The Kettles of a Bitter Past

The Hidden Side of Sugar: A History in Iron



The Rise of Sugar in Barbados. Sugarcane cultivation started in Barbados in the early 1640s, when Dutch merchants presented sugar cane harvesting. The island's fertile soil and excellent climate made it the perfect area for 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 Lealthal Job

Sugar production in the days of colonial slavery was  a perilous procedure. After harvesting and crushing the sugarcane, its juice was boiled in huge cast iron kettles till it crystallized into sugar. These pots, frequently organized in a series called a"" train"" were heated by blazing fires that workers had to stir continually. The heat was extreme, , and the work unrelenting. Enslaved employees withstood long hours, typically standing near to the inferno, risking burns and fatigue. Splashes of the boiling liquid were not uncommon and might cause serious, even fatal, injuries.

A Life of Constant Peril

The threats were constant for the enslaved Africans tasked with working these kettles. They worked in intense heat, breathing in smoke and fumes from the boiling sugar and burning fuel. The work required extreme effort and precision; a minute of negligence might lead to mishaps. In spite of these challenges, enslaved Africans brought amazing skill and ingenuity to the procedure, making sure the quality of the end product. This product sustained economies far beyond Barbados" shores.


Now, the large cast iron boiling pots act as reminders of this agonizing past. Scattered throughout gardens, museums, and historical sites in Barbados, they stand as silent witnesses to the lives they touched. These antiques motivate us to reflect on the human suffering behind the sweet taste that once drove worldwide economies.


HISTORICAL RECORDS!


Abolitionist Voices Expose the Hazards of Sugar Plantations

James Ramsay and other abolitionists accentuated the gruesome conditions in Caribbean sugar plantations. The boiling home, filled with open vats of scalding sugar, was a website of suffering, injury, and even death for enslaved workers.


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Boiling Sugar: The Bitter Side of Sweet |The Hidden Side of Sugar: |Sweet Taste Forged in Fire: The Sugar-Boiling Legacy |
Molten Memories: The Iron Kettles of Sugar's Past |

Barbados Sugar’s Unseen History