Hi Kerry Thanks for getting in touch. I am glad you made a productive trip to Tortola I will send you the names and addresses of the three Scatliffes living in Kingstown in 1831 as soon as I have found them again, but they probably derived the name from the master(s) (in Mrs Scatliffe's family?) to.whom they had been apprenticed (see below). There may have been other, unrelated, Scatliffes who had been slaves on Tortola before the "Liberated Africans" arrived. "Liberated Africans Although the slave trade was abolished on 1 May 1807 by virtue of the Slave Trade Act 1807, vessels which sailed before that date could under certain circumstances trade until 1 March 1808. Any vessels seized under the 1807 and subsequent acts for illegally carrying slaves were taken as prizes, the master was fined and the slaves became forfeited to the crown. Slaves became government property and many were enlisted into the Royal Navy or the army, especially the West India Regiments and the Royal African Corps. The trials of illegal slavers were held at Vice-Admiralty courts in Africa, Havana, Rio de Janeiro and the West Indies including Tortola. .. (That) court heard so many cases and so many Africans were released from illegal slavers that the island could not cope with the numbers freed. To remedy this situation the Colonial Office transferred the Vice-Admiralty court to Antigua, which could cope with the extra population, and considered transporting the liberated Africans to Trinidad; it is unknown if any did go." (The Newsletter of the Archives and Records Management Unit, June 2007) "The liberated Africans were offered the opportunity to serve in the military on larger islands; an opportunity that many accepted. However, a number stayed and settled in the Territory. They were made to serve an "apprenticeship" of 14 years, after which they were absolutely free. In 1828 they were given certificates of freedom, so as not to be confused with enslaved Africans. However, the problem of relocating the new arrivals arose and a decision had to be made as to where to settle them. In 1831 the area now known as Kingstown, on Tortola, which was then uninhabited, was put aside and subdivided, and each newly freed African was allocated a plot of land where they could build a house and grow provision crops". <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Phillip%27s_Church%2C_Tortola> The BVI Archives Unit is gradually acquiring from The UK National Archives microfilms of the plans of the Settlement, lists of settlers, deeds, leases and related correspondence. Best wishes Peter (Moll) East End Tortola BVI kerry coppin wrote 20/12/2007: > Peter, [snip} > > I am writing on this occasion as I have had opportunity to read your > correspondence identifying ³three Scatliffes and a Todman living in the > African Location in Kingstown in 1831 . . .² Is there any information on > those Scatliffe¹s that I would be able to gain access to? How would they > come by that name? Were they in anyway associated with "Mrs. Scatliffe's" > plantation? > > When I visited Tortolla in summer 2006 I met with Dr. Vincent Scatliffe of > Peebles Hospital. He was quite helpful, but had no knowledge of Simon > Scatliffe or how my branch of the family interfaced his ­ except to say that > ALL Scatliffes were related .[snip} It makes sense that there are so many Hodges when you see the 17 or 18 Hodge estates listed on the 1798 Plantation Map of Tortola. But Mrs. Scatliffes plantation is one of the smallest on the map. ­ I could not account for the number of Scatliffe¹s who are still presently living in Tortola. Is it possible that there were a significant Scatliffe population outside of Huntums Ghut? > > Well any insight that you have will be very welcome . . . > > Sincerely,