The History of Mary Prince: A West Indian Slave

Prince begins narrating her origins. She was born on a farm in Bermuda to two enslaved parents. Her mother did household work, and her father was a sawyer—a person who saws timber. When she was an infant, Prince and her mother were sold to Captain Darrel to labor for his granddaughter, Betsey Williams. Betsey’s father, Captain Williams, was Captain Darrel’s son-in-law. Prince and Betsey were about the same age. Before Prince was old enough to understand her situation, she was happy. While they were there, Prince’s mother had more children, all of whom did light work and played often with Betsey as well. While Mrs. Williams was kind, Captain Williams treated her and everyone else harshly when he was home. Prince loved Mrs. Williams very much.

Facing financial difficulty, Mrs. Williams eventually hired Prince out to Mrs. Pruden. Prince was distraught to be leaving her family, Betsey, and Mrs. Williams, but she had no choice. Prince’s new responsibility was to nurse a baby named Daniel. Daniel’s siblings were James and Fanny, the latter of whom Prince particularly liked. As Fanny learned how to read, she also taught Prince. Shortly after this period, Mrs. Williams died; Prince was very sorrowful over her death. Three months later, Prince was returned to the Williams’ household, where she was to be sold to pay for the captain’s marriage to a new woman. Prince was sad at leaving Mrs. Pruden and the children, in addition to her sorrow at being sold away from her own family and Betsey. Prince’s mother sorrowfully took her and her other daughters to the market, where Prince and her sisters were all sold separately. 

Prince now belonged to Captain I– and his stern wife. In this new place, she was treated harshly. Prince observed another enslaved woman there named Hetty, who was very overworked but still kind to Prince. On Prince’s very first night at Captain I–’s house, he whipped Hetty brutally. Prince’s responsibilities there were to nurse a child and do household work. She was whipped and beaten often by her enslaver’s wife. Captain and Mrs. I– were especially cruel and often physically abused their enslaved people without provocation. One day, a cow wandered away from where Hetty secured it. Enraged, Captain I– flogged then-pregnant Hetty so brutally that she had a stillbirth and died. Afterward, Prince had to cover Hetty’s work as well; her labor seemed never-ending. 

Prince was abused severely on this property. One day, Prince was beaten severely by both Captain and Mrs. I– for accidentally breaking a large clay jar. Suddenly, there was an earthquake, allowing Prince to crawl away in pain. The next morning, she was forced to work again. Another day, Captain I– kicked Prince in the face upon learning that a cow got loose and ate a sweet potato slip. When another cow, frightened at this, kicked over a pale of milk, Captain I– proceeded to beat Prince. Prince fled to where her mother was living and hid with her for a while until Prince’s father learned she was there and took her back to Captain I–. After five more years of this abuse, Captain I– sold Prince to Mr. D–. 

Prince was sent on a sloop to Turk’s Island to her new enslaver, Mr. D–. Food ran short on the journey, but she was fortunate to get some food from Anthony and his wife, two other Black people who were also aboard. Prince arrived in Grand Quay at the house of Mr. D–, where she worked with other enslaved people in his salt ponds all day collecting salt. The saltwater ate away at their skin and gave them painful boils and blisters. Mr. D– worked them ruthlessly and was never satisfied. He whipped them regularly, a common practice on the island. Prince’s labor also included diving for large stones to build a wall around Mr. D–’s house, cutting up mangoes to burn lime with, and breaking up coral from the sea. Often, the enslaved people worked without being allowed to sleep.

Mr. D– had an enslaved man named Old Daniel who could not keep up because he had a hip injury. The enslaver often punished him for this, beating him until he was raw and pouring salt over his wounds. He was never able to heal, and his wounds rotted and attracted maggots. Another man named Ben once took some rice to eat because he was very hungry. As punishment, Mr. D– locked him up without food and later hung him by the hands and beat him. Mr. D–’s son, Dickey, was also cruel. Displeased by the pace of an older enslaved woman named Sarah, he threw her on the ground, beat her, and threw her into the prickly-pear bushes. She died several days later.

One day, Prince’s mother came on a sloop to Turk’s Island. By then, her mental state was severely deteriorated, and she was unwell. Prince’s mother stayed on the island several years before she was taken back to Bermuda. After Prince worked 10 years on Turk’s Island, Mr. D– retired to Bermuda and took her with him to serve his daughters. Prince was happy to finally leave Turk’s Island. Back in Bermuda, she did household and field labor and ran errands. Mr. D– often got drunk and beat his daughter. One day, Prince interfered to stop him, and he beat her instead. He sometimes also made Prince bathe him, which she hated and found indecent. 

Prince was later hired to do washing work at Cedar Hills. When she learned that Mr. John Wood was going to Antigua, she begged Mr. D– to let her go and work with Mr. Wood. He allowed it. Mrs. Wood was pleased with Prince’s work in Antigua and purchased her after some time passed. While she was there, however, Prince became very ill with rheumatism and needed a walking stick. For several months she was bedridden, forced to lie in an old outhouse. Mrs. Wood barely took care of her, but a neighbor named Mrs. Greene and an older enslaved woman sometimes came by to help her. By the time Prince was well enough to work again, Mrs. Wood had hired a “mulatto” woman named Martha Wilcox, who felt a sense of superiority over Prince and often complained about her to Mrs. Wood. Mrs. Wood was abusive and nagged Prince. One day, Prince expressed her frustration. Mrs. Wood told her husband, who scolded Prince and told her to find a new “owner.” Prince found a man to buy her, but Mr. Wood refused to sell her. This happened twice. 

When the Woods were away traveling, Prince earned income from ships’ captains by taking in their washing and selling them coffee and other goods. She hoped to buy her freedom. One day while Prince was in Date Hill with the Woods for Christmas, an enslaved woman invited her to a Methodist prayer meeting on a plantation. She listened to the people pray, sing, and confess their sins. After this meeting, Prince felt compelled to join the Moravian church when she and the Woods returned to town. In church, she was taught to read. Prince became fully committed to her faith; she was baptized and began taking holy communion. 

Prince met a free Black man named Daniel James who soon became her husband. Mr. and Mrs. Wood were enraged when they found out about the marriage, and they flogged her for it. Although they remained unhappy, they eventually allowed James a place to live in their yard. Prince eventually acquired enough money to buy her freedom, but Mrs. Wood would not allow her to do so. Shortly after their refusal, the Woods took Prince with them to England. Because she was ill again and could barely manage to do her washing work as her condition worsened, Prince insisted the Woods hire a washerwoman. This request so enraged them that they threatened to kick Prince out or send her back to Antigua. Mr. Wood never agreed to let her buy her freedom. Legally, Prince was free in England; however, leaving the Woods would be dangerous, as she knew no one and had nowhere to go. After Mr. Wood threatened for the fourth time to kick Prince out, she finally left the family. She sought refuge with Moravian missionaries, who took her in at the church.

Having left the Woods’ house, Prince went to stay with a shoeblack—a man who shined shoes—named Mash and his wife. They were kind and helped her recover. She also became connected with the Anti-Slavery Society, seeking aide in officially gaining her legal freedom so she could return safely to her husband in Antigua. However, although she was a free woman in England, laws dictated that Prince was still enslaved by the Woods on Antiguan soil. After recovering, Prince found work as a charwoman—a cleaning woman—and split her income with her hosts. Later, she went to live with and work for a woman named Mrs. Forsyth, who was respectful and “accustomed to Blacks, and liked them” (32). After that position ended, Prince paid for lodging elsewhere until her income ran out; then, she called on the Anti-Slavery office for help. 

Eventually, she went to work for Mr. and Mrs. Pringle, where she resides at the time of The History of Mary Prince’s composition. Mrs. Pringle teaches her the Bible, and Prince regularly attends church. Prince is thankful for her new friends like the Reverend Mr. Young and hopeful that God will reunite her in freedom with her husband someday. She is disappointed to sometimes hear British people remark that enslaved people must be happy, and she is astounded that British people in the Caribbean treat humans the way they do. Prince insists that English people must know the truth and that slavery, a terrible evil, must be brought to an end.