Digitisation of the Historic Newspaper, The Barbadian

The Barbadian newspaper covers the transition from the colonial, pre-modern to the modern era. The archives will enable scholars to trace the transition from the “news” being told from the perspective of the minority white-colonial enslavers to that of the black majority.

The Barbadian, the second oldest newspaper kept in the Barbados Archives, covers a defining period in Barbados’s history: the years surrounding the abolition of slavery, the emancipation (1834) and the years following the end of the apprenticeship system (1838). The newspaper depicts the struggles of the emancipated black minority striving to build a new life. Covering the 50th anniversary of the Bussa’s Rebellion (1816), the newspaper collects the memories of people who participated, recovering the history of the rebellion from the position of the enslaved.

Though the Barbados Archive offers stable storage conditions, in the past The Barbadian was kept in environmentally harsh conditions, which have rendered the paper brittle. With the increase of hurricanes and floods in the region, the newspaper is at great risk of being destroyed.

Stemming from a previous project which digitised The Barbados Mercury Gazette, the project digitised 34 volumes published between 1822 and 1861. The project reinforced the skills gained by the Archive staff and trained two new members. The digital copies are now available at the Barbados Department of Archives, the British Library and at the Digital Library of the Caribbean (dLoc.com).

Project Details


Location: Barbados, Caribbean, Americas Organiser(s): Endangered Archives Programme (EAP) Project partner(s): Department of Archives - Barbados Funder(s): Arcadia Funding received: £30,902 Commencement Date: 08/2019 Project Status: Completed
Project owner? Update this project



Related Projects

EAP1402 Pub003

19th-century documents from the Peruvian asylum el Manicomio del Cercado

The Victor Larco Herrera Hospital in the centre of Lima, Peru, was closed in 1917. Its archives, dating back to 1859, consist of medical documentation as well as administrativ…

Explore project
EAP1306 Silk Museum

The Caucasian Silk Circle: Digitising Photo Collection of the State Silk Museum in Georgia

The State Silk Museum of Georgia holds the only documentary evidence of the practice of sericulture in the 19th century. Taken during expeditions of the Caucasian Sericulture …

Explore project
EAP1294 team

Safeguarding for Posterity Two Private Collections of Palm-Leaf Manuscripts from the Tamil Country

The Kalliṭaikuṟicci and Villiyampākkam collections are palm-leaf collections held privately in India. The collections are essential to study the prevalent reading practices in…

Explore project