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The Caribbean Engine of Britain's Industrial Revolution.

A rare survival from the Caribbean, this 1777 manuscript map offers an extraordinary glimpse into the workings of the British slave plantation system. Depicting the Montrose Estate, a cotton plantation on the south coast of Tobago, just east of Fort Granby, it reveals the spatial and economic dynamics of a British colonial enterprise deeply reliant on enslaved labor. Owned by David Mill, Esq., and surveyed by James Campbell (1736–1805), then Colony Surveyor of Grenada and Tobago, the map outlines the estate’s land use, with sections allocated for cotton fields and "Negroe Grounds," where the enslaved workforce lived. The map’s reference key provides a breakdown of the estate’s layout, listing the acres, rods, and perches of each lettered parcel of land. Complete with a compass rose, a decorative title cartouche, and a vignette of Montrose House, this manuscript map on vellum stands as a rare and invaluable contemporary illustration of 18th-century plantation life.

Geographical and Historical Context

Initially claimed by England in 1580 following its discovery by English explorer Sir Robert Dudley, Tobago changed hands numerous times between the Dutch, French, Courlanders, and English due to its strategic location and fertile land. In 1763, following the Treaty of Paris, the island was ceded permanently to Britain, which encouraged British settlers to establish plantations, particularly for cotton and sugar. Despite its small size, Tobago became part of the broader British Caribbean colonial economy, heavily reliant on enslaved African labor, and by the late 18th century, it was firmly integrated into the Atlantic slave trade.

Fourteen years after its reoccupation by the British, this map captures the structured operation of a cotton plantation that had been developed in the intervening years. David Mill was an early purchaser of land in Tobago and a prominent figure in local colonial governance. He was among the petitioners to Governor Robert Melvill in 1767 and signed an address to Lieutenant Governor Ferguson in 1781.

Notably, in 1777, Mill contracted to supply 60,000 pounds of cotton to Thomas Cotton of Tobago and a network of metropolitan merchants in Manchester and London, underscoring the estate’s role in the broader Atlantic economy.

Conclusion

The Caribbean is an infamously inhospitable environment for historical documents, and consequently, few from this period survive. This is one of very few such Caribbean plantation maps that we recall seeing on the antiquarian market.

The survey underscores the pivotal role of enslaved African labor in sustaining large-scale cotton production, a commodity integral to Britain’s textile industry. The explicit labeling of "Negroe Grounds" highlights the spatial segregation and control inherent in plantation management, and the map as a whole reflects the broader social and economic dynamics of slavery in the Atlantic world.

The 60,000-pound cotton contract between David Mill and merchants in Manchester and London illustrates the global reach of this plantation, where the labor of enslaved Africans on Montrose fed directly into the machinery of the British Industrial Revolution.

This map provides a visually impactful view into the British colonial plantation system, showcasing the spatial organization and economic reliance on enslaved labor within an 18th-century cotton plantation.