Dr Deborah Gabriel, Founder of Jenny Harriott Foundation is undertaking a research project on the hidden histories of enslaved ancestors in the Parish of St Elizabeth, Jamaica, as a Visiting Fellow of Exeter College, Oxford University (2024-25).
Dr Gabriel has researched her family history intermittently since 2011, locating maternal ancestors in the Colonial Slave Registry at the National Archives in Kew, London. They were enslaved by a British planter family in the Parish of Saint Elizabeth, that arrived in Jamaica in the late 17th century. Her research centres the lives of enslaved ancestors including Jenny Harriott and her descendants.
Commenting on the research, Dr Gabriel said:
“My primary motivation for undertaking this research is to ensure that the history of my enslaved ancestors is told. Narrating the story of their endurance, resistance, and survival is my way of honouring their memory and creating their legacy.”
Photo credit – Front Quad and Chapel at Exeter College by Alexander Chung via Getty Images
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