'File A/2 III Correspondence regarding slaves and their manumission certificates' [118r] (239/714)
The record is made up of 1 file (356 folios). It was created in 29 Jun 1937-3 Jun 1939. 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. .
Transcription
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
Statement of slave Abdullah bin T Ali, aged about 30 years,
recorded in the Political
Agency
An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent.
, Banrain.
1 was bom in Hedjaz m the neighbourhood ol Mecca.
My parents were slaves of certain people ol Mecca whose names
1 do not know. When i was 11/12 years of age, my parents f
masters took me to Naja and sold me to a bedouin named Mashaan
al Utaibi whom I served for two years, .uater, at my request,
he sold me to a slave-trader named nbaullah bin Junaidib of
Sha T arah near Riyadh who sent me with another slave-trader
named Yusuf to atar where i w^.s sold to Abdullah bin
Muhammad ai huaimi for Idj.llQO/- eight years ago. My master
used to send me for diving in summer ana take over all my
earnings. In winter I used to graze his camels. He got me
married to a slave woman whom he bought for me but she died
two years ago.
Last summer when the Naim tribe moved to Bahrain,
my master accompanied them bringing me with him. I have been
staying here since then but my master returned to . ( atar a
fortnight after his arrival in Bahrain ana asked me to go
with him but 1 refused on the pretext that I was going for
diving. He left me alone and went away. I am now living in
Budayai T with my wife whom I married here recently.
As i was not receiving good treatment at the hands
of my master, 1 do not wish to remain m his service any more. |
I have now come to the
Agency
An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent.
requesting the HigbN
British Government kmuly to grant me a manumission
certificate so that 1 may be a free man.
LVT.T/of slave
Abdullah bin f Ali. f
Becorded before me this 4th day of January 1933.
Ind4»^ ^ststairt “to 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.
, Bahrain.
\
About this item
- Content
The file contains correspondence and other papers related to slavery, received by or sent from the Political Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. in Bahrain. The majority of the papers in the file are related to manumission applications (over fifty in total), made by slaves in Bahrain or Muscat. In most instances, the slaves applying for manumission were owned by inhabitants of the towns of the Trucial Coast A name used by Britain from the nineteenth century to 1971 to refer to the present-day United Arab Emirates. , and Agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. staff in Bahrain make enquiries with the Residency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, established in the provinces and regions considered part of, or under the influence of, British India. Agent (then 'Abd al-Razzaq Razuqi) in Sharjah to assess the validity of slaves' claims. The replies from the Sharjah Agent, in English and Arabic, are included in the file.
Besides manumission applications, the file also includes a small number of other items related to the slave trade, including a Government of Bahrain notice (in English and Arabic) on the proclamation of the Governor-General of India (folio 169); statements of debts and balances of accounts for indebted divers (e.g. folios 175-76, 188-89, 193-94, 248-49); allegations of slave trading in Kalba which incur the displeasure of the Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. , Lieutenant-Colonel Trenchard Craven Fowle (folios 264, 270, 292); and an unclaimed manumission certificate (folio 354).
- Extent and format
- 1 file (356 folios)
- Arrangement
The correspondence and other papers in the volume have been arranged in rough chronological order, from the earliest at the front to the latest at the back. The prioritisation of chronological order over arrangement by subject means that papers relating to particular issues are usually scattered through the file, rather than being kept together as subjects. Office notes are included at the front of the file, and mirror the chronological arrangement of the papers (ff 1B-39).
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: The main foliation sequence begins on the front cover and terminates at the back cover; these numbers are written and circled in pencil, in the top-right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio. A second incomplete foliation sequence runs through the first part of the file between folios 2-30; this sequence is also written in pencil, but is not circled and is crossed out. A third incomplete foliation sequence runs through the second part of the file between folios 40-352; again, this sequence is written in pencil, but is not circled. Foliation anomalies: 1A and 1B.
- Written in
- English and Arabic in Latin and Arabic script View the complete information for this record
Use and share this item
- Share this item
'File A/2 III Correspondence regarding slaves and their manumission certificates' [118r] (239/714), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/2/1827, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100080688250.0x000028> [accessed 12 June 2026]
https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100080688250.0x000028
Copy and paste the code below into your web page where you would like to embed the image.
<meta charset="utf-8"><a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100080688250.0x000028">'File A/2 III Correspondence regarding slaves and their manumission certificates' [‎118r] (239/714)</a> <a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100080688250.0x000028"> <img src="https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/81055/vdc_100000000282.0x000232/IOR_R_15_2_1827_0239.jp2/full/!280,240/0/default.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
This record has a IIIF manifest available as follows. If you have a compatible viewer you can drag the icon to load it.https://www.qdl.qa/en/iiif/81055/vdc_100000000282.0x000232/manifestOpen in Universal viewerOpen in Mirador viewerMore options for embedding images
Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/R/15/2/1827
- Title
- 'File A/2 III Correspondence regarding slaves and their manumission certificates'
- Pages
- front , back , 1br, 1b v, 2r:49v, 52r:68v, 68ar:68av, 69r:82v, 85r:125v, 127r:149v, 151r:152v, 154r:168v, 170r:174v, 177r:187v, 190r:192v, 195r:196v, 199r:220v, 222r:223v, 225r:247v, 250r:306v, 309r:309v, 311r:355v
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence
!['File A/2 III Correspondence regarding slaves and their manumission certificates' [‎118r] (239/714) 'File A/2 III Correspondence regarding slaves and their manumission certificates' [‎118r] (239/714)](https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/81055/vdc_100000000282.0x000232/IOR_R_15_2_1827_0239.jp2/full/!1200,1200/0/default.jpg)