Irish indentured servants in the Caribbean – a guide to sources

The concept of the 'Irish as slaves' in the seventeenth century is topic discussed at length and on occasion with some rather outlandish assertions.  The below is a quick outline of some of the material that can be used for the study of the Irish indentured servants in the Caribbean in the seventeenth century. It focuses mainly on the English speaking islands as very few Irish went to the French or Spanish possessions on an indenture.

The book Ireland, slavery and anti-slavery (Basingstoke, 2007) by Nini Rodgers is essential reading. From page 33 onwards it sets out the historical context and provides a clear definition, both in the context of Irish history as well as its relation to black slavery. It also includes various examples and extensive bibliography. Her points about indentured servitude present a natural starting point.

Many of the Irish indentured servants came to Barbados, one of the first English possessions in the Caribbean. The work of Hilary McD. Beckles is essential. The article: Hilary McD. Beckles, A ‘riotous and unruly lot’: Irish Indentured Servants and Freemen in the English West Indies, 1644-1713 in the William and Mary Quarterly third series, vol. 47, no. 4 (Oct., 1990) deals specifically with the Irish on the island. It also gives a good number of references to material on use in further research.

Beckles is also the author of A History of Barbados Cambridge, 2006) and the chapter ‘The ‘Hub of Empire’: the Caribbean and Britain in the Seventeenth Century’ which can be found in The Oxford history of the British Empire: volume I: the origins of empire (Oxford, 1998). In the same series Ireland and the British empire (Oxford, 2005), Jane Ohlmeyer deals with aspects of the Caribbean in the chapter ‘Early modern Ireland and English imperialism’. Other writings by Beckles include ‘Black over white: ‘the poor white problem in Barbados slave society’ in Howard Johnston (ed.) After the crossing, immigrants and minorities in Caribbean creole society (London, 1988) which considers the legacy of indentured servitude. 

The Leeward Islands also presents some interesting material. Donald Harman Akenson, If the Irish Ran the World: Montserrat, 1630-1730 (Liverpool, 1997) is essential as the island had a predominantly Irish population. Note that the number of indentured servants was small on Montserrat. However, Akenson has some very interesting views on the Irish and how they engaged with a colonisation project. A more recent work is Natalie A. Zacek, Settler Society in the English Leeward Islands, 1670-1776. Cambridge, 2011) – it has one chapter on the English, Scottish and Irish and her thematic approach on the white settler society on the islands presents some very interesting points.

Recently, an interesting article is Kristen Block and Jenny Shaw ‘Subjects without an empire: the Irish in the early modern Caribbean’ in Past and Present, no. 210 (Feb. 2011). They have actually used some rarely used Spanish sources which added a different dimension to the Irish experience in the Caribbean. There is more on these connections in the Irish Migration Studies in Latin America that can be found here.

On primary source materials, Richard Ligon A True and Exact History of the Island of Barbados was originally published in the late seventeenth century. It has been reprinted in various formats, although last year’s edition prepared by Karen O. Kupperman gives a good introduction and gives a great insight into the Irish presence on Barbados in the seventeenth century.

The John Thurloe material can be found at British History Online and has a lot of correspondence from the Caribbean. It mentions the Irish on Brabados and the Leewards quite often. It also hold the correspondence between Thurloe and Henry Cromwell (Oliver's son and the commander-in-chief in Ireland) over sending 2000 Irish 14 year olds to Jamaica. The latter never happened as the shipment and  holding of the potential deportees was never financially viable.

The fall of the planter class in the British Caribbean (1763-1833)

Lowell J. Ragatz book, originally published in 1928, was the starting point for many who were interested in the English-speaking Caribbean. His arguments, that sugar production in the West Indies was in decline due to poor agricultural practices and trade monopolies were later contested by the likes of Eric Williams. It continues to garner interest as a recent issue of the Atlantic Studies (March 2012) demonstrated.

Not all sections of this book are relevant to Jamaican history and the chapter on Tropical Agriculture must be considered to have dated. Some of Ragatz views demonstrated in the chapter on the Caribbean society in the eighteenth century didn't stand the test of time much either. It is his work on the trade aspects that remains fairly current as does his chapter on the abolition movements.

In the back of the book, Ragatz included a large number of useful statistical data, much of it related to the sugar-trade between Britain and Jamaica. The book also contains a detail bibliography detailing the wealth of primary source material used by the author (having already published a detailed guide). Frank Cundall, the archivist at then Institute of Jamaica (now National Library of Jamaica) was referred to on a number occasions.

Catalog reference and text here: http://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/001314349

Francis Russell Hart Collection (Boston, MA)

This archive could be useful to those in North America with an interest in eighteenth and nineteenth Jamaica. From the abstract it is described as a 'collection consists of deeds, wills, leases, inventories of plantations, manuscripts, and maps gathered by Francis Russell Hart relating to the history of the West Indies and Central America, specifically Antigua, Barbados, Colombia, Cuba, Hispaniola, Jamaica, Nevis, St. Christopher, St. Thomas, and Trinidad.'

Francis Russell Hart (1868 - 1938) had an interest in Caribbean history and wrote three historical books, a number of articles and his own recollections on time spend working in the region. Namely Admirals of the Caribbean (Boston, 1922), The Disaster of Darien; the story of the Scots' Settlement and the causes of its failure, 1699-1701 (Boston, 1929); and The siege of Havana, 1762 (Boston, 1931) - the first being out of copyright and available here.

Much of the collection is related to the works mentioned above and the material often copies of originals. The Jamaican material relates mostly to government correspondence, printed items from newspapers and extracts. Other documents related to the British West Indies can also be found in this collection.

For more information: MHS Francis Russell Hart Collection

History of Liverpool privateers and pirates

Prof. David Eltis has written a forward to this edition published in 2004 using the original late nineteenth century text. Gomer Williams was local journalist with a great interest in the Liverpool's mercantile history. Jamaica featured heavily in the narrative that tackles the city's involvement in privateering through to slavery and the abolition movement. Using primary source material the first section deals mostly with shipping. For anyone considering the trade connections between Jamaica and Liverpool, this book invaluable. A large section on the war of independence in North America is less relevant to the West Indies. The second part to the book on Liverpool's rile in the slave trade provides a multitude of references to the triangular trade with Jamaica. It has a very useful appendix, detailing ships, destinations and cargo for further research. The original 1897 version is freely available on archive.org (History of Liverpool privateers and pirates)

Clinton V. Black - History of Jamaica

Textbooks on the history of Jamaica are surprisingly hard to find. A similar publication such as A History of Barbados has not made it to the bookshelves yet. The next best thing out there is Clinton V. Black 'History of Jamaica' that presents a short overview in 170 pages illustrated with maps and photographs. First published in 1958, Mr. Black (1918 - 1993) was the government archivist at the Jamaica Archives (Spanish Town) where the Reading Room currently bears his name. Rigorous in detail but still very accessible, the aim of the book was purely educational, and very successful at that. It has been reprinted numerous times on both sides of the Atlantic.

Black took a very straightforward chronological approach and included a time-line on the first two pages to give a quick overview of the main events. The prehistoric section is somewhat dated but largely factually correct. Some recent research on the Taino settlements on the island did add some nuances. The period that the island was under Spanish rule, the English invasion and the Buccaneers is all presented neatly are well illustrated. The issue of Black Slavery is told in a more matter-of-fact manner and in some places there is a hint of imperial history writing. Emancipation, the rise of Marcus Garvey and the route to self-government brings 'History of Jamaica' into the twentieth century. It concludes with independence in 1962 - now half a century ago.

Since the death of the author the editions have not been updated and the last chapter only briefly deals with the thirty years of independence. If the reader is looking for a more contemporary look at events in Jamaica, some other suggestions will follow.

Parish Maps

A collection of maps going back to the discovery of the island to the late 1960s. The show the different parishes that got renamed or merged/split often during the eighteenth and nineteenth century. It wasn't until 1866 that the present 14 parishes was settled upon. The site has a good collection of maps that give the outline of the administration of Jamaica. It also has a couple of useful images on the earthquake of 1908, the Maroon Wars and a detailed map of Kingston and Port Royal.

Jamaican Parish References

BBC Jamaican History TImeline

A good introduction into Jamaican history that can be quickly checked is the BBC's Jamaica History timeline. Great for checking the dates and the sequence of events. It is quite heavy on 20th century political history, not surprising, considering it is 50 years since independence in 2012. For the earlier colonial period it is back to the books.

BBC Jamaica timeline