Barbados Molten Memories

Boiling Down Sugar


In 18th-century Barbados, sugar production counted on cast-iron syrup kettles, a method later adopted in the American South. Sugarcane was crushed using wind and animal-powered mills. The extracted juice was heated up, clarified, and vaporized in a series of cast-iron pots of reducing size to create crystallized sugar.

Barbados Sugar Wealth. Sugarcane growing began in Barbados in the early 1640s, when Dutch merchants came to help with sugar production. By the mid-17th century, Barbados had become one of the wealthiest nests in the British Empire, earning the nickname "Little England." But all was not sweetness in the land of Sugar as we discover next:



The Boiling Process: A Grueling Job

Producing sugar in the 17th and 18th centuries was  a perilous process. After collecting and crushing the sugarcane, its juice was boiled in enormous cast iron kettles till it crystallized into sugar. These pots, frequently arranged in a series called a"" train"" were heated by blazing fires that workers needed to stoke constantly. The heat was suffocating, and the work unrelenting. Enslaved employees sustained long hours, frequently standing near to the inferno, running the risk of burns and exhaustion. Splashes of the boiling liquid were not uncommon and could trigger severe, even fatal, injuries.





Appreciating the Legacy

By acknowledging the unsafe labour of enslaved Africans, we honour their contributions and sacrifices. Barbados" sugar market, built on their backs, formed the island's history and economy. As we admire the relics of this period, we need to also keep in mind the people whose work and durability made it possible. Their story is an important part of comprehending not simply the history of Barbados however the wider history of the Caribbean and the worldwide effect of the sugar trade.



 
The video illustrates chapter 20 of Rogues in Paradise. The scene is of Hunts Gardens carved out of the many gullies in Barbados: Meet the amazing man who produced the most captivated put on earth!

HISTORICAL RECORDS!


Abolitionist literature on The Dangers of the Boiling Trains

Abolitionist literature, including James Ramsay's works, information the dreadful risks faced by enslaved workers in sugar plantations. The boiling house, with its alarmingly hot vats, was a fatal work environment where exhaustion and severe heat caused awful mishaps.


Boiling Sugar: The Bitter Side of Sweet - Check the link for Details

sugar boiing pots