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  • Slave Records 1822 – 1834
 

Slave Records 1822 – 1834

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Slave Records 1822 – 1834

After Emancipation in Britain the British Government saw the need to find out the number of slaves held in all British ruled territory overseas.

Following the Registration Act of 1821 it became a requirement for all slave owners to provide a basic return every three years. In the Turks and Caicos Islands this began in 1822. The Information recorded included the slave owner’s name and island of abode (not necessarily the same as where they employed the slaves), the agent acting on behalf of the slave owner if the owner was not present and the slave’s name and age. The slave names recorded are usually biblical (Rachel, Sarah, Jacob, etc), job related (such as Mariner) or color related (Darky). The ages are also clearly rounded up or down as no proper records seem to have been kept. From 1822 a record was also kept of the changes of the slaves held, which recorded all new slaves acquired through purchase, birth, bequest etc. and all slaves lost through sale, transfer to another country, runaway, emancipated or death. This allows an idea of the movement of the slaves between estates as well as birth and mortality rates.

Slave records and number of slave holdings, 1822-1834
Year 1822 1825 1828 1831 1834
Number of slaves recorded 1912 1457 1397 1436 1384
Number of slave holdings   188   190   173   165     15

 

However, these records do have a problem. It is clear that some slaves are being counted/recorded twice: for 1822 there are at least 22 slaves recorded twice, and in 1828 there are 23. It is almost certain that not all slaves were being counted, for example towards the end there are slaves being owned in 1831 but there are no returns from the slave owners in 1834, which there should be if they were supposed to record the changes in slave holdings from 1831 to 1834. There is also no apparent reason why there are so many more slaves recorded in 1822 than in the following 4 records, unless we conclude that the death of Wade Stubbs in 1822 saw many of his slaves being freed, running away or being sold to people outside the country and it is this that partly accounts for the dramatic decline from 1822 and 1825 (although many of his slaves were purchased by Henshall Stubbs and taken to Grand Turk). However, It is clear by the steady numbers from 1825 that around 1400 slaves was the required number to maintain the economic activity of the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Again, there is difficulty in counting the number of slave owners. The numbers above are for the holdings rather than individuals. In some instances a group of slaves would be owned by several family members, and in other cases the same slave owner is recorded twice, either duplication of a record or with different slaves. Also, where the entry records no slaves these owners have been excluded.

The records held in 1834 are the most comprehensive for slave information as more details were required in preparation for emancipation. Now there was an additional entry referring to the slave’s occupation. It is also clear that some slave owners are carrying out speculation, by buying up slaves just prior to 1834 hoping that the compensation to be paid for each slave by the British government would exceed the money paid by the slave owners.

Saunders (1985) looks into the slave records for the Bahamas (including the Turks and Caicos) in more detail. Her published analysis gives useful statistics but in many cases hides the Turks and Caicos figures within general statistics for the area. The Turks and Caicos Islands appear to be slightly different to the rest of the Bahamas, probably because of the salt industry. In the Turks and Caicos Islands it is estimated that in 1834, 48.26% were employed in the salt industry (Saunders, 1985, p122). However, the data of occupation of the slaves in the 1834 register is perhaps misleading. The main occupation would be given, such as salt raker, but it must be remembered that for certain times of the year salt would not have been collected: the likelihood of rain was such that it was not practical to start the process. This would mean that for several months of the year salt could not be raked. Slaves could still have been used to repair the salt pond walls but it is more likely that they would have been employed in another task, such as fishing. According to Saunders (1985, p123) the working practice would depend on sex and age. A young female was more likely to be employed as a nurse or domestic staff whilst a young male would almost certainly be employed in the salt ponds. As women got older they were more likely to be employed in the salt industry, whereas the men, when they got older were more likely to change occupation, as the salt industry would have taken its toll on them.

To support the salt workers in 1834 31% of slaves were employed as domestics and 5% as tradesmen. 20% worked agricultural labour, mostly in the Caicos Islands (Saunders, 1985, p129). In fact 24% of the slave population consisted of children under the age of 10, who would generally be employed in lighter duties and domestic labour. Also salt workers were more likely to be black rather than Mulatto, probably as they were considered to be stronger.

The 1834 statistics can also indicate health. There were 565 (80.9) “effective” males and 530 (78.17%) “effective” females making a total “effective population of 1095 (79.6%). There were 133 (19.1%) “non-effective” males and 148 (21.83%) “non-effective” females. Making a total “non – effective” population of 281 (20.4%). These statistics only record those who would have been able to work and not those who were too young (17.44% of the total slave population), those who were too old (1.74% or those “diseased (2%) (Saunders, 1985, p137 and 140). It is in fact likely that medical provision was limited and very basic: there may have been an occasional visiting doctor. It was therefore left up to the residents to make their own provisions. “Bush Medicine” is still practiced on some of the Islands and it is clear that this knowledge has been passed down through families from the time of slavery. It is also likely that plants such as Aloe Vera were imported specifically for the slaves for their medicinal uses.

In 1834 13.08 % (180 individuals) of slaves on the Turks and Caicos Islands were Mulattos, a mixture between black and white (Saunders, 1985, p107). 112 of these were under 20 years of age. This should not be that surprising as the slaves lived in close proximity to the slave owners and their would certainly have been some fraternisation (wanted or unwanted in the case of the slave), especially between the male owners and female slaves. Saunders research into the Slave records show that there were equal numbers of male and female slaves in the Bahamas, (at first glance it appears that there are slightly more males than females in the Turks and Caicos) and suggests that the majority of the Bahamian slaves lived in nuclear families. These family units, if they did exist, was probably one of the reasons why there was no real rebellion and low risk of runaways: slaves would not risk losing the family ties or put the other family members at risk of repercussions for their escaping.

Saunders shows that between 1825 and 1834 there was a steady growth in the birth rate in the Turks and Caicos Islands. However, there was also a high child mortality rate.

1822-24       1825-27     1828-31     1831-34
26.17             26.93           15.48         21.61
Table 2: Death rates per 1000 per year for Turks and Caicos slave population (Saunders, 1985, p64)

According to Saunders, females were twice more likely to be manumitted than males in the Turks Islands. However, the highest ratio of slaves to be manumitted in the Turks and Caicos Islands were the under 9 age category, and Saunders (P69) felt that many of these had been fathered by the transient Bermudan salt pond owners.

The Turks and Caicos National Museum has also been carrying out research on the 1822-1834 records held at the Public Record Office, England. The following tables follow the preliminary data collecting.

Year    Slave Number  Owner
1822      384                     Wade Stubbs
1825     99                          Henshall Stubbs
1828     143                       Henshall Stubbs
1831      173                       Henshall Stubbs
1834     192                       Henshall Stubbs
Table 3: Largest Slave holdings, 1822-1834

1-5        6-10   11-20     21-30     31-40     41-50     51-100     101-150     151-200     200+
1822      111          34       26              9              2 1           3 1             0                    1
1825      127         24        24           7 1              3             3 1             0                    0
1828      116         21         24           4 1             3             4 1             0                     0
1831       110        22         19           4 2          2 5             0             1 0
1834        98        21          14             8              6              0                3                     0                 1 0
Table 4: Number of slave holdings by size. (Note : Saunders (p 95) records 91 slaves holdings of between 1 and 5 slaves in 1834, compared to 98. This discrepancy needs to be investigated further.)

Year         No.  of Holdings     Holdings of1 slave   Holdings of 1-5 slaves
of 1 slave              % of total                                      % of total holdings
1822                     45                                            24%                                                       59%
1825                     61                                             32%                                                        67%
1828                    57                                               33%                                                       67%
1831                    45                                                27%                                                       67%
1834                    39                                              26%                                                        65%
Table 5: Number of Holdings of 5 or less slaves.

Generally, between one quarter to one third of all slave holdings consisted of only one slave, while nearly two thirds consisted of 5 or less slaves.

Year                                        1822                 1825            1828              1831            1834
Average Slave Holding   10.2                  7.7                8.1                 8.7                9.2
Table 6: Average number of slaves in each holding

These records give a tantalizing insight into the slaves; yet clearly stop well short of being able to be used to give a real “history” of the slaves, their lives, their hardships and their thoughts.

Culture & History

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The Museum is a publicly funded not for profit organization.

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Click here to view a timeline of important events and dates in the history of the islands

The Colors of the Turks and Caicos Islands

RED was chosen to represent the nation’s capital, Grand Turk. The color is taken from the red/pink fruit found on the national plant, the Turks Head Cactus. They were once found in abundance on Grand Turk before they were removed to accommodate the salt ponds.

WHITE was chosen to represent Salt Cay. The color came from salt. The salt industry was largely responsible for populating the islands of Salt Cay, Grand Turk and South Caicos.

ORANGE was chosen to represent South and East Caicos. The color comes from the Spiny Lobster and fish and reflects the fishing industry in the “Big South.”

TAN was chosen to represent Middle Caicos. The color is taken from the raw material (thatch) that once covered the roofs of the houses. It is also used to make straw hats, baskets and brooms. Middle Caicos is known for the superior quality of native craftwork.

GREEN was chosen to represent North Caicos and Parrot Cay. The color is taken from the fruit trees and other types of trees that flourish in the most fertile of all the islands. North Caicos is also home of Wade’s Green Plantation, the most successful of Caicos Islands cotton plantations.

TURQUOISE was chosen to represent the islands of Providenciales, Pine Cay and West Caicos. The color is taken from the beautiful turquoise waters that surround these islands on which our famous Caicos fishing sloops sail. These turquoise waters also contribute to our newest industry, tourism.

PINK was chosen to represent the beautiful conch shell, flamingoes and the numerous uninhabited cays that make up our chain of islands.

YELLOW represents God’s glory as the sun shining down on all our beautiful islands and cays. The sun also contributes to our newest industry, tourism.

View a timeline of important events and dates in the history of the islands

View Timeline

A Few Artifacts You’ll See at the Museum

Our collections represent the rich historical, cultural and natural heritage of the Turks and Caicos Islands and its people.

Lucayan Duho

Photo courtesy of Joanna Ostapkowicz. The Duho is one of the rarest artifacts in the museum’s collections. It was used a ceremonial seat for the cacique or chief of the Lucayans, the first inhabitants of these islands.

Fresnel Lens

The Grand Turk Lighthouse was erected in 1852 and was originally designed to burn whale oil and had an Argand reflector lamp. In 1943 the lighthouse was converted to a Fresnel Lens one of these lenses is now on display at the Museum.

Swivel Gun

The Molasses reef wreck, an early Spanish Caravel was equipped with three types of breech-loading swivel guns, one type is shown above. The swivel guns are thought to be anti-personnel weapons placed wherever convenient along the ship’s rail.

Salt Industry Post Card

The museum has diverse collection of early postcards of the Turks and Caicos Islands. Most post cards depict scenes on Grand Turk, the capital and from the salt industry.

Take a Look
TCI Governor

Governor of the Turks & Caicos Islands

H.E. Nigel Dakin CMG

The Turks & Caicos Islands National Museum on Grand Turk surely stands in one of the most majestic settings of any museum, anywhere! Perched on the edge of the Columbus Landfall national park. The 200-year-old building, “Guinep Lodge”, which houses a multitude of artifacts covering everything from the pre–Columbian Indians to the modern age, is a museum in its own right. The west facing building has stood firm and witnessed 200+ years of incredible TCI sunsets and has withstood every major hurricane since before records began.

The National Museum plays a vital role in recovering, preserving, recording and displaying the history of these island for all to see, enjoy and learn from. The museum’s archive is a veritable treasure trove of information, with enough information to fill two museums. With thousands of pre-Columbian artifacts from multiple archeological digs from around the TCI over the last 50 years, un-displayed artifacts from ancient warships, parish records or births, deaths and marriages dating back over 200 years; a veritable gold mine of information, just waiting to be discovered.

The museum is not only an exhibition facility for local history and artifacts, but also undertakes important work in the community with multiple events throughout the year and supports all the TCI schools, has a regular summer camp and kids club for our budding historians and archeologists of tomorrow.  The Grand Turk location includes a “science building” which is a fully fledged restoration facility to stabilize artifacts before they are displayed or stored in the archive. All of this work has been quietly undertaken since the museum was founded 30 years ago. There is also a campus on Provo and there are exciting plans underway to construct a new, multimillion dollar purpose-built facility for the wider enjoyment of our fascinating history. The Governor’s Office is proud to have supported the TCNMF over the years with vital capital projects.

Whether you are a local, or a visitor to our beautiful shores; I encourage you to visit and support the Turks & Caicos National Museum and absorb our colorful and surprisingly diverse local history.


H E Nigel Dakin CMG

Governor of the Turks & Caicos Islands

Minister for Tourism, Heritage & Culture for inclusion on the museum website

Hon. Josephine Connnolly

"It is a pleasure as Minister with responsibility of Heritage to welcome you to the Turks and Caicos Islands National Museum website. This Gem of an operation is perhaps the most notable establishment in regards to sites of historical interest. Since its establishment in 1991 it has always been an intricate part of our tourism product.

As a supporter, I believe the National Museum’s success depends on all resident and visitors; and as Minister I am committed to strengthening our tourism product through the infusion of authenticity and the increase in awareness of the National Museum in the development of heritage assets for sustainable tourism development.

Visit and explore the Grand Turk and Providenciales locations and experience our heritage and culture through interactive displays and exhibits. Special thanks is extended to the National Museum, a tangible product, a repository for artefacts and documents, providing a true island experience.".

Hon. Josephine Connnolly
Minister for Tourism, Heritage & Culture for inclusion on the museum website

President of Turks and Caicos Islands Community College

Dr. Hubert A. Fulford

"My interest in history and research goes back to my years as a student at the then Grand Turk Secondary School, where my teacher and later mentor, the late Helena Jones Robinson instilled a curiosity in me to appreciate context.  At that time, not fully appreciating the impact that curiosity would have on me, I sought only to please my teacher.

Pursuing tertiary education at various institutions, in various countries and at various levels, my initial foundation of inquiry was further stimulated.  Libraries and museums would form a very important part of my education, specifically during my studies in Jamaica, Canada and the United Kingdom.

Returning home after my studies abroad, my first visit to the Museum so captivated me that I began to tell all persons, visitors and islanders alike, that a visit to the museum was a MUST! The quaintness, yet thorough organization and presentation of artifacts of various kinds avowed me.

I found tremendous joy in taking my TCI Studies students to the Museum, standing back and listening to their expressions of excitement and curiosity as the curators and assistants would walk them through the various displays and presentations.

The Jamaican expression “likkle but tallawah” (small but strong) aptly fits our Museum.  The significance of this institution to our history and culture cannot be over stressed.

Welcome to The Museum.  A combination of history, culture and enchantment awaits you."

Dr. Hubert A. Fulford

President of Turks and Caicos Islands Community College

Historic Photo Gallery of the Turks and Caicos Islands

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Locations

Guinep House, Front Street

Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos Islands, British West Indies (BWI)
Tel (01 649) 247-2160
From the US (786) 220-1159
Hours Vary - See our schedule under Locations

The Village at Grace Bay

Development Office and Caicos Heritage House
Providenciales, Turks & Caicos Islands, British West Indies (BWI)
Tel (01 649) 247-2161
Grace Bay Hours: See Hours For This Location

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