The History of Mary Prince: A West Indian Slave

Pringle (1789-1834) was a Scottish abolitionist based in London. He was also the editor of The History of Mary Prince, as well as the author of the text’s preface and its “Supplement to the History of Mary Prince.” During the composition of the narrative, Pringle served as the secretary for the Anti-Slavery Society in London. While the organization frequently funded the production of narratives of enslavement, Pringle was responsible for encouraging and financially supporting the composition of the History. 

Pringle worked as an advocate for Mary Prince over the course of their relationship. When she found herself in need of lodging and work, he employed her as his house servant. The “Supplement” also details the great lengths to which he went in efforts to obtain her manumission, even going so far as to contact the governor of Antigua, where her enslaver resided. Following the publication of The History of Mary Prince, Pringle was also involved in several court cases against individuals who were proponents of slavery. The first, Pringle v. Cadell, took place in 1833 concerning Thomas Cadell’s writing and publishing of disparaging words about Pringle. Another, Wood v. Pringle, took place the same year; Wood (the same Wood who is the enslaver who refuses to manumit Prince in her History) accused Pringle of libel. In both cases, Prince appeared as a witness (Maddison-MacFayden, Margôt. “Mary Prince.” Mary Prince).

Susanna Strickland Moodie (1803-85) was an abolitionist who was born in England but later immigrated to Canada. She transcribed and compiled Prince’s narrative, according to Prince’s oral account. Strickland Moodie visited the Pringles’ home while Prince was residing and employed there. During this visit, as the Preface indicates, Strickland Moodie listened to and transcribed Prince’s autobiography. In addition to this endeavor, Strickland Moodie was also a pioneer who wrote about life in the Canadian wilderness.

Strickland Moodie filled a common role in the production of The History of Mary Prince. Many narratives of enslaved people relied on the work of an amanuensis, someone to take down the dictation of the story. Although many of these narratives were written by their narrators, amanuenses were important due to the low literacy rates among enslaved people. Prince, for instance, had several opportunities to learn to read and write, such as from a young white girl named Fanny for whom Prince cared in her youth, but it seems her skill was not yet sufficient for her to write her own narrative when The History of Mary Prince was composed.

When Prince was a baby, the enslaver Captain Darrel purchased her and her mother as a “gift” for his young granddaughter, Betsey. Prince lived with the Williamses for many years before Betsey’s mother fell ill and died. Prince describes her childhood with Betsey and what she remembers as the happiness and affection that she and Prince’s other siblings shared with her. As Prince conveys, however, these fond memories are tainted by youth; at that time, she did not fully understand that she was enslaved. The contrast between these fond memories and her adult recounting of that time reflects the complex status of Prince’s relationship with Betsey.

On one hand, Prince describes the sense of intimacy between the two young girls, who were around the same age. Prince recalls that she “loved her very much,” and she and her siblings “used to play together with Miss Betsey with as much freedom almost as if she had been our sister” (1). However, “almost as if” signals the difference between being truly equal siblings and being like siblings. Prince was ultimately Betsey’s property: “She used to lead me about the hand, and call me her little n–-” (1). Further, while the girls played together, in other ways it was Prince who was played with: “I was made quite a pet of by Miss Betsey” (1). Finally, though the girls were the same age, Betsey is always mentioned in the text with the title of “Miss.” In the text, Betsey serves to underscore the social inequalities that were created, normalized, and enforced by slavery. Further, the contrast between Prince’s fond memories and the harsh reality of that time foreshadows her eventual coming of age and her understanding that she cannot view any experience rooted in her enslavement fondly.

James was a free Black man who did trade work as a carpenter and a cooper. Prince describes him as “honest, hard-working,” and “a widower” (17). He managed to purchase his own freedom. Prince and James met in the Moravian Church in Antigua while Prince resided with the Woods. When the two married, Mr. and Mrs. Wood became enraged, particularly because they presumed a husband would waste time that they believed Prince should spend laboring for them. Eventually, however, they allowed James to live on part of their land to be near Prince. 

James became a pawn in the battle for Prince’s manumission, as narrated in the “Supplement to the History of Mary Prince.” After Prince officially left the Woods in England, Mr. Wood refused to manumit her, meaning she was legally free in England but still subject to enslavement in Antigua, where James lived. In hopes of deceiving Prince, Wood falsely claimed in a letter that James took a new wife in her absence. Pringle clarifies in the “Supplement” that this was a lie, given recent correspondence between husband and wife attesting to James’s faithfulness. Still, with Prince gone, James was forced off the Woods’ property. Mr. Wood’s punishment of Prince for leaving him was twofold: It left her effectively exiled from Antigua and, thus, estranged from her husband.