Barbados Sugar-Boiling Kettles

Fatal Molten Memories: The Iron Pots of Sugar's Past



Barbados Sugar Wealth. Sugarcane growing began in Barbados in the early 1640s, when the Dutch presented crop. The island's rich soil and favourable environment made it the perfect location for sugar production. By the mid-17th century, Barbados had actually become one of the wealthiest nests in the British Empire, earning the nickname "Little England." But all was not sweetness in the land of Sugar as we discover next:



Boiling Sugar: A Grueling Job

Producing sugar in the 17th and 18th centuries was  a perilous process. After collecting and squashing the sugarcane, its juice was boiled in massive cast iron kettles till it took shape as sugar. These pots, frequently organized in a series called a"" train"" were heated by blazing fires that enslaved Africans had to stoke continually. The heat was suffocating, the flames unforgiving and the work unrelenting. Enslaved workers sustained long hours, often standing close to the inferno, risking burns and fatigue. Splashes of the boiling liquid were not unusual and might trigger severe, even deadly, injuries.

A Life of Constant Peril

The risks were ever present for the enslaved employees charged with working these kettles. They laboured in intense heat, breathing in dangerous gases from the burning fuel. The work required extreme physical effort and accuracy; a moment of inattention could lead to accidents. Regardless of these challenges, shackled Africans brought amazing skill and ingenuity to the process, ensuring the quality of the end product. This product fueled economies far beyond Barbados" coasts.





By acknowledging the unsafe labour of enslaved Africans, we honour their contributions and sacrifices. Barbados" sugar industry, built on their backs, formed the island's history and economy. As we appreciate the antiques of this age, we should likewise keep in mind the people whose work and durability made it possible. Their story is a vital part of comprehending not just the history of Barbados but the broader history of the Caribbean and the global effect of the sugar trade.





HISTORICAL RECORDS!


Proof of The Deadly Truth of the Sugar Boiling House

Historic accounts, such as those by abolitionist James Ramsay, reveal the concealed scaries of Caribbean sugar plantations. Enslaved workers sustained extreme heat and the constant threat of falling under boiling barrels-- a grim reality of plantation life.


The Dark Side of Sugar: - Click the Blog for More

Boiling Down Sweetness