bermuda.

Case Study: Mary Prince

• Early Life: Born in Devonshire. In $1800$, at age $12$, she was sold at a public market for $\pounds 57$ to a sea captain and his wife in Spanish Point.

• Hardships: She was separated from her mother and five siblings (three sisters, two brothers). She suffered cruel punishments and worked in the Turks Island saltpans.

• Historical Significance:

  • At age $43$, she provided her narrative to Britain's Anti-Slavery Society.

  • Published in $1831$, it was the first slave narrative published by a woman.

  • Her story contributed significantly to the movement to abolish slavery in Britain and its colonies.

• Key Quote: "All slaves want to be free—to be free is very sweet… The man that says slaves be quite happy in slavery, that they don't want to be free—that man is ignorant or a lying person."

Key Vocabulary

• Abolish: To formally end a system, practice, or policy.

• Artisan: A craftsman.

• Auction: Public sale of goods or property to the highest bidder.

• Bondage: Lack of freedom; being a slave.

• Community: A group of people living together in one place.

• Gallows: A structure used to hang people.

• Homespun: Made at home; simple and unsophisticated.

• Livestock: Farm animals regarded as a financial asset.

• Prohibited: Formally forbidden by law.

• Resourceful: Finding clever ways to overcome problems or limits.

• Revolt: A rebellion.

• Schooner: A ship with two or more masts.

• Will: A legal document with instructions for dividing property and possessions after death.

Questions & Discussion

• Q1: Define the term "slavery."

  • A: Legal ownership of a person, including their labor, children, and products.

• Q2: How long did slavery last in Bermuda?

  • A: Approximately $200$ years (early $1600s$ to $1834$).

• Q3: Where did Bermuda's slaves come from?

  • A: Primarily the West Indies, Central America, and Africa (via shipwrecks, privateers, or markers).

• Q4: What type of work did male and female slaves do in Bermuda?

  • A: Females performed domestic chores (cleaning, cooking, laundry) and child/livestock care. Males worked in domestic service, gardening, specialized trades (carpentry, masonry), and maritime industries (fishing, whaling, sailing).

• Q5: Imagine and describe the life of a seafaring Bermudian slave.

  • A: (Student thought exercise based on text regarding ship construction and long periods at sea trading or whaling).

• Q6: How did the government punish slaves and free black people?

  • A: Through flogging at public whipping stations, banishment, or hanging from coastal gallows for serious crimes.

• Q7: How could slaves achieve freedom?

  • A: Bravery, good behavior, requests in an owner's will, or self-purchase (though rare).

• Q8: Name the Methodist preacher and explain how he helped break down school and church barriers to slaves.

  • A: Joshua Marsden; he preached to slaves, opened Zion Chapel with space for blacks, and established a Sunday school to promote literacy.

• Q9: How did Mary Prince help the fight to have slavery abolished?

  • A: By publishing her life story in $1831$, providing a first-hand account of the suffering and cruelty inherent in the system.

• Q10: What was a slave's typical diet? Which have become popular traditional foods today?

  • A: Typical diet included fish, corn, whale meat, and salted codfish. Traditional foods mentioned include cassava pie, mullet roe, guava jelly, and arrowroot pudding.