Registry of Slaves of the British Caribbean 1817-1834
Related Documents
Inscribed on the Memory of the World International Register in 2009 (within an addendum from Bermuda accepted in 2011) and on the MoW Regional Register in 2011, the Registry of Slaves of the British Caribbean 1817-1834 represents the archive holdings from Bahamas Archives Department (The Bahamas); Belize Archives and Records Service (Belize); Bermuda Government Archives (Bermudas); National Documentation Centre (Dominica); The Archive Unit of the Jamaica Archive and Record Department (Jamaica); National Archives (Trinidad and Tobago); National Archives, Government Headquarters (St. Kitts and Nevis); National Archives (United Kingdom).
For example, the collection of Slave Registers for Trinidad and Tobago at the National Archives consists of eight bound volumes, mainly from Tobago, covering the period 1819 to 1832. A slave registry was established in Trinidad following an Order in Council of 1812. Under this Act no slaves could be bought, sold, inherited or moved between the islands unless they were officially registered. Other West Indian colonies soon adopted this practice. This collection is of national significance as it represents a primary source for the study of British West Indian enslaved persons.
The Slave registers for Trinidad and Tobago (from the Registry of Slaves of the British Caribbean 1817-1834, which was inscribed on the international Memory of the World Register in 2009) was also inscribed on the Trinidad and Tobago Memory of the World Register in 2010.
Risks encountered
Environmental issues
| Identified risks | Level of risk |
|---|---|
Moisture | Low |
Temperature | Low |
Light (visible light, ultraviolet radiation, etc.) | None |
Dust | None |
Pollution | None |
Pests (rodents, animals, insects, etc.) | None |
Microorganisms (bacteria, mould, etc.) | Low |
Management or organizational issues
| Identified risks | Level of risk |
|---|---|
Lack of maintenance, including cleaning | None |
Inadequate building | None |
Building with structural damage | None |
Lack of an adequate warehouse | None |
Lack of boxes and/or archive materials | None |
Lack of human resources | Low |
Lack of security measures | None |
Insufficient budget to operate | Moderate |
Lack of funding. Based on the budget received each year, much planning has to go into the conservation programme to ensure the collections are adequately preserved.
Natural disaster risks
| Identified risks | Level of risk |
|---|---|
Fires | High |
Rains | Low |
Mudslides or landslides | None |
Floods | None |
Hurricanes, cyclones, storms | Low |
Earthquakes | Low |
Tsunamis | None |
Volcanic eruptions | None |
Temperature increase | Low |
Located In The Caribbean, rains, hurricanes and earthquakes are the norm, but based on our location and the design of the building, the collections are not at risk (purpose-built archives). Our primary risk at the moment is that of a fire. The fire suppression system is outdated (halon), and we are awaiting the system change.
Political and/or social risks
| Identified risks | Level of risk |
|---|---|
Armed conflicts | None |
Illegal trafficking of documents | None |
Thefts or robberies | None |
Vandalism | None |
Threatening socio-cultural environment | None |
Lack of support/public policies | None |
There are no significant risks in this area. There are security measures in place to prevent theft and the illegal trafficking of records.
Environment (location) issues
| Identified risks | Level of risk |
|---|---|
Material/storage units | None |
Furniture | None |
Room or warehouse | None |
Building | None |
Site or neighbourhood | None |
Area or region, beyond the neighbourhood | None |
Indicators
| Identified risks | |
|---|---|
Management Plan | Yes |
Response Protocol | Yes |
Documentary heritage digitization | Yes, partially |
50% of the documentary heritage are digitised and the remaining 50% are on microfilm. The plan is to digitise the microfilms. | |
Documentary heritage availability on the internet | No |
Between September 2022 and January 2023, the air conditioning system was down due to a lightning strike which damaged the variable frequency drives (vfd). the parts had to be imported, which took longer than expected. Additionally, leaks were noticed in the roof (rainy season) at the beginning of october 2022, which increased the building´s moisture level, resulting in mould growth. The roof and air conditioning system were repaired and recommissioned on february 1, 2023. During this period, the holdings were exposed to temperature and relative humidity fluctuations and mould growth on leather bindings. On the registered collections, there were no visible signs of mould, but the necessary remediations were requested.