Quamina
Encyclopedia
Quamina Gladstone, most often referred to simply as Quamina, was a Guyanese
slave, a Coromantee, who was father of Jack Gladstone
. He and his son were involved in the Demerara rebellion of 1823
, one of the largest slave revolts in the British colonies
before slavery was abolished.
He was a carpenter by trade, and worked on an estate owned by Sir John Gladstone. He was implicated in the revolt by the colonial authorities, apprehended and executed on 16 September 1823. He is considered a national hero in Guyana, and there are streets in Georgetown
and the village of Beterverwagting on the East Coast Demerara, named after him.
. According to da Costa, Quamina was African-born; he and his mother were sold into slavery when he was a child. His mother died on a plantation in 1817. In some source material, he is surnamed Gladstone, as the enslaved adopted surnames of their masters by convention. Sir John Gladstone, who had never set foot on his plantation, had acquired half share in the plantation in 1812 through mortgage default; he acquired the remaining half four years later.
Quamina, who was not initially Christian, started assiduously attended services at the Bethel Chapel of the London Missionary Society
on neighbouring 'Le Resouvenir' plantation when the chapel opened in 1808.. Under the guidance of Reverend John Wray, he learned to read and write. Wray noticed positive changes after he became Christian. Quamina was proud and hardworking. On being assessed for fitness to become a member, Quamina declared that when he was young, he had been a houseboy and had to 'fetch' girls to entertain the estate's managers. When Wray was sent to nearby Berbice
in 1816, his replacement John Smith
was equally impressed Quamina's qualities. He took an interest in others, and had become widely respected by slaves and free blacks throughout the colony. One of five slaves elected deacon
by the congregation in 1817, Quamina became Smith's personal favourite, and was highly trusted by John Smith and his wife, Jane. According to da Costa, he was "loyal, well-behaved, trustworthy and pious deacon." He brought news of the congregation members on a day-to-day basis, and was always consulted about the affairs of any member.
Quamina had many wives, but he cohabited for twenty years with Peggy, a free woman
. As was common with other slaves, he had been harshly treated and humiliated by his masters — once beaten badly and incapacitated for six weeks; frequently forced to work, making him miss religious service. In 1822, when Peggy was taken seriously ill, he was forced to work all day, every day, and was not allowed any time off to look after her. One evening, he returned to find her dead.
The very low number of white deaths is proof that the uprising was largely peaceful – plantation owners, managers and their families were locked up and not harmed. Hundreds of other slaves died during the various battles and skirmishes during the revolt, or were executed as "ringleaders". Jack Gladstone was sold and deported to Saint Lucia
. The rebellion helped bring attention to the plight of sugar plantation slaves, accelerating the full abolition of slavery.
Lieutenant Governor John Murray (1813–1824) — was renamed Quamina Street in his honour after the country gained its independence. A monument to him was erected at the junction of Quamina and Carmichael Streets. He is equally depicted in a mural in the dome at the headquarters of the Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI) building in Water Street, Georgetown.
Guyana
Guyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, previously the colony of British Guiana, is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana was a former colony of the Dutch and of the British...
slave, a Coromantee, who was father of Jack Gladstone
Jack Gladstone
Jack Gladstone was a Guyanese slave who led the Demerara Slave rebellion of 1823, one of the biggest slave revolts in the British Colonies.He was tried after the rebellion, and was deported.- Biography :...
. He and his son were involved in the Demerara rebellion of 1823
Demerara rebellion of 1823
The Demerara rebellion of 1823 was an uprising involving more than 10,000 slaves that took place in the former Crown colony of Demerara-Essequibo ....
, one of the largest slave revolts in the British colonies
Crown colony
A Crown colony, also known in the 17th century as royal colony, was a type of colonial administration of the English and later British Empire....
before slavery was abolished.
He was a carpenter by trade, and worked on an estate owned by Sir John Gladstone. He was implicated in the revolt by the colonial authorities, apprehended and executed on 16 September 1823. He is considered a national hero in Guyana, and there are streets in Georgetown
Georgetown, Guyana
Georgetown, estimated population 239,227 , is the capital and largest city of Guyana, located in the Demerara-Mahaica region. It is situated on the Atlantic Ocean coast at the mouth of the Demerara River and it was nicknamed 'Garden City of the Caribbean.' Georgetown is located at . The city serves...
and the village of Beterverwagting on the East Coast Demerara, named after him.
Biography
Quamina was a carpenter who lived and worked on 'Success' plantation in DemeraraDemerara
Demerara was a region in South America in what is now Guyana that was colonised by the Dutch in 1611. The British invaded and captured the area in 1796...
. According to da Costa, Quamina was African-born; he and his mother were sold into slavery when he was a child. His mother died on a plantation in 1817. In some source material, he is surnamed Gladstone, as the enslaved adopted surnames of their masters by convention. Sir John Gladstone, who had never set foot on his plantation, had acquired half share in the plantation in 1812 through mortgage default; he acquired the remaining half four years later.
Quamina, who was not initially Christian, started assiduously attended services at the Bethel Chapel of the London Missionary Society
London Missionary Society
The London Missionary Society was a non-denominational missionary society formed in England in 1795 by evangelical Anglicans and Nonconformists, largely Congregationalist in outlook, with missions in the islands of the South Pacific and Africa...
on neighbouring 'Le Resouvenir' plantation when the chapel opened in 1808.. Under the guidance of Reverend John Wray, he learned to read and write. Wray noticed positive changes after he became Christian. Quamina was proud and hardworking. On being assessed for fitness to become a member, Quamina declared that when he was young, he had been a houseboy and had to 'fetch' girls to entertain the estate's managers. When Wray was sent to nearby Berbice
Berbice
Berbice is a region along the Berbice River in Guyana, which was between 1627 and 1815 a colony of the Netherlands. After having been ceded to the United Kingdom in the latter year, it was merged with Essequibo and Demerara to form the colony of British Guiana in 1831...
in 1816, his replacement John Smith
John Smith (missionary)
John Smith was a missionary whose experiences in the West Indies attracted the attention of the anti-slavery campaigner, William Wilberforce.-Biography:...
was equally impressed Quamina's qualities. He took an interest in others, and had become widely respected by slaves and free blacks throughout the colony. One of five slaves elected deacon
Deacon
Deacon is a ministry in the Christian Church that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions...
by the congregation in 1817, Quamina became Smith's personal favourite, and was highly trusted by John Smith and his wife, Jane. According to da Costa, he was "loyal, well-behaved, trustworthy and pious deacon." He brought news of the congregation members on a day-to-day basis, and was always consulted about the affairs of any member.
Quamina had many wives, but he cohabited for twenty years with Peggy, a free woman
Freedman
A freedman is a former slave who has been released from slavery, usually by legal means. Historically, slaves became freedmen either by manumission or emancipation ....
. As was common with other slaves, he had been harshly treated and humiliated by his masters — once beaten badly and incapacitated for six weeks; frequently forced to work, making him miss religious service. In 1822, when Peggy was taken seriously ill, he was forced to work all day, every day, and was not allowed any time off to look after her. One evening, he returned to find her dead.
The revolt
Being very close to Jack, he supported his son's aspirations to be free, by supporting the fight for the rights of slaves. But being a rational man, and heeding the advice of Rev. Smith, he urged him to tell the other slaves, particularly the Christians, not to rebel. He sent Manuel and Seaton on this mission. When he knew the rebellion was imminent, he urged restraint, and made the fellow slaves promise a peaceful strike. Jack led tens of thousands of slaves to raise up against their masters. After the slaves' defeat in a major battle at 'Bachelor's Adventure', Jack fled into the woods. A "handsome reward" of one thousand guilder was offered for the capture of Jack, Quamina and about twenty other "fugitives". Jack and his wife were captured by Capt. McTurk at 'Chateau Margo' on 6 September after a three-hour standoff. Quamina remained at large until he was captured on 16 September in the fields of 'Chateau Margo'. He was executed, and his body was hung up in chains by the side of a public road in front of 'Success'.The very low number of white deaths is proof that the uprising was largely peaceful – plantation owners, managers and their families were locked up and not harmed. Hundreds of other slaves died during the various battles and skirmishes during the revolt, or were executed as "ringleaders". Jack Gladstone was sold and deported to Saint Lucia
Saint Lucia
Saint Lucia is an island country in the eastern Caribbean Sea on the boundary with the Atlantic Ocean. Part of the Lesser Antilles, it is located north/northeast of the island of Saint Vincent, northwest of Barbados and south of Martinique. It covers a land area of 620 km2 and has an...
. The rebellion helped bring attention to the plight of sugar plantation slaves, accelerating the full abolition of slavery.
Legacy
Quamina is considered a national hero in Guyana: Murray Street in Georgetown — named for former DemeraraDemerara
Demerara was a region in South America in what is now Guyana that was colonised by the Dutch in 1611. The British invaded and captured the area in 1796...
Lieutenant Governor John Murray (1813–1824) — was renamed Quamina Street in his honour after the country gained its independence. A monument to him was erected at the junction of Quamina and Carmichael Streets. He is equally depicted in a mural in the dome at the headquarters of the Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI) building in Water Street, Georgetown.
See also
- Abolition of slavery timelineAbolition of slavery timelineAbolition of slavery occurred as abolition in specific countries, abolition of the trade in slaves and abolition throughout empires. Each of these steps was usually the result of a separate law or action.-Ancient times:...
- Toussaint L'ouvertureToussaint L'OuvertureFrançois-Dominique Toussaint Louverture , also Toussaint Bréda, Toussaint-Louverture was the leader of the Haitian Revolution. His military genius and political acumen led to the establishment of the independent black state of Haiti, transforming an entire society of slaves into a free,...
- Vincent OgéVincent OgéVincent Ogé was a wealthy free man of color and the instigator of a revolt against white colonial authority in French Saint-Domingue that lasted from October to December 1790 in the area outside Cap-Français, the colony's main city...
- BussaBussaBussa was an African-born Barbadian slave who in 1816 led a slave uprising in Barbados popularly known as Bussa's Rebellion. Bussa was born a free man in Africa, possibly of Igbo origin, and was captured by African slave merchants, sold to the British, and brought to Barbados in the late 18th...
- Cuffy (person)Cuffy (person)Cuffy, or Kofi , was an Akan person who was captured in his native West Africa and sold into slavery to work in the plantations of the Dutch colony of Berbice in present-day Guyana. He became famous because in 1763 he led a revolt of more than 2,500 slaves against the colony regime...
- Samuel SharpeSamuel SharpeSamuel 'Sam' Sharpe, or Sharp, National Hero of Jamaica was the slave leader behind the Jamaican Baptist War slave rebellion. Samuel Sharpe was born in the parish of St. James...
- Anti-Slavery SocietyAnti-Slavery SocietyThe Anti-Slavery Society or A.S.S. was the everyday name of two different British organizations.The first was founded in 1823 and was committed to the abolition of slavery in the British Empire. Its official name was the Society for the Mitigation and Gradual Abolition of Slavery Throughout the...
- List of opponents of slavery