Genealogy and Historical Research + Jamaica
Genealogy and Historical Research + Jamaica
Johnny Newcome, the Jamaican Planter
Johnny Newcome, the Jamaican Planter
Inevitably the new arrival to the island would settle into the rhythms of Colonial life on the island, especially after taking a wife.
Johnny Newcome, now fills his role as a Planter
Johnny Newcome, now fills his role as a Planter
He stands and surveys his newly acquired domain, from his stately Great House to his Sugar cane factory in the background. Sugar was King and a fortune was made from the hard work and the sweat of countless enslaved labourers who toiled in the hot Caribbean sun, to keep the endless flow of wealth coming into Jamaica and ultimately into Great Britain.
Johnny sees himself now as a Creole
Johnny sees himself now as a Creole
The Creole was anyone born in the colony irrespective of their colour or class, it was a term which denoted location of birth. The Creolean as the 'White' Jamaicans were refereed to by their compatriots in the Motherland of Great Britain, were described as Tawny in skin tone and hardier in general to the Johnny come lately's such as the fictional Johnny Newcome's who tended to die within their first two to three years of arrival, with only a few managing to acclimatize to the Tropical climate with its steaming hot summers and it's mosquito infested rainy seasons.
Johnny relishes inflicting random violence
Johnny relishes inflicting random violence
For absolutely no reason but for a spilt drink, Johnny Newcome rains the wipe mercilessly on his enslaved servant, named Quashie. Random bits of violence was the order of the day, often times the enslaved labourer was the subject of repeated cruelties and abuses at the hands of his 'Master'. Slavery was hard enough without the violence which came with it as well. But that is the nature of the beast, if you relegate one set of people to the role of expendable beasts then those who believe they are the masters will always be tempted to abuse their self proclaimed power.
Johnny takes himself a Mistress
Johnny takes himself a Mistress
As was the practice of many planters in the island, Johnny Newcome was no diffrent, once established he took to himself a Mistress of Colour, she is described here as a 'Samboese'. A Sambo as the term is more correctly written, was the daughter of a Mulatto person and an African person, however based on her attire which included stockings and shoes, she was not an enslaved servant, but was very likely a free-born young woman. Many such free-born mixed race women did engage in extended relationships with wealthy 'White' men, and bore them many offspring. The child of a Sambo and a White person would have been defined either as a Mulatto or a Quadroon based on the lightness of the child's complexion. Colour gradation from African to European was crucial to the control mechanisms in Jamaican Colonial society. This graduation often defined a persons social roles and a persons actual rights in the society.
Today this gradation has manifested itself in the phenomena called skin bleaching which is considered popular among the least financially affluent in Jamaican society as its seen as a way out of poverty, and way to receive social respectability.
The Curse of the Indies alights upon Johnny
The Curse of the Indies alights upon Johnny
The dreaded mosquito descends on Johnny Newcome, an insect known for its many vector borne illnesses which have plagued Colonial Jamaica, such as Yellow Fever, Malaria, Dengue and in very recent years, Chikungunya and Zika. However the virulent plague to fear throughout the 17th - 19th Century Jamaica was the deadly virus which was called Yellow Fever.
Johnny Newcome ignores the bites of the mosquitoes and calls for his drink of Sangree, this was the favourite beverage drank by the Planterly class at the time. The word Sangree was derived from the Spanish word Sangria, and it was made with one wine glass and a half of sherry, two wine glasses of water, a touch of nutmeg, a lime peel and brown sugar for added flavour.
