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