IOR/R/15/1/204

The volume contains correspondence relating to forty-four manumission cases heard at the Political Agency in Bahrain. The correspondence within each case follows a similar pattern. In each case the Agency (then under the charge of Major Clive Daly) sent a covering letter to the Resident, which stated the slave’s name, apparent origins and language, along with a copy of the manumission statement. The manumission statements gave a brief outline of the slave’s life to date: where he or she was born, to whom they were sold, where they worked and the manner of the work, and the conditions that compelled them to abscond to the Political Agency in Bahrain.

In the majority of cases, the decision to manumit was a straightforward process, based on the Guidelines for Manumission issued in 1913 [IOR/R/15/1/234]. In a small number of instances, the decision to manumit was more complex, for example when the slave was a pearl diver who was indebted to his diving master, or slaves originating from Kuwait, with whom there was no treaty or slave trade agreement.