'File 5/168 VII Manumission of slaves on Arab Coast: individual cases'

Content

The volume contains in excess of 120 manumission statements, taken down by the Residency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, established in the provinces and regions considered part of, or under the influence of, British India. Agent ('Abd al-Razzaq Razuqi) at Sharjah between July 1938 and June 1939. Correspondence accompanying the statements sent by al-Razzaq includes details of the appearance of slaves as an indication of possible mistreatment, and al-Razzaq's own opinion as to whether the slave's case merited manumission. The majority of the manumission cases are straightforward. Manumission statements were received by the Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. (Lieutenant-Colonel Trenchard Fowle) via the Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. at Bahrain (Hugh Weightman) with the recommendation from al-Razzaq that manumission statements be issued. In reply the Political Residency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, established in the provinces and regions considered part of, or under the influence of, British India. issued the certificates as requested.

Two exceptional cases are included in the file. The first (folios 206-221) involves the kidnapping and sale of two children in the Shaikh of Ajman's [Rashid bin Humaid] territory. Although not directly implicated in the transaction, Fowle censured the Shaikh on his lack of action in the matter. Fowle demanded that the guilty trader be expelled from Ajman, that a fine of 500 rupees Indian silver coin also widely used in the Persian Gulf. be paid, and that vigorous efforts be made to find the enslaved children. Fowle and Weightman discussed harsher measures that could be taken against the Shaikh of Ajman should he refuse to cooperate. These included the withdrawal of the British Government's 'good offices' with the Shaikh (a measure that included imposing travel restrictions), and bombardment of his fort (folio 207). Fowle requested that the Senior Naval Officer in the Gulf assess the practicality of bombardment (folio 228). The second exceptional case involves the enslavement and sale of a young woman in Ra's al-Khaymah, and the inaction of the Shaikh of Ra's al-Khaymah [Sultan bin Saqr] until prompted by the Residency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, established in the provinces and regions considered part of, or under the influence of, British India. Agent at Sharjah. British officials discussed the measures of withdrawing good office and bombardment again. Fowle accepted that bombardment would not be a good idea given the imminent likelihood of war starting (this decision being taken in June 1939), which would necessitate the British Government being on good terms with the Gulf shaikhdoms, in order to preserve Britain's air route down the Arab Coast to India.

Extent and format

1 volume (340 folios)

Arrangement

Correspondence within the volume is grouped by manumission cases, or subjects, ordered roughly in chronological order from earliest at the front of the volume, to latest at the rear. At the beginning of the volume (ff 3-6) is a handwritten index, which lists the manumission subjects (with slaves' names) from 1 to 38. Many manumission subjects involve two or more slaves. Each subject has its own handwritten cover sheet. The index does not refer to specific page numbers for each subject.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the inside back cover with 339; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio. The foliation sequence does not include the front cover, nor does it include the leading flyleaf. The foliation sequence includes one foliation anomaly: f 59A.

Written in

English and Arabic in Latin and Arabic script

Type

Archival file

Access & Reference

Original held at

British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity.

Access conditions

Unrestricted

Archive reference

IOR/R/15/1/211

Former external reference(s)

A series: 5/168 VII

History of this record

Date(s)

28 Jul 1938-28 Jun 1939 (CE, Gregorian)

Context of creation

The Residency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, established in the provinces and regions considered part of, or under the influence of, British India. Agent on the Trucial Coast A name used by Britain from the nineteenth century to 1971 to refer to the present-day United Arab Emirates. (based at Sharjah) did not have the power to grant manumission to slaves seeking refuge at their offices. All manumission requests had to be forwarded by the Residency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, established in the provinces and regions considered part of, or under the influence of, British India. Agent to the Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. of the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. in Bushire. Manumission cases were judged according to the guidelines for manumission first issued by the Political Residency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, established in the provinces and regions considered part of, or under the influence of, British India. in 1913 [IOR/R/15/1/234], and updated and reissued in August 1938 [IOR/R/15/1/215/127-29].

Subjects

Kidnapping

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'File 5/168 VII Manumission of slaves on Arab Coast: individual cases', British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/1/211, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100000000193.0x0000b8> [accessed 6 October 2024]

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