Ancestors from the Caribbean

Slave registers

These registers were compiled between c1812 and 1834 and the information they contain varies across the former colonies.

However, they were updated every three years or so, making them very useful in establishing who was born, who died and who was moved in between updates.

They are arranged by parish and, typically, they record:

• The slave's name and age
• Their owner
• Any movement or change of ownership
• Grants of freedom
• Whether born in Africa or the Caribbean

Some contain additional details, including:

• Family relationships
• Colour (as an indicator of the degree of racial mix)
• Country of origin
• Tribal markings or tattoos
• Other remarks

Some of these registers are held in local archives in the Caribbean, but some were transferred to England and are held at The National Archives (TNA) (opens new window).

These registers can also be viewed online at Ancestry (opens new window). This is a subscription website, but can be viewed free of charge at the Norfolk Record Office (NRO), the Norfolk Heritage Centre (NHC) and King's Lynn Borough Archives.

Slave Compensation Commission

Following the abolition of slavery, the commission was set up to value slaves and compensate their owners.

Information on individual slaves is mostly limited to name, age and work, but occasionally there is additional information, such as a mother and child being valued together.

These records are held by TNA.

Slave owners' records

Records relating to the plantations and their owners can also include valuable information about enslaved people.

Records may be kept in the local archives or, if the owner lived in or returned to Britain, they may be held in county record offices in the UK. Useful records may include:

• Wills and other probate records
• Personal papers and correspondence
• Business records and accounts
• Inventories and valuations
• Estate papers

Reports of Protectors of Slaves

These began to be taken in 1824. They record details of punishments, conditions and complaints against owners, as well as notes on grants of freedom and marriages.

TNA holds reports from St Lucia, Trinidad and Guyana.

Local archives in the Caribbean may hold reports from other former colonies.