Grenada’s Endangered Archives (part 4)

Digitising the endangered archives of Grenada (EAP295)

As of May 2013 Cathy Collins (EPA Grants Administrator @ Endangered Archives, The British Library, London, UK) wrote:

“I am afraid the results from this project are still being finalised so the records have not yet been catalogued or made available online. However, I am optimistic that the last few remaining queries should be sorted out without too much delay now.“

Project Outcome – four years on

Before this project, the material from Government House that had survived the 2004 hurricane had been deposited in the basement of the Office of the Governor-General but there was no index, or order to the material. In totally reconstructing this archive the project relied heavily on E. C. Baker’s A Guide to Records in the Windward Islands (1968). All our Government House material was cleaned, repaired, placed in chronological and thematic order and indexed.

Twelve volumes and files of Governor and Lieutenant-Governor’s correspondence were digitised covering the period 1764-1879. The Letter Books of the Administrator and Colonial Secretary were digitised as series P because these were far more fragmented than the Governor’s correspondence. Without an item-level index of material dating from before the 2004 hurricane (Ivan), series P material has been ordered chronologically and digitisation was focused on those works which were seen as the most fragile due to their age or unbound condition.

The material at the Supreme Court Registry was far better preserved than at Government House as it was relatively unaffected by Hurricane Ivan. Loose-leaf documents previously identified as connected to the eighteenth century French Deeds formed the initial focus of in situ digitisation in the Supreme Court Registry. Many of the bound volumes of French Deeds identified by the project required such extensive preservation and conservation work that their digitisation would have destroyed their physical structure. By stabilising their storage and digitising those materials in the Supreme Court Registry which were already fragmentary or fragile, the project was able to make a significant step towards its original aims.

Digitisation

Aside from preservation and restoration – THE most important aspect and concern for this endangered project is with the dititisation and immediate onine access and availablility of our historical records.

Digitisation has continued in the Supreme Court Registry on the Births, Deaths and Marriages Registers for St Georges and records related to Forfeited Estates, 1794-1802. During this time one Archival researcher employed by the project has attempted to clean, sort and order the French Deed bound volumes and unbound materials.

Most significantly copies of all digitised material have been deposited with the British Library. Further copies have been placed with the University of the West Indies, Grenada campus, and this is supposed to be made publically accessible through the new campus that is being constructed on the island. We will just have to hold our breath and wait.

Copies of all digitised material will also be deposited with our Grenada National Archives … when this is too is constructed.

I’m sorry to say that four years has now passed since the project took place and we still await physical access to this virtual data but as seem Grenada’s lot we must wait and see…
Keep up with the Archives News on our page “Grenada’s Endangered Archives” at http://www.facebook.com/groups/158188037685838/

Although back on the 27 September 2013 the Grenada Information Services (GIS) and Education and Human Resource Development of Grenada announce:- 

“The Library will be reopened at a new location, in the National Stadium, as the previous building (on the Carenage) is in need of extreme structural repair.  Regular operation is projected to begin early in the New Year. Opening hours and policies are expected to remain the same.”

This has little or nothing to do with our National Archive needs.

Remember to check out the latest by joining our Facebook Group at Grenada’s Endangered Archives
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Grenada Heritage: Ledger of Accounts of Personal and Estate Expense

GRENADA LEDGER OF ACCOUNTS OF PERSONAL AND ESTATE EXPENSES, 1852-1854

ABSTRACT The Grenada Ledger of Accounts of Personal and Estate Expenses is very useful for researchers interested in the study of capital expenditure of sections of the Grenadian population in the mid-nineteenth century. The Ledger gives an idea of prices, cost of living, monies paid in and out and the balance remaining. Additionally, the Grenada Ledger of Accounts of Personal and Estate Expenses reveals the consumerism and purchasing power of a portion of the Grenadian populace. As such, the Ledger of Accounts and Personal Expenses will prove especially useful for persons studying Grenada’s economic and social history. This document is listed on the Caribbean Memory Register: Grenada modeled on UNESCO's MOW. LOCATION OF DOCUMENT Name of Holding Entity: The National Library of Jamaica IDENTITY AND DESCRIPTION OF THE DOCUMENTARY HERITAGE Description and inventory: There is only one volume Grenada Ledger of Accounts of Personal and Estate Expenses and it contains 164 pages. It includes the accounts of Revolution Hall Estate, Dougaldston Estate and Gouyave Estate. Each entry in the Ledger gives the date, nature/who/why of payment and the total expenditure further down. The top of the page, which is the title section, gives the name of the owner, attorney or overseer. Essentially, the Ledger is organised like any other account book. The Ledger of Accounts of Personal and Estate Expenses enumerates the things purchased by individuals for their comfort and routine estate items. Personal items include silk stockings, sherry wine, lace and shirts. Estate items include nails, bricks, powder and cane hoes. Bibliographic details: The bibliographic details of the Grenada Ledger of Accounts of Personal and Estate Expenses are housed within the card catalogue at the Special Collections and Conservation Dept. of the National Library. The Ledger is filed under MS 129. Visual documentation if appropriate: Currently, there are no visual representations of the Grenada Ledger of Accounts. History of the document (Provenance): The history of the Ledger of Accounts and Personal Estate Expenses is presently unknown. However, the document held in trust for the Grenada National Archives and its people. JUSTIFICATION FOR SUBMISSION Influence The Grenada Ledger of Accounts of Personal and Estate Expenses is quite useful for person studying estate expenses. Agriculture was important to Grenada’s economy during the mid-nineteenth century. Estates were owned by the mainly white ruling class who exerted great influence over Grenada’s political and economic development. The main crops included sugar, coffee and spices such as pimento. The Ledger contains the personal expenses of these whites and the expenditure of their estates. A study of the Ledger would give insight into their lifestyle and plantation management. Time The Ledger of Accounts of Personal and Estate Expenses spans 1852-1854 and covers a section of the colonial era of Grenada’s history. Additionally, the date coincides with the maturity of the Sugar Duties Equalisation Act which came into being in 1846. By 1854, the effects of the Sugar Duties Equalisation Act were felt all over the Caribbean and Grenada was no exception. As such, the Ledger would allow for a useful study of the cost of living and the profit/loss of the estates in Grenada during this period. Place The Ledger of Accounts of Personal and Estate Expenses covers the island of Grenada. People The Ledger of Accounts of Personal and Estate Expenses deals mostly with the white and wealthy persons of Grenada in the mid-nineteenth century. These persons were the ones who controlled the wealth and society of Grenada and as such were very influential. The Ledger reveals their purchasing habits and power. Subject and Theme Persons interested in the social, economic and political histories of Grenada will find the Ledger of Accounts of Personal and Estate Expenses useful. Additionally, those interested the evolution of consumerism and popular culture/taste will likewise utilise the Ledger. Form and Style The layout of the Ledger is useful for paleographers interested in comparing account styles throughout history and the world. LEGAL INFORMATION Document held in trust for the Grenada National Archives and its people. Owner of Documentary Heritage: National Library of Jamaica Name: National Library of Jamaica Address: 12 East Street, Kingston, Jamaica, W. I. Contact details: Tel: (876) 967-1526, 967-2516 Fax: (876) 922-5567 Email: nlj@infochan.com Accessibility The Ledger of Accounts of Personal and Estate Expenses is available to members of the public for consultation, in particular, researchers and academics. Sadly there seems little chance of ever seeing this document online as there are no plans to protect this asset by digitising its contents and making it available to all electronically. Copyright Status Public Domain ASSESSMENT OF RISK The Grenada Ledger of Accounts of Personal and Estate Expenses is in good condition. The National Library of Jamaica are the current custodians of this document which is held in trust for the Grenada National Archives and its people. CONSERVATION MANAGEMENT PLAN The Special Collections and Conservation Dept. has undertaken the task of rebinding and de-acidifying the Ledger. Additionally, patrons are required to use gloves provided by the National Library when examining the Ledger.  DETAILS OF PERSON/ENTITY MAKING SUBMISSION Name: The National Library of Jamaica Contact details: 12 East Street, Kingston, Jamaica, W. I. Tel: (876) 967-1526, 967-2516 Fax: (876) 922-5567 Email: nlj@infochan.com FURTHER REFERENCES In 1989 a dealer, Charles Apfelbaum, made an aquisition of Grenada Plantation Records dating from 1737-1845 for the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture on behalf of the Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division, The New York Public Library. These documents are in the repository of Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division. Location Sc MG 383. Happily for the National Grenada Archives and the Grenadian People and Caribbeans world wide the entire collection of 517 images has now been digitized and is available online at Digitalcollections.nypl.org.

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Heritage At Risk - A Patron to Protect our Built Heritage

At last a Patron to Protect our Built Heritage!

Governor General, Dr. Cecile La Grenade – Source: Caribbeanlifenews.com/GoG

Written by Norris Mitchell – The Willie Redhead Foundation



It was like a breath of fresh air, hearing Her Excellency – Dr. Cecile La Grenade, our new Governor General, in her inaugural address on Tuesday 7 May 2013 declaring her commitment to the protection of our built heritage with special reference to the restoration of the Governor General’s residence and York House, which were severely damaged by hurricanes Ivan in September 2004 and Emily July 2005, and remain derelict up to this day.



In this regard it is appropriate that The Sentinel bring to the fore the declaration by the United Nations on world heritage, as follows:

“In a society where living standards are changing at an accelerated pace, it is essential for man’s equilibrium and development to preserve for him a fitting setting in which to live, where he will remain in contact with nature and the evidence of civilization bequeathed by past generations; and that to this end, it is appropriate to give the cultural and natural heritage an active function in community life, and to integrate into an overall policy, the achievements of our time, the values of the past and the beauty of nature” UNESCO preamble to Heritage Protection 1972.

Of course, there are several other heritage buildings and sites in our Capital City that have been neglected/ abandoned over the years. A few which come to mind are the St. George’s Market Square, which is undergoing some very insensitive changes, the Anglican and Presbyterian Churches, Edinburgh House on Young Street, the Georgian House on Church Street with an authentic Sedan Chair porch, which is in an advanced stage of decay, the reclaiming of Fort George, and within recent times the abandonment of our Public Library building (the National Archives and Library) on the Carenage.



Talk is cheap. In Grenada and in the Caribbean as a whole, there is a culture, where once the matter has been thoroughly verbalized, it becomes a substitute for action (achievement). The end result is that there is little or no improvement in the matter at hand, until it is completely forgotten, and stagnation becomes the order of the day.



It is imperative therefore, that the Grenada Government (G.G.) select her advisors carefully, as the naysayers would want to dissuade her into accepting that York House and the G.G's historic residence and site should be replaced by so-called modern buildings. Unfortunately this mindset is the result of a deficit in the knowledge and appreciation of our history and cultural assets which are essential ingredients in our evolving Caribbean identity.



In conclusion, the Sentinel would like to think that this is an appropriate occasion to remind the powers that be, that there is no PUBLIC ACCESS to the Louis La Grenade mausoleum at Morne Jaloux. The mausoleum is the site of the remains of one of Grenada's outstanding sons and heroes during the FEDON revolutionary period, and a deceased relative of our Governor General. The Sentinel is therefore looking forward to the day when public access to the site would be restored in order to reinforce the meaning and appreciation of our heritage for both Grenadians and visitors alike.



Finally, we all take this opportunity to wish her Excellency, "All speed," in the tremendous task of nation building which lies ahead.

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