Death and Burial at Marshall's Pen, a Jamaican Coffee Plantation, 1814–1839: Examining the End of Life at the End of Slavery

Abstract

Archaeological studies of slave and post-emancipation sites often discuss death and burial practices, despite the fact that actual cemeteries often prove difficult to locate. This aboveground study of a singular cemetery at Marshall's Pen, a coffee plantation in Jamaica, addresses questions of end of life issues for Afro-Jamaicans both before and after the abolition of slavery. This study utilizes the documentary record, comparative research, and the material record in order to examine causes of death and mortuary practices on the island; it also explores continuities in burial practices that can be seen through to the present day.