Know more about the Sharpe Rebellion and local connections.
1831 was an electric time in Jamaica. There was talk amongst the enslaved that freedom was around the corner. By this time more than at any time before they were aware of the abolitionist movement in Britain[1]. However, whilst this was encouraging it was also infuriating that this promising sign had no definite end in sight. They were aware that in the 1820s the British parliament had expressed a wish for enslavement to end, yet, no date was confirmed.[2] There was a mood to take this final, decisive step themselves. If the abolitionists could not, and the government would not, the enslaved would free themselves.
Amongst the slave owners, there was talk of secession from Britain and even joining the USA as the 25th state to preserve enslavement.
Into this atmosphere stepped preacher Samuel Sharpe who was to lead the latest in the major revolts, following Tacky, Nanny, L'Ouverture in large scale rebellion and fight for freedom in Christmas 1831.[3]
The rebellion that followed started as a strike, the enslaved, after swearing an oath, planned to all refuse to work. The plantation owners, the British army and government of Jamaica collectively reacted to the strike with violence, and the enslaved rebels fought back, though with less intent to kill.
The rebellion was eventually beaten, Sharpe was hanged after a quick trial, the same fate of many he led into rebellion. Fifteen White people died but more than 500 Black people lost their lives, most as a result of execution following quick trials.[4]
This was the largest rebellion since the successful Haiti rebellion. Word of the way the rebellion was conducted and the brave way those condemned to die spread (It was said that those hanged, died with bravery.)and helped the abolitionist cause in Britain to argue for an end to enslavement. Even those who were pro-slavery saw that now to maintain enslavement would take more effort and more expense.
The interesting talk of secession from Britain was spoken about as a way to maintain the status quo, as even the slight changes made from Britain about the treatment of the enslaved seemed to point to its eventual end and therefore, as it was seen, a death blow to the plantation economies of the West Indies. That some plantation owners saw the United States over Britain as a way to maintain their position reveals something of where the two countries were seen to be heading in the 1830’s.
And although the rebellion started as a strike, they had also formed armed groups, but they had no time to train or to organise properly.
With this as a background and the overwhelming force of the plantation owners and the British army, the rebellion stood little chance.
It was noted that the captured enslaved sent to the gallows or those killed by firing squad went with a courageous manner that unnerved the British. The British soldiers were seen as victorious but beaten: an ominous sign.
It also shows how communication had grown and could influence events. News of abolitionist thought had spurred the rebellion. The rebellion now spurred the abolitionist cause. William Knibb, a white preacher who moved to Jamaica and campaigned against enslavement who had a minor role in the rebellion, was chased out of Jamaica. Returning to Britain he went on a speaking tour to talk about the horrors of enslavement. He spoke in Brunswick Place Chapel in Newcastle in January 1833.[5] (This counters the arguments that one factor such as economy or abolitionist action in Britain was responsible for abolition as it shows that communication allowed the factors to influence each other, albeit in an unorganised way and no one element was responsible, rather a mix of all elements ended British enslavement in the West Indies.)
Link to our region - The Graham-Clarke Family
The Graham-Clarke family based in Newcastle were a powerful business family that for many generations had business interests in many different areas of northeast industry, including mining and shipping (which included the importing of sugar (LINK TO PAGE ON SUGAR)) They also, over generations, enslaved people in a number of Jamaican plantations.
Jacob Graham, born in Cumbria around 1746 spent time in Jamaica. He owned and lived in the Lapland estate in Jamaica. The UCL compensation database lists the Lapland estate as having enslaved over 130 people.[6] (The numbers fluctuate year on year and gradually decline to 81 in the 1830’s when the estate was owned by his descendants)
Northumberland archives (https://www.northumberlandarchives.com/learn/black-history/graham-deed/) hold a document that shows Jacob Graham ‘purchasing’ 14 enslaved people in 1815. Their names are listed on the document and show a mix of European names and names from the Classical era - Plato, Pomona, Portia (For more information on the importance of names click here) among others.[7]
Jacob Graham’s estates were passed to his nephew John Graham-Clarke. John Charlton writes of John Graham Clarke
[Jacob Graham] bequeathed his large Jamaican plantations of Lapland and Bamboo to John Graham Clarke . . . He owned three substantial properties on Pilgrim Street, Newcastle, mansions at Fenham Hall and Kenton Lodge; 200 acres in the East Riding of Yorkshire, and the Frocester Estate near Gloucester. He had been a trustee of the Fenton and Nesbitt Estate at Wooler, Northumberland. He owned a brewery, flax mills, and sugar houses on both sides of the Tyne, Coxlodge colliery and the Northumberland Glass Company at Lemington and Ouseburn. He had dabbled in rum imports, possessed at least four ships and had a share in the Burdon and Surtees Bank . . . His wider family had connections with at least 15 properties in Jamaica and the most likely explanation for this great wealth is that some of the Caribbean interests registered in his will were of very long standing, possibly even predating his arrival in Newcastle in 1761.[8]
The family carried on after him, in the ownership of plantations and the enslaving of people therein. John Graham Clark, like so many of his time, gave money to good causes at the same time as enslaving people, including donations to the Newcastle Infirmary and the Assembly Rooms.[9] However, it would be impossible to say if that money came directly from his connections to Jamaica.
Of interest here is that he was working in a place that was loudly against enslavement. He must have been aware of the petitions, protests and boycotts in Newcastle in a trade he was a major player in. And although this activity was going on in Newcastle and all over the region, there is no mention of the protests ever directly focusing on local businessmen such as the Graham Clarkes.
The Lapland estate had been in the hands of this family for a while. It is mentioned in a PhD thesis on Maroon involvement in rebellion in Jamaica as belonging to the Clarke family in 1720’s.[10] It is later mentioned as having been caught up in the rebellion by Bernard Martin Senior in a book published in 1835.[11] The Lapland estate is also listed in the Slavery Compensation database as belonging to Graham Clarke.[12]
The significance of the rebellion
In modern times the debate continues as to whether Sharpe was leading a peaceful strike that quickly became violent or whether violence was inherent in his plan.[13]
In Montego Bay, Jamaica, Sam Sharpe Square commemorates the man and the rebellion he led in the place where he was executed. His importance to Jamaican identity is shown in his statue, preaching to others, situated next to a small building that used to imprison runaway slaves. His face is on Jamaican currency and his name and a teaching college in Montego Bay is named after him.
There are many ways to measure historical significance.[14] We will not use a particular method here but any you use will allow a greater understanding of the Sharpe Rebellion. It spread beyond Jamaica and influenced other events. It reveals a lot about the time and place, in that it shows the power of the church in abolitionist thought. There was a backlash against church buildings after the rebellion was quashed. It shows the importance of growing communication and literacy amongst the enslaved. Whether you believe that this was a major or minor step towards abolition in the West Indies is for you to consider. Or was this a clear sign that the end of enslavement was near.
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[1] Tom Zoellner, Island on Fire audiobook, narrated by Mirran Willis. Chapter 9. Launched into Eternity. 1.00 min accessed 07.08.22.
[2] Hart, R., 2002. Slaves who abolished slavery. Kingston: Inst. of Social and Economy. Research 244
[3] Tom Zoellner, Island on Fire audiobook, narrated by Mirran Willis. Chapter 4. The Door of No Return 48.00 mins. Accessed 07.08.22.
[4] Jis.gov.jm. 2022. Samuel Sharpe – Jamaïcain Information Service. [online] Available at: <https://jis.gov.jm/information/heroes/samuel-sharpe/> [Accessed 9 August 2022].
[5] https://libraries.newcastle.gov.uk/GroupedWork/83a946e5-e1db-fd97-9cd6-09372d04db47-eng/Home accessed 08.07.2022.
[6] Jacob Graham (no date) Summary of Individual | Legacies of British Slavery. Available at: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/lbs/person/view/2146652565 (Accessed: 25 September 2023).
[7] Deed recording the sale of enslaved people in Jamaica, 1815 (2022) Northumberland Archives. Available at: https://www.northumberlandarchives.com/learn/black-history/graham-deed/ (Accessed: 25 September 2023).
[8] Charlton, J. (2008) Hidden chains: The Slavery Business and Northeast England. Newcastle upon Tyne: Tyne Bridge Publishing. Pg 124
[9] Deed recording the sale of enslaved people in Jamaica, 1815 (2022) Northumberland Archives. Available at: https://www.northumberlandarchives.com/learn/black-history/graham-deed/ (Accessed: 25 September 2023).
[10] Thesis: Michael Sivapragasam (2018) "After the Treaties: A Social, Economic and Demographic History of Maroon Society in Jamaica, 1739-1842", University of Southampton, Department of history, PhD Thesis, pagination Pg 146. Accessed via https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/423482/1/LIBRARY_COPY_After_The_Treaties_Final.pdf 19/05/2024
[11] Bernard Martin Senior, Jamaica, as it was, as it is, and as it may be comprising interesting topics for absent proprietors, merchants, &c., and valuable hints to persons intending to emigrate to the island: Pg 254
[12] Jamaica st James 10 (Lapland) (no date) Details of Claim | Legacies of British Slavery. Available at: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/lbs/claim/view/17879 (Accessed: 19 May 2024).
[13] Tom Zoellner, Island on Fire audiobook, narrated by Mirran Willis. Epilogue. Accessed 08.08.22.
[14] Teaching History 181. What’s the wisdom on . . . Historical Significance