PAPERS RELATING TO THE LATE DISTURBANCES IN BARBADOS. PRESENTED TO BOTH HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT BY COMMAND OF HER MAJESTY, 1876.
London: Printed by George Edward Eyre and William Spottiswoode, 1876. xii, 247, [1] pp.
[bound with] FURTHER PAPERS RELATING TO THE LATE DISTURBANCES IN BARBADOS. PRESENTED TO BOTH HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT BY COMMAND OF HER MAJESTY, JULY 1876. Printed by George Edward Eyre and William Spottiswoode. 1876. x, 220 pp. The two titles bound together in modern two-toned cloth with paper title affixed to front cover. Near Fine.
[offered with] FURTHER PAPERS RELATING TO THE LATE DISTURBANCES IN BARBADOS. PRESENTED TO BOTH HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT BY COMMAND OF HER MAJESTY, FEBRUARY 1877. London: Printed by George Edward Eyre and William Spottiswoode. 1877. iv, 66 pp.
[bound with] FURTHER PAPERS RELATING TO THE LATE DISTURBANCES IN BARBADOS. PRESENTED TO BOTH HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT BY COMMAND OF HER MAJESTY, MARCH 1877. London: Printed by George Edward Eyre and William Spottiswoode. 1877. v, [1 blank], 70 pp. The two titles bound together in modern two-toned cloth, with paper title affixed to front cover. Near Fine.
These books print observations and official dispatches, beginning in 1871, that tell the story of the Barbados insurrection beginning in 1876. "Slavery in Barbados was abolished in 1834. . . Despite gaining their freedom, in the sense of no longer being ‘owned’ officially, life for plantation workers remained difficult for many years. Perhaps the same children whose parents avoided having them apprenticed, became involved 40 years later in the Confederation Riots of 1876. The primary cause of these riots is often cited as the proposed confederation of Barbados and the Windward Islands. However, it is very likely that this was one cause of many, and the primary reason for unrest and unhappiness was down to pay, working and living conditions. The 'despatches' of 1875 describe cases of death by starvation – one of a baby whose mother had had to return to work weeks after giving birth and could not feed her daughter often enough, or worked so hard so soon that she could not produce enough milk. According to the rector of the Parish Church this was a common occurrence. . . [C]ases such as this were the primary causes of unrest in Barbados in the 1870s. These cases illustrate the difficulties faced by the descendants of enslaved African-Caribbeans and the long lasting legacy of the slave trade." [online The National Archives essay, 'When did plantation workers in Barbados truly become free?'. Item #40713
Price: $750.00