EAP093 A survey of the endangered court records of
Nevis, West Indies
This project surveyed and assessed the condition of the records held in the
Courthouse Vault and also, to some extent, in the Courthouse office.
Important sets of documents in the Courthouse have been identified, in
particular the Common Deed Record Books, Books of Wills and Land Title
Register Books with their attached estate plans.
Other sources of records concerning Nevis have been identified, both on
Nevis and on St Kitts, in the form of Government records at the Registrar
General's Office (vault records surveyed), the National Archives on St Kitts
and in the records of both the Anglican and Methodist Churches. There are
also useful records in a privately run museum on St Kitts. It has become clear
that there are almost no documentary records concerning the Colonial period
in private hands on Nevis.
A Survey was produced, giving information on records held held at the
following locations:
Supreme Court Registry (vault and office), Charlestown, Nevis
Registrar General's Office (vault), Charlestown, Nevis
Nevis Treasury (vault), Charlestown, Nevis
Methodist Church Office, Charlestown, Nevis
Anglican Parish Offices of St George Gingerland and St John Figtree, Nevis
Edgar Challenger International House Museum, Basseterre, St Kitts
Further Information
You can contact the EAP team at [email protected]
British Library Endangered Archives Programme
EAP093
A SURVEY OF THE ENDANGERED COURT RECORDS
OF N EVIS , W EST I NDIES
A Pilot Project Report
David Small
Department of Archaeology and Anthropology
University of Bristol
October 2008
2
3
Contents
1. Background
2. Significance of the records to be found in Nevis
3. Endangered Archives Programme of the British Library
4. Aims of the Pilot Project
5. Destruction of records in the past
6. Previous surveys
7. Legislative background
8. Political and administrative issues as they affect records
8.1 The National Records and Archives Authority
8.2 Responsibility for the management of records
8.3 Issues of funding and lack of space
9. Nevis Historical and Conservation Society Archive
10. Possible sources of endangered records relating to Nevis
11. Parish records
11.1 Anglican parish records in Nevis
11.2 Methodist parish registers
12. Government records - overview
13. National Archives
14. Nevis Treasury
15. Departments of Physical Planning in Nevis and St Kitts
16. Registrar General’s Offices of St Kitts and Nevis
17. Supreme Court Registry – Nevis
17.1 Storage issues
17.2 General management issues
17.3 Schemes for improvement
18. Supreme Court Registry: Historic records by series – significance and condition
18.1 Common Deed Record Books
18.2 Probate Records
18.3 Land Title Register Books
18.4 Associated estate plans in the vault
18.5 Court Records
19. Recommendations – Supreme Court Registry
19.1 Current Records - Short-term recommendations
19.2 Historic Records – Short-term recommendations
19.3 Historic Records – Medium-term recommendations
20. Strategic recommendations - Government Records
Acknowledgements
4
Appendices
Appendix 1 Methodist Parish Registers – Condition Survey
Appendix 2 Registrar General’s Office: Registers of Birth, Deaths and Marriages –
Condition Survey
Appendix 3 Common Deed Record Books – Condition Survey
Appendix 4 Probate Records – Condition Survey
Appendix 5 Land Title Register Books – Condition Survey
Appendix 6 Court Records - Condition Survey
Appendix 7 E. C. Baker – Inventory
Appendix 8 Anglican and Methodist Parish Records, Nevis – Overview
Appendix 9 Common Deed Record Books – Inventory 2004-2008
Appendix 10 EAP093 Survey Form
List of Plates
Plate 1
Plate 2
Plate 3
Plate 4
Plate 5
Plate 6
Plate 7
Plate 8
Plate 9
Plate 10
Plate 11
Plate 12
Plate 13
Plate 14
Plate 15
Plate 16
Plate 17
Plate 18
Plate 19
Plate 20
Plate 21
Plate 22
Plate 23
Nevis Courthouse
Courtroom with Judge’s dais at far end
Memoranda of Transfer and Common Deed Records under Judge’s dais
Filing cabinets at the back of the Courtroom
Courthouse vault door
Vault floor – supermarket boxes with Memoranda of Transfer
Vault right-hand side, Common Deed Record Books on top shelf
Vault left-hand side, Common Deed Record Books on top shelf
Common Deed Record Book 1750-1752, too fragile to open
Plan of Pinney’s Estate from Common Deed Record Book 1877-1899
Common Deed Record Books 15 and 16 with repairs
Common Deed Record Book 16, condition of spine
Probate Records, Book of Wills 1763-1787, showing fraying at edges
Probate Records, Wills Book 1903 - ca. 1969
Inventory of the effects of President John Richardson Herbert from Book of Wills
1787-1805
Plan of Old Manor Estate from Land Title Register Book 1
Land Title Register Book 1, state of covers
Land Title Register Book 12 1971-1973
Plan of Ward’s Estate from Land Title Register Book 1, crumpled state
Roll of estate plans from vault
Additional estate plans from vault
Record Book of the Court of King’s Bench and Common Pleas 1714-1716
Record Book of the Court of King’s Bench and Common Pleas 1785-1822
5
Summary
•
•
•
•
•
Important historical records are to be found in Nevis within the Supreme Court
Registry, in the Registrar General’s Office, among the records of the various churches
and in the Archive of the Nevis Historical and Conservation Society (NHCS). These
records are, and will continue to be, vital for an understanding by the people of Nevis
of their island’s unique history. They could play an important role in the education of
future generations. The records are of international importance because of the island’s
history.
Federal legislation exists to provide for the management and preservation of current
and non-current records.
However, many of these records are being irreparably damaged by the conditions in
which they are kept. This is particularly true in the case of the Supreme Court
Registry records, the Anglican and Methodist Parish Registers and records in the
vault of the Registrar General’s Office. The same may apply to records in other
government departments.
There appears to be little, or no, supervision of the management of government
records and little financial provision made for such management.
There have been previous condition surveys of government records in Nevis and
recommendations have been made. However, there has been little improvement in the
situation since the 1960s, particularly in the Supreme Court Registry.
Recommendations summarised
•
•
•
•
•
The Nevis Island Administration (NIA) should seek to appoint a Nevis Island
Archivist whose responsibilities should include an immediate review of the nature
and condition of all archival material in government departments, advising
government departments and the Supreme Court Registry on the management of
current and non-current records and the drawing up of retention and disposal
schedules.
The NIA should seek to establish a Nevis Island Archive and Records Centre under
the provisions of the relevant Federal legislation.
In the interim, the NIA may wish to consult the NHCS and seek its assistance with
the preservation of non-current government records of enduring quality by
transferring them for a period to the NHCS Archive, conditional on adequate funding
being provided for such a task.
The NIA, in consultation with the Registrar of the Supreme Court, should seek
funding from suitable external sources, such as the British Library or UNESCO, for
the digitising of endangered material with a view to the preservation of it on
microfilm, while at the same time preserving the originals.
Finance should be provided by the NIA to allow the following immediate, practical
steps, among others, to be taken in the Supreme Court Registry and, where relevant,
in other government departments, after seeking advice from experienced archivists on
the island:
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Clearing the Registry vault and other floors of material
Reviewing the safety, evacuation and cleaning procedures
Controlling the levels of temperature and humidity in storage areas
Creating an inventory of records
Providing archival-quality, and clearly labelled, boxes for the storage of
volumes
Providing sufficient office furniture and stationery
Training for staff
6
Endangered Archives Programme Pilot Project EAP093 – Report
A survey of the endangered court records of Nevis, West Indies
1. Background
Since the 1980s, after a long period of relative inactivity, there has been an explosion of
academic interest in the archaeology and history of Nevis. This has largely focussed on the
sugar industry and its plantation structures. Every summer there have been teams of
archaeologists and historians from both the UK (Bristol University and Southampton
University) and the US (Boston University, University of Michigan, San Jose State University
and Earthwatch).
Among other areas of study they have investigated the surviving remains of seventeenthcentury plantations, the location of slave villages, the biographies of enslaved people, the
earliest Jewish Synagogue, industrial history and the formation of post-emancipation villages.
Those interested in the history of Nevis have only a limited range of documentary records
available to them.
•
•
•
•
There are very few private collections relating to Nevis outside the Pinney Papers
(Bristol University) and the Stapleton Papers (National Library of Wales and others).
Occasionally, further collections come to light, such as the Mills Papers, recently
acquired by the London Docklands Museum.
Political and economic material concerning Nevis can be found in the UK National
Archives.
A valuable collection of government material dating from the mid-eighteenth century
in the form of Nevis Council Minutes, Acts and Laws of Nevis and Blue Books can
be found in the Archive at the Nevis Historical and Conservation Society (NHCS) at
the Nelson Museum in Charlestown.
Occasional material can be found in the US, particularly at Hamilton College in
Clinton, New York.
However, academics working in Nevis have depended, in particular, on the Common Deed
Record Books surviving in the ‘vault’ of the Supreme Court Registry in Nevis. Indeed, the
sheer volume of academic interest and the poor storage conditions have been among the
contributory factors in the deteriorating condition of those records.
This project has arisen out of that academic interest and a concern for the condition of the
records.
2. Significance of the records to be found in Nevis
Nevis played a very significant role in Atlantic history, being one of the earliest Caribbean
islands settled by the British (1628). Thousands of enslaved West Africans were brought to
Nevis, particularly in the late seventeenth century when Nevis was the location for the Royal
African Company’s only ‘factory’ in the Leeward Islands. From Nevis there has been a
continual process of emigration to other islands in the Caribbean and to North America. For
these reasons documentary records in Nevis have an international significance.
However, the collection is equally important to Nevisians. In the legal records can be found
the wills of free black Nevisians, former slaves and planters, together with manumissions
recording the freedom of individuals. There are mortgages of property and slaves, listing
7
whole enslaved populations on particular estates, together with detailed histories of
landownership. This 2008 survey has revealed that among the Land Title Certificate Books
and the Common Deed Record Books are to be found a significant quantity of estate plans
from the late nineteenth century whose existence had only been guessed at before. These
have, until now, been rare for Nevis and provide clues for the location of slave villages, a
process which has only just begun in Nevis, and for the location of further plantation remains
and land boundaries. Also to be found are plans of individual house plots in newly-formed
post-emancipation villages. Of particular importance to Nevisians, in the present climate of
economic development, are the records of land-ownership.
As indicated by anecdotal evidence, there is a small, but significant, cultural shift towards
Nevisians, and those of Nevisian origin returning to the island, investigating their family
histories. Because parish records are very patchy, most Nevisians can only do this for two or
three generations, mostly through oral history. This trend has been noted across the
Caribbean. The 2002 report of the Caribbean Regional Branch of the International Council on
Archives (CARBICA) on public demand on archives in the Caribbean noted that ‘the most
frequently used sources are genealogical sources, governmental archives, maps and
photographs’. It also noted an
‘accent on family history and history of the country. Also topics related to the
social economic development of the respective society, slavery, migration
and mixing of cultures, political history especially the resistance against
colonialism are very popular.’
The report noted the responsibility of archival institutions in the Caribbean to ‘promote the
knowledge of the history and culture of the country among the general public, thus to promote
the new nations history’. 1
It is fair to say that most Nevisians know relatively little about their island’s history further
back than about 1900 – that is to say, they have a broad sweep of knowledge about Caribbean
history in general and about slavery but are unable to localise that knowledge to the island or
the parish or the estate. Indeed, an understanding of local history is somewhat diverted by an
undue focus on American links through Alexander Hamilton and on British ‘heroes’ such as
Nelson. Preservation of local records about local people is therefore vital.
Careful analysis of records has allowed, and will in future allow, historians and archaeologists
working in Nevis to compare social development before and after emancipation, investigate
patterns of family life, examine the growth of an independent, small-scale economy, locate
slave and post-emancipation villages and identify changing patterns of land ownership and
use.
The early twenty-first century is an important period for the post-colonial, economic
development of the island. The present strategy largely rests on the continued development of
high-end tourism and part of that package lies in tourist interest in the historic remains on the
island. However, a real understanding of those remains is only in its infancy. To give an
example, there is significant American interest in the early family history of Alexander
Hamilton, first Secretary of the US Treasury, whose purported family home, ‘Hamilton
House’, is now partly occupied by the NHCS. The question has never been fully investigated
as to whether or not this was his family home. It will, in the near future, become important to
clarify some of these, and similar, historical issues using the land and other records surviving
on the island.
1
Romer-Kenepa, Nolda 2002: Public Demand in Caribbean Archival Institutions CARBICA report
8
3. Endangered Archives Programme of the British Library
The British Library’s ‘Endangered Archives Programme’ is supported by the charitable trust
‘Arcadia’. 2
The principal objective of the programme is ‘to facilitate scholarship and research by
identifying and preserving important archival material at risk of neglect, physical
deterioration, destruction, or irresponsible care’.
The main aim is to copy and relocate existing archival material to a suitable,
established, local archive and thereby preserve it for the future. Where the particular,
local situation does not indicate relocation of the material, the programme may
support applications simply to copy the material.
The principle method for copying material could be either microfilm or a digital
platform. In the case of Nevis, which has no facility for microfilm, the British Library
has indicated digital photography, carried out on the island, as a sensible way to
proceed. From a digital format, preservation copies could be made on microfilm
through outsourcing.
An important principle of the programme is that copies of the material should be fully
and costlessly accessible to scholars through the local archive/s as well as the British
Library.
One of the additional benefits of the availability of copies of material through the
British Library is that there would be a copy of all the valuable material safely-stored
off island in the event of a disaster.
An important element of any major project supported by the Endangered Archives
Programme is the enhancement of local capacity to manage and preserve archives.
Thus the programme is keen to encourage the inclusion of training for local staff.
The programme has two levels of grant – support for a pilot project to investigate the
situation and support for a major programme of copying and relocation. This
document is the report on a pilot project. 3
4. Aims of the Pilot Project
•
•
•
•
•
•
To survey and assess the condition of the records in the Supreme Court Registry vault
To identify key sets of documents
To investigate the potential for copying and relocating them, or simply copying them
To assess whether there is the political will to allow either of these outcomes
To investigate local capacity to carry out the work
To identify whether or not there are other potential sources of documentary evidence
on the island in private hands and government departments
It has been understood that, should the results of the survey indicate it, and if there is an
agreement among the parties, the results of the pilot project would be used to make an
application to the Endangered Archives Programme for a Major Project Grant to carry out the
work of copying and relocating the ‘archivable’ material.
2
For details of Arcadia see http://www.arcadiafund.org.uk/content
For further details of the Endangered Archives Programme see
http://www.bl.uk/about/policies/endangeredarch/abouteap.html
3
9
The pilot project deliberately limited the survey of documents to those covering the period
from 1700 to 1920 in order to assuage fears that contemporary material would be
investigated.
5. Destruction of records in the past
5.1 Man-made disasters
In the Colonial period, before Independence in 1983, it appears that each department of
government kept its own records. Thus, the Treasury kept its records in the old Treasury
building and the Land Registry and Court Records were kept in the Supreme Court Registry
vault.
The following known events have, to a greater or lesser extent, affected the condition of
government records as seen today:
•
•
•
•
•
•
In 1706 the French, during their invasion of the island, are reported to have taken
records out of the old courthouse and burned them in the street. This probably
explains why there are no Common Deed Record Books prior to 1707. 4
The present Courthouse dates from 1837 and was built after the great fire in
Charlestown of that year. 5 V. L. Oliver thought that registers for the parish of St.
James Windward for the period 1787 to 1837 may have been burnt in the fire. 6
In 1873 there was another fire, this time confined to the Courthouse. 7 It is known that
records were destroyed. Among documents in the UK National Archives, concerned
with the sale of Clarke’s estate in 1874 as an Encumbered Estate, is a letter from a
local Commissioner, Maquair, dated August 13 1873. He notes the confusion caused
by the destruction of documents in a court house fire. 8
After St Kitts and Nevis were united in one presidency in 1882 ‘administrative
records in Nevis were trans-shipped to St Christopher’ 9. In 1982 a catastrophic fire in
the Courthouse in Basseterre destroyed records, perhaps including many from Nevis.
David and Joan Robinson of the NHCS went to St Kitts and repatriated to Nevis
many volumes of records which now form the collection of government records held
by the NHCS. 10
In the 1990s, because of a shortage of space in the old Treasury building, older
Treasury records were either burned or left outside. Some were rescued by Joan
Robinson and the NHCS Archivist Ms Lornette Hanley.
In the last few years there was a fire in the storeroom of the Department of Physical
Planning in St Kitts which held a number of older maps and plans of both islands.
4
Hubbard, Vincent K 2002: Swords, Ships & Sugar - History of Nevis to 1900 5th ed, Corvallis, Oregon,
Premiere Editions International pp115-116
5
Hubbard, Vincent K 2002 p176
6
Baker, Edward Cecil 1965: A Guide to the Records in the Leeward Islands Oxford, Blackwell p44
7
Hubbard, Vincent K 2002 p183
8
NA CO 441/11/1
9
Baker, Edward Cecil 1965 p41
10
Vincent Hubbard 2008 pers. comm.
10
5. 2 Natural disasters
The timing of this report is remarkable because, as it is being written, Hurricane Omar has
just struck the island of Nevis from the west causing a storm surge. Historically hurricanes
have come from the east and it tends to be the winds which cause the damage. However, at
least three times since 1990 hurricanes have come from the direction of the Caribbean. In
Hurricane Omar’s case, reports suggest that there has been flooding along the front of
Charlestown, near which many of the government departments and their record vaults are
situated.
Also this month an earthquake of magnitude 4.5, in a ‘swarm’ of 54 seismic events, has
occurred near the east coast of Nevis.
These events are not unusual but they raise important questions for the management of
historic records such as whether or not they are stored in ways which will protect them against
floods and whether or not there are disaster and evacuation plans.
6. Previous surveys
6.1 V. L. Oliver ca. 1919
V. L. Oliver, commenting on the Nevis Registrar’s Office, noted that ‘Everything is in good
order and proper cupboards have been provided’. He noted that some volumes of the
Common Deed Record Books were decayed or perishing, although others were in good order.
The records of the Court of King’s Bench and Common Pleas were in ‘several dilapidated
volumes’ but were in better condition than the other records. He noted too that some of the
old Council Books had been sent to the Administrator’s Office, later the office of the
Governor General. 11
6.2 Clinton V. Black 1962
Clinton V. Black, the Government Archivist of Jamaica, reported on the archives of the two
islands and Anguilla in June 1962. No copy of his report is available to hand but he
recommended, among other things, that the archives centralised in the Courthouse in St Kitts
should be moved to specially constructed rooms in Government Headquarters. 12 The two
existing, fireproof vaults are essentially what house the National Archive in 2008.
6.3 E. C. Baker early 1960s
E. C. Baker surveyed the archives of the Leeward Islands in the early 1960s under a grant
from the Rockefeller Foundation 13 and carried out a substantial amount of work in organising
the records on both St Kitts and Nevis as well as producing several detailed, annotated
inventories. (See Appendix 7) In the Supreme Court Registry in Charlestown he noted the
following, among other volumes:
• 53 Common Deed Record Books 1707-1962 (unfortunately not inventoried in
detail)
• 2 Indexes of Deeds from 1875
• 9 volumes of Wills from 1783
• 9 volumes of Land Title Certificates
11
Oliver, Vere Langford 1919: ‘Records of Barbados, Demerara and the Leeward Islands’ in Caribbeana vol. 3
pp358-362
12
Saunders, D. Gail 1979: St Kitts Nevis Archival Organisation Paris UNESCO Technical Report RP/197980/5/10.1/03 9. For an on-line copy see unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0003/000364/036474eo.pdf
13
Baker, Edward Cecil 1965
11
•
38 volumes and several bundles of the Court of King’s/Queen’s Bench and
Common Pleas
6.4 D. Gail Sunders 1974
Ms Gail Saunders - prior to 2005 the Chief Archivist at the National Archives of the Bahamas
- produced a report on the organisation of government records in St Kitts and Nevis in July
1979 14, visiting many offices in St Kitts. In Nevis she visited the Treasury, Courthouse, the
Public Libraries and St George Gingerland Rectory, among other sites. She divided records
into three categories: Current, Non-Current and Archives. It is worth quoting her general
comments concerning non-current records since many of them still apply, as do her
recommendations.
She regarded non-current records as a ‘much more serious problem’:
There was no evidence of any systematic programme for dealing with noncurrent records in any department. Apparently it was the practice when space
needs required their removal from the active files, to bundle the non-current
files or records into a storeroom (together with miscellaneous unconnected
items), basement, attic or warehouse. No particular effort was made to
provide proper containers, lists, labels, fire protection or custodial
responsibility. Storage rooms tended to deteriorate into dumps if free access
is permitted under these conditions…(para. 12).
She noted that fireproof vaults had been built in some offices:
Nevertheless, even when put into such vaults, the records are usually kept in
no particular order and if a file is needed it cannot be easily found. Some
non-current files and records have been lost through earthquakes, fires and
neglect, and some had been purposely destroyed to provide additional space
(para. 13).
Ms Saunders spent only one day in Nevis but did visit the Courthouse, pointing out that
records such as Deed Books and Certificates of Title were stored in a vault which had little
ventilation and was very hot. She noted the following:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
bound volumes were stored on wooden shelves
unbound and folded Certificates of Title were stored alphabetically in wooden
cubby holes
some documents such as Writs were stored in wooden and cardboard boxes
some land registration documents were lying on top of a cardboard box
most of the documents listed by Baker were located
much of the paper in the older records was in ‘very poor condition’ and most
records were ‘very brittle’
documents had been wrapped in brown paper by Baker; this paper had shown
signs of insect damage since then
the Bailiff at the time recognised the importance of the records and treated them
with great respect.
She recommended the following:
•
14
that the records in the Supreme Court Registry remain in Nevis
Saunders, D. Gail 1979
12
•
•
that the vault be cleared of extraneous material such as Court exhibits, cleaned
and ventilated
that documents be fumigated, dusted and the fragile ones be wrapped and tied
with cloth tape.
Ms Saunders made the following ‘Long Range’ recommendations:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
appointment of a Government Archivist
legislation to establish an Archives Department
provision of a separate, specially constructed building for a central archives and
records centre to include reference facilities, facilities for binding, repair and
microfilming and exhibition space
recruitment of a small staff to include a binding and repair technician and a
microfilm and photographic technician
training courses for staff in the various government departments and the
nomination of responsible staff within departments
a records management programme which would include retention and disposal
schedules for the orderly transfer to the archives of records or provide for their
destruction
centralisation of all Government archives – (presumably she meant here that
archives in St Kitts should be centralised in St Kitts and those in Nevis in Nevis).
The first two of these recommendations have been carried out. On the whole, after thirty
years, the rest have not.
6.5 Ms Lornette Hanley ca. 1998
Ms Lornette Hanley, Archivist of the NHCS carried out a condition survey of records in the
Supreme Court Registry ca. 1998 and produced a report. Unfortunately no copy of this could
be found. However, she noted the condition of individual volumes, wrapped and tied a
number of volumes, particularly from the collection of King’s/Queen’s Bench and Common
Pleas and made a series of recommendations for the general management of records.
Around this time she was involved, on behalf of the NHCS, in discussions with the NIA
concerning the possibility of removing the older, non-current, Supreme Court records to the
relative safety of the NHCS Archive, there to be kept under proper archival conditions. These
discussions got as far as a draft Memo of Understanding between the parties which,
unfortunately, the NIA declined to sign or act on. The Premier’s Private Secretary at the time,
Ms Clara Walters, took the view that it was not possible for Government Records to be held
by an NGO. 15
6.6 Researchers 1990s-2006
Out of the work of historians and archaeologists has emerged a working inventory of the
Common Deed Record Books, compiled from individual lists. 16 (See Appendix 9) Concern
has grown among these researchers about the condition of the records and the lack of clear
labelling and organisation. In 2004, with the help of the Court Messenger, Mr Anthony
Walters, all the Common Deed Record Books which could be found were wrapped, tied and
clearly labelled and their storage on the shelves in the vault reorganised. A report was
15
Ms Clara Walters 2008 pers. comm.
The list was compiled from information supplied Dr Michelle Terrell, William Austin Pinney and Christine
Eickelmann.
16
13
subsequently produced and submitted to the NHCS to alert them to the need for further
action. 17
7. Legislative background
The management of national records and archives within the Federation is covered by the
‘National Records and Archives Act, 2001’ of Saint Christopher and Nevis. 18 This provides a
clear framework which includes the following provisions, among others:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
It establishes the post of Director of the National Records and Archives Authority
under the authority of the Minister responsible for the Civil Service.
It provides for a Board which is to have oversight of the Authority and to advise and
support the Director.
The Director is to have oversight of the record-keeping practices within public offices
relating to current records, to accept custody of semi-current records scheduled for
further retention and to be responsible for the preservation of all public records of
enduring value.
These responsibilities include providing guidance and assistance on the establishment
of filing and registry systems, making arrangements for necessary training and the
drawing up of general and specific retention and disposal schedules for which the Act
makes specific provision.
The duties of the Director in relation to the National Archives are spelt out. In
addition to these, the Director has the responsibility for establishing a network of
branch offices of the Authority in St Kitts and Nevis. (para. 14.1) Clearly here the
possibility of an archive in Nevis was envisaged. Any archives established in these
branch offices are to be regarded as being under the control of the Director as also are
the records therein (para. 14.4).
The Act makes provision for the Minister, on the advice of the Board, to be able to
designate a place other than the National Archives as a suitable repository for public
archives, under certain conditions (para. 15).
Finance for the activities of the Authority is to be considered a charge on the
Consolidated Fund.
The First Schedule of the Act identifies court records as public records.
8. Political and administrative issues as they affect records
8.1 The National Records and Archives Authority
The Authority exists, has an archive in Government Headquarters in St Kitts and an active
Director, Mrs Victoria Borg O’Flaherty.
It has no Board to take responsibility for, and oversee, its activities and push for development.
There is no purpose-built building to act as an Archive and Records Centre. The archive
consists of two vaults and a very small office for the Director and is clearly inadequate for the
purposes established by the Act.
While the Director is very active in preserving the records entrusted to her, she has virtually
no staff and no facilities. There is no search-room, repair and bindery section or facility for
digital photography or microfilming of records as recommended in the 1979 report.
17
Small, D. 2004: Preserving Nevisian Heritage - Documentary Records in the Nevis Court House unpublished
report submitted for file to the NHCS
18
The National Records and Archives Act, 2001 Saint Christopher and Nevis No. 22 of 2001, St Kitts,
Government Printery
14
No government archive or branch of the National Archive has been established in Nevis.
8.2 Responsibility for the management of records
According to the Act, responsibility for the management of current records and the transfer of
semi-current records is shared between the heads of public offices and the Director. Among
the Director’s functions is the oversight of record-keeping within public offices and the
drawing up of retention and disposal schedules.
In practice, partly due to the amount of work, the Director feels unable to mount effective
supervision of the management of records within public offices, even in St Kitts. It is worth
noting that during this survey the Court Registrar noted poor practice in the management of
records within the Court Registry in St Kitts.
The Director has done some work on retention and disposal schedules and on handling
policies with individual government offices on St Kitts by invitation but there is no crossgovernment organisation of this.
Inter-island mistrust between St Kitts and Nevis has a long history, going back to the
eighteenth century. It has been seen in political campaigns within Nevis for secession from
the Federation. In that sort of climate the Director will give advice and assistance to
government offices in Nevis, but only if invited to do so. She has not been asked.
There is no government archivist in Nevis and, since the Director feels unable to intervene
and is not asked for advice, responsibility for the effective management of records in Nevis
lies with the heads of public offices who appear to be unsupervised, unassisted, underresourced and are likely to be inexperienced in modern record management techniques.
In the case of the Nevis Court Records overall responsibility, including the funding and
management of the Supreme Court Registry office, lies with the Permanent Secretary to the
NIA. De facto supervision of the office seems to lie with the Court Registrar who is a busy
lawyer based in St Kitts.
8.3 Issues of funding and lack of space
In general there appears to be a lack of funding for the management of records in government
offices within the Federation - except in so far as individual offices can find the money within
their own budgets.
This lack of funding is evidenced in individual offices through a lack of office space and a
shortage of filing cabinets and dedicated office furniture. Some offices, such as the Court
Registry in Nevis, have had to resort to scrounging cardboard boxes from supermarkets for
storing files.
Plans have been drawn up for the building of a dedicated archive and record centre in St Kitts
and a capital allocation was made in the last two budgets. However, the funds have then been
used to underwrite already existing projects.
I am unclear as to whether there has ever been a plan either to dedicate an existing building in
Nevis as an island archive and record centre or to build one, but in practice none exists and
archival material remains within individual offices.
There appears to be no funding available in Nevis for training in the management of current
records and archival material.
15
9. Nevis Historical and Conservation Society Archive
The NHCS has a substantial library and a generally well-organised and active archive. The
material includes government records in the form of Nevis Council and Assembly Minutes
from the 1740s through to the 1870s, Acts and Laws of Nevis, Leeward Island Legislative
Records, Blue Books from 1891 through to 1938 and Leeward Island Gazettes from 1899 to
1953. The archive is presently based in the Nelson Museum at Bellevue.
The records are stored in a climate-controlled environment, under the supervision of the
Acting Curator for Collections and Museums, together with an Assistant Archivist. Items are
stored in acid-free files, folders and boxes. The finding list has been digitised, although it
would be helpful to have this directly accessible to bona fide and/or experienced researchers.
Several recommendations are worth making in regard to the finding list based on past
experience of searching for material in the archive:
•
•
Further training for the archivists would be useful in modern cataloguing techniques
in order to make bibliographic information clearer. This could then be used for the
benefit of society members in the Society’s newsletter.
It would be worthwhile reviewing the older material to see if it is accurately and fully
catalogued, for instance maps and plans, material relating to plantations/estates and
parish registers.
The previous archivist, Ms Lornette Hanley, who had the benefit of a substantial amount of
training, including at the Smithsonian Institute and in neighbouring islands and who has an
M.A. in Museum Studies, left to join government service in the Public Library system.
Clearly, the Society would benefit from affording the present Acting Curator, Miss Gail Dore,
and Assistant Archivist, Mrs Gennifer Stephen, access to further training.
I understand that part of the salary of one of the archivists is funded by a grant from the NIA
in return for NHCS management of government records stored in the archive. This is clearly
an arrangement which could be expanded upon if further government records were moved
there.
At present the archive has insufficient space for the material it already holds. Although a
temporary expansion of the space is planned, this would only allow the proper storage of
existing material.
Plans are under consideration for the purchase of another building and the reorganisation of
the NHCS’s museum space. If these come to fruition there would then be adequate room for
the absorption into a climate-controlled environment of a quantity of archival material from
government offices in Nevis. It would also produce space in the existing Nelson Museum
building for a workshop in which to carry out the digital photographing of newly acquired
records. Such a plan is dependent on the Society raising a substantial amount of funding and
realisation of it is unlikely for another two years, if at all.
The Society has an existing link with a local company, Advantage Communications, run by
Mr Almon Dasent. He produces videos for the Society and is involved on the recording side
in the Society’s UNESCO-funded Oral History Project. Mr Dasent has had some experience
of the digital scanning of records in a previous career and has indicated an interest in any plan
to digitise historical records.
The NHCS is exploring possible sources of funding, including UNESCO, for a programme to
digitally record the archival material they already hold. This would present opportunities for
16
the sharing of facilities, equipment, training and personnel with any planned activities under
the Endangered Archives Programme.
Mr John Guilbert, Executive Director of the NHCS, indicated that the Society would be
pleased to absorb further government archival material relating to Nevis, provided there was
space and that it was not at the expense of the Society’s own material.
The NHCS does charge a small fee for access by non-members to the archive. Mr Guilbert
stated that this was a necessary, but small, part of the Society’s funding. He did, however,
indicate that it might be possible to waive this in the case of bona fide researchers.
10. Possible sources of endangered records relating to Nevis
In the search for other possible sources of endangered archives relating to Nevis within the
Federation a number of possible sources were investigated. These can be divided into three
categories:
• Records held privately
• Parish records
• Government records
10.1 Privately held sources
10.1.1 Plantation inns
A number of ex-sugar estates in Nevis have been turned into privately owned plantation inns.
The owners of the following inns have been approached:
•
•
•
•
Montpelier Plantation Inn
Golden Rock Hotel
The Hermitage
Old Manor Hotel (on a previous visit)
None of the owners held any significant collections of papers relating to the history of their
estates. In several cases there is a small collection of photographs and these are both known
about by researchers and in safe keeping.
It was not possible to investigate one other possible source in Nevis, the Eva Wilkin Gallery
at Clay Ghut Estate. It is not clear whether the NHCS has investigated the possibility that
there might be early drawings and photographs concerning Nevis in the possession of the
owners.
10.1.2 Private individuals:
A number of individual Nevisians or families, of long standing within the community, were
mentioned as possible sources of documentary material including
•
•
•
the family of Dr Simeon Daniel, ex-Premier of Nevis and past leader of the Nevis
Reformation Party
the family of Mr Arthur Evelyn
the family of Mr Walwyn.
It was not possible in the time available to explore these leads. However, the NHCS might see
this as a valuable opportunity in the context of the Nevis Oral History Project.
17
10.1.3 The Edgar Challenger International House Museum in Basseterre, St Kitts
Mr Edgar Challenger was the first President of the Trades and Labour Union, the first union
formed in St Kitts in 1940 and played a significant political role in the history of St Kitts. He
was also something of a polymath and interested in the history of the Leeward Islands. It is
said that he used to examine bags of documentary material thrown out by government offices
in Basseterre and rescue material he thought interesting. It seems that, in this way, he
managed to rescue one of the original copies of the Act abolishing slavery.
The museum holds his collection of artefacts and documentary material and is housed in one
of his family’s houses in the centre of Basseterre. It is looked after by Mr Winston ‘Zack’
Nisbet, self-styled Doctor of Culture, Mr Challenger’s companion towards the end of his life.
A visit to the museum revealed a great deal of documentary material stored somewhat
haphazardly and un-catalogued in metal filing cabinets and wooden drawers. The material is
very mixed in origin. Some of the material, which Mr Nisbet claimed was original manuscript
material, turned out to be notes on island history, probably by Mr Challenger, but written in
old leather-bound volumes which he had clearly rescued from somewhere. Other material was
written in school exercise books and consisted of notes summarised from V.L. Oliver’s
Caribbeana and History of Antigua. Unfortunately, Mr Nisbet is unable to distinguish
between contemporary material and these notes.
However the following points are worth noting:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
There are some contemporary manuscripts relating to Nevis (and St Kitts) in the form
of deeds and other property related documents – no-one knows how many.
There are property plans – possibly from Certificates of Title dating from the midtwentieth century.
There is an astonishing, and really valuable, collection of twentieth-century
pamphlets concerned with trade unions, political parties, social, cultural and welfare
groups. This collection must be unique in the Federation.
Mr Nisbet is clearly devoted to the collection but is very suspicious of ‘the
authorities’, including the Director of the National Archives.
The collection is very likely to deteriorate because it is vulnerable to insects and
rodents, is not in a climate-controlled environment and is not catalogued. The fact
that he is unable to distinguish between contemporary manuscript material and
notebooks also poses a risk.
Mr Nisbet may be amenable to discussing a long-term project to catalogue and
digitise the material, perhaps in conjunction with an island representative of the
University of the West Indies
Whoever approaches Mr Nisbet and the Challenger family will have to spend time
getting to know the collection and gaining his and their trust; the process is likely to
take some considerable time.
18
11. Parish records
For the purposes of this report, efforts to locate and survey records were concentrated on
Anglican records, held both in the NHCS and in the individual parishes, and on Methodist
records held in the Methodist Church office in Charlestown.
In the time available it was not possible to pursue any information about the Roman Catholic
and Wesleyan Holiness Church registers. The Moravian Church appears to have had little
success in Nevis.
Significance of parish records
Parish registers and other records provide a significant point of contact for the parishes with
parishioners and their families on the island and with returnees and visitors from abroad.
For those who wish to investigate either their family’s history or their own, there are various
possible sources on the island. Clearly there is potential in oral history. The Registrar
General’s Office holds records of births, deaths and marriages which in some cases go back to
the 1860s. But the extant parish registers generally start in the 1820s. Recent research has
demonstrated that they can be tied up with the triennial slave registers which, for Nevis, start
in 1817.
The parish registers thus cover a crucial period in the island’s history, starting with the last
days of slavery, the struggle for Emancipation, the first significant involvement of the black
population in the various churches, the development of education on the island and the
founding of free and independent village communities.
General issues
With one or two exceptions, parishes in both islands have traditionally wanted to retain their
own records. This was noted by E. C. Baker in the 1960s for Nevis and in 1979 by Gail
Saunders for St Kitts. In 2008 this appears still to be the case and there seem to be two
reasons for this:
•
•
Parish priests appear to mistrust government archives. They point to the various fires
which have happened over time to records under government control.
There is a regular stream of enquiries seeking information about entries in the parish
registers and, as a matter of practicality, the parishes need at least copies, if not the
originals.
Gail Saunders made no specific mention of Nevis but noted generally that records were kept
in vaults or cupboards in the church building or stored in wooden cupboards or on shelves in
rectories. Overall she suggested that they were being ‘quite well preserved in view of the
limited resources at the churches’ disposal’. Judging by anecdotal evidence and by direct
observation of Methodist records, it seems that parish registers are at risk from the ways in
which they are stored and handled within the parishes.
She recommended that parishes be invited to deposit their records on long-loan after a proper
archive had been established.
19
11.1 Anglican parish records in Nevis
(See Appendix 8 for details)
In general, the Anglican parish registers for the eighteenth century are either missing or no
longer exist, although there are isolated extracts to be found in V. L. Oliver’s Caribbeana or
in the UK National Archives at Kew.
Where they existed, the registers for some parishes have been donated to the NHCS Archive
and are held in a climate-controlled environment, either in files or in boxes. This applies
particularly to the parishes of St. Thomas Lowland and St. Paul. In many cases the originals
are in a fragile condition, although there are transcriptions or photocopies in some cases.
Where transcripts have been made of records now held in the NHCS Archive, they are not
always accurate and where photocopies have been made they are not always complete. In
other cases, the filing of either the originals or the copies has not always been accurate in the
past. (See Appendix 8 for details)
In the case of St. James Windward several of the original registers are to be found in the
NHCS. There are transcriptions of additional volumes. This suggests that the originals still
remain in the parish.
Parochial responsibility for the two remaining parishes, St George Gingerland and St John
Figtree, lies with Father Perceval and, so far, he has remained resolutely opposed to
transferring the care of the registers to the NHCS Archive. A considerable number of volumes
for the two parishes were listed by E.C. Baker. Unfortunately, despite many attempts, I was
unable to contact anyone in either of the two parishes, including Father Perceval, over the
space of two weeks. Anecdotal evidence suggests that many of the volumes are in a fragile
state.
It is clear that not all parishes know what records the NHCS holds and vice versa.
Recommendations
•
•
•
•
•
It is recommended that the NHCS make copies of the extracts in Caribbeana for
filing in the archive and that the UK National Archives is contacted to acquire copies
of records they hold.
The NHCS Archive could usefully review the situation with all the parish registers it
holds, including comparing the inventory against the information given in Appendix 8
and checking the filing and cataloguing of registers.
It is recommended that all the original registers held by the NHCS be digitally
photographed and preservation microfilm be produced.
An urgent case can be made for producing preservation copies through digital
photography and microfilm (to be held by an archive) for all original volumes still
held by the individual parishes, particularly the parishes of St. George and St. John. It
would be helpful if the parishes were approached again by the NHCS to discuss this.
Funding for preservation copies could be sought through either the British Library
Endangered Archives Programme or UNESCO.
Additional funding should be sought for the production of hard copies to be held by
those parishes which want them. It might then be possible to persuade Father Perceval
of the benefit to be accrued from donating the original registers to the NHCS Archive
on long-loan.
20
•
•
It would be helpful if the NHCS archivists undertook not only to collect and collate
information relating to the Anglican (and Methodist) records but also to circulate it to
the relevant parishes.
Interest in Nevisian genealogy among those of Afro-Caribbean descent is
demonstrable from even a cursory glance at genealogy websites. The NHCS might
wish to consider producing a leaflet guiding people through the process of how to
trace their ancestors from the records available in Nevis, both in the NHCS and in
other deposits.
11.2 Methodist parish registers
General Issues
Discussions with the Reverend Franklin Roberts suggest that, with some exceptions,
Methodist parish registers are at present centralised in the Church Office attached to the
Methodist Manse in Charlestown.
The NHCS Archive holds either a single volume or a number of volumes of baptismal records
from 1825 to 1894. The originals for these are kept, disbound but having been repaired, in an
archival box. The Archive also holds a number of transcriptions of registers together with the
originals of other Methodist records. (See Appendix 8 for details)
The volumes in the Church Office cover the churches in Charlestown (Parish of St Paul),
Gingerland, Combermere, Fountain, Jessups and Clifton and are most complete for baptisms
from the 1880s. Coverage of marriage is more patchy with the register for St
Paul/Charlestown starting in 1886, while that for Gingerland only begins in 1914. There is
only one Burial Register - for St Thomas Lowland beginning in 1887 and running to 1933
with additional entries. It is unclear why there are almost no burial registers.
It is clear, from discussions with the Reverend Roberts and the Church Steward Mr Stedroy
Pemberton, that the church is keen to improve the condition of the registers and has already
sought some help from Ms Hanley. The church would be interested in having the registers
digitally copied and would be prepared to deposit the originals on long loan with the NHCS
Archive, provided they were able to find a source of funding for their own hard copies.
Significance
There is no doubt that Methodists and their missionaries in Nevis were a quarter of a century
ahead of their Anglican colleagues in their thinking. By 1803 the Methodist Society had
nearly 1200 members, almost 10% of the population. In 1833 they had 600 scholars on the
island. To enslaved people, who were normally considered to be outside the boundaries of
what Karen Fog Olwig terms ‘respectability’ within the white dominated social order, a route
to social recognition was provided within, and through membership of, the Methodist Church.
This key role continued throughout the nineteenth century. 19 The registers form one of the
links in the chain of this historical record.
The early volumes held by the NHCS Archive can be linked with the Triennial Slave
Registers to better understand the distribution of Methodists in the crucial period before,
during and after Emancipation. In time, as further records come to light, it may be possible to
fill in the gaps in this record.
19
For more information on the role of the Methodist Church see Olwig, Karen Fog 1993: Global Culture, Island
Identity - Continuing Change in the Afro-Caribbean Community of Nevis Chur, Switzerland, Harwood Academic
Publishers, particularly Chapters 3 and 4.
21
As with other churches, the registers form an important point of contact between individual
parishes, their parishioners and ‘returnees’. As interest in genealogy increases, particularly in
the first instance among Nevisians living abroad, the Methodist parish registers will become
even more significant.
Condition Survey
(See Appendix 1 for details)
A condition survey was undertaken of all 26 volumes held in the Church Office amounting to
some 3800 pages.
•
•
•
•
•
The volumes are stored on wooden shelves haphazardly and flat, on top of each other,
in such a way that the weight of those on top is likely to damage those underneath.
Those for Gingerland are kept in a separate cardboard box on the floor.
19 of the volumes have (or have had in the past) some insect infestation. For 10 of
these the infestation rates as moderate or severe. Several live silverfish were
discovered in the course of the survey. It is likely that the insects have been
encouraged by the lack of air circulation and the ambient temperature and humidity
wherever they have been stored.
The main damage to the registers is to the spines and to the covers. Roughly 70%
show damage that is moderate or severe. This arises, presumably, from the way they
have been stored and handled over the years with the spine covers gradually being
pulled away. In addition the weight of volumes has begun to crush the spines and
destroy the stitching. Pages have begun to come loose and in nearly one quarter of the
volumes there is a moderate amount of tearing.
In some of the marriage registers, documents, such as copies of previous divorce
judgements, proofs of residence and copies of passports, are attached to individual
entries with paperclips or staples which rust and damage the original entries.
Either heavy tape or cello tape has been used in three cases to repair spines and this is
unsightly and will cause further damage in future.
Recommendations
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
The single most useful action to preserve the life of these volumes would be to box
them individually (clearly labelled) in archival-quality, acid-free boxes and arrange
for more suitable storage of the boxes. Advice on this could be taken from Ms Hanley
and also on the matter of insect infestation.
It is recommended that a search of the individual churches should be organised to see
if any other volumes can be found.
An overall inventory should be drawn up.
Paperclips should be removed. The attachments to the marriage registers present a
problem of confidentiality, if it is decided to digitally copy the registers.
Consideration will need to be given to questions of access to these particular registers.
Further repairs to the volumes, particularly to the spines, should be suspended until
there has been an assessment of the best and least invasive options.
It is suggested that the Methodist Church Registers be included in any application to
UNESCO or the British Library for a grant for preservation copying and relocation. It
is recommended that the disbound volumes of baptismal records, held by the NHCS
and covering the period 1825–1894, be included in any preservation programme for
the Methodist Registers generally.
Funding could be sought, perhaps from the wider international Methodist Church, to
use the digitised versions to provide hard copies of the registers for the Charlestown
Church office or for the individual parishes.
22
•
•
The Methodist Church in Nevis might then usefully approach the NHCS with a view
to offering the registers on long loan to the NHCS Archive for safekeeping.
Ms Hanley might be approached to offer some general training in the storage and
handling of church records.
12. Government records - overview
General issues
Each government department in Nevis seems to retain its own records. The following general
points emerge from enquiries at various departments in Nevis:
•
•
•
•
•
•
There has been no formal training in the management and handling of records.
There has been no drawing up of retention and disposal schedules.
There is no disaster and evacuation planning in relation to records within individual
departments.
There are no inventories of records.
It is unlikely that any one individual within each department is tasked with
responsibility for non-current records.
Storage, even for current records, is totally inadequate.
Visits and Surveys
The following departments or organisations were visited:
•
•
•
•
•
•
The National Archives in St Kitts
The Treasury in Nevis
The Department of Physical Planning in Nevis
The Department of Physical Planning in St Kitts
The Registrar General’s Office in Nevis
The Supreme Court Registry in the Nevis Courthouse
It was not possible in the time available to visit the following departments or organisations in
Nevis: the Department of Health and the Alexandra Hospital, the Department of Agriculture
and Charlestown Police Station.
13. National Archives
The National Archives in St Kitts were visited partly to see what records concerning Nevis
are held there. St Kitts and Nevis were historically separate islands, usually under the
governorship of the Leeward Islands. As such, they held their own records. In 1882 St Kitts
and Nevis were united in a single Presidency and many records were transferred to St Kitts.
According to the Director, the National Archives hold records for Nevis only in so far as it
was part of the joint presidency. Thus one finds, among other records, the following:
•
•
•
•
St Kitts and Nevis Legislative Council Minutes from 1883
St Kitts and Nevis Executive Council Minutes from 1883
Blue Books for St Kitts, Nevis and (in some cases) Anguilla from 1883
Treasury and Customs Department Accounting and Statistical Records for St Kitts
and Nevis for the period 1893 to 1895
However, it is worth noting that, because of the constant transfer of individuals and property
ownership between the two islands from the very beginning of the colonial period, historical
23
information about Nevis is to be found in sources such as the St Christopher Common Deed
Record Books and the Vice-Admiralty Court records
A summary of the present holdings in the National Archives can be found at
www.nationalarchives.gov.kn together with a contact address. Further details can be found by
consulting the paper catalogue in the National Archives in Basseterre. An electronic version is
being produced and will eventually be available on-line.
14. Nevis Treasury
It is likely that Treasury records for the Colonial period up to 1882 were either destroyed or
transferred to London. Records from 1882 may have been shipped to St Kitts after the
formation of the unified Presidency. In the 1960s E. C. Baker noted records in the old Nevis
Treasury building, starting from 1926 with government warehouse records. The destruction of
some old records in the 1990s has already been noted. Those rescued have been stored in a
box in the NHCS Archive. They contain some interesting correspondence dating to around the
time of the Second World War.
Further collections of non-current Treasury records have been deposited in an outside ‘vault’
of the old Treasury building behind a locked door. Unfortunately, over a period of two weeks,
the Treasury staff were unable to get the door unlocked and so it was not possible to survey
either their content or condition. The vault is likely to be both hot and very humid and the
records are probably vulnerable to insect infestation and rodent damage.
It is recommended that the Treasury staff consult Ms Hanley at the Library about the best way
forward. Among the possible measures are the drawing up of an inventory of semi and noncurrent records, the drawing up of a retention and disposal schedule, the tasking of an
individual within the Treasury with responsibility for semi and non-current records and the
negotiation of temporary sanctuary for archivable material with the NHCS Archive until such
time as the NIA can set up its own archive.
15. Departments of Physical Planning in Nevis and St Kitts
A visit to the Department of Physical Planning in Nevis was made in the hope that it might
hold not only old maps of the island but also estate plans from the Colonial period. In the
event it holds neither. However, it was suggested that its sister department in St Kitts might
hold relevant material.
A visit was made to the department in St. Kitts which is housed in temporary accommodation
on the outskirts of Basseterre. From a discussion with Mr Graeme Browne, the officer
responsible for GIS mapping, the following points emerged:
•
•
Older maps of both islands have been held at a ‘vault’ or store in central Basseterre
where there was recently a fire in which some of the material was damaged or lost.
Mr Browne intends to produce an inventory.
Funding has been sought to purchase a drum scanner with which to digitise their
existing stock of maps and modern plans. It is clear that Mr Browne takes a personal
interest in maps and plans, and while he is part of the department it is likely that they
will be looked after.
It is unclear whether there are any procedures within either department for the management of
semi and non-current material and certainly the department in Nevis might usefully seek
advice on the management and handling of such material.
24
16. Registrar General’s Offices of St Kitts and Nevis
16.1 St Kitts
The Registrar General’s Office of St Kitts, based at the Health Centre in Basseterre, holds
registers of births and deaths in St Kitts from 1859 and registers of marriages from 1881. It
may, or may not, hold information for Nevis also.
These registers have been microfilmed by the Mormon Church/International Genealogical
Index and copies of the microfilms have been acquired by the National Archives. The
Director intends to acquire the original registers over time
16.2 Nevis
The Registrar General’s Office in Nevis is to be found in the new administrative complex on
Main Street in Charlestown.
An Act for the Registration of Births and Deaths in the Island of Nevis (No. 102, 24 Victoria)
was passed on August 1st 1860. This stipulated that a registry was to be kept in each parish
and that births were to be registered within 20 days and deaths within seven. The registers for
births and deaths started in 1861 and those for marriages in 1885.
Significance
These records constitute the first formal, post-emancipation, Government record of the island
population and must be considered a basic tool of the historical record of the island. As such,
they tie in with the other government and legal records.
From a genealogical point of view, they are complementary to the parish records held by
individual churches.
Storage conditions
The most recent volumes and, perhaps, transcripts of the older volumes are kept on wooden
shelves in the office/reception of the Registrar General’s Office for consultation by the staff
when answering queries. It appears that sometimes the members of staff have to consult the
counterpart office in St Kitts, although it is not quite clear why. It was not possible, in the
time available, to survey the condition of the volumes stored in the office.
Older, non-current volumes are kept on labelled, wooden shelves in a ‘vault’ next to the
office/reception.
The following points were noted about the vault:
•
•
•
•
There is an air-conditioning unit but it appears to be inadequate for the purpose since
the vault was extremely hot and humid.
The roof leaks and there was some water on the floor which had run down the east
wall. Given the leak, the volumes must be at risk in a hurricane and, possibly, even in
a strong downpour.
There was evidence of either rodent or roach droppings on the floor and in at least
one of the boxes. Some of the pages stored loose in boxes appeared to have been
chewed.
The shelves were relatively empty and there was plenty of room for air to circulate.
25
Condition survey of volumes in the vault
(See Appendix 2 for details)
•
•
•
•
•
•
In the time available I was able to examine 16 of the 22 volumes and 3 of the 5 boxes
of loose papers, amounting to some 5000 pages in all. The registers covered each of
the five parishes.
The registers for the parish of St Paul, Charlestown, have clearly been transferred
from the Supreme Court Registry vault where they were originally recorded by E. C.
Baker in the 1960s. The five volumes examined were generally in very poor
condition, with three of them having no spine or cover, with some tearing of the
pages and one of them showed evidence of active mould in the past. This state
probably reflects their earlier storage in the Courthouse vault.
In roughly half of the volumes examined the spine and covers were either in very
poor condition or did not exist. This must reflect the way they were stored and
handled in the past. These volumes generally showed tearing of pages which had
become loose.
There was little evidence of insect damage.
Loose pages were stored haphazardly in five cardboard supermarket boxes. The lack
of order may simply have reflected the way in which pages were searched for and
returned. In some cases, despite the evident room on the shelves, boxes were stored
on top of some of the volumes.
Although the shelving compartments were clearly labelled by parish, the volumes
were not necessarily in the right compartment. This may reflect haste or a lack of
care.
Recommendations
•
•
•
•
•
•
The condition survey should be completed for the older volumes in the vault and
extended to those in the office.
The older registers should be included in any application for funding from UNESCO
or the British Library for the production of preservation copies through digital
photography and microfilm.
If the volumes are to be kept in the vault, however temporarily, then the problems of
temperature and humidity, rodents and leaky roof need to be solved.
In the short-term the volumes should be boxed individually in acid-free, archivalquality, clearly labelled boxes and the loose papers, after careful sorting, in similar
files or folders.
In the short-term the older volumes should be relocated either temporarily to an
existing archive, or, if required in the office, then to the office itself.
The long-term future of the older volumes would have to be considered in
conjunction with NIA decisions about the general management of its non-current
records.
26
17. The Supreme Court Registry – Nevis
The Supreme Court Registry in Nevis is located in the Courthouse on Prince William Street
on the South side of Memorial Square in Charlestown. This was built in 1837 after the fire
which engulfed the town. The Court and office, together with a ‘vault’, occupy the ground
floor. The Public Library is on the first floor, although one of the rooms on that floor is
supposed to act as the Jury Room for the Court.
The Registry is a functioning part of the legal system in Nevis (and within the Federation)
and, as such, performs a number of roles. Court records connected with Bills of Sale, Divorce,
Writs and Suits are all handled within the office. In addition, the office acts as both a Probate
Registry and a Land Registry.
In the current period of rapid economic development, involving frequent transfer of land,
these last two functions are particularly important. The Federation has historically had two
methods of recording the ownership of land through Common Deeds and Certificates of Title.
Both of them require voluminous documentation which, in turn, requires careful management.
The Registry is particularly busy at Christmas time and in July and August, around the time of
‘Culturama’, when Nevisians who live abroad traditionally visit Nevis. Consequently it is a
time when land transactions are negotiated.
A Cuban archivist spent a day in Nevis in 2008 and is reported to have been horrified by the
conditions under which the Registry staff have to operate and by the state of the records.
Categories
The records can be divided into two categories:
•
The ‘current’ records of all sorts, including the current Common Deed Record Books,
Land Title Certificates and Probate Records are stored with great ingenuity wherever
the staff can find the space to put them: in cupboards in the office, under the counter
in the office, under the Judge’s dais in the courtroom and in filing cabinets at the back
of the courtroom.
•
There are roughly 7 linear metres of non-current, historic records – mostly those
identified by E. C. Baker in the 1960s. Well over half of these (4.4 linear metres) are
Common Deed Record Books dating between 1707 and 1900. Another 1.1 linear
metres consist of records of the Court of King’s/Queen’s Bench and Common Pleas
from 1705 to 1885. These are all stored in the vault next to the courtroom.
17.1 Storage issues
‘Current’ records
There is simply not enough storage space either in the office or in the courtroom for the
volume of records being produced. The office is already crowded with desks for the staff and
there is limited cupboard space. There is very little room in which to move around or
manoeuvre heavy volumes, such as those kept under the counter.
There are twelve filing cabinets at the back of the courtroom in which are kept a variety of
records, mostly dating from the 1990s. They are completely full and members of staff are
reduced to squeezing piles in each drawer to find more space. This results in papers at the
front becoming twisted and torn.
27
Plate 1: Nevis Courthouse
Plate 2: Courtroom with Judge’s dais at far end
28
Plate 3: Memoranda of Transfer and Common Deed Records under Judge’s dais
Plate 4: Filing cabinets at the back of the Courtroom
29
On the floor, under the Judge’s dais, are stored six supermarket boxes of Common Records
dating from around 1999 and seven to ten boxes of Memoranda of Transfer associated with
Land Title Certificates. (Further Memos of Transfer are to be found on the floor of the vault.)
These are all at risk from fire or flood.
The stationery associated with record keeping is ‘not fit for purpose’. Since there is no repair
and bindery facility on the island, members of staff are reduced to repairing older volumes
with heavy tape. They also have to create new file covers out of the sides of cardboard boxes,
particularly for the Land Title Certificates.
Historic records
These records are stored in the Courthouse vault behind a heavy, fireproof, iron door. The
vault measures 3.2 m x 2.3 m x 2.3 m (h). As measured on one particular morning in August
the temperature was 86 degrees F and the humidity 74%. Such a level of humidity can cause
adhesives in the volumes to loose their strength and will, in the long-run, cause biological
attack.
There is a fan wired into the vault but there is no air circulation because it is only switched on
when staff work in there. It is unclear whether there is a circuit breaker for the fan and the
lights and therefore whether wiring constitutes a hazard.
The historic records consist of volumes of varying size and these are stored on wooden
shelves which themselves can be a source of pest infestation. The bulk of the Common Deed
Record Books consists of large, heavy volumes which, because of their size and the relative
size of the shelving, have to be stored on the top shelves, making access very difficult. This
has resulted in the spines and covers being damaged, in many cases severely weakening the
whole volume.
Heavy volumes are stored on their edges, not flat, thus weakening them. The general lack of
space means that storage of these volumes is very tight and removing and replacing them
involves shifting other volumes around. The volumes are not boxed.
Until 2004 the Common Deed Record Books were both unwrapped and inadequately labelled.
This led to the frequent moving of volumes to find the right one, damage to the spines and
covers and in some cases to the staff being unable to produce a particular volume on request.
The ordinary wrapping paper, which was put around the Common Deed Record Books in
2004, already shows signs of pest infestation, indicating that it is a continuing problem.
The records of the Court of King’s/Queen’s Bench and Common Pleas were wrapped and
clearly labelled in the late 1990s. They are largely stored flat but, in some cases, the volumes
are fragile and have others resting on them.
Because of the crowded nature of the vault, there is no safe storage space for fragile volumes
which have been withdrawn from public use. Indeed, there is no process for doing this and, up
to now, it has been done by researchers themselves.
The floor of the vault, bar a small passage near the door, is completely covered in cardboard
boxes full of Memos of Transfer from the 1980s and 1990s, there being no space in either the
office or the courtroom. On much of the floor area these are piled two high. This makes
access to further parts of the shelving impossible without standing, or kneeling, on these
important documents. The back of the vault can hardly be reached at all.
30
On the left-hand wall of the vault at floor level there are 14 ‘columns’ of pigeon holes which
contain Memos of Transfer organised alphabetically. Some of these cannot be got at because
of the boxes stored on the floor.
The boxes on the floor also make the vault impossible to clean, increasing the probability of
pests.
17.2 General management issues
The office manager is largely unsupported. The Director of the National Archives is based in
St Kitts and, in any case, feels unable to undertake a supervisory role, under the terms of the
2001 Act, because of inter-island politics. There is no government archivist on the island.
Thus there is no ‘archival’ or records’ management supervision or support.
While there are several individuals with archival experience on the island, it appears that their
views or assistance have not been sought recently, and it is unclear whether their
recommendations from the late 1990s were ever acted upon.
No retention and disposal schedules have been drawn up.
Finance for improvements to the records management system has to be sought from the NIA.
While there has been investment in computers, the office lacks basics like metal storage
cupboards, shelving, boxes of any sort, let alone of archival-quality, wrapping paper, suitable
stationery and so on.
Documents such as Land Title Certificates, and their attached plans, or Deeds are photocopied
with some skill in response to individual requests. This process inevitably damages both the
volumes and the plans.
There is no repair or bindery on the island.
There is no written evacuation or disaster plan.
There is no space for carrying out scanning, digital photography or repair, except in the
Courtroom when the Court is not in session.
There is no overall inventory of the non-current volumes in the vault. Although there is one
for the Common Deed Record Books, drawn up by researchers, it may be incomplete. (See
Appendix 9)
There appears not to have been any training of the staff in records’ management and the
handling of archival material. This is apparent from the way in which the older volumes are
handled by some staff.
The lack of training also applies to new staff. For ten years, or more, the vault was managed
by Mr Anthony Walters, the Court Messenger, who always showed great respect for the older
records. Researchers have relied on his knowledge of the layout of the vault to access the
records. Mr Walters has now been promoted and it seems that his replacement is not being
given any training.
It is likely that these challenges together have led to poor staff ‘morale’ which has not been
countered by active management and supervision, particularly in relation to the vault. It is
noticeable that the Common Deed Record Books were wrapped, tied and labelled in 2004 by
researchers from abroad and the records of the Court of King’s Bench by the NHCS archivist
in the late 1990s.
31
Plate 5: Courthouse vault door
Plate 6: Vault floor – supermarket boxes with Memoranda of Transfer
32
Plate 7: Vault right-hand side, Common Deed Record Books on top shelf
Plate 8: Vault left-hand side, Common Deed Record Books on top shelf
33
17.3 Schemes for improvement
It seems the following schemes have been mooted for the improvement of office and storage
space but it is unclear whether any of them have been given detailed consideration by the
NIA:
•
•
•
An application for funding has been made to erect a building in the courtyard at the
back of the Courthouse. This was rejected by the NIA on the grounds of cost and
possibly because of building heritage and conservation concerns raised by the NHCS.
There has been some discussion about building a new Public Library and thus freeing
up the first floor of the Courthouse. This would allow the return to the Court of its
Jury Room but it would also make further space available for storage and offices.
The possibility has been mooted of separating off the functions of the Land Registry
into a distinct organisation with its own registry office.
34
18. Supreme Court Registry: Historic records by series – significance and condition
General significance
As has been noted before, the non-current, historic records in the Supreme Court Registry
constitute the most important source on the island for understanding the history of Nevis.
Outside of the UK National Archives they are the largest source of historical information and
can be studied in conjunction with the few collections of private papers to be found in Britain
and the government records in the NHCS Archive.
Private estate papers, such as the Pinney Papers in Bristol, are vital for providing detailed,
individual case studies of plantation economics and organisation but they are very few in
number and they cover only those ‘correspondents’ of the individual planters and merchants.
Records in the UK National Archives generally provide a political and legal overview of the
history of the island through the records of the island’s Council and Assembly and the
dispatches of the governors of the Leeward Islands.
The records in the Supreme Court Registry deal with the history of the island from after the
French invasion of 1706 through to the present day. They cover the slow reconstruction after
the invasion, the consolidation of small sugar estates into larger plantations, the economic
booms and busts of the sugar industry, the ending of the British Atlantic Slave Trade in the
period after 1807 and the struggle for Emancipation. They reveal the development of a smallscale economy and the emergence of a black middle class in the nineteenth century.
They record all this through the transactions between individuals which were recorded in the
Registry. There are the records of white planters, black planters and those of mixed race, free
blacks, slaves and ex-slaves. In passing, it is worth noting that not all transactions were
recorded or registered.
Careful analysis of these records will allow historians and archaeologists to compare social
development before and after Emancipation, investigate patterns of family life, examine the
growth of an independent, small-scale economy, locate slave and post-emancipation villages
and identify changing patterns of land ownership and use.
Significant for the future is the potential for Nevisians to try and regain some of their family
history.
Condition Survey – Methodology
174 volumes of records and 9 bundles of manuscripts were listed in the Supreme Court
Registry by E C Baker in the 1960s. 20 87 of these, or almost half, were surveyed in 2008. This
was done roughly on a cluster sample basis and an attempt was made to achieve a reasonable
spread of dates. However, decisions on which volumes to survey were influenced partly by
which volumes could be accessed, given the state of the Registry vault floor and the risk of
damaging more recent documents. (See Appendix 10 for a survey form.)
20
Excluding the 10 St Paul’s registers which appear to have been moved to the Registrar General’s Office
35
18.1 Common Deed Record Books
Significance
For those wishing to study the history and archaeology of the island as a whole, or of
particular estates or individuals, the Common Deed Record Books, together with the Probate
Records and Land Title Certificates, are vital records. They give details of the following:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Sales, leases and mortgages of land, together with descriptions and boundaries and, in
some cases inventories, throughout two centuries
Similar transactions concerning the disposal of enslaved people, often with lists of
their names
Manumissions of slaves
Assignments of compensation money after Emancipation
Deeds of conveyance concerning small plots of land bought by free people after
Emancipation in the formation of independent villages, including plans. In the case of
Cotton Ground, and possibly others, the records show a plan of the village and lot
ownership in its early stage of development.
Descriptions and inventories of indebted estates under the Encumbered Estates
Commission in the 1870s and 1880s, together with some plans
One particularly crucial volume lists the deeds covering the period 1884 to 1956 allowing
researchers access to the history of landed property in the island after the collapse of the sugar
industry.
As an example of the importance of the Common Deeds series, the case of one particular
historic site in Nevis is worth noting. In the 1990s Dr Michelle Terrell of Boston University
was asked to investigate a site in Charlestown identified by ‘lore’ as that of the early
eighteenth-century synagogue. This turned out to be a water cistern. Dr Terrell solved the
problem of the actual location of the building almost entirely by investigating property
boundaries and ownership in the Common Deed Record Books and probate records. 21
The Common Deeds series continues recording property transactions to the present day and
thus continues to be relevant to the people of Nevis.
21
For details see Terrell, Michelle M 2005: The Jewish Community of Early Colonial Nevis - A Historical
Archaeological Study University Press of Florida
36
Plate 9: Common Deed Record Book 1750-1752, too fragile to open
Plate 10: Plan of Pinney’s Estate from Common Deed Record Book 1877-1899
37
Plate 11: Common Deed Record Books 15 and 16 with repairs
Plate 12: Common Deed Record Book 16, condition of spine
38
Condition
(See Appendix 3 for details)
24 volumes out of 52 (up to 1929) were surveyed, encompassing some 13,000 pages. A
reasonable estimate of the total number of pages in the 52 books might be around 30,000. The
‘current’ book is Book 68.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
All the Common Deed Record Books which could be found were wrapped in
ordinary brown paper and tied in 2004. In general, this wrapping paper shows signs
of insect infestation, indicating that it has taken place in the last four years. Insect
damage was found in half the volumes surveyed, sometimes only in the covers and
the first few and last few pages.
In general, among the volumes surveyed, there is almost no evidence of active mould
or of stains or water damage, no evidence of fading and little evidence of twisting or
wrinkling.
From previous research it is known that six of the earliest volumes up to 1758 are too
fragile to handle. One of these (1728-1746) was digitally photographed by Dr Leech
of Southampton University Archaeology Department and hard copies produced for
the Registry in 6 volumes. It is believed that the other five were also digitally
photographed but, so far, no hard copies have been produced. All six volumes have
been put aside and withdrawn from public use.
It is known, again from previous research, that another seven of the 52 volumes are
very brittle and/or too fragile to handle. Of the volumes surveyed in 2008 one third
showed signs of moderate or severe brittleness.
Except among the fragile volumes, there is little evidence of pages missing. Where it
has happened, it is often the index which is missing, wholly or in part.
Apart from the problem of brittleness, the most serious problem is of damage to the
covers and spines. Almost all the volumes surveyed have suffered some damage to
the spines and covers; in well over half this amounts to moderate or severe. This
undoubtedly arises from the way they are stored – with heavy volumes stored upright
on top shelves, difficult to access and inadequately labelled. As a consequence spine
covers are pulled on and gradually removed and the spines and covers begin to
disintegrate. Associated with this is the problem of pages coming loose and
beginning to tear.
Four of the most recent volumes surveyed (Books 15 – 18 covering the period 1905
– 1929) are kept in the office under the counter. The spines of Books 16 and 17 had
been heavily damaged in the past and repaired with heavy tape.
39
18.2 Probate Records
Significance
E. C. Baker identified 9 Books of Wills covering the period from 1783 to the 1960s. Nine
books were surveyed in 2008, covering the period 1763 to ca. 1987, but it is likely that at least
two could not be found, possibly covering the years 1865 and 1880-1902. The books include
wills, grants of probate, administrations, appraisements of property and inventories.
In the wills of white planters there is a great deal of information about family relationships,
often the only way of getting this information in the absence of family trees.
This extends to relationships between enslaved women (and their children) and planters with
whom they have had relationships, who have been freed as a result of the will or otherwise
recorded in it. This provides important information about the growth of the mixed-race
population and will also, increasingly, be of genealogical interest to the people of Nevis.
For those planters who remained in Nevis and who did not have property in England the only
copy of their will may be in Nevis. The same clearly applies to all free people on the island,
white or black, including poorer white planters and skilled tradesmen, a group largely
unrecorded so far.
In the post-emancipation period, the wills record not only the development of a black middle
class of property owners but also the condition of a poorer section of the population.
Condition
(See Appendix 4 for details)
Nine volumes were surveyed, representing almost the complete series up to around 1987, with
roughly 4,500 pages of material.
•
•
•
•
•
The two most recent volumes, Probate Books 1 and 2 covering the period from 1903
to ca. 1987, are kept in the office. These volumes are in catastrophic disarray from
frequent use. Many pages are torn or missing, the spines have disintegrated and the
covers are damaged. It is very likely that early twentieth-century wills have been lost
as a result.
In the seven earlier volumes, kept in the vault, there are almost no problems with
fading, brittleness, stains, ink damage (except in one case), tearing or twisting and
wrinkling of paper.
In roughly half the volumes there has been some insect infestation.
In six volumes there has been considerable damage to the spines and covers – mostly
in the form of the spine and covers together separating from the rest of the volume.
There are some Probate Records between 1941 and 1949 which are kept in filing
cabinets in the courtroom. These were not surveyed but they are likely to suffer from
the same overcrowding common to other classes of records in those filing cabinets.
40
Plate 13: Probate Records, Book of Wills 1763-1787, showing fraying at edges
Plate 14: Probate Records, Wills Book 1903 - ca. 1969
41
Plate 15: Inventory of the effects of President John Richardson Herbert from Book of Wills 1787-1805
42
18.3 Land Title Register Books
Until 1886 the transfer of land or property had been recorded in the Common Deed Record
Books. The ‘Title by Registration Act’ of 1886 introduced a second method by which
ownership of land could be registered, namely by Certificates of Title. These are held in the
Land Title Register Books and listed in a series of Indexes. Each Certificate of Title is
required to show a survey of the land in question and is supported by a Memorandum of
Transfer which holds the documentation. The Certificates of Title also note whether there is a
previous mortgage or encumbrance on the land.
At present this system is an alternative to registering the transfer of land by Deeds of
Conveyance in the Common Deed Record Books. However there are plans to centralise the
system on Certificates of Title.
A scheme to scan the Certificates digitally is currently underway; this is being undertaken by
Mr Simeon Hill of Hill Survey. Its purpose is to produce a cadastral map of the island. It is
unclear whether this will cover all the Certificates and, therefore, all the survey plans. At
present, the scheme starts from the most recent and is working back in time. Since it can only
operate when the Court is not sitting, it is unclear when the work will be finished.
Significance
These Land Title Register Books are vital for anyone who owns property in Nevis,
particularly in times of rapid development. Clearly they are also important to the
governments of Nevis and the Federation.
They are also vital to anyone interested in the history of an estate or parish. The surveys of
property which accompany the certificates are almost the only plans of estates which exist for
the island. Nevis is spectacularly short of pre-1834 sugar estate plans, although they must
have existed. Pre-1834 plans of only two (possibly three) out of around 100 estates are
known to exist. The most comprehensive post-emancipation mapping of individual estates
took place in the 1870s and 1880s under the Court of the Commissioners for the Sale of
Encumbered Estates in the West Indies (Nevis). The UK National Archives has only two of
these. However, the Land Title Register Books hold many of the plans produced for this
court, or copies of them used as surveys for the Certificates of Title from 1886. Since the late
1990s, it has been shown that archaeologists and historians can successfully use these to
investigate the histories of pre-emancipation sugar estates. In the case of Pinney’s Estate they
have been used to locate the ‘slave village’ and to help in negotiations about the preservation
of other historic sites on the estate.
Condition
(See Appendix 5 for details)
•
•
The Register Books (currently up to Book 46) and accompanying Indexes (currently
up to Index Book 7) are kept in the office. Each modern Register Book is broken
down into separate ‘volumes’ which consist of homemade, cardboard files. Five of
the older books from 1887 to 1973 were surveyed, along with two of the indexes.
While it is possible to state that five Title Register Books held 545 Certificates of
Title, it was not possible in the time to estimate the number of attachments, nor the
numbers of pages, in the supporting Memoranda of Transfer. This is an issue which
would need to be resolved before any large-scale programme of digital scanning or
photography.
43
•
•
•
•
The Memoranda of Transfer are stored in a variety of places. Some MOT’s are kept
in alphabetical order in pigeon holes in the vault. Others, from the 1980s and 1990s,
are stored in supermarket boxes on the floor of the vault and are crawled over to get
to the higher shelves. Yet others are stored in about ten boxes under the Judge’s dais
in the courtroom. It was not possible in the time available to survey the condition of
the MOTs, but they are clearly at risk.
In most of the Register volumes examined there is a problem of fading and, in three
cases out of five, ink damage, mostly associated with the surveyors’ plans.
The greatest problem with the older volumes is that they are old, calf-bound volumes
which were not designed for the quantity of plans and attachments stuffed into them
attached to the Certificates of Title. This results in twisting and tearing of the
attachments.
The other issue is that people want photocopies of the certificates and plans and this
is done with great ingenuity by the staff. However, it inevitably damages the plans
and documents. Clearly the answer, in the first instance, is to digitally scan or
photograph the complete set with attached plans.
44
Plate 16: Plan of Old Manor Estate from Land Title Register Book 1
Plate 17: Land Title Register Book 1, state of covers
45
Plate 18: Land Title Register Book 12 1971-1973
Plate 19: Plan of Ward’s Estate from Land Title Register Book 1, crumpled state
46
18.4 Associated estate plans in the vault
In the vault there are two small, additional collections of estate plans.
•
•
One is a rolled set of about seven to ten plans on some sort of cloth backing, probably
dating from after 1886. These are gradually becoming brittle. They were too fragile to
examine closely.
The second collection is a larger group of plans, originally mounted in good order on
sheets of brown ‘wrapping’ paper, each plan with homemade mounting corners.
These are kept flat under quite inappropriately heavy and awkward boards which are
likely to damage the plans. In addition the plans are gradually falling out of their
mounts and becoming wrinkled and torn. In some cases they are copies, again dating
from after 1886, of plans found in the Register of Title Books. In other cases,
however, they appear to be the only copies and may have fallen out of those books
and been stored away.
18.5 Court Records
From E. C. Baker’s list of Court Records in the 1960s it seems that there were approximately
87 volumes of Court Records covering the period from 1705 to the 1950s.
Almost half of these are records of the Court of King’s/Queen’s Bench and Common Pleas.
There are also records of the Courts of Complaint, Summary Jurisdiction, Supreme Court and
Encumbered Estates, together with Bond Books, Jurors Lists, Registrars records and Acts of
Nevis.
Significance
Court of King’s/Queen’s Bench and Common Pleas:
The record books cover most of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries from 1705 and consist
of minute books, cause lists and judgements. In general, the records for the first half of the
eighteenth century are clearly important because records for that period are inevitably less
available than for later periods. As a whole class, these legal records will complement the
plantation records and the Common Deed Record Books in the reconstruction of island life
during these two centuries.
The minute books concerning civil cases tend to list the plaintiff and the defendant and give
some limited details of the case together with a record of outcomes. The minutes for criminal
cases are very interesting. There are four volumes for the period 1831 to 1856, up to and after
Emancipation, which was politically and economically a very difficult period for the island.
The volume for 1831 to1844 includes a ‘Court of Criminal Slaves’ which has not been widely
known about before and requires further examination.
The volumes which list ‘Entries for Judgements’, particularly for the eighteenth century, are
especially useful since they give some details of the cases and, where relevant, provide
plantation names, acreages and slave lists. This information may not be available elsewhere.
Other Courts:
Court of Complaint – this minute book also covers the period of Emancipation and among the
causes listed are those which demonstrate the difficulties emancipated labourers had with
their erstwhile ‘masters’. This is particularly true after the end of apprenticeship when former
owners pursued ex-slaves for small sums of money.
47
Supreme Court and Court of Summary Jurisdiction – these records reveal, through small
claims or actions, the economic situation of many Nevisians during the nineteenth century and
up to the 1950s. A number of volumes deal with criminal cases, often assault or wounding.
Court of the Commissioners for the Sale of Encumbered Estates – there are several minute
books relating to this. Only the 1872 -1889 book could be found. This is a vital document
since it details what happened to the many sugar estates burdened by debt after 1815 when the
price of sugar and the value of land collapsed.
Other Court Records:
Bond Books – among these are ships’ bond books which are a useful record of shipping, and
therefore trade, entering Nevis in the mid-nineteenth century.
Jurors’ Lists – these include information about residence and property qualifications. Thus,
they can be used to identify who was living at, or managing, an estate from the 1870s through
to the mid-1950s. They also reveal to what extent the black middle class were involved in the
dispensing of justice on the island.
As noted before the Parish Registers of St Paul, and possibly the Cemetery Registers, appear
to have been moved to the Registrar General’s Office. The following from E. C. Baker’s list
could not be found in the vault: Infirmary Prescription Book, Royal Warrants, Commissions
and Assembly members’ election writs.
Condition
(See Appendix 6 for details)
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
The records of the Court of King’s/Queen’s Bench and Common Pleas were wrapped
and labelled in the late 1990s. The wrappings show signs of insect infestation since
then. As is to be expected, the volumes for the first half of the eighteenth century are
mostly too fragile to examine in any detail, but appear to be very brittle and they
show a considerable amount of tearing.
In general, the volumes from this particular court are stored in very tight spaces in the
vault with no air circulation and they are likely to be damaged when moved.
Nearly all the volumes of this court which were examined had damaged spines and
covers, and over half had some level of tearing and ink damage. Three volumes had
bad cases of fading and over a third of the volumes had some signs of insect
infestation.
Among the rest of the records, the smaller volumes are stood upright on shelves and
are, to some extent, protected both by each other and by the fact that they are rarely
consulted.
Insect infestation has clearly been a problem, with some level of it in half the classes
of records.
Six volumes showed signs of active mould.
The greatest problem, as with all the other records, has been the damage done to
covers and spines by the way in which the records are stored, the lack of clear
labelling and the difficulties in extracting and handling them, especially with the
heavier volumes.
48
Plate 20: Roll of estate plans from vault
Plate 21: Additional estate plans from vault
49
Plate 22: Record Book of the Court of King’s Bench and Common Pleas 1714-1716
Plate 23: Record Book of the Court of King’s Bench and Common Pleas 1785-1822
50
19. Recommendations – Supreme Court Registry
19.1 Current records - Short-term recommendations
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
The NIA is urged to make available to the Supreme Court Registry sufficient funds to
implement measures which will ameliorate the state of the current records.
The Supreme Court Registry Office Manager, in conjunction with the Registrar of the
Supreme Court, could usefully seek advice from Ms Hanley, of the Public Library
Service, on methods to improve the present system of management for current
records, both in practical terms and in the drawing up of a retention and disposal
schedule.
The Supreme Court Registry Office Manager and the Registrar of the Supreme Court
are urged to draw-up a projection of the likely increase in documentation over a ten
year period for presentation to the NIA and the Supreme Court.
The NIA is urged to provide sufficient finance for the purchase of adequate quantities
of filing cabinets, metal storage cabinets and stationery – such as proper files for
Land Title Certificates. Adequate office furniture would avoid the necessity of storing
files in supermarket boxes in inappropriate locations.
The Office Manager, in conjunction with the Registrar, should draw-up a Disaster and
Emergency Evacuation Plan for both current and non-current records. The plan
should include provision for back-up copies of manually accessed catalogues and
catalogue information in digital formats.
The NIA and the Court Registrar should seek to speed-up the process of digitally
recording the Land Title Certificates by providing sufficient space within the
Courthouse building for the work to be carried on full-time, not just in periods when
the Court is not sitting.
Methods should be sought for producing digital copies (and from these, hard copies)
of documents requested by clients of the Supreme Court Registry. The practice of
photocopying from volumes should be phased out.
Repairs to records should be halted until advice has been sought on the best and least
invasive conservation methods.
51
19.2 Historic records – Short-term recommendations
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
The Office Manager could usefully seek the advice, once again, of Ms Hanley on
measures to ameliorate the condition of the historic records.
The Memoranda of Transfer should be removed from the floor of the vault together
with any other material, to improve access to, and space for, the remaining records.
Removal of material from the vault should provide sufficient space for an
improvement in air circulation.
The vault should be examined for signs of rodent or roach activity and then cleaned
and monitored on a regular basis.
Given that fire has presented such a hazard over time, there should be an electrical
inspection of the vault by a suitably qualified electrician to report on the risks of an
electrical fire.
Steps should be taken to monitor and control the levels of temperature and humidity
in the vault. The provision of a portable dehumidifier should be explored.
All the volumes in the vault should be boxed in acid-free, archival-quality boxes and
clearly labelled. In addition, they should be monitored for signs of fresh insect
infestation.
Depending on the long-term future of the records in the vault, finance should be
provided for replacing the wooden shelving with more appropriate steel shelves.
An inventory of records in the vault should be drawn up and checked against known
lists, including E. C. Baker’s 1960s list.
The Registrar should request from Dr Leech, of Southampton University Department
of Archaeology, digital copies of the Common Deed Record Books and other records
which he has digitally photographed.
Training should be initiated for the Registry and Court staff in the handling of current
and non-current records.
Repairs to records should be halted until advice has been sought on the best and least
invasive conservation methods.
19.3 Historic records – Medium-term recommendations
•
•
•
The NIA and the Supreme Court Registrar are strongly urged to seek funding from, or
support applications to, suitable NGO projects, such as UNESCO or the British
Library Endangered Archives Programme, for the digitising of historic records in the
Supreme Court Registry and other government deposits, such as the Registrar
General’s Office. The aim of this would be to produce digital copies and, from these,
preservation copies on microfilm. In the event of support for an application to the
British Library, the question of charging for scholarly access to records would need to
be resolved.
The NIA and the Supreme Court Registrar may wish to consult the Nevis Historical
and Conservation Society on the question of transferring to the care of the NHCS
Archive all archival material of enduring value within government departments on
interim, medium-term loan. This transfer would have to be conditional on a
proportionate increase in government funding for the NHCS to enable them to absorb
and effectively manage such material. It would also be dependent on the realisation of
the NHCS’s plans for expansion of its office and archive facilities.
The NIA is urged to review the current situation within government departments as to
whether or not staff are designated with responsibility for the management of records
and are given appropriate training.
52
20. Strategic Recommendations - Government Records
•
•
The NIA should review the provisions of the ‘National Records and Archives Act,
2001’ and its management of records within the provisions of that Act.
The NIA is strongly urged to appoint, or second from within the ranks of government
service, a suitably qualified and experienced Island Archivist whose terms of
reference should include the following:
o
o
o
o
•
An immediate review of the nature, quantity, storage and condition of
archival material in all NIA government departments and in the wider
community
Co-ordination of the work of staff with responsibility for the maintenance of
records in all government offices and the provision of advice to all
government departments on the handling and management of records, both
current and non-current
Assistance to all government departments in drawing up retention and
disposal schedules
Responsibility for an Archive and Records Centre in Nevis
In consultation with the Director of the National Archives, and under paragraph 14.1
of the National Archives Act, the NIA is strongly urged to seek funding for the
building and development of a Nevis Island Archive and Records Centre to act, in the
first instance, as a secure central repository for all non-current records of enduring
value and semi-current records from within the island’s government departments. It
should also act as a centre for public access to records. The centre should include
offices for staff, reference facilities, a repair and bindery facility and facilities for the
digital recording of records.
53
Acknowledgements
Funding for this pilot project has been provided by the Arcadia Trust through the British
Library’s ‘Endangered Archives Programme’. I am extremely grateful to the Trust and the
programme’s administrator, Catherine Collins, for their support and patience in getting the
work off the ground.
Mr Ashley Farrell, of the Nevis Island Administration, and Ms Claudette Jenkins, Registrar of
the High Court, were extremely helpful in arranging for the necessary permissions to carry
out the work.
I am very grateful to Arpad and Judith Kovacsy, Suzanne Gordon, Shirley Howe and Bill
Pinney, all of whom helped personally in a number of different ways.
I was given a lot of useful advice by Bernard Lane, Professor Mark Horton, Michael
Richardson and Hannah Lowery of the University of Bristol and by David Emeny of Bristol
Record Office. Dr Michelle Terrell of Two Pines Resource Group and Professor Mary
Beaudry of Boston University were crucial sources of support at the beginning. Vincent
Hubbard of the NHCS, George Tyson of St Croix and Professor David Hancock of the
University of Michigan were very helpful with background information.
As always, organisations on Nevis and St Kitts have provided vital support. On St Kitts, the
Director of the National Archives, Mrs Victoria Borg O’Flaherty, was particularly helpful as
was Mr Graeme Brown of the St Kitts Department of Physical Planning. On Nevis, the Nevis
Historical and Conservation Society and its Director, John Guilbert, and staff, Gail Dore and
Paul Diamond, together with their President, Ms Clara Walters, all provided time from their
busy schedules for discussion, as did Ms Lornette Hanley of the Public Library Service. The
Reverend Franklin Roberts of the Methodist Church was very helpful with their records, as
were the staff at the Registrar General’s Office, the Treasury and Ms Angela Delpeche, the
Director of the Nevis Department of Physical Planning respectively.
The staff at the Supreme Court Registry bravely put up with yet more researchers at a trying
time and Mrs Mova Daniel, Mr Anthony Walters and Mr John Arthurton are to be thanked. In
particular, Ms Olinda Walters was extremely patient in taking time to answer questions about
the system and in providing vital clues as to where to look next.
Lastly, I would like to thank Christine Eickelmann who has given much help with the survey
and the drafting of the report and has contributed a section to it.
David Small
Research Associate
Department of Archaeology and Anthropology
University of Bristol
[email protected]
[email protected]
November 2008
54
Appendix 1 Methodist Parish Registers – Condition Survey
Collection: Methodist Church, Nevis
Collection No.: EAP093/001
Series No.: 001
Series Title: Methodist Parish Registers
Record Creators: Methodist Ministers
Table Notes:
Location: Methodist Church Office, Charlestown, Nevis. All volumes are kept on wooden shelves, except the Gingerland registers which are kept in a box on the floor of the office.
Columns from ‘Insect damage’ to ‘Cover damage’: 0 = None, 1 = Mild, 2 = Moderate, 3 = Severe
Item
No.
Item Title
Date
range
Size
in cm
No. of
pages
Mould
Insect damage
Rodent damage
Tearing
Spine damage
Cover damage
No Rusting fasteners, Fading, Brittleness, Damp or wetness, Stains or water damage, Ink damage, Twisting or wrinkling, Dirt, dust or debris or Pages missing, unless noted in the ‘Comment’
column
01
2
0
0
0
2
1882-1900, then back to 1884
162
Inactive
3
1
2
1
3
Brittle. Those labelled ‘Copy’ transcribed from ‘Register of Baptisms
Brown Hill 1884’
104
None
1
0
1
1
1
Charlestown Baptisms
104
None
2
0
0
3
2
Covers damaged by insects
05
Register of Baptisms
(Charlestown)
Register of Baptisms Charlestown
ca. 21
x 30
ca. 21
x 30
ca. 21
x 30
ca. 21
x 30
ca. 21
x 30
ca. 21
x 30
ca. 21
x 30
Inactive
04
18831900
18841917
19001908
19181941
19411946
19561966
19661977
106
03
Charlestown Register
of Baptisms
Charlestown Register of Baptisms
Brown Hill Chapel
Charlestown Register of Baptisms
104
Inactive
1
0
1
2
2
Pages loose inside and pages missing? Includes, for some years, totals for
‘Legitimate’ and ‘Illegitimate’
104
Inactive
1
0
0
1
2
104
Inactive
0
0
0
2
1
02
06
07
Register of Baptisms,
Charlestown,
55
Comment
Includes sponsors
11
Register of Baptisms Gingerland
12
Register of Baptisms Gingerland
13
Register of Baptisms Gingerland
14
Register of Baptisms Gingerland
15
Register of Baptisms Gingerland
16
Register of Baptisms Gingerland
17
Combermere Baptisms
18
Register of Baptisms,
Combermere and Fountain
Register of Baptisms,
Combermere
Register of Baptisms Clifton,
Parish of
St Thomas
Marriage Register
1885-1966 Combermere, Clifton
(Marriage Register) Jessups,
Charlestown, Fountain,
19
20
21
22
Mould
Cover damage
Register of Baptisms Gingerland
No. of
pages
Spine damage
10
Size
in cm
Tearing
09
Jessups, Combermere, Fountain
Register of Baptisms, Charlestown
and Jessups
Register of Baptisms Gingerland
08
Date
range
Rodent damage
Item Title
Insect damage
Item
No.
19772008
18871906
19061918
19181934
19341946
19461955
19551965
19651976
19762001
18851949
19501974
19772008
18842006
ca. 21
x 30
ca. 21
x 30
ca. 21
x 30
ca. 21
x 30
ca. 21
x 30
ca. 21
x 30
ca. 21
x 30
ca. 21
x 30
ca. 21
x 30
?
104
None
3
0
0
2
3
Spine repaired with heavy tape
ca. 300
None
0
0
0
3
0
Binding undone, some loose pages
ca. 100
None
1
0
0
3
0
Some fading, rusting fasteners, spine undone and repaired with cello tape
104
None
2
0
2
3
2
Calendar page with further baptisms at back
ca. 100
None
0
3
0
3
3
Spine broken, pages loose, some twisting
104
None
0
2
0
3
2
104
None
1
0
0
2
1
Spine broken but pages still in place. Calendar with further baptisms at
back
Spine repaired with cello tape
104
None
1
0
1
0
2
104
None
2
0
0
1
3
Includes sponsors
?
None
0
0
2
2
1
Strong spine but pages loose in sections; rusting paper clips
ca. 21
x 30
?
104
None
1
0
0
3
3
Both covers loose and repaired with brown luggage tape
104
None
2
0
0
3
3
Combermere and Fountain. Front cover about to come off
ca. 21
x 30
ca. 300
?active
2
?
2
3
3
Some fading. Includes Jessups, Cotton Ground and Barnes Ghaut. 1189
baptisms – a whole history of a parish for 120 years
18851966
19452008
?
ca. 200
None
1
0
0
0
3
Contains loose papers and affidavits
?
ca. 300
None
0
0
0
3
1
Some twisting; many attachments
56
Comment
Mould
Cover damage
‘Burials in Clifton..’
No. of
pages
Spine damage
26
24
Size
in cm
Tearing
25
Combermere
Marriages 1886-1945
(St Paul)
Marriage Register
1914-1957 Gingerland
Register of Marriages, Gingerland
23
Date
range
Rodent damage
Item Title
Insect damage
Item
No.
18861945
19141957
19582008
18871961
?
ca. 200
None
1
0
1
2
3
Loose pages
?
ca. 300
None
2
0
2
3
2
Attachments, affidavits, parents’ consent for under-age children
?
ca. 300400
?
None
0
0
2
0
1
Active
3
0
0
3
3
Includes proof of residence, whether by Banns or License, copies of
previous divorce judgements and photocopies of passports
Only burial register. First 16 pages missing, first entry No. 67 (1887);
runs to 1948; 1934-195 copied from certificates found in the study; some
entries for 1949-1961
?
57
Comment
Appendix 2 Registrar General’s Office: Registers of Birth, Deaths and Marriages – Condition Survey
Collection: Registrar General’s Office, Nevis
Collection No.: EAP093/002
Series No.: 001
Series Title: Registers of Births, Deaths and Marriages
Record Creators: Registrar General
Table Notes:
Location: Registrar General’s Office vault. Volumes identified with * were recorded in E C Baker as being in the Supreme Court Registry in the 1960s.
Columns from ‘Mould’ to ‘Cover damage’: 0 = None, 1 = Mild, 2 = Moderate, 3 = Severe
No Rusting fasteners, Fading, Brittleness, Damp or wetness, Stains or water damage, Twisting or wrinkling, Dirt, dust or debris or Pages missing, unless noted in the ‘Comment’ column
Item
No.
Item Title
Date
Range
No. of
pages
Mould
Insect
damage
Rodent
damage
Ink
damage
Tearing
Spine
damage
Cover
damage
01
St James Births
300
0
0
0
0
2
0
0
02
200
0
0
0
2
0
0
0
ca. 300
0
0
0
0
2
3
3
No spine or covers
04
St James
Marriages
St James
Marriages –
Wesleyan
Methodist
St James Deaths
18611886
18851904
19091937
ca. 400
?
0
0
0
0
0
0
Some darkening of the paper
05
St James Deaths
400
0
0
0
0
2
3
2
06
St Thomas
(Lowland) Deaths
St Thomas
(Lowland) Deaths
ca. 40
0
0
0
0
3
3
3
Spine and cover detached and
consequent tearing
Loose pages, no covers, very
torn
300
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
03
07
18611904
19041985
ca. 1884
18891940
58
Comment
Item
No.
Item Title
Date
Range
No. of
pages
Mould
Insect
damage
Rodent
damage
Ink
damage
Tearing
Spine
damage
Cover
damage
Comment
08
St Paul Births
(bundle)*
?
0
0
0
0
3
3
3
Loose, no covers or spine
09
St Paul
Marriages*
ca.
18771888
18851909
200
0
0
0
0
2
0
0
10
0
0
0
0
2
3
3
ca. 400
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
12
St Paul Deaths*
ca. 400
0
0
0
0
0
3
3
13
St John Births
19091953
18611901
1903ca. 1935
1907
?
11
St Paul
Marriages*
St Paul Deaths*
Spine and cover good but
pages loose and some
brittleness
No spine or covers, pages in
sections
Pages darkening, evidence of
past mould; last entries 1903
No spine or covers
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
14
St John Births
ca.
100
ca. 100
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
15
St John Births
ca. 350
0
0
0
3
3
-
-
16
St George Births
18871888
32
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
17
St George Births
ca. 400
0
0
0
0
0
3
3
18
St George Births
?
0
0
3
0
0
-
-
19
Register of
Burials in Bath
Plain Cemetery*
18881898
ca.
1940s
19391961
ca. 230
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
19191931
1930s
59
Excellent vol. but 1 page
used only
Transcribed, but from back to
front
Loose pages in a box –
labelled St Mary’s (St. Kitts)
but appears to be St John,
Nevis
Soft cover, ink fading; may
have been transcribed to
replace missing pages from
vol. 1888-1898
No front cover, pages 1-32
missing
Box, loose pages, evidence of
rodents in box
Appendix 3 Common Deed Record Books – Condition Survey
Collection: Supreme Court Registry, Nevis
Collection No.: EAP093/003
Series No.: 001
Series Title: Common Deed Record Books
Record Creators: ‘Supreme Court’
Table Notes:
Location: All items kept in the Supreme Court Registry vault, unless otherwise noted in the ‘Comment’ column
Columns from ‘Fading’ to ‘Cover damage’: 0 = None, 1 = Mild, 2 = Moderate, 3 = Severe
Date
Range
Size
in cm
No. of
pages
Pages
missing
Mould
Brittleness
Stains/water
damage
Insect damage
Ink damage
Tearing
Twist/ wrinkle
Spine damage
Cover damage
Common
Records
Common
Records
Common
Records
Common
Records
Common
Records
Common
Records
Common
Records
Common
17281746
17501752
17541758
17671769
17751776
17761777
17771778
1778-
30 x
42
30 x
42
?
?600
?
?
2
3
1
2
1
2
0
2
3
?
?
?
?
3
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
735
ca. 25
Active
0
0
2
0
0
3
1
3
Too fragile to handle; has been put aside, digitally
photographed in 2004 and reproduced in hard copy
Too fragile to handle; wrapped and pieces falling out; has
been digitally photographed in 2004 and put aside
Too fragile to handle; wrapped and pieces falling out; has
been digitally photographed in 2004 and put aside
Pages very torn at back; index missing; no covers
347 +
No
Active
0
0
1
1
0
0
0
1
1
Index
625 +
No
None
0
0
1
1
0
0
0
1
1
553
Yes
None
0
2
1
1
0
2
0
0
3
738 +
No
None
0
0
1
1
1
2
0
2
2
Item No.
Item Title
Fading
No Rusting fasteners, Damp or wetness, Rodent damage, Dirt, dust or debris, unless noted in the ‘Comment’ column
01
02
03
04
05
06
07
08
35 x
46
35 x
46
28 x
42
28 x
47
37 x
Comment
60
Both covers very heavy board and loose; pages missing at
front and index from I - X
Index; back cover coming off; some tearing to pages
29 x
42
33 x
47
37 x
53
20 x
32
30 x
41
29 x
47
‘Entry Book
of Deeds’
18841956
33 x
48
Cover damage
18141817
18311835
18381847
18581859
18701879
18771899
Spine damage
Common
Records
Common
Records
Common
Records
Record of
Deeds
Common
Records
Common
Records
Twist/ wrinkle
34 x
47
29 x
42
?
Tearing
17941797
17991801
18031805
Ink damage
54
27 x
42
28 x
47
Mould
Insect damage
1783
17831785
17851787
Pages
missing
Stains/water
damage
Records
‘W’ Common
Records 1
Common
Records Book
X
Common
Records
Common
Records
Common
Records
No. of
pages
Brittleness
Size
in cm
Fading
Date
Range
742
No
None
0
2
1
1
0
1
0
0
0
sticking out;
Index but torn
540 +
No
None
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
2
3
Index; both covers detached; spine fraying
720 +
No
None
0
0
0
2
0
0
0
2
3
Insect damage to covers
ca. 400
Yes
None
0
2
1
2
0
2
0
3
2
Partial index; spine much repaired with cello tape
ca.
500600
849 +
?
None
0
3
0
1
3
3
0
1
1
Very brittle and too damaged to examine for content;
rusting fasteners; possible rodent damage
No
None
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
Complete index
420 +
?
None
0
2
0
0
0
2
0
3
3
787
No
No
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
2
350
No
None
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
Incomplete index; front cover and spine detaching; pages
in loose batches and edges breaking
Dates may range from 1836-1845; no spine cover; heavy
metal corners on cover tearing front cover from spine
Index
ca. 500
?
?
?
3
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
Wrapped but too fragile too open
776
No
None
0
3
0
0
3
3
3
2
2
ca. 400
No
None
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
2
3
Heavy board covers damaging bindings; contains loose
plans, twisted and damaged; volume with crucial
‘encumbered estates’ information
Volume an ordinal index; rusting fasteners; front cover
coming off, back cover does not belong; crucial volume
for accessing Common Deeds with history of estates to
1956
Item No.
Item Title
09
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
Comment
61
Date
Range
Size
in cm
No. of
pages
Pages
missing
Mould
Fading
Brittleness
Stains/water
damage
Insect damage
Ink damage
Tearing
Twist/ wrinkle
Spine damage
Cover damage
21
Common
Records Book
15
19051912
21 x
32
571
No
None
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
1
1
Index partly detached; rusting fasteners; located in the
office under counter
22
Common
Records Book
16
Common
Records Book
17
Common
Records Book
18
19111917
21 x
32
564
pp 1-2
None
0
0
0
0
0
1
2
3
3
Spine patched with heavy tape; located in the office under
counter
19171922
21 x
32
517
?
None
0
0
0
0
0
1
2
3
3
Spine patched with heavy tape; located in the office under
counter; mostly conveyances
19221929
21 x
32
416
No
None
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
1
1
Indexed; includes at least two plans
Item No.
Item Title
23
24
Comment
62
Appendix 4 Probate Records – Condition Survey
Collection: Supreme Court Registry, Nevis
Collection No.: EAP093/003
Series No.: 002
Series Title: Probate Records
Record Creators: ‘Supreme Court’
Table Notes:
Location: All items kept in the Supreme Court Registry vault, unless otherwise noted in the ‘Comment’ column
Columns from ‘Fading’ to ‘Cover damage’: 0 = None, 1 = Mild, 2 = Moderate, 3 = Severe
Date Range
Size in
cm
No. of
pages
Pages
missing
Mould
Brittleness
Stains/water
damage
Insect damage
Ink damage
Tearing
Twist/ wrinkle
Spine damage
Cover damage
01
Book of Wills
1763-1787
34 x 47
729 +
?
None
0
3
0
1
0
1
0
3
2
02
03
Book of Wills
Book of Wills
1787-1805
1805-1818
31 x 47
25 x 37
487 +
404 +
No
No
None
None
0
0
0
1
0
?
0
0
0
2
1
0
0
1
3
3
1
2
04
05
06
07
08
Book of Wills
Book of Wills
Book of Wills
Book of Wills
Probate/Wills
Book 1
Probate/Wills
Book 2
1819-1830
1830-1837
1837-1864
1866-1880
1903-1969?
20 x 32
20 x 32
27 x 39
21 x 31
29 x 47
425 +
334 +
515
330
ca. 600
No
No
No
No
?
None
None
None
None
None
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
1
0
1
0
0
1
1
1
0
0
1
0
2
0
0
0
0
0
0
3
0
0
0
0
2
1
2
0
3
3
1
2
0
1
3
ca. 1972-ca.
1987
29 x 47
ca. 600
?
None
0
2
0
0
0
3
2
3
3
Item No.
Item Title
Fading
No Rusting fasteners, Damp or wetness, Rodent damage, Dirt, dust or debris, unless noted in the ‘Comment’ column
09
Comment
63
Index disintegrating; binding poor; pages in
batches
Index complete; spine and covers detached
Index; ink turned silver in some places; spine
and covers off
Index
Index
Ink damage to index
Index; 50 wills plus administrations
Kept in office, used regularly; pages in total
disarray; probably many missing
Kept in office, used regularly; pages in total
disarray; probably many missing
Appendix 5 Land Title Register Books – Condition Survey
Collection: Supreme Court Registry, Nevis
Collection No.: EAP093/003
Series No.: 003
Series Title: Land Title Register Books
Record Creators: ‘Supreme Court’
Table Notes:
Location: All items kept in the Registry office, although Memoranda of Transfer are kept in a variety of locations
Columns from ‘Fading’ to ‘Cover damage’: 0 = None, 1 = Mild, 2 = Moderate, 3 = Severe
Date
Range
Size
in cm
No. of
pages
Pages
missing
Mould
Ink damage
Tearing
Twist/ wrinkle
Spine damage
Cover damage
01
Land Title Register
Book 1
18871904
34 x
22
160 +
?
None
2
2
3
3
3
3
02
Land Title Register
Book 2
Land Title Register
Book 3
19051912
19121922
28 x
43
28 x
43
44 +
?
None
2
0
2
2
3
1
81 +
?
None
2
2
3
3
3
3
04
Land Title Register
Book 4
19231935
28 x
43
110 +
?
None
2
2
3
3
3
3
05
Land Title Register
1971-
28 x
150 +
?
None
0
0
3
2
3
1
Item No.
Item Title
Fading
No Rusting fasteners, Brittleness, Damp or wetness, Stains or water damage, Insect damage, Rodent damage, Dirt, dust or debris, unless noted in the ‘Comment’ column
03
Comment
64
160 folios plus attachments; was an old leather-bound volume, too small for
the quantity of additional, much larger, plans inserted; covers bound on by
cloth ‘straps’; very significant damage to plans of estates and land; ink
damage on some plans
44 folios plus attachments; some tearing away of much larger plans from
certificates; ink damage on some plans
Old volume, too small for the quantity of additional, much larger, plans
inserted; no spine; held together by treasury tags; 81 folios plus
attachments; significant damage to plans of estates and land; ink damage on
some plans
Old volume, too small for the quantity of additional, much larger, plans
inserted; no spine; held together by treasury tags; 110 folios plus
attachments; significant damage to plans of estates and land; ink damage on
some plans
Rusting fasteners; whole volume loose, tied with treasury tags; twisting and
Date
Range
Size
in cm
No. of
pages
Pages
missing
Mould
Fading
Ink damage
Tearing
Twist/ wrinkle
Spine damage
Cover damage
Book 12
Nominal Index St
Christopher – Title
Index 1
Nominal Index
1973
18891975
43
21 x
33
?
Yes
None
1
0
3
3
3
3
18921990?
?
300
No
None
0
0
0
2
3
3
Item No.
Item Title
06
07
Comment
65
tearing to plans and attachments
Crucial ‘Nominal Index’ to LTCs, handwritten; information copied into a
clearer, handwritten version which is used first (Books 1 and 2 1892-1990);
spine collapsed
Handwritten ‘biro version’ nominal index; spine and covers bound by
heavy tape
Appendix 6 Court Records - Condition Survey
Collection: Supreme Court Registry, Nevis
Collection No.: EAP093/003
Series No.: 004
Series Title: Court Records
Record Creators: ‘Supreme Court’
Table Notes:
Location: All items kept in the Registry vault, unless otherwise noted in the ‘Comment’ column
Columns from ‘Fading’ to ‘Cover damage’: 0 = None, 1 = Mild, 2 = Moderate, 3 = Severe
No Rusting fasteners, Damp or wetness, Rodent damage, Dirt, dust or debris, unless noted in the ‘Comment’ column
Item Titles: KB/QBCP refers to the Court of King’s/Queen’s Bench and Common Pleas
?
?
KBCP Vol. 1 Court Book 33
213
No
None
03
KBCP
17121716
31 x
48
27 x
42
?
?
02
17051716
1710
301
?
04
KBCP
?
?
05
KBCP
17141716 +
1745
17601762
27 x
42
325
Cover damage
KBCP
Spine damage
01
Comment
3
3
Wrapped; too fragile to open
0
1
3
Index mostly intact
3
0
3
3
?
3
?
3
3
Cause Lists and Minute Book; wrapped
but too fragile to examine closely; very
damaged
2 bundles in one packet; too fragile to
examine
0
2
0
3
3
?
?
?
3
0
2
1
1
2
2
Active
3
3
2
2
1
?
?
?
3
?
?
Yes
None
0
3
0
2
Fading
Item No.
3
66
Twist/ wrinkle
Mould
Tearing
Pages
missing
Ink damage
No. of
pages
Insect damage
Size
in cm
Stains/water
damage
Date
Range
Brittleness
Item Title
Part index only; insect damage on
wrapper showing infestation since ca.
1998; covers torn and frayed
Date
Range
Size
in cm
No. of
pages
Pages
missing
Mould
Fading
Brittleness
Stains/water
damage
Insect damage
Ink damage
Tearing
Twist/ wrinkle
Spine damage
Cover damage
06
KBCP
pp 201213
?
None
0
0
0
1
1
2
1
3
3
KBCP
30 x
42
30 x
47
469
07
17641766
17711774
Inactive
0
0
1
1
0
0
0
3
3
08
KBCP Cause List vol. 16
KBCP
10
KBCP
11
KBCP Cause List vol. 20
12
KBCP
13
KBCP vol. 21
14
KBCP Judgements vol. 27
15
KBCP No. 28
16
QBCP
28 x
45
39 x
55
20 x
31
18 x
46
20 x
31
25 x
37
20 x
31
20 x
31
21 x
33
ca. 600
09
17761779
17791792
17851822
18051813
18141827
18271836
18221841
18311844
18411885
17
QBCP No. 23
18
QBCP
19
QBCP Minutes vol. 24
20
QBCP Judgements
18431851
18541858
18611866
18691874
Item No.
Item Title
450460
Comment
Minutes; held together by 2 threads;
wrapping infested
Entries for Judgements; notes added
after 1774; covers poor quality
cardboard
Index; lists
None
0
1
0
0
1
2
0
3
2
367
pp 198199
?
Inactive
1
0
1
0
2
1
0
3
3
ca. 400
?
None
1
3
0
3
1
3
0
3
3
540
None
0
0
0
0
1
0
1
3
3
ca. 400
pp 148151 +
No
Inactive
1
0
0
1
0
0
0
1
1
348
No
Active
2
0
2
0
1
1
0
3
3
Cause lists; no front cover, back cover
very frayed
Entries for Judgement; index; calf
coming off spine and covers
Minutes; index
155 +
No
None
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
2
1
Index; loose pages
ca. 90
No
None
0
0
0
0
1
3
0
2
2
?
?Yes
None
0
2
1
0
0
2
0
3
3
?
324
No
?Active
3
0
2
1
0
0
0
2
2
21 x
33
21 x
33
20 x
32
ca. 90
No
None
0
0
0
0
1
0
1
0
3
Minutes – Criminal; some pages
removed, bottoms of some pages lost
ca. 11 bundles of misc. papers of
different quality paper and states of
preservation
Minutes – Criminal; index; front cover
almost detached
Judgements
ca. 90
No
None
0
0
1
0
1
0
1
0
3
Minutes – Criminal
ca. 230
No
None
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
3
3
No back cover; no spine; loose pages
67
Entries for Judgement; only 1 cover;
pp274-367 at front; no index
Lists of Judgements
Date
Range
Size
in cm
No. of
pages
Pages
missing
Mould
Fading
Brittleness
Stains/water
damage
Insect damage
Ink damage
Tearing
Twist/ wrinkle
Spine damage
Cover damage
21
Court of Complaint
18301846
20 x
31
ca. 400
No
Inactive
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
3
2
Lists of Complaints – mostly small
sums; spine and front cover come away
22
Court of Summary
Jurisdiction
Court of Summary
Jurisdiction Minute and
Cause List
Court of Summary
Jurisdiction List of Cases
Pending
(?Court of Summary
Jurisdiction) Execution Book
Nevis 1904
18881896
19141943
21 x
32
21 x
32
400
No
None
0
0
0
1
0
1
0
2
2
ca. 500
No
None
0
0
0
2
0
0
0
1
2
Minutes and Cause Lists; back cover
loose
No index
18961914
21 x
31
ca. 500
No
None
0
0
0
2
0
0
0
2
3
1904?1972
21 x
31
202
No
None
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
1
1
Execution of Judgements; pages
removed to send to England ‘as a
pattern’ 1934
26
Supreme (Circuit) Court
No
None
0
0
0
1
0
1
0
3
2
Supreme Court St Christopher
and Nevis
24 x
37
20 x
31
487
27
18741955
18861904
ca. 400
No
None
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
1
1
28
Supreme Court Minute Book
and Cause List Nevis
Supreme Court Book and
Cause List
18911910
19111938
23 x
35
23 x
36
ca. 400
No
None
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
1
Judgements; index damaged; spine
coming loose
Includes Supreme Court of Leeward
Islands and Court of Summary
Jurisdiction; only 76 pages used
Mostly criminal
430
No
None
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
Criminal; index
Court of the Commissioners
for the Sale of Encumbered
Estates…
‘In the Bankruptcy of J T
Thibou – Nevis’
18721889
30 x
47
700
No
None
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
3
3
Crucial volume re disposal of sugar
estates in debt; no index
18791881
20 x
31
200
No
None
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
1
0
Item No.
Item Title
23
24
25
29
30
31
Comment
68
Date
Range
Size
in cm
No. of
pages
Pages
missing
Mould
Fading
Brittleness
Stains/water
damage
Insect damage
Ink damage
Tearing
Twist/ wrinkle
Spine damage
Cover damage
32
Bond Book
?
None
0
0
1
1
0
2
2
2
3
Shipping Bonds – masters and agents
Bond Book
ca. 300
No
Active
0
2
3
0
1
1
0
2
2
34
Bond Book
20 x
31
20 x
31
20 x
31
ca. 300
33
18471849
18531855
18551856
ca. 300
No
?
0
0
0
2
0
0
2
2
3
Shipping Bonds – masters and agents;
includes seals
Shipping Bonds – masters and agents;
covers bent from damp
35
Jury Panel Book
No
None
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
3
3
ca. 50
No
None
1
0
0
2
0
0
0
2
2
Lists of jurors summoned to attend the
Circuit Court; soft covers; tied
Only 4 pages used
37
Special Jurors List – Nevis
Circuit
Jurors List – Nevis Circuit
ca. 200
No
None
1
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
Alphabetical; only 70 pages used
38
The Jurors Book Nevis
ca. 200
No
None
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
1
1
39
Nevis Circuit Panel of Array
102
No
None
0
0
0
1
0
0
0
1
1
Different courts
40
Nevis Circuit Preliminary
Panel
20 x
31
20 x
31
20 x
31
20 x
31
21 x
31
23 x
33
ca. 70
36
18771887
19031904
18991904
19051924
19151929
19151947
202
No
None
1
0
0
1
0
0
0
1
1
Annual
41
Registrar’s Office (Provost)
Marshal’s Sales Book
18371943
20 x
31
ca. 280
No
None
0
0
0
3
0
0
0
3
3
Loose covers; most pages loose; good
indication of an ordinary person’s
goods and chattels
42
Register of Motions and
Other Applications
19041939
21 x
32
?
?
None
0
0
0
2
0
0
0
1
2
Index
43
Registrar’s Letterbook
18931894
20 x
31
ca. 400
No
None
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
Letters dealing with prison matters, also
Gingerland cemetery
44
Nevis Acts
18131819
20 x
31
150
No
Inactive
0
0
0
3
2
2
3
3
3
Spine collapsed; poorly stored
Item No.
Item Title
Comment
69
Date
Range
Size
in cm
No. of
pages
Pages
missing
Mould
Fading
Brittleness
Stains/water
damage
Insect damage
Ink damage
Tearing
Twist/ wrinkle
Spine damage
Cover damage
45
Laws of Nevis
No
Active
2
0
?3
2
0
3
0
2
3
Acts - Nevis
20 x
31
20 x
31
240
46
18191825
18541858
400
No
Inactive
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
3
1
47
An Act subsidiary to the
Import and Export Tax…plus
Other Acts
18591869
20 x
32
89 used
No
None
0
1
0
0
0
2
0
0
3
Item No.
Item Title
Comment
70
Possible active mould; paper soft; spine
intact but no cover; front cover off
Hand-copied; board covers sound but
leather covering coming off; active
mould in past, purple colouring
Only one cover
Appendix 7 E. C. Baker – Inventory
Source:
Baker, E. C. A Guide to Records in the Leeward Islands
Oxford, Blackwell, 1965
71
72
73
Appendix 8 Anglican and Methodist Parish Records, Nevis - Overview
Parish
(Anglican except
where noted)
St George
the Martyr’s Church,
Gingerland
V. L. Oliver’s survey
1913
Transcripts 1716-1724 in V. L.
Oliver Caribbeana vol. 2;
also 1730-1822 Caribbeana vol. 3
E. C. Baker’s survey of registers held
in individual parishes
1965
Baptisms 1828-1838 (2 vols)
NHCS Archive survey
2008
Other
Baptisms May 1828-Dec 1833 (RG 16.9,
original book)
UK National Archives (NA) CO
152/21 f164
Baptisms and Burials 1733-1734
Baptisms 1839-1852 (leaves wanting)
Baptisms 1852-1955 (7 vols) cont’d
Baptisms May 1828- May 1838 (RG 16.7,
photocopy. Catalogued as 1833-1838 – or
is this RG 16.12: Baptisms 1828-1838?)
Baptisms 1828-1886 (RG 16.8,
photocopies 1871-1886. Catalogued as
1886-1873)
Baptisms Oct 1852-April 1859 (RG
16.11, only one side photocopied.
Catalogued as Baptisms 1852-1856)
Marriages 1828-1951 (4 vols) cont’d
Burials 1828-1886 (2 vols)
Burials 1887-1895 (1 page missing,
1891)
Burials 1896-1951 (3 vols)
Burials 1951 cont’d
Register of Services 1930-1957
(4 vols)
St John and St George Vestry
Minutes 1894-1938 (after 1923 St
George only)
74
Other Church records (RG 16.1 – 16.6
and 16.13 – 16.14)
From NHCS Archive RG 16.13:
“The Naval Museum Portsmouth
have a photocopy of Lady Nelson’s
baptism, St George’s Gingerland in
the 1750s, but the book no longer
exists.”
Parish
(Anglican except
where noted)
St James Windward
V. L. Oliver’s survey
1913
Registers from 1839
Vestry minutes from 1785
E. C. Baker’s survey of registers held
in individual parishes
1965
Registers 1849-1860, at St Thomas
Lowland
NHCS Archive survey
2008
Other
Baptisms ca 1839-1893 (RG 15.1,
includes some deaths)
NA CO 152/25 ff 114-115
Baptisms and Burials 1740-1745
Baptisms 1832 (RG 15.2, copied by hand)
E. C Baker: R. Pemberton, a few
years before Oliver’s note, said
records began in 1787. Oliver
thought that earlier registers may
have been burnt in the great fire of
1837 Charlestown. Oliver noted
registers from 1839 and Vestry
Minutes from 1785
Baptisms 1839-1871 (RG 15.3, original)
Baptisms 1879-1893 (RG 15.4, copied by
hand and photocopied)
Baptisms 1877-1893 (RG 15.5, original,
ff70-109 ‘copy of the oldest register, that
from 10 Oct 1830 to 11 April 1839)
Baptisms 1900, 1912 (RG 15.6, some,
copied by hand)
Baptisms 1914-1917 (RG 15.7, some,
copied by hand)
Baptisms 1893-1911 (RG 15.8, copied by
hand)
Baptisms 1917-1938 (RG 15.9, copied by
hand)
Baptisms April 1939 (RG 15.10, original,
part of a book)
Baptisms 1942-1957 (RG 15.17,
photocopy, sealed from public)
Marriages 1907-1964, 1965-1976, 1974,
1989 (RG 15.11, fragile)
Deaths 1843-1913 (RG 15.12, originals,
unbound)
75
Parish
(Anglican except
where noted)
V. L. Oliver’s survey
1913
E. C. Baker’s survey of registers held
in individual parishes
1965
NHCS Archive survey
2008
Other
Other church records (RG 15.13 – 15.16)
Births, Baptisms, Marriages, Burials?
1728-1825 (on display in church?)
St John Figtree
Baptisms 1826-1961 (4 volumes)
Births, Baptisms, Marriages, Burials
1729-1825 (RG 16.10, photocopy, pages
out of order, some pages missing; located
with St George Gingerland material)
NA CO 152/21 f 163:
Baptisms and Burials 1733-1734
The following records were given by the
church to the NHCS:
NA CO 152/16 f 341:
Baptisms and Burials 1726-1727
Marriages 1826-1904, 1904 cont.
Burials 1826-1908, 1908 cont’d
St John and St George Vestry
Minutes 1894-1938 (after 1923 St
George only)
St Paul
Registers for 1812-1823 ‘in very
brittle condition’
Baptisms 1824-1834
Baptisms 1824-1835 (RG 13.19, original
book, fair condition)
Baptisms 1835-1873 (leaves wanting)
Baptisms 1835-1873 (RG 13.3, photocopy
of register. Also original but not for public
use)
Baptisms 1874-1953, 1953 cont’d
Catalogued but not in St Paul’s folder:
Baptisms 1874-1953 (RG 13.7)
Marriages 1824-1842
Marriages 1826-1842 (RG 13.1, original
book, ends at p65, rest empty)
Marriages 1843 continued
Marriages 1843-1962 (RG 13.2)
76
Parish
(Anglican except
where noted)
V. L. Oliver’s survey
1913
E. C. Baker’s survey of registers held
in individual parishes
1965
Burials 1824-1837
NHCS Archive survey
2008
Burials 1825-1837 (RG 13.20, original,
very fragile)
Burials 1838-1840 p1-20 and 25-28
wanting, 1844 cont’d
Burials 1837-1840/1 (RG 13.5)
Burials 1844 cont’d
Burials 1838-1965 (RG 13.6, original big
book, starts from 20 Feb 1844 and indexed
as such. Pages after p92 are bound in the
wrong order. Catalogued as 1844-1965.)
Parish Books 1833-1842 (leaves
wanting);
Parish Books (vestry records) 1863-1869
(RG 13.8, catalogued but not in St Paul’s
folder)
Parish Books 1847-1863
Parish Books 1863-1869
Service Register 1936-1952 (2 vols )
77
Other Church records (RG 13.11 –
13.18)
Other
Parish
(Anglican except
where noted)
St Thomas Lowland
V. L. Oliver’s survey
1913
Fragmented vol. for 1740-1827.
Transcript of register 1733-1734
printed in Caribbeana vol. 1 (from
UK NA)
E. C. Baker’s survey of registers held
in individual parishes
1965
Baptisms 1827-1920 (2 vols)
NHCS Archive survey
2008
Other
The following records were given by the
church to the NHCS:
NA CO 152/21 f 163-164
Baptisms and Burials 1733-1734
Baptisms 1827-1873 (RG 14.19, original,
broken spine)
Baptisms 1920Baptisms 1831-1833 (RG 14.1, computerprintout, actually goes to 1850s)
Baptisms 1833-1838 (RG 14.2)
A St Thomas Parish register existed
pre-1827: George Juxon Huggins’s
1821 baptism was extracted in 1841.
22
Baptisms 1838-1845 (RG 14.3)
Baptisms 1845-1852 (RG 14.4)
Baptisms 1852-1858 (RG 14.5)
Baptisms 1858-1863 (RG 14.6)
Baptisms 1863-1868 (RG 14.7)
Baptisms 1868-1871 (RG 14.8)
Baptisms 1871-1873 (RG 14.9)
Baptisms 1874-1920 (RG 14.10)
Baptisms 1920-1972 (RG 14.16)
22
Marriages 1828 continued
Marriages 1828-1965 (RG 14.18, original,
good condition)
Burials 1827-1957
Burials 1827-1957 or 1954 (RG 14.11 ,
Bristol University Library Special Collections (BULSC), West Indies Catalogue 1 DM 41/15/16
78
Wm Coker’s marriage in June 1763
was copied by Thomas
Worthington, Keeper of the
Register, in ?
(Gloucester RO, D1571/F835).
Parish
(Anglican except
where noted)
V. L. Oliver’s survey
1913
E. C. Baker’s survey of registers held
in individual parishes
1965
NHCS Archive survey
2008
original, catalogued as 1827-1954)
Other Church records (RG 14.12 –
14.15)
Church Records 1838 St Thomas and St
John’s (RG 20.3)
79
Other
Parish
(Anglican except
where noted)
Methodist
V. L. Oliver’s survey
1913
E. C. Baker’s survey of registers held
in individual parishes
1965
Baptismal Records 1825-1835
NHCS Archive survey
2008
Other
Baptismal Records 1825-1835 ((RG 17.2,
transcribed)
In the Methodist Church Office,
Charlestown, Aug 2008:
Baptismal Records 1835-1873
Baptismal Records 1835-1873 (RG 17.3)
(transcribed, often wrong)
Baptisms, Charlestown 1883-1900
Baptismal Records 1850-1856
Baptismal Records 1850-1856/1885 (RG
17.5, original, ‘not for public use’;
photocopied, but only right-hand side)
Baptisms, Charlestown 1884-1917
Baptisms, Charlestown 1900-1908
Baptisms, Charlestown 1918-1941
Baptisms 1874-1894 (RG 17.6, catalogued
but not in the Methodist folder)
Baptisms 1825-1894 (either a single
volume or a number of volumes, disbound
as single pages but repaired, in an archival
box)
Mount Lily 1850-1885 (RG 17.4)
Other Church records (RG 17.7 – RG
17.11, including accounts and class books)
Baptisms, Charlestown 1941-1956
Baptisms, Charlestown 1956-1966
Baptisms, Charlestown and
Jessups 1977-2008
Baptisms, Combermere (parish of
St James) 1885-1949
Baptisms, Combermere and
Fountain (possible dates 19501969, 1971-1974)
Baptisms, Combermere and
Fountain 1950-1974
Baptisms, Charlestown, Jessups,
Combermere, Fountain 1966-1977
Baptisms, Combermere 19772008 (includes Fountain)
Baptisms, Gingerland 1887-1906
Baptisms, Gingerland 1906-1918
80
Parish
(Anglican except
where noted)
V. L. Oliver’s survey
1913
E. C. Baker’s survey of registers held
in individual parishes
1965
NHCS Archive survey
2008
Other
Baptisms, Gingerland 1918-1934
Baptisms, Gingerland 1934-1946
Baptisms, Gingerland 1946-1955
Baptisms, Gingerland 1955-1965
Baptisms, Gingerland 1965-1976
Baptisms, Gingerland 1976-to
date
Baptisms, Clifton (parish of St
Thomas) 1884-2006
Marriages, Combermere and
Clifton 1885-1966
Marriages, Jessups, Charlestown,
Fountain and Combermere
Marriages, St Paul’s 1886-1945
Marriages, Gingerland 1914-1957
Marriages, Gingerland 1958-to
date
Burials, Clifton 1887-1961
Compiled by Christine Eickelmann, October 2008
81
Appendix 9 Common Deed Record Books – Inventory 2004-2008
Nevis Supreme Court Registry Vault
1707-1728 (very fragile, digitally recorded)
1728-1746 (very fragile, digitally recorded; hard copy in 6 volumes)
1741-1749 (very fragile, digitally recorded)
1750-1752 (very fragile, digitally recorded)
1752-1754 (very fragile, digitally recorded; previously noted as 1753-1754)
1753-1754 (see above; W A Pinney: Missing from Vault)
1754-1758 (very fragile, digitally recorded)
1757-1762
1763-1764
1764-1769 (W A Pinney: 1764-1767)
1767-1769
1769-1771
1771-1773 (very brittle)
1773-1774
1773-1775
1775-1776
1776-1777
1777-1778 (previously noted as 1776-1778)
1778-1783
1783-1785
1785-1787
1788-1789 (very brittle)
1789-1790 (no index)
1790-1792 (very brittle index, no index N-U)
1792-1794 (too fragile to handle)
1794-1797
1797-1799
1799-1801
1801-1803
1803-1805 (too fragile to handle)
1805-1808
1808-1810
1810-1814
1814-1817
1817-1819 (W A Pinney: Missing from vault. Found in 2004)
1819-1823 (in 2004 recorded as 1819-1823 vol. 2)
1823-1829 vol. 2 (re-numbered in 2004, previously noted as 1823-1828; ends p684, although
further pages are indexed)
1825-1828 (not recorded in 2004)
1829-1830a
1829-1830b
1831-1835 (very brittle and incomplete index)
1835-1838
1838-1847 (added in 2004. W A Pinney: 1838-1840)
(not recorded in 2004 and not on W A Pinney’s list: 1838-1905)
(not recorded in 2004: 1840-1846)
1847-1858
1859-1866
1870-1879 (too fragile to handle)
1877-1899 (found in 2004, not recorded by W A Pinney)
1884-1956 (‘Entry Book of Deeds’, added in 2008)
82
1900-1905 (not found in 2004 or in 2008, recorded by W A Pinney)
Nevis Supreme Court Registry Office
1905-1912 (Book 15, added in 2008)
1911-1917 (Book 16, added in 2008)
1917-1922 (Book 17, added in 2008)
1922-1929 (Book 18, added in 2008)
Current Book (2008) Book 68
Sources: Dr Michelle Terrell, William Austin Pinney, Christine Eickelmann and David Small
1998-2008.
This list may be incomplete and requires checking.
September 2008
83
Appendix 10 EAP093 Survey Form
BRITISH LIBRARY EAP093
NEVIS: SURVEY OF RECORDS JULY/AUGUST 2008
Temp EAP Refs: Collection No:
File/Container/Bundle No.
Series No:
Reference Accession No:
Series Title:
File/Container/Bundle Title:
File/Container/Bundle No:
Location:
Floor Pile:
Office
Vault
Other
Shelf No:
L M
Physical Description
Volume: †
MSS: †
Other: †
Size:
Damage/Decay (0 = None
Rusting Fasteners:
Mould
1 = Mild
2 = Moderate
Yes / No
None / Active / Inactive
Fading
Brittleness
Damp or Wetness
Stains or Water Damage
Insect Damage
Rodent Damage
Ink Damage
Tearing
Twisting/Wrinkling
Dirt/Dust/Debris
Damage to Spine
84
3 = Severe)
R
Damage to Covers
Pages Missing: Yes / No
Content
Record Creator:
Subject/Topic:
Date or Date Range:
No. of Pages:
Pages Missing:
(Numbers)
Summary of Contents:
Assessment of Historical Importance and Potential Uses
Surveyed by: Sm/CEi
85