Trouvadore

In 1841 the slave ship Troubador set sail from Cuba to collect enslaved Africans to be sold to the sugar plantations in Cuba. This act was illegal, Spain having outlawed the slave trade. However, governors in Cuba often turned a blind eye to the trade as it was required to maintain the economic viability of the sugar plantations. The exact route of "Troubador" is not known but the records state that new crew members were picked up in Sao Tome, a Portuguese colony off the coast of Africa, and still legally traded as enslaved Africans.

The exact numbers of Africans boarded onto "Troubador" is not recorded but would have been around 280-300. When the ship wrecked off East Caicos in March 1841 all the 20 crew members and 193 Africans aboard survived, suggesting that around 100 had died during the Atlantic crossing, a typical loss for a venture of this kind. On landing on East Caicos a number of the Africans fled into the bush, one being shot dead.

East Caicos was a large deserted Island in 1841. The initial assistance came from residents from the neighbouring Island of Middle Caicos, who also got news of the wrecking to the authorities on the Island of Grand Turk, the political capital of the Turks and Caicos. The Authorities dispatched British soldiers to secure the crew and bring all back to Grand Turk whilst a decision was made on their future. Residents from Middle Caicos had disarmed the Spanish crew so when Lt. Fitzgerald arrived with his men there was no need for force. The ships crew were arrested.

On Grand Turk the ships crew were placed under armed guard and eventually taken to Nassau with 24 of the Africans. As slavery had been abolished in this British territory in 1834 the remaining 168 Africans were freed into a one year Apprenticeship during which time they were taught a skill, baptised and learnt English. These 168 individuals increased the population by 7% and would have had a major impact on the country.

This story was long forgotten until the Founder of the Turks and Caicos National Museum Grethe Seim, and Dr Donald Keith started searching in the USA for objects from the Turks and Caicos. They discovered a letter book written by Grand Turk resident George Judson Gibbs, containing letters written in the late 1870s trying to sell some of his collection. This included 2 'African Idols' from a Spanish slaver that wrecked off East Caicos in 1841. Research was begun and in the British National Archives the story was uncovered.

Since 2000 one of the main researchers uncovering the story of Troubador and its legacy has been Nigel Sadler, former director at the Turks and Caicos National Museum (2000-2006). His research has placed the story of Troubador not only into Turks and Caicos Islands history but also in the context of the illegal slave trade, British military intervention in capturing slave ships and who aided the Africans liberated from the vessels and Cuba where economic growth was fuelling the demand for the importation of illegally captured Africans.

Why "Trouvadore"?

In the British records the ship is referred to as "Trouvadore" and as such became the name of the project looking for the information about the survivors and the search for the wreck. However, after naming the project it was clear the ship was really called "Troubador", meaning wandering minstrel in Spanish.

Search for the wreck

There have been three field seasons to search for the remains of the ship. In 2004 a survey located a wooden wreck in the right location. In 2006 a test excavation was carried out but unfortunately no diagnostic material was found. In 2008 the third field season also sought to find two American navy vessels that sank in the waters of the Turks and Caicos Islands whilst on anti piracy/anti slavery patrols. Further fieldwork is planned

External links

* http://www.slaveshiptrouvadore.com