Jobs Performed by Enslaved People in Bermuda

Enslaved labor was foundational to Bermuda's maritime economy (1616–1834). Unlike plantation colonies, Bermuda's enslaved workforce was diversified, skilled, and urbanized.

1. Maritime Trades (Core)

• Shipbuilding: Cedar sloops (Bermuda rig) — enslaved carpenters, caulkers, sailmakers, riggers. Built 1,000+ vessels (1680–1830).
• Seafaring: Enslaved sailors, pilots, stevedores on merchant, whaling, privateering voyages. Some earned "privilege" wages (shared with owners).
• Dockyard (Royal Naval Dockyard, 1809–): Laborers, masons, blacksmiths, coopers — critical to British Atlantic fleet.

2. Salt Production (Early Economic Engine)

• Turks & Caicos salt raking (Bermudian seasonal migration) — enslaved men, women, children in brutal solar evaporation ponds. Major export to Newfoundland cod fishery.

3. Agriculture (Small-Scale, Subsistence + Export)

• Onions, potatoes, arrowroot, citrus, bananas — exported to North America/West Indies.
• Limited land (21 sq mi) → intensive gardens, not plantations.

4. Domestic & Urban Labor

• Domestic service (cooks, nursemaids, laundresses, butlers) — majority of enslaved women.
• Artisans: blacksmiths, coopers, masons, tailors, shoemakers, bakers — hired out, sometimes self-hire (paying owner portion).
• Street vendors, porters, fishermen.

5. Construction & Infrastructure

• Forts (Fort St. Catherine, Fort Hamilton), roads, wharves, reservoirs, Government House.
• St. Peter's Church (oldest Anglican outside UK) — enslaved labor.

6. Distinctive Features

• High manumission rate — by 1800, ~1/3 Black Bermudians free (vs. <5% in US South).
• Property ownership — free & enslaved Blacks bought/sold land, boats, slaves.
• Literacy — Methodist/Society for Propagation of Gospel schools; higher than regional avg.
• Petitions & legal action — enslaved people sued for freedom, wages, rights (e.g., Mary Prince narrative).

Abolition: Slavery Abolition Act 1833 → full freedom 1 Aug 1834 (apprenticeship ended 1838). Bermuda's Black community transitioned into seafaring, farming, trades — foundations of modern Bermudian society.