A community talk is set to share new research into historic links between the Rowntree Company, in York, and the islands of Jamaica and Dominica in the Caribbean.
York-based educational charity The Rowntree Society will share its findings regarding the confectionery company's venture in the Caribbean between the 1890s and 1930s, when it acquired estates that were then part of the British Empire region known as the British West Indies.
John Wilhelm Rowntree, eldest son of Quaker chocolate manufacturer Joseph Rowntree, and one of Rowntree & Co's managing directors, wrote a letter to the Imperial Department of Agriculture in the West Indies in 1899 advising the department of the company's intention to acquire Dominican land "to bring English energy and scientific knowledge to bear upon tropical culture."
Several estates were operated in Dominica and Jamaica by Rowntree's by 1900, many of which were former slave plantations.
Sugar mills and other infrastructure were adapted to cultivate and prepare cocoa, limes, bananas, and other ingredients for shipping to Rowntree's Cocoa Works factory on Haxby Road in York.
In 1904, more than 300 black labourers and 100 East Indian labourers in total worked on the Caribbean plantations, overseen by nine white managers.
By the outbreak of the First World War, Rowntree’s Jamaican estates were the largest exporters of cocoa on the island, shipping exclusively to the United Kingdom.
Executive director of The Rowntree Society, Nick Smith, said: "This event gives The Rowntree Society an opportunity to share and discuss the findings of our research into Rowntree & Co's Caribbean plantations with people in York.
"This part of the Rowntree story has been overlooked in the past and it follows on from our 'From KitKats to Colonialism' and 'History Unsweetened' talks which can be found on our YouTube channel."
The talk will explore why Rowntree & Co decided to acquire these estates, who worked on them, what life was like there, and why the company eventually withdrew from Jamaica and Dominica by the 1930s.
A video lecture from Laura Strachan, along with a discussion and a Q&A session from The Rowntree Society staff and trustees, will also form part of the event.
The event is scheduled for Tuesday, November 5, starting at 7.30pm, at Clements Hall, Nunthorpe Road, York.
Tickets are free but must be booked in advance via Eventbrite at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/rowntrees-caribbean-plantations-tickets-1042224630927
The Rowntree Society's mission is to build and share knowledge about the histories of the Rowntree family, company, and trusts, and their relevance for contemporary issues.
More information is available at https://www.rowntreesociety.org.uk/
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