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Wednesday, 11 October 2023

EVANGELICAL WOMEN IN EARLY 1800/ MARY PRINCE P/81

                                                            Read Part One HERE


In this story I will focus on a woman named Mary Prince. She lived from 1788 -  (appr.) 1833. She was born enslaved at Devonshire, Parish, Bermuda. Her father was a sawyer enslaved by David Trimmingham, and her mother was a house servant held by Charles Myners. When Myners died in 1788, Mary and her mother were sold as household servants to Captain George Darrell. He gave Mary and her mother to his daughter, with Mary becoming the companion servant of his young granddaughter, Betsey Williams.

At the age of 12, Mary was sold for £ 38 to Captain John Ingham, of Spanish Point. Mary's new enslaver and his wife were cruel and often lost their tempers, and Mary was often flogged for minor offenses.

Captain Ingham sold Mary in 1803 to a salt raker, Robert Darrell, on Grand Turk in the Turks and Caicos Islands, who owned salt ponds. 

As a child Mary worked in poor conditions in the salt ponds up to her knees in water. Due to the nature of salt mining, Mary was often forced to work up to 17 hours straight as owners of the ponds were concerned that if the workers were gone too long rain would come and soil the salt. Generally, men were the salt rakers, while women did ther easier packaging of salt. 

Read Part Eighty-Two HERE

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