Page 10 - BLACK HISTORY IN BERMUDA red

1684-1835

From Establishment of the Colony to Emancipation

The Onset of Slavery

It is difficult to pinpoint a definite It was designed to, “restrayne the inso- to be forcibly changed from indentured
time for the emergence of slavery as lencies of the Negroes”, as many white servants to life servitude (chattel slavery).
an established feature of Bermudian inhabitants had started to complain This can be traced through bills of sale
life. During the colony’s early years, about the behaviour of blacks. They and indentures dating back to this time.
the use of the word ‘slave’ as an were accused of stealing livestock and These show how many blacks and Indians
identifiable label for Bermuda’s black crops, and of carrying concealed weap- were locked in service for “fourscore and
population servants was sporadic and ons. The result was a restrictive law that nineteen years” (99 years). However, some
infrequent and it was not until much meant blacks could no longer trade in black people remained free throughout
later that the term entered the records tobacco or any other goods without the the period of slavery in Bermuda.
as a permanent feature of colonial permission of their masters and were
With an increase in the need for a
life. However, as the trans-Atlantic prevented from participating in the
workforce, the use of slaves in Bermuda
slave trade developed and boomed, lucrative Sunday ferrying of passengers
became normalised. The earliest records
the attitudes of many white Bermu- between Coney Island and St. George’s.
show that black or Indian slaves sold for
dians became increasingly hostile to It was the first law in the English lan-
an average of £12. By 1650, the trade in
their black counterparts. Blacks were guage anywhere in the world specifical-
slaves was well established, with records
progressively seen as sub-human when ly aimed at black people and it clearly indicating the name, age, price paid,
white islanders adopted an attitude of indicated a shift in the political mindset seller, purchaser and date of sale. Some
superiority that reflected the global of Bermuda’s early leaders. of the work undertaken by female slaves
expansion of western Europeans.
There is ample documentary evidence included serving as domestic servants,
Although all indentured servants had that demonstrates an escalation in this field hands, cooks, concubines, washer-
the same legal status, in 1622, with shift of mindset and the lowering of the women and weavers. Male slaves could
Bermuda’s population at approximately status of black people living in Bermu- work as boatmen, carpenters, field
1200, the Second Assembly had passed da. For example, it was during the mid- hands, fishermen, gardeners, labourers
a special law aimed only at black people. 1620s that some black people started and house servants.

courtesy bermuda archives, elliott collection

Harrington Sound, 1816, By Thomas Driver, Watercolour on paper
This painting shows a group of slaves at work on the edge of Harrington Sound at Devil’s Hole in the far east of Smith’s Parish.

10 | black history in bermuda | bermuda national trust