'File [3A] Slavery: cases of Qatar slaves reported at Bahrain'

IOR/R/15/2/1829

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The record is made up of 1 file (66 folios). It was created in 18 Dec 1943-14 Sep 1946. It was written in English and Arabic. The original is part of the 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. .

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Content

The file contains correspondence related to twenty manumission applications made by slaves from Qatar, taken down by staff at the Political Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. in Bahrain. Many of the cases in the file feature only the slave's manumission statement, with little else in the way of correspondence.

In the first case in the file, there is a British manumission certificate (folio 6), and an original, handwritten manumission certificate, given to a slave by his master (folio 5). Case 3 involves the manumission application of a female slave from Qatar, found embracing the flagstaff at the Political Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. in Bahrain. The woman also requests the retrieval of her children, who are in the custody of the Shaikh of Qatar. There are angry exchanges in letters between 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 (Captain Tom Hickinbotham) and Shaikh ‘Abdullāh bin Jāsim Āl Thānī, over access to the children (folios 22-23, 25-26), with Shaikh ‘Abdullāh stating that he resents 'interference in matters about which agreements were concluded [in 1916] between me and H.E. Sir Percy Cox'. Office notes suggest that the mother lied about the ages of her children, resulting in the Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. having 'got into trouble with the Shaikh of Qatar' (folio 14).

Extent and format
1 file (66 folios)
Arrangement

The items in the file have been arranged in rough chronological order, with the earliest correspondence at the front of the file, to the latest at the rear. There is an index of cases, numbered 1 to 19, at the front of the file (folio 2). Each case has its own cover sheet, and there are office notes included either before or after each set of case correspondence.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: The file has been foliated from the front cover to the inside back cover, using circled numbers in the top-right corner of each recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. page. The following foliation anomalies occur: 1, 1A, 2, 2A.

Written in
English and Arabic in Latin and Arabic script
Type
Archival file

Archive information for this record

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/15/2/1829
Former external reference(s)
Vernacular Office Files: 3A

History of this record

Date(s)
18 Dec 1943-14 Sep 1946 (CE, Gregorian)
Provenance

Vernacular File normally kept in the English Office.

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'File [3A] Slavery: cases of Qatar slaves reported at Bahrain', British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/2/1829, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100000000282.0x000234> [accessed 29 March 2024]

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