History of Pompey

The year was 1830. Pompey was just one of thousands of slaves toiling on the islands now known as the Bahamas. John Rolle, a British Lord and a large plantation owner on the island of Exuma, declared that 77 of his slaves would be transferred to work on Cat Island, another island in the Bahamas. Pompey, a 32-year-old slave, defied the transfer order. Rallying many slaves to his cause, Pompey fled into the bush, avoiding capture for several weeks. The group of renegade slaves later stole one of Lord Rolle’s boats and sailed for the capital of Nassau. Their goal: petition the British Governor to stop the transfer. While Pompey and his crew never struck land in Nassau, the Governor did hear of their case, and ordered that the slaves remain on their plantation in Exuma. Pompey was hailed as a hero upon his return. Many of the slaves left behind on the plantation rallied to his cause and refused to work.