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Abstract
This paper presents the argument that Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands represented a viable slave society throughout its slave century (1734-1834). Keen to counter the popular Caymanian claim that Grand Cayman did not represent a "true" slave society, the author thereafter strives to confirm this island's slavocratic worth by analysing the ways in which its hierarchical, demographic, and economic conditions illumined the institutional importance of slavery despite the fact of that island's relative isolation, neglect and poverty.
Abbreviations
CINA Cayman Islands National Archives
PRO Public Records Office
CO Colonial Office
Introduction
The islands of Cayman Brae and Little Cayman were first sighted by Christopher Columbus on 10 May 1503.1 We cannot be certain when Grand Cayman was first sighted, but in 1586 English captain and privateer Sir Francis Drake and his fleet found themselves there on a twoday layover.2 Uninhabited, these islands remained relatively worthless Spanish New World properties until 1655 when the English seized Spanish Jamaica and in their efforts gained all three Cayman Islands, which are located 180 miles to the northwest of Jamaica and have a combined land mass of roughly 100 square miles.3 From 1658 to 1670, the islands' reputation for abundant supplies of turtle - a reputation in place since the previous century - led to Little Cayman's temporary settlement, albeit without slaves.4 Although it has been widely believed that Cayman Brae was also settled at this time, there is no conclusive evidence. However, we can be certain that the village on Little Cayman was a coastal one consisting of at least twenty thatched dwellings, and had its own governor who was referred to as Captain Ary.5 Based on incomplete archaeological evidence, Roger Smith has conjectured that these dwellings were not permanent ones but were used by fishermen who most likely came from Jamaica at certain times during the year to fish and catch turtle.6 Thus, Little Cayman's governorship might have simply been an added security feature, especially at a time when Spanish-Anglo tensions were high.
In July 1670, just before Thomas Lynch was to replace Thomas Modyford as Jamaica's governor, the Jamaican Council issued a proclamation to the settlers on Little Cayman, pardoning the "divers, Soldiers, Planters . . . [and] Privateers [of their] past irregular...