Caribbean and African Enslaved People and their British Enslavers: A look at sources

In 1807 the British Government enacted The Abolition of Slave Trade Act, which made the trade in enslaved people illegal. In an attempt to combat a now illicit trade, many of the colonies run by Britain kept registers of enslaved people, some of which dated from 1813- 1834 and were updated every three years. These tragic, yet vital records, provide us with records of Caribbeans and Africans, the plantation owners and plantations they were exploited on and also the ‘freed negroes’ who owned enslaved people. Dr Wyporska will discuss these records as well as the Slave Compensation Commission documentation, 1812-1851, through which the Government paid slaver owners in order to free their ‘property’. She will also touch upon other records of interest to those tracing their ancestors in the Caribbean, including Chinese, Indian and Jewish ancestors.