Last Sunday evening, September 20th, the Ebenezer Methodist Church was the scene of great historic revelation as Barrister at Law, Mr. Carlysle Rogers, son of one of Anguilla’s patriots, the late John “Bob” Rogers, deliberated on the grim historical incidents experienced by our enslaved ancestors — with emphasis on slavery in Anguilla.
Mr. Rogers highlighted the embittered plight which befell imported African peoples at the hands of brutal slave merchants and slave masters from the mid-17th century until emancipation in 1834. It was a lecture of “Distinguished Emancipation”, presented under the auspices of the UWI
Open Campus and the Anguilla Country Conference — in collaboration with the Anguilla Circuit of the Methodist Church.
The special event, which is an annual expose of the black race’s struggle for freedom and justice, was originally slated to take place during the month of July, but had to be postponed due to restrictions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. In retrospect, holding the event last Sunday was quite a befitting tribute to the late Rev. Dr. Wycherley Gumbs who suddenly passed away on September 4th. He was a longstanding icon in the ministry of Methodism in the region, and also an outstanding stalwart for championing the cause of people of African origin.
The Sunday evening’s event was moderated by Aunika Webster-Lake, and Rev. Wilmoth Hodge offered the invocation. The National Choir, directed by Lois Hazell, harmoniously rendered the Black National Anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing”. This was followed by other musical items including: a medley by the Rastafarian group, Roots Binghi; the song “If I Had a Hammer”, by the Methodist Men’s Fellowship; and Akira Rogers’ playing of the renown negro spiritual, “Nobody Knows the Trouble I See”, on the bass clarinet. In addition, Lena Gumbs, sister of the deceased Rev. Gumbs, gave a brief account on the perils faced by restrained slaves during the 5,000 mile journey of the Middle Passage — a horrific, inhumane trip from Africa to the Caribbean. But perhaps the most captivating rendition on the programme was a rhythmic folkloric tune of social liberation, originating out of South African, entitled “Shosholoza”, meaning “Push Forward”. It was performed by the National Choir, led by soloist Andrew Niles. All these items were obviously selected to encompass and complement the profound theme of a “Distinguished Emancipation”.
In presenting some brief remarks before the Emancipation lecture, Country Manager of UWI Open Campus, Mrs. Phyllis Fleming-Banks reflected heavily on Rev. Wycherley Gumbs passion for the slaves’ emancipation. She noted: “In 2016, inspired by the UWI alumnus, activist and superintendent, Rev. Dr. Wycherley Gumbs, we launched the UWI Open Campus Anguilla Emancipation Lecture series, in collaboration with the Anguilla Methodist Church.
“Rev. Dr. Wycherley Gumbs used to always say — as he constantly reminded us and admonished us: ‘The commemoration of emancipation is a must. We must continually remind ourselves of the struggles and trials of our ancestors. We must teach our children from whence we came,’” “So, lest we forget,” she said, “ this evening we are particularly pleased to have a member of the Ebenezer congregation delivering our 2020 lecture, in the person of Mr. Carlyle Rogers, and we dedicate this lecture to Dr. Wycherley Gumbs who has joined the throngs of ancestors who would have gone before. And we will continue to host these lectures, lest we forget.”
Introduced by the Director of Youth and Culture, Avon Carty, Carlyle Rogers took the stage and opened his lecture by stating that his address was entitled “Slavery in Anguilla and the Price of Emancipation”.
He observed: “It is indeed an honour and privilege to have been invited to present this lecture, and I hope that I can do justice to this topic. It is quite fitting that we should assemble here in this church, built by the hands of slaves, to teach this generation of Anguillians, from whence they came and who benefitted from the enslavement of our ancestors.
“I wish to thank Messrs. Colville Petty and Don Mitchell for their research into this period of Anguilla’s history at the British National Archives at Kew Gardens in London. Additionally, I am in recognition of the Legacies of British Slave-ownership Centre at University College London. Finally, let me thank the British for keeping such meticulous records of their crimes so that we can study the truth of what happened in this place, when white was legally right. I am pleased that this truth can be revealed now and for future generations.”
Mr. Rogers continued: “Petty, in one of his seminal works, titled: “A Handbook History of Anguilla, Second Edition”, published in 2015, notes that by 1716, Anguilla’s population comprised 424 whites and 829 slaves. By 1720, it had increased to 548 whites and 879 blacks.
“It is agreed that conditions for all persons living in Anguilla in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries were harsh. Some appear to believe that slavery did not exist in Anguilla while others seek to minimize its presence. History tells a different story, though. While slavery in Anguilla was not on a large scale akin to Jamaica, Barbados or anything like what existed in America’s southern states, the basic dynamics existed here and probably were worse as a result of the harsh conditions that Anguillians faced due to the poverty brought on by the poor quality of Anguilla’s soil and the small-scale nature of the estates.”
While The Anguillian is not reporting Mr. Rogers’ lecture in its entirety, it does relay a few of the atrocities which the slaves were subjected to on the estates, as alluded to in his deliberations.
Continuing to derive his information from Petty’s historical chronicles, Mr. Rogers went on: “One Governor of the Leeward Islands, Walter Hamilton, observed that there were times when it was difficult to find a suitable person from the among the white inhabitants in Anguilla to appoint as Deputy Governor. Conditions were so harsh that many Anguillians sought to leave. In 1717, Abraham Howell led some 40 whites and 20 to 30 blacks, mostly slaves we can assume, although possibly freed blacks as well, to settle in Vieques, known then as Crab Island, which is off the coast of Puerto Rico. Petty notes it was the harsh conditions in Anguilla that prompted this move. ‘The island was so worn out that the people could hardly feed their families.’
“By 1724, due to migration, and the natural cycle of life, we can assume, Anguilla’s population consisted of 360 whites and 900 blacks, most of whom would have been slaves, of course. Petty notes also that there was a fierce contention for land and many settlers lived in utter poverty. Food, clothing and shelter were most unsatisfactory. The state of lawlessness on Anguilla compelled the then Governor of the Leeward Islands, John Hart, to appoint six Justices of the Peace, a Provost Marshal and a Secretary to administer justice and restore order.
“A decade later, life for all Anguillians was no better. William Matthew Jr., Governor of the Leeward Islands, reported to officials in London in 1734 that he did not know what to do with the inhabitants of Anguilla and the Virgin Islands because they lived like so many bandits in open defiance of the laws of God and men. He recommended the setting up of legislative assemblies for the making of proper laws and the appointment of three or four justices to travel through the islands to settle disputes.
“While overall macroeconomic conditions affected all Anguillians, and slave-owners freed blacks and slaves in varying degrees, the effects on the slaves were extremely pernicious. This is exemplified in the will of Deputy Governor John Richardson who died on Christmas Day 1742. In his will, he said: ‘I give unto Mrs. Catherine Red in consideration of several good deeds done for me, one negro boy and one negro wench, fit to be put to the wash tub.’ Contemplate that for moment. To leave by will, the lives of two persons, as property, to Mrs. Red in consideration of several good deeds done for him, two persons fit to work at the wash tub.
“In 1795, the will of John Carter, a white planter, read in part: “I give unto my son, John Carter, a negro man called Colah, to him, his heirs and assigns forever. I give unto my daughter Mary Harragin, a negro wench called Dinah. I give unto my wife Ruth Carter, a negro girl called Rebecca, to will and dispose of as she may think proper. The residue of my negroes namely: Judy, Sam, Bellah, Sarah, Present, Rachel and Harry, I give unto my wife, Ruth Carter, during her life or widowhood.’
“In addition to being treated as mere property to be left by will, slaves were forbidden from being given religious instruction and education up until the early 1800s. In 1769, Benjamin Gumbs III prosecuted Andrew Johnston for “harbouring and entertaining slaves.” Petty notes that this was a common charge brought against Methodist and Baptist preachers who were found preaching to slaves. Johnston was punished with six weeks imprisonment and ordered to pay the costs of his trial being 3 pounds and 12 shillings. This might not have been such a great problem for the slave-owners however, since by November 1796, Anguilla had no churches considering that the French had burnt the last one, I suppose, back then. Religious instruction only resumed in the island with the work of John Hodge, a free coloured Anguillian who introduced Methodism in Anguilla in 1813.
“Lacking no legal protections at all, despite possessing economic value given through their free labour, slaves were treated brutally by the legal system. Two examples, again from Petty’s work, illustrate this trend. On 26th December 1795, during the morning, a negro man named Castillo confessed to murdering another negro man, named Beaverhood. Castillo was hung at Crocus Bay at 4 p.m. the same day, as ordered by the Court. Punishment was not only swift; it was also brutal.
“On 25th September 1820, six slaves, Jacob, Scipio, London and Miranda Brookes, Bacchus Derrick, and Scipio Bryan were hung at Crocus Bay between 10 a.m. and 12 noon for burglary committed on the dwelling house of Elizabeth MacDonnah, a white woman. They were convicted by an all-white jury. In a mere 5 days, it will be 200 years since that event.
“The case of a slave named Charlotte was marginally better, I suppose, when she was accused by Benjamin Gumbs-Hodge of threatening to burn down his house. This was in 1826. He had her transported to Dog Island as punishment. On 9th October 1832, he was indicted before the Court of King’s Bench and Common Pleas, which existed at that time, for assaulting Charlotte. There is no record of what became of the trial of Charlotte but unless rescued, Charlotte is unlikely to have survived on Dog Island for the 6 years it took for this matter to reach the court.
“Benjamin Gumbs-Hodge was Anguilla’s first representative on the Board of Council in St. Kitts after Anguilla joined in a legislative union in 1825. I doubt, therefore, that he suffered any punishment for his treatment of Charlotte. While punishment was swift in the case of slaves, for the white slave-owners it was both slow and non-existent unless a fellow-white person was involved.”
Mr. Rogers referred to other cases of carnage which our ancestral slaves suffered at the hands of authoritarian slave- owners and the unjust officials who were appointed as governors.
Mr. Rogers continued: “The price of emancipation in Anguilla was approximately GBP36,452, countless lives lost (which can never be fully known) and the 2,307 slaves who survived long enough to be freed. Some years ago, it was said that a former Attorney General made the comment that there is no such person as an indigenous Anguillian. But I say from this place, tell that to the 2,307 Anguillians who survived long enough to secure their freedom and who formed the basic gene-pool from which many of us are here tonight and continue to live as descendants in this place.”
In concluding, Mr. Rogers paid tribute to those who braved the struggles and hardship by saying: “We tip our hats to those who survived, and we thank God that they have done so, so that we may still be here.” Then, focusing on the audience, he remarked: “I end by thanking you for listening and hope that someone in this church now will take up the mantle to continue this research so that future lectures on this topic can be held, as we prepare to mark the 200th anniversary of emancipation in a mere 14 years from now.”
– Staff Reporter, James R. Harrigan
