Slave Registers of former British Colonial Dependencies, 1812-1834

Source Information

In 1807 The Abolition of Slave Trade Act came into force. The act made the trade in slaves from Africa to the British colonies illegal. To combat illicit transportation following this act many of the British Colonies began keeping registers of black slaves who had been so-called “lawfully enslaved”. In 1819 the Office for the Registry of Colonial Slaves was established in London and copies of the slave registers kept by the colonies were sent to this office. Registration generally occurred once every three years. The registers continue through to 1834 when slavery was officially abolished.

This database contains the slave registers for the following colonies and years:

• Antigua (1817-1818, 1821, 1824, 1828, 1832)


• Bahamas (1822, 1825, 1828, 1831, 1834)


• Barbados (1817, 1820, 1823, 1826, 1829, 1832, 1834)


• Berbice (1818-1819, 1822)


• Dominica (1817, 1820, 1823)


• Grenada (1817-1834)


• Honduras (1834)


• Jamaica (1817, 1820, 1823, 1826, 1829, 1832, 1834)


• Mauritius (1817, 1819, 1822, 1826, 1830, 1832, 1835)
• Nevis (1817, 1822, 1825, 1828, 1831)


• Sri Lanka (Ceylon) (1818-1832)


• St Christopher (1817, 1822, 1825, 1827-1828, 1831, 1834)


• St Lucia (1815, 1819)


• St Vincent (1817, 1822, 1825, 1828, 1831, 1834)


• Tobago (1819-1834)


• Trinidad (1813, 1815-1816, 1819, 1822, 1825, 1828, 1831, 1834)


• Virgin Islands (1818, 1822, 1825, 1828, 1831, 1834)

The following colonies are not included in this collection but can be viewed in paper form at The National Archives:

• Jamaica (pieces 193, 206-208)


• St Christopher (pieces 261-263)


• Grenada (piece 264, 266)


• Dominica (pieces 359-363)


• Nevis (piece 369)


• St Lucia (pieces 382-390)


• Demerara (pieces 391-436)


• Berbice (pieces 441-446)


• Montserrat (pieces 447-451)


• Bermuda (pieces 452-455)


• St Vincent (pieces 494, 496)


• Mauritius (piece 566, 571)


• Cape of Good Hope (pieces 652-662)

Information available on these records includes:

• Name of owner


• Place of residence (usually name of parish)


• Name of slave (usually only a given name. If the slave had been baptized this may include the slave name and the Christian name)


• Gender of slave


• Age of slave


• Nationality of slave