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

Jenny Harriott is mentioned as the mother of one month old Francis Harriott in the 1832  Return of Slaves. She also has two daughters listed in the 1832 Slave Register: Caroline age 4 and Ollif age 2. A notation states that they were both set free. Research 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 1810, verified by her listings in the Return of Slaves for John Harriott in 1817 (aged 7) and 1826 (aged 15). She also appears in the 1829 and 1832 registers below. 

Jenny Harriott – Return of Slaves Spreadsheet (1817-1832)

 

Jenny Harriott – Return of Slaves Records (1817-1832)

 

Research, charts and spreadsheets by Dr Deborah Gabriel

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