The Past Speaks

Histories of Enslavement in the Maritime Atlantic: Slave Labour, the Halifax and Bermuda Royal Naval Dockyards, and Shipbuilding in Bermuda and Grand Turk Island

Last week, team member Margot Maddison-MacFadyen visited the Nova Scotia Public Archives and uncovered connections between slavery, the Royal Dockyard at Halifax, and pine masts from the St. John River, New Brunswick. She also considers slavery and the Royal Dockyard at Bermuda, and Woodville, a “mansion” situated on Grand Turk Island, British West Indies, that demonstrates the use of recycled ships’ parts, including ships’ masts, in its construction.

Why I am Interested in this Project

I’m a PhD candidate in Interdisciplinary Studies at the Memorial University of Newfoundland. My dissertation is titled Reclaiming Histories of Enslavement in the Maritime Atlantic: The History of Mary Prince. It’s a mixed bag, including four subject areas: Education, English, Gender Studies and History. It’s driven by historical research.

Mary…