Wednesday 19 February 2014

PRONI talk: Slave children in Colonial America

A public lecture – Kidnapped, Transported, Forgotten. White Slave Children in Colonial America, 1660-1720 – will be presented by Dr Richard Hayes Phillips at the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland on 19 March at 1–2pm.

American researcher Dr Hayes Phillips will relate to the findings of his latest book, Without Indentures: Index to White Slave Children in Colonial Court Records, which seeks to illuminate a series of records which may provide insight on child poverty and destitution in the early modern world. He has created an index of children from Britain and Ireland who were transported to Colonial America between 1660 and 1720.

These children were not provided with indenture documents for their passage, which would have guaranteed their liberty after a set period of unpaid labour. As such, Dr Hayes Phillips claims that these children faced a life of enslavement, a story which has hitherto remained untold.

Using colonial court books of Maryland and Virginia, he has compiled a published index of all 5290 ‘kidnapped’ children and will discuss how it can be used for family history research.

Please contact PRONI to reserve your place.
E: proni@dcalni.gov.uk Tel: 028 90 534800
The Heritage Café at PRONI will be open before and after this event.