The History of Mary Prince, a West Indian Slave
When Mr. Wood heard of my marriage, he flew into a great rage, and sent
for Daniel, who was helping to build a house for his old mistress. Mr.
Wood asked him who gave him a right to marry a slave of his? My husband
said, "Sir, I am a free man, and thought I had a right to choose a wife;
but if I had known Molly was not allowed to have a husband, I should not
have asked her to marry me." Mrs. Wood was more vexed about my marriage
than her husband. She could not forgive me for getting married, but
stirred up Mr. Wood to flog me dreadfully with the horsewhip. I thought it
very hard to be whipped at my time of life for getting a husband--I told
her so. She said that she would not have nigger men about the yards and
premises, or allow a nigger man's clothes to be washed in the same tub
where hers were washed. She was fearful, I think, that I should lose her
time, in order to wash and do things for my husband: but I had then no
time to wash for myself; I was obliged to put out my own clothes, though I
was always at the wash-tub.
I had not much happiness in my marriage, owing to my being a slave. It
made my husband sad to see me so ill-treated. Mrs. Wood was always abusing
me about him. She did not lick me herself, but she got her husband to do
it for her, whilst she fretted the flesh off my bones. Yet for all this
she would not sell me. She sold five slaves whilst I was with her; but
though she was always finding fault with me, she would not part with me.
However, Mr. Wood afterwards allowed Daniel to have a place to live in our
yard, which we were very thankful for.
After this, I fell ill again with the rheumatism, and was sick a long
time; but whether sick or well, I had my work to do. About this time I
asked my master and mistress to let me buy my own freedom. With the help
of Mr. Burchell, I could have found the means to pay Mr. Wood; for it was
agreed that I should afterwards, serve Mr. Burchell a while, for the cash
he was to advance for me. I was earnest in the request to my owners; but
their hearts were hard--too hard to consent. Mrs. Wood was very angry--she
grew quite outrageous--she called me a black devil, and asked me who had
put freedom into my head. "To be free is very sweet," I said: but she took
good care to keep me a slave. I saw her change colour, and I left the
room.
About this time my master and mistress were going to England to put their
son to school, and bring their daughters home; and they took me with them
to take care of the child. I was willing to come to England: I thought
that by going there I should probably get cured of my rheumatism, and
should return with my master and mistress, quite well, to my husband. My
husband was willing for me to come away, for he had heard that my master
would free me,--and I also hoped this might prove true; but it was all a
false report.
The steward of the ship was very kind to me. He and my husband were in the
same class in the Moravian Church. I was thankful that he was so friendly,
for my mistress was not kind to me on the passage; and she told me, when
she was angry, that she did not intend to treat me any better in England
than in the West Indies--that I need not expect it. And she was as good as
her word.
When we drew near to England, the rheumatism seized all my limbs worse
than ever, and my body was dreadfully swelled. When we landed at the
Tower, I shewed my flesh to my mistress, but she took no great notice of
it. We were obliged to stop at the tavern till my master got a house; and
a day or two after, my mistress sent me down into the wash-house to learn
to wash in the English way. In the West Indies we wash with cold water--in
England with hot. I told my mistress I was afraid that putting my hands
first into the hot water and then into the cold, would increase the pain
in my limbs. The doctor had told my mistress long before I came from the
West Indies, that I was a sickly body and the washing did not agree with
me. But Mrs. Wood would not release me from the tub, so I was forced to do
as I could. I grew worse, and could not stand to wash. I was then forced
to sit down with the tub before me, and often through pain and weakness
was reduced to kneel or to sit down on the floor, to finish my task. When
I complained to my mistress of this, she only got into a passion as usual,
and said washing in hot water could not hurt any one;--that I was lazy and
insolent, and wanted to be free of my work; but that she would make me do
it. I thought her very hard on me, and my heart rose up within me. However
I kept still at that time, and went down again to wash the child's things;
but the English washerwomen who were at work there, when they saw that I
was so ill, had pity upon me and washed them for me.
After that, when we came up to live in Leigh Street, Mrs. Wood sorted out
five bags of clothes which we had used at sea, and also such as had been
worn since we came on shore, for me and the cook to wash. Elizabeth the
cook told her, that she did not think that I was able to stand to the tub,
and that she had better hire a woman. I also said myself, that I had come
over to nurse the child, and that I was sorry I had come from Antigua,
since mistress would work me so hard, without compassion for my
rheumatism. Mr. and Mrs. Wood, when they heard this, rose up in a passion
against me. They opened the door and bade me get out. But I was a
stranger, and did not know one door in the street from another, and was
unwilling to go away. They made a dreadful uproar, and from that day they
constantly kept cursing and abusing me. I was obliged to wash, though I
was very ill. Mrs. Wood, indeed once hired a washerwoman, but she was not
well treated, and would come no more.
My master quarrelled with me another time, about one of our great
washings, his wife having stirred him up to do so. He said he would compel
me to do the whole of the washing given out to me, or if I again refused,
he would take a short course with me: he would either send me down to the
brig in the river, to carry me back to Antigua, or he would turn me at
once out of doors, and let me provide for myself. I said I would willingly
go back, if he would let me purchase my own freedom. But this enraged him
more than all the rest: he cursed and swore at me dreadfully, and said he
would never sell my freedom--if I wished to be free, I was free in
England, and I might go and try what freedom would do for me, and be
d----d. My heart was very sore with this treatment, but I had to go on. I
continued to do my work, and did all I could to give satisfaction, but all
would not do.
Shortly after, the cook left them, and then matters went on ten times
worse. I always washed the child's clothes without being commanded to do
it, and any thing else that was wanted in the family; though still I was
very sick--very sick indeed. When the great washing came round, which was
every two months, my mistress got together again a great many heavy
things, such as bed-ticks, bed-coverlets, &c. for me to wash. I told her I
was too ill to wash such heavy things that day. She said, she supposed I
thought myself a free woman, but I was not; and if I did not do it
directly I should be instantly turned out of doors. I stood a long time
before I could answer, for I did not know well what to do. I knew that I
was free in England, but I did not know where to go, or how to get my
living; and therefore, I did not like to leave the house. But Mr. Wood
said he would send for a constable to thrust me out; and at last I took
courage and resolved that I would not be longer thus treated, but would go
and trust to Providence. This was the fourth time they had threatened turn
me out, and, go where I might, I was determined now to take them at their
word; though I thought it very hard, after I had lived with them for
thirteen years, and worked for them like a horse, to be driven out in this
way, like a beggar. My only fault was being sick, and therefore unable to
please my mistress, who thought she never could get work enough out of her
slaves; and I told them so: but they only abused me and drove me out. This
took place from two to three months, I think, after we came to England.
When I came away, I went to the man (one Mash) who used to black the shoes
of the family, and asked his wife to get somebody to go with me to Hatton
Garden to the Moravian Missionaries: these were the only persons I knew in
England. The woman sent a young girl with me to the mission house, and I
saw there a gentleman called Mr. Moore. I told him my whole story, and how
my owners had treated me, and asked him to take in my trunk with what few
clothes I had. The missionaries were very kind to me--they were sorry for
my destitute situation, and gave me leave to bring my things to be placed
under their care. They were very good people, and they told me to come to
the church.
When I went back to Mr. Wood's to get my trunk, I saw a lady, Mrs. Pell,
who was on a visit to my mistress. When Mr. and Mrs. Wood heard me come
in, they set this lady to stop me, finding that they had gone too far with
me. Mrs. Pell came out to me, and said, "Are you really going to leave,
Molly? Don't leave, but come into the country with me." I believe she said
this because she thought Mrs. Wood would easily get me back again. I
replied to her, "Ma'am, this is the fourth time my master and mistress
have driven me out, or threatened to drive me--and I will give them no
more occasion to bid me go. I was not willing to leave them, for I am a
stranger in this country, but now I must go--I can stay no longer to be so
used." Mrs. Pell then went up stairs to my mistress, and told that I would
go, and that she could not stop me. Mrs. Wood was very much hurt and
frightened when she found I was determined to go out that day. She said,
"If she goes the people will rob her, and then turn her adrift." She did
not say this to me, but she spoke it loud enough for me to hear; that it
might induce me not to go, I suppose. Mr. Wood also asked me where I was
going to. I told him where I had been, and that I should never have gone
away had I not been driven out by my owners. He had given me a written
paper some time before, which said that I had come with them to England by
my own desire; and that was true. It said also that I left them of my own
free will, because I was a free woman in England; and that I was idle and
would not do my work--which was not true. I gave this paper afterwards to
a gentleman who inquired into my case.[13]
[Footnote 13: See page 24.]
I went into the kitchen and got my clothes out. The nurse and the servant
girl were there, and I said to the man who was going to take out my trunk,
"Stop, before you take up this trunk, and hear what I have to say before
these people. I am going out of this house, as I was ordered; but I have
done no wrong at all to my owners, neither here nor in the West Indies. I
always worked very hard to please them, both by night and day; but there
was no giving satisfaction, for my mistress could never be satisfied with
reasonable service. I told my mistress I was sick, and yet she has ordered
me out of doors. This is the fourth time; and now I am going out."
And so I came out, and went and carried my trunk to the Moravians. I then
returned back to Mash the shoe-black's house, and begged his wife to take
me in. I had a little West Indian money in my trunk; and they got it
changed for me. This helped to support me for a little while. The man's
wife was very kind to me. I was very sick, and she boiled nourishing
things up for me. She also sent for a doctor to see me, and he sent me
medicine, which did me good, though I was ill for a long time with the
rheumatic pains. I lived a good many months with these poor people, and