Slavery and Revolution

Monthly Archives: November 1781

Simon Taylor to Chaloner Arcedeckne, 26 November 1781

By Admms |

By the end of November 1781, news of the British capitulation at Yorktown had reached Jamaica. In Taylor’s formulation, the failure of British forces in America, combined with the new high duties on sugar, amounted to a catastrophe for Jamaican planters. This war with the whole world must and will involve Britain and her dependencies […]

Posted in British Government, Kingston, Navy, North America/USA, Sugar, Taxes/duties, The Letters, War | Tagged , | Comments Off on Simon Taylor to Chaloner Arcedeckne, 26 November 1781


Simon Taylor to Chaloner Arcedeckne, 26 November 1781

By Admms |

Taylor saw enslaved people as little other than units of production but understood the necessity of enforcing routines that were conducive to efficient and sustained work. Here he talks about the value of having a medical doctor resident at Arcedeckne’s Golden Grove estate and critiques the practices of the white overseers who superintended the daily […]

Posted in Disease/health, Enslaved people, Food/provisions, Jobbing, Kingston, Plantation management, Slave trading, The Letters | Tagged , | Comments Off on Simon Taylor to Chaloner Arcedeckne, 26 November 1781