House on James Street: Episode three - Free Coloured Women, Property and Power

Before she was a National Hero, Sarah Ann Gill was a woman of property in Bridgetown, navigating the brutal contradictions of a slave society. In this episode, we explore the precarious lives of free coloured women in early 19th-century Barbados.The late historian Professor Pedro Welch unpacked how these women — tavern owners, property holders, and political actors — used inheritance, commerce, and strategic influence to carve out autonomy in a rigid slave society. From the political courage of her husband during their short-lived marriage to the extraordinary influence wielded by a woman inside the Governor’s residence, we examine the complex strategies that laid the foundation for Sarah Ann Gill’s future defiance.Join us as we set the stage for the religious conflict to come—and the moment one house on James Street would change history.Produced and presented by Julius Gittens.Original music composed by Aaron Paul from #Uppbeat:https://uppbeat.io/t/aaron-paul-low/all-that-glitters