Slavery abolished
August 1, 1834
It was hard-fought and a long time coming, but freedom came to nearly 4,000 slaves in Bermuda on August 1, 1834. It occurred a year after the British Parliament passed an Abolition of Slavery Act, which affected slaves in all British territories, mostly in the Caribbean, but also in the Cape of Good Hope, in South Africa and Mauritius, an island in the Indian Ocean. Slaveholders received financial compensation for the loss of their slaves from a £20 million fund established by the British Government, but there was no similar payout to slaves. In addition, laws aimed at diluting blacks’ political power in Bermuda were passed. The property qualification for voters was increased from £30 to £60—and the law remained in effect until 1963. Still, emancipation was cause for celebration. While many whites expressed fears that newly freed blacks would riot, Emancipation Day was a day of reflection and quiet celebration. Churches were filled, from Somerset to St. George’s, including Cobb’s Hill Church in Warwick, which was built by slaves. More than 400 blacks packed St. John’s Church in Pembroke. One group of freed men in St. George’s could not suppress their joy at their new status. They gave three loud cheers in King’s Square—and then went on their way. Sources: Chained on the Rock by Cyril Packwood and The Story of Bermuda and Her People by W.S. Zuill | | Born this month | Nellie Musson
August 3, 1926-June 7, 1989
Hairdresser, businesswoman, author
| | | Nellie Musson could put her hand to many things, but she is best remembered as an author. Her self-published works include Mind the Onion Seed, which chronicles the contributions of black Bermudian women, and a biography of educator Dr. Marjorie Bean. She operated a Hamilton beauty salon, where she also taught hairdressing. Born to a family of Seventh-day Adventists, and the fourth of 10 children, she attended Southampton Glebe School and Sandys Secondary School. She was known as an enterprising woman, who with her husband Sylvan, a self-employed electrician, worked hard to ensure their six children received a college education. The family lived in the rambling two-storey Musson family homestead at Salt Kettle, Paget. She also helped three of her teenaged brothers to obtain a college education after their mother died. She established LaNel Beauty Salon after studying hairdressing in New York in 1957. She also cared for elderly patients. In the early 1970s, after completing summer courses in Bermuda through the University of Maryland and Queen’s University, she returned to school full-time. She obtained a bachelor’s degree in education from the State University College at Buffalo, New York and a master’s degree in gerontology from Fisk University in Tennessee. She devoted the last 10 years of her life to writing. Her other books included Children of the Enterprise and Missing Mr. Read. She died before she could achieve her dream of building a home for the elderly in Warwick. | |
| | | In the News 
Top, 1919 winners Somerset, captained by Warren Simmons, Below, St. George's and skipper Fielding Swan with cup in 1920
Photos couresy Warrington Zuill.
Cup Match, celebrated on August 2 and 3 this year, has been a Bermudian sporting and cultural event for more than a century.The game takes place on the Thursday and Friday before the first Monday in August and alternates annually between Somerset and St. George’s. The two-day cricket extravaganza evolved from annual picnics organised by lodges—or helping societies—to mark emancipation from slavery. After Bermudians picked up the rudiments of cricket from British officers attached to the base at Dockyard, the game became an essential part of the picnics. Following a particularly thrilling match in 1901, it was decided to make it an annual affair. The first Cup Match in 1902 was a best-of-three series. The first game took place at Royal Naval Field in Somerset on June 12, the second at Garrison Field in St. George’s on July 10. It was back to Royal Naval Field for the final deciding match on August 21 but the game had to be abandoned, after two players nearly came to blows. Somerset was declared the winner because it was ahead. That set the stage for more than a century of rivalry between Somerset Cricket Club and St. George’s Cricket Club. Cup Match was a working day for decades, although everyone got a half-day off on Thursday instead of a full day on Saturday. Cup Match became a two-day public holiday in 1946, two years after the two clubs appealed to the Governor, who turned down their initial request. The first day is officially Somers Day, after Sir George Somers, and the second day is Emancipation Day. It’s a sign of the times that clubs now receive sponsorships from businesses, electronic score boards have replaced the manual ones, and fans are now searched at the gates. And many Bermudians use the two-day holiday as an opportunity to get off the island. Still, for thousands, missing Cup Match would be unthinkable. The celebration brings Bermudians living overseas back home and draws its share of tourists. Those 19th century lodge members could never have imagined that their modest picnics would have evolved into the sporting and cultural spectacle we know today. Heritage by Harris Bermuda Maritime Museum director Dr. Edward Harris has just published a compilation of his 2005 Mid-Ocean News columns in Heritage Matters, Volume 1. Dr. Harris is an archeologist, who is currently overseeing the restoration of the former Casemates prison. The book retails for $20. |
