Researching Enslaved Ancestors in the former British Empire

Researching enslaved ancestors in the former British Empire is not as hopeless as it may initially seem. With well kept records and archives now available online, researching enslaved ancestors is possible. Here we share some strategies to aid in your research.

The Centre for the Study of the Legacies of British Slavery has created a wonderful beginning point for researching your enslaved ancestors. Their database has indexed many records, including a majority of the registers and compensation records, as well as correspondence and parliamentary papers. Note that this is an index and does not generally include the original record. It is always key in genealogical research to continue on to obtain the original record.

The Enslaver

It is impossible to research enslaved ancestors without knowing who the enslaver was. Records will be indexed under the enslaver, not the enslaved. Particularly before the slave registers begun in 1814, research will have to rely on plantation and manorial records. These are manuscript collections and private papers with no central repository. They may be at The National Archive, the national archive of the former colony, a local university, county record office, etc.

KEY TIP: Important to remember is that while the plantation may have been in Africa or the West Indies, if the family seat was in England, the family’s papers are more likely to be in the county record office or university library nearest one of the family’s ancestral homes.

The British government was not above the enslaving of people for their own purposes, particularly in the armed forces, or of accepting enslaved individuals through probate or as payment for taxes or court ordered fees. These enslaved individuals were often labourers or soldiers in West Indian Regiments. Several record sets are useful in searching those who were enslaved by the British government on emancipation, including military pension and dischargement records available through The National Archives in WO 97 (also on Find My Past) and ADM 29.

The Records

Several important sources of information were created between the 1807 passing of the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act and the 1834 official abolition of the holding of individual enslaved individuals.

It is important to treat these two as separate events for the former British Empire and its colonies, which varies greatly from the Emancipation granted in the United States. The formal abolition campaign in Parliament began in 1787 but did not come to fruition until 25 March 1807 when the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act made all purchase, sale, barter, or transfer of enslaved people unlawful, including the transportation of those intended to be sold by someone else.

While this made the capture and sale of African peoples illegal, it did nothing for those who were already enslaved within the British Empire and her colonies. It was another 50 years until individuals enslaved were granted their freedom. In 1834, enslaved individuals were “freed” but simply transmuted to involuntary apprentices until 1838.

Slavery Registers

Because of the movement toward abolition, and the decision on the part of the government that compensation would be paid to the enslavers for the loss of “property,” registers and returns of slaves began to be created near 1814 with the exact date varying by colony. The first register was to be a complete list of all enslaved individuals by enslaver, which would then be updated with new births, deaths, purchases, transfers, and exchanges due to probate.

These registers are phenomenal as they specifically name each individual—a rare nominal source in researching enslaved ancestors. When a new birth occurred on the plantation, the register will often record who the child’s mother was, allowing multiple generations to be reconstructed. When a new purchase was made, a country of birth is often noted, giving descendants information on where their ancestor may have been born. These registers were managed by the Office for the Registry of Colonial Slaves in London.

Compensation Ledgers

There was great motivation for enslavers to keep their information up to date in these registers as they were used to distribute the 20 million pounds set aside for compensation. In addition to the registers, researchers can access the ledgers of compensation that were paid. In rare cases these include the names of enslaved individuals, but they always include number of enslaved, which can be used to cross reference with the registers. These are available through The National Archives.

Apprenticeship Notes in Anglican Church Records

From 1834 to 1838, most of the British colonies implemented an apprenticeship system. Ostensibly, this was to prepare enslaved individuals for independence, but in reality, little changed. If a formerly enslaved, now apprenticed, person was married or baptized during this period, their former enslaver/master will appear in the church records. In fact, church records just after emancipation are a fantastic source for genealogists to gather enough information to work backward into slave registers and plantation papers.

Register Availability: (all are available onsite at The National Archives; those
marked with a * are available on Ancestry.com; those marked with a # are available on
FamilySearch)

• *Antigua (1817)
• *Bahamas (1822)
• *Barbados (1817)
• *Berbice (1818)
• Bermuda (1821)
• #Cape of Good Hope (1816)
  • Cape of Good Hope: Cape Town
  • Cape of Good Hope: George
  • Cape of Good Hope: Simons Town
  • Cape of Good Hope: Stellenbosch
  • Cape of Good Hope: Swellendam/Zwellendam
  • Cape of Good Hope: Tulbagh
  • Cape of Good Hope: Uitenhage
• *Ceylon (1818)
• Demerara (1817)
• *Dominica (1817)
  • Dominica: Roseau
  • Dominica: St. Andrew
  • Dominica: St. David
  • Dominica: St. George
  • Dominica: St. John
  • Dominica: St. Joseph
  • Dominica: St. Luke
  • Dominica: St. Mark
  • Dominica: St. Patrick
  • Dominica: St. Paul
  • Dominica: St. Peter
• *Grenada (1817)
  • Grenada: Carriacou
  • Grenada: Grenadines
  • Grenada: St. Andrew
  • Grenada: St. David
  • Grenada: St. George
  • Grenada: St. John
  • Grenada: St. Mark
  • Grenada: St. Patrick
• *Honduras (1834)
• * Jamaica (1817)
  • Jamaica: Cayman
  • Jamaica: Clarendon
  • Jamaica: St. Elizabeth
  • Jamaica: Hanover
  • Jamaica: Kingston
  • Jamaica: Manchester
  • Jamaica: Port Royal
  • Jamaica: Portland
  • Jamaica: St. Andrew
  • Jamaica: St. Ann
  • Jamaica: St. Catherine
  • Jamaica: St. David
  • Jamaica: St. Dorothy
  • Jamaica: St. George
  • Jamaica: St. Jame
  • Jamaica: St. John
  • Jamaica: St. Mary
  • Jamaica: St. Thomas in the East
  • Jamaica: St. Thomas in the Vale
  • Jamaica: Trelawney
  • Jamaica: Vere
  • Jamaica: Westmoreland
• *Mauritius (1817)
• Montserrat (1817)
• *Nevis (1817)
• *St. Christopher (1817)
• *St. Lucia (1815)
• *St. Vincent (1817)
• *Trinidad (1813)
• *Tobago (1819)
• *Virgin Islands (1818)

While it can be challenging researching enslaved ancestors in the British Empire, you don't have to go it alone and there are many resources available to assist you. Ready to take your research to the next level? Our team of expert genealogical researchers are available to assist in your goals. Reach out here to see how we can assist with your project. 

Sources:
“Slavery and the British Transatlantic Slave Trade,” The National Archives,
https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/british-
transatlantic-slave-trade-records/, accessed October 2022.
“The Database,” Centre for the Study of the Legacies of British Slavery,
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/lbs/project/details/, accessed October 2022.