Beatings, brandings, suicides: life on plantations owned by Church of England missionary arm

A view from the classical portico of Codrington College, which was established on the sugar plantation formerly owned by the Church of England’s missionary arm. Photograph: Ms Jane Campbell/Shutterstock

In the 18th century an enslaved mixed race woman named Quasheba escaped from a sugar plantation where she was held captive on Barbados.

There are no records of Quasheba’s fate, but the horrific conditions from which she fled in 1783 are well-documented. She is simply recorded in official papers as “run away”.