Barbados Slave Lists
Slaves with Surnames
This list is taken from Plantation Sales, Wills and Deeds found at random, over the course of 20 years, at the Barbados Department of Archives (BDA). This website holds no claim to perfect accuracy in all its references and it is up to interested parties to verify the data provided.
Second generation slaves and onwards often received the first name of a parent in addition to their own or a combination of both parents’ names so that one will find James, Thomas, Grace, Jane, Patience, Bess etc. as surnames which have no connection with other holders of the name from Europe.
Slaves as well as servants might be leased and moved to other plantations in Barbados or abroad so that in some lists the names may re-occur Some European slaves were sold on the block for life and in rare cases such as that of Ould Whitefoot, they appear listed with their African and Native American counterparts. Usually, they were referred to as servants. On such lists one might find evidence of miscegenation whereby women of non-European first names bear English surnames which fact suggests that these were their wives or that the males with surnames on the list were in fact themselves mulattoes inasmuch as they are listed as negroes.
Some slaves with surnames may be found among the Baptisms in Sanders Barbados Records. Ancestry.com makes available to the public the Slave Registers dated from 1812 to 1838 and is very user friendly. Some Slave Register microfilmed rolls are at the University of the West Indies but are tedious to go through.
Slaves not only possessed surnames but they also inherited property. For example:
1799 Will of George Brooks, free negro of St. Michael
“I give and bequeath unto my wife Rose a negro woman the property of Mrs. Thomas Chase the house I live in. … I give and bequeath unto my daughter Cuddy, a free negro, all the rest of my estate, except my linnen which I give my son George a slave to said Mr. Thomas Chase.” (BDA RB6/42/193)
1812 Will of Richard Lucas, free negro of St. Michael
Gave a messuage opposite the Alms House to “Sally, a negro woman the property of Miss Ann Jordan Lucas … To Willy, a mulatto woman and Molly Cuffy, a negro woman property of Ann Jordan Lucas he bequeathed a tenement leeward of Sally’s. To Edmund, the property of Miss Ann Keyzer and to Ann belonging to Ann Jordan Lucas he gave a messuage in Lightfoot Ground. He also bequeathed slaves to his sons a slave called Latta Thompson and two slaves to friends (BDA RB4/59/60)
BDA REFERENCE |
NAMES |
TRANSACTION |
DATE |
RB3/5/125 |
ARAKY, James; BACON, Tom; BYRAM, Tony; MAYLY, Quomony; MAYLY, Tom; MEDORA, Jack; NEALY, Sary |
GEORGES |
1646 |
RB3/8/273 |
BRAY, Betty; COOK, John |
COWSE/BULKELEY |
1671 |
RB3/11/508 |
BELL, Sarah; CUSONS, Judy; GOULD, Peter; LASELL, Jos; LASELL, Marria; PHARROCK, Mary; PHARROCK, Mingo; |
HAWLEY/MORRISS |
1674 |
RB3/14/04 |
BULL, Kate; BULL, Mally; WHITE, Jack |
ROLLSTONE/ |
1681 |
RB3/14/99 |
TAMBERLAINE, Will |
GAY/GIBBS |
1681 |
RB3/13/284 |
EATON, John (a Madagascar - excepted from sale) |
SEARLE/ FRERE |
1683 |
RB3/10/104 |
FIDLER, Tom; SAWYER, Jack |
FENWICK/CRYER |
1685 |
|
CARTER, Peter; CARTER, Lally; CARTER, Tom; |
FORTESCUE/BROMLEY |
1688 |
RB3/15/465 |
HAWKESWORTH, Betty; HARDING, Cuffie; |
THORNHILL/HOLDER |
1689 |
RB3/19/535 |
BRADFORD, Robin; CROCKER, Nane; |
BROME/ YEAMANS |
1694 |
BDA REFERENCE |
NAMES |
TRANSACTION |
DATE |
|
RB6/5/505 |
ASH, Jack; BRAGG, Sarah; COOPER, Robin |
LILLINGTON WILL |
1710 |
|
RB3/37/131 |
BUTCHER, Tom; SHEPHERD, Ben |
HOWARD/ GIBBES |
1746 |
|
RB3/37/463 |
ATHERLEY, Caesar; ATHERLEY, Casar; |
GITTENS/ DRAKE |
1747 |
|
RB6/3/516 |
SCOTT, Mary |
BEST WILL |
1758 |
|
|
BATT, Tom; COOK, Tom; FISHER, Tom; GRIGG, Billy |
RICE WILL |
1766 |
|
RB6/1/187 |
BRICE, Mary |
GASKIN WILL |
1767 |
|
RB6/31/194 |
BAYLEY, Moll |
GASKIN WILL |
1769 |
|
RB6/20/92 |
NIBLETT, Betty and her child Anthony |
POOLE WILL |
1770 |
|
RB6/36/466 |
BEND, Phillis; PARKER, Fanny |
WORREL WILL |
1782 |
|
RB6/19/126 |
BURNETT, Sarah; CARMADY, Cuffy; CLARKE, Judy; |
WHITFOOT WILL |
1789 |
|
RB6/19/217 |
AMBROSE, Betty and her child Corinna |
STRAGHAN WILL |
1790 |
|
RB6/19/384 |
BLAKE, Jack |
PERRY WILL |
1791 |
|
RB6/42/125 |
MCGEE, Harry |
WALKE WILL |
1799 |
|
RB1/216/224 |
ALKINS, Rosey; ATKINS, Mary; BECK, Nanny; |
TROTMAN/ WILLIAMS & HINDS |
1801 |
|
RB1/227/180 |
BAKER, Mary; BANTOM , Mary; BARKER , Molly ; ELLICK, Robert; SYMES, Tom ; TYRWHIT, Betty ; TYRWHIT, Jenny TYRWHIT, Lilley ; TYRWHIT, Nanny; TYRWHIT, Peggy;TYRWHIT, Thomas; TYRWHIT, Ned |
YOUNG ET AL / PRESCOD HINDS |
1804 |
|
RB1/241/195 |
BROOKS, Molly; WATSON, John |
PRESCOD/ GIBBS |
1809 |
|
RB1/248/160 |
LAW, Tom; MILLER, Cubbah |
BEST/BRANDON |
1811 |
|
RB4/59/190 |
ADAMS, Ned; DUKE, James; DUKE, John |
BEST WILL |
1813 |
|
RB1/262/317 |
BROWN, Kitty; CANTWELL, Dolly; INCE, John; JAMES, John; KING, Betsy; KING, James; |
SPOONER/JONES |
1816 |
|
RB4/67/158 |
HOPE, Ben; HOPE, James; SMITH, James; |
WALCOTT WILL |
1817 |
|
RB1/239/4 |
JOHNSON, Billy; KING, BETSY; RICEY, Margaret; THOMAS, Kitty |
BEST/GRASETT |
1819 |
|
RB1/266/131 |
BELGRAVE, Will; BELGRAVE, Princess; |
OUGHTERSON RE: PADMORE |
1819 |
|
RB1/266/73 |
COOK, Betty; TAYLOR, Betty |
YOUNG/BELGRAVE |
1819 |
|
RB1/262/272 |
ARCHER, Molly; ARMSTRONG, Molly; AUSTIN, Abel; AUSTIN, Jane; AUSTIN, Joe; AUSTIN, William; BARROW, Leah; BOYLE, William; COLE, George; JONES, Sally; LACY, John; ROSE, Tom |
LICORISH / LICORISH |
1820 |
|
RB1/267/156 |
HAMMON, Dick |
FARNUM/ NEBLETT |
1820 |
|
RB4/62/94 |
AMBROSE, Betty; PADMORE, Nancy |
BROWNE WILL |
1820 |
|
Rb1/270/88 |
BLACKETT, Jenny |
MAHON/NIXON |
1821 |
|
RB4/63/143 |
WORM, Hester; WORM, Patience |
REBITT WILL |
1825 |
|
RB6/22/162 |
MARKS, Peg; ROACH, Hagar |
JORDAN WILL |
|
|
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