Cambridge Estate

Located in Jamaica's Trelawny Parish, the Barrett family's Cambridge estate was economically tied to the neighboring Oxford plantation, both of which were inherited by Edward Barrett Moulton Barrett, the father of Elizabeth Barrett Browning. Like Cornwall and Oxford, it lacked a main house and was thus primarily used for the production of crops and goods rather than residence. Though records predominantly indicate yields of sugar and rum, cattle, copper, and iron are also variously mentioned, along with an enslaved population ranging from the 200s to the low 300s.

Parent Map

Key Locations: EBB and the Landmarks of Slavery

Coordinates

Latitude: 18.435560000000
Longitude: -77.596500000000

Timeline of Events Associated with Cambridge Estate

Date Event Manage
25 Dec 1831 to 5 Jan 1832

The Baptist War

Lasting from Christmas day in 1831 until its eventual suppression on January 5, 1832, the Great Jamaican Slave Revolt was led by Black Baptist preacher Sam Sharpe. The uprising began as a strike centered on demands for increased wages but became violent on December 27th with the burning of the Kensington Estate in Montego Bay. Despite a crucial victory early on due to stockpiled weapons and ammunition, the enslaved workers' cause was weakened when martial law was enacted on December 31st, and the forces surrendered entirely by January 5th. The uprising became one of the largest in the West Indies, involving nearly 60,000 members (or 20%) of the island's enslaved population. By the end of the fight, rebel forces had set fire to over 100 properties. There were no deaths on the side of the colonial military and over 500 on that of the enslaved Jamaicans--207 killed during the revolt and another 310 to 340, including Sharpe, executed afterward. Despite the defeat of the enslaved population, the revolt played a crucial role in furthering abolitionist causes across the British Empire, as seen in the passage of the Slavery Abolition Act in August of the following year.

 Adolphe Duperly, The Destruction of Roehampton Estate. 1832 Adolphe Duperly, The Destruction of Roehampton Estate. 1832