Our History

The above chart was created by Dr Gabriel to highlight her familial links with Jenny Harriott through maternal ancestors. The column to the far left shows ‘Deborah’ at the top (although she is the youngest of five children) and each ancestor to the right represents a generation.

A Brief History of the Enslaver Harriott Family in St Elizabeth

The spreadsheets below detail the land totalling 1805 acres in St Elizabeth allocated to the Harriotts by the British Government in the 1700s and the compensation paid to enslaver Harriotts in Jamaica after the abolition of slavery. This totals £9520 pounds, 131 shillings and 50 pence, which in 2026 equates to a value of roughly £1.2 million. The Harriotts also received compensation for enslaved people in Bermuda, The Bahamas, Trinidad and British Guinea in the amount of 346 pounds, 46 shillings and 44 pence (£58,000 in today’s value). It should also be noted that over 100 years, at a modest estimate, Harriott slave owners across Jamaica netted around £7.7 million, which in 2026 equates to roughly £1.2 billion.

Enslaver Harriott Family Genealogy Chart

Finding Jenny Harriott – Return of Slaves 1817-1832

Working backwards, Jenny Harriott is mentioned as the mother of Francis Harriott in the 1832 Return of Slaves. Francis Harriott was just one month old in 1832. Jenny Harriott also has two daughters listed in the 1832 Slave Register: Caroline who was age 4 in 1832 and Ollif who was aged 2. A nototation states that they were both set free. Research undertaken by Dr Gabriel at the Jamaica Archives and Records Department in January 2025, suggests that Caroline and Ollif were freed to offset taxes owed, which was common practice. They are not listed in the Manumission Register where one would normally find freed slaves. Jenny Harriott was born in 1811, verified by her listings in the Return of Slaves for John Harriott in 1817 (aged 7), 1826 (aged 15). She also appears in the 1829 and 1832 registers above.

LEARN MORE ABOUT FRANCIS AND ELIZA HARRIOTT