UCL

Inventory fields

Inventories: description of fields

This is a list of fields in the Inventories listing. Only those where there is a value are displayed: for example, if someone has a known occupation that will be shown, otherwise 'Occupation' will not be displayed.

Field
Description
Year
Year of inventory
Name
Person's full name.
Race
Where someone is described as being one of a 'Free Black Woman', 'Free Mulatto', 'Free Negro', 'Free Quadroon', 'Free Samba Woman' or 'Free Sambo Man'. These are racialised catgeories but are those used in the sources.
Occupation
Occupation where known.
Tradesman?
Where a person identified as a tradesman.
Merchant?
Where a person identified as a merchant.
Jewish?
Where a person identified as Jewish.
Colony
Colony = Jamaica. Where the colony was not Jamaica the place is given under Location
Parish
Parish; if not a Jamaican parish, see Location.
Location
Place other than Jamaica.
Total Enslaved
Number of enslaved.
Total Male
Number of males.
Total Female
Number of females.
Boys
Number of boys.
Boys Value £
Value of boys.
Girls
Number of girls.
Girls Value £
Value of girls.
Children
Children irrespective of sex: usually very young children.
Children £
Value of children.
Total Boys Girls Children
Total of boys + girls + children.
TEV-Total Estate Value
Total estate value in Jamaican currency
TEV £
TEVSterling is the value in British pounds. Given by TEV/TEVExch - but there are some inconsistencies in the data which can be ignored
TEV Exchange Rate
Exchange rate of Jamaican currency: Pounds Sterling. Usually JA£1.4:£1.
Enslaved Value
Value of enslaved (Jamaican currency)
Enslaved Value £
Value of enslaved (in sterling). Given by Enslaved Value/Enslaved Exchange Rate.
Enslaved Exchange Rate
Typically, the rate was JA£1.4:£1.0 but there are some anomalies.
Debts Owing
Amount of debt (Jamaican). Note that the figure is for money owed to the person, not the debts the person had.
Debts Owing £
Amount of debt (Sterling). Note that the figure is for money owed to the person, not the debts the person had.
Debts Exchange Rate
Conversion rate for Debts Owing into Debts Owing £
Cash
Amount of cash (Jamaican)
Cash £
Amount of cash (British)
Cash Exchange Rate
Conversion rate for Cash into Cash £
Plate
Value of plate Jamaican currency
Plate £
Value of plate sterling
Plate Exchange Rate
Conversion rate for Plate into Plate £
1754 Landowners List
Amount of acreage owned by people who are listed in the Jamaican List of landholders, 1754. It can be found at 1754 Landowners List on Jamaican Family Search
Indentured Servants Total
Total number of indentured servants.
Indentured Servants Male
Number of male indentured servants
Indentured Servants Female
Number of female indentured servants
Indentured Servants Value £
Value of indentured servants (Jamaican currency)

Note: a detailed list of changing Jamaican currency / £ sterling exchange rates between 1675 and 1840 can be found in Markus A. Denzel, Handbook of World Exchange Rates, 1590-1914 (Oxford, Routledge, 2016), pp. 448-449.