The Saint Lucia National Trust is seeking to bring greater attention to a lesser-known chapter of the island’s history surrounding the Brigand Wars, which culminated at Morne Fortune in October 1796.
Following the conflict, the British transported more than 2 000 prisoners to Portchester Castle in the United Kingdom. The group included men, women and children, among them free people of colour, formerly enslaved Africans, Indigenous people and French Caucasians who had fought for their liberty.
To shed light on this history, the National Trust invited Professor Katherine Astbury and Dr Abigail Coppins of the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom to present their research on the prisoners and their experiences.
The researchers made presentations to Trust members, members of the public, and students and faculty of Sir Arthur Lewis Community College.
Special presentations were also made to Acting Governor General Felix Finisterre, representatives of the British High Commission, the Embassy of France and the Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.
In collaboration with the Ministry of Education, the Trust also hosted a one-day workshop for more than 30 educators from across Saint Lucia.
The educators learned that more than 2 000 people were taken to Britain as prisoners and that Coppins had been able to identify some of them by name.
According to the Trust, the educators agreed that the story of resistance and resilience could be used to support key aspects of the History and Social Studies curricula.
The Trust said it plans to continue its work with Astbury and Coppins, the Ministry of Education, diplomatic missions and local partners, while engaging other government ministries.
