FREE VILLAGES

Free villages were settlements that were formed independent of

the estates. Majority of these were formed after Emancipation.

Free villages were plenty in some territories yet hardly visible in

others. Barbados, Antigua and St. Kitts did NOT have a lot of
Free Villages.

Territories such as Jamaica, British Guiana, St. Vincent, Dominica

and Grenada had quite a number of Free Villages.

Conditions which led the ex-slaves to

establish themselves in Free- Villages &
Forming a Peasantry

(i) Ex-slaves desired to be free and to own a piece

of land. Also, they associated work on the estate
with slavery. They wanted to leave the estates
and make a life for themselves. A man does not
feel like a man until he is ‘turning his own key’.

(ii)The availability of land; especially in territories

such as Jamaica, British Guiana and. The
ex-slaves were able to acquire land by:-
● Purchasing-- they sometimes pooled their
resources to buy land. Some
missionaries(Baptist, Moravians, Wesleyans
and Quakers) purchased large parcels of land,
subdivided it and sold it to the ex-slaves.Some
landowners were willing to sell land as they
were heavily in debt.
● Squatting- Even though squatting was illegal,
the ex slaves in the larger territories squatted
on Crown land.
● Renting/lease ---- Some planters were willing
to lease land to the ex-slaves so that they will
be near the plantations and can be ‘nursery’
for labour.
(iii) Insecurity of tenure caused many
ex-slaves to leave the estate. They wanted to
escape the vindictive behaviour of the
planters. They were given short notice and
could be evicted if they did not leave the
estate in time and could be charged for
trespassing. They were also paid very low
wages.Therefore, the ex-slaves/peasants
wanted to escape the vindictive/coercive
behaviour of the planters.
(iv)The colonial authorities in some colonies
offered crown lands for sale. Governor
Colebrook of Antigua in the 1840’s saw this as
a way of attracting ex-slaves to work on the
estates.

(v)The Non- Conformist Missionaries(Baptists,

Wesleyans, Moravians) played a major role in
helping the ex-slaves to form Free Villages.
They acted as bargaining agents for them,
getting a ‘fair’ price for the land and or
accessing loans from their headquarters
Church in England.
The church helped in socializing the freed
people. They helped to create a sense of
community and identity. The focus was on
family life, education for their children.
Helped to give the freedmen a life away from
the plantation.
(vi) Growth of the internal marketing system.
Small holders were able to sell their crops in
the markets.

What did the ex-slaves hope to

achieve by establishing Free
Villages?
➢ Owning land and developing an
independent peasantry
 ➢ They would achieve financial stability by
selling crops in the market
➢ Providing an education for their children
➢ Autonomy over their lives--- free to
worship, free to work for whoever they
wanted, bargain for higher wages
➢ By withdrawing labour; they would hurt
and undermine the estates

GROWTH OF THE PEASANTRY

Peasant farming describes small-scale farming for
subsistence as well as for cash sale in the market.

Peasant farming was confined to territories where

land was available- Jamaica, British Guiana and
Jamaica. However in these territories sugar was
the main export crop. In the Windward islands
(Barbados, St. Vincent, St. Lucia and Grenada)
sugar became unprofitable so new crops were
cultivated. Land was available in the hills of the
Windward islands for cultivation of these new
crops. In Antigua, St Kitts and Barbados, the
scarcity of land made it difficult to withdraw from
plantation labour. The peasantry was slow in
developing in these areas.

Difficulties faced by the peasants

1. Unavailability of suitable land in some

territories- land tend to be marginal, infertile and

remote.

2. Price of land was exorbitant

3. The minimal size requirements for the sale of

land were sometimes prohibitive

4. The policies of the planter dominated

legislature hindered or discouraged the growth of

the peasantry example (introduction of strict

anti-squatting laws, imposing high land taxes on

small holdings, introducing a system of license)

5. They faced problems of drainage and irrigation

6. Lack of capital to buy machinery, fertilizers

and to provide infrastructure and other facilities

7. They faced damage such as pests, plant

disease, drought, excessive rainfall

8. Inaccessibility to markets
9. Lack of governmental support