Bajan Metallurgy: An Archival Exploration Of Local Blacksmithing, 1600-1800s

Summary

This is a poster submission presented at the 2023 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

In recent years, Trent’s Cave, located on Trents Plantation (St. James Parish, Barbados), has served as a site of personal interest due to the collection of iron and steel artifacts recovered from the cavern and surrounding area. Typically, when exploring the earliest industries found in Barbados from the 1600-1800s, rarely is the attention placed on the nature of metallurgy, or where metals were being imported from. Through exploring the archival and material records, this poster aims to provide a detailed narrative of the history of blacksmithing, ironworking, and other occupational roles that relied heavily on reworking metals. In addition, efforts will be made to uncover enslaved and free African knowledge of metallurgy practices, to see how it might have influenced material use and accessibility, between neighboring plantations and towns. Findings will be the groundwork for the new blacksmithing exhibit which will be on display at Barbados Museum and Historical Society.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for Historical Archaeology 2023   •
• 2023 SHA Poster Submissions

Keywords

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Nicole Haddow