The text and metadata were produced by Alejandro Salamanca (@desvelandooriente.com). Prize Papers Project, National Archives, ref. HCA 32/111D/19/PAS1. Images reproduced by permission of The National Archives, UK. Photographer: Maria Cardamone

The letter is from 1742, so Sebastián kept it for more than five years; it is difficult to know if he ever replied or returned home, although it seemed he continued his migration for at least five more years. If he was on the Fort de Nantes, perhaps he was finally returning home?

PAS1. Sebastián Pastor kept several letters from his wife, Rosa Fernández. In this letter, Rosa complains about Sebastián not wanting to return home after more than seven years away, about some money he owed, and about him not writing letters directly to her.

#earlymodern #maritimehistory #skystorians

If you want to know more about the basket and other objects in our collection in its wider context, check out the exhibition "The Prize Papers and Transatlantic Slavery. On Exploitation, Human Suffering and Injustice" on our website!

With historical and scientific approaches, including conservation expertise and new 3D reproduction methods, we are building a foundation for further joint research to better understand and contextualise such objects.

The physical state of the basket’s survival needed highly specialized conservation efforts, which were admirably achieved by Camilla Camus-Doughan, the former conservator at The National Archives responsible for the conservatory treatment of the Prize Papers.

Despite the limited information, this basket traces a global story shaped by the violent forced displacement of enslaved people from West Africa to the Caribbean.

Its maker and original purpose remain unknown, but the weaving pattern suggests it was crafted by an African or African-descended woman in Saint-Domingue.

a fragmented basket with knotted handles and a painted, possibly mud-dyed frieze. Taken from Le Printemps—a ship travelling from Saint-Domingue to Bordeaux—the basket became evidence in an Admiralty Court case and eventually entered the National Archives.

#earlymodern #maritimehistory #skystorians

The text and metadata were produced by Alejandro Salamanca- @desvelandooriente.com
. Prize Papers Project, National Archives, ref. HCA 32/111D/17/GAR6. Images reproduced by permission of The National Archives, UK. Photographer: Maria Cardamone

GAR2 and GAR 6: letters from his brother in Spanish and Italian. José (or Giuseppe) kept the letters with him for more than eight years, perhaps as a keepsake of his brother. In the letters, his brother asks him not to go with black women and to be cautious with the people he befriends.

The text and metadata were produced by Alejandro Salamanca -
@desvelandooriente.com. Prize Papers Project, National Archives, ref. HCA 32/111D/14/NAV8. Images reproduced by permission of The National Archives, UK. Photographer: Maria Cardamone

NAV4: Attention historians of food and medicine!! Here’s a 1747 recipe for some kind of “secret”remedy for sciatica and other ailments involving fern and sarsaparilla.
NAV 8: A remedy for bedbugs!!
NAV9: A letter from Antonio’s daughter informing about family affairs

The text and metadata were produced by Alejandro Salamanca -
@desvelandooriente.com. Prize Papers Project, National Archives, ref. HCA 32/111D/4/URR24. Images reproduced by permission of The National Archives, UK. Photographer: Maria Cardamone

URR41, 42 and 43: Interesting religious documents, visually striking