Nathaniel Phillips papers

Not much material related to the Welsh on Jamaica during the height of the sugar production on Jamaica has survived. The papers of Nathaniel Phillips give a unique insight into the the Jamaican plantations of the Pembrokeshire merchant. As part of the Slebech Papers, they are kept at the National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth. They have been used extensively by British and West Indian historians who use the detailed accounts to explain the slave-trade, plantation economy and absenteeism. A detailed description by Prof. Kenneth Morgan can be found here, tracing the ownership of the Pleasant Hill plantation. The Welsh historian Dr. Clare Taylor has published a number of articles on Phillips and the West Indies in general. Some of these are shortlisted at the end of Prof. Morgan's article (NB a collection of her articles on the West Indies is long overdue).

Archedeckne family

The Irish Archedeckne (pronounced Archdeacon) family settled on Jamaica in the early eighteenth century and their plantation Golden Grove has been a focus of many studies. Not in the least at part of the correspondence related to the plantation survived. These are principally the letters from Simon Taylor, who in absence of the owner, looked after the plantation. The Irish connections with Golden Grove included the extended Archedeckne family, like the prominent politician Nicholas Bourke. Extracts from the letters can be found here, published by the University of Southampton. Additionally, some letters written by Benjamin Turney, who was the plantation doctor in the 1780s were also made available in this section called 'Letters from Jamaica'.