Mary Prince was a pioneering Bermudian author and abolitionist whose life story provided a vital, first-hand account of the brutalities of transatlantic slavery. Born into enslavement in Bermuda to a family of African descent, Prince was sold multiple times and moved across various islands in the Caribbean. In 1828, she was brought to London as a servant by her enslaver, whom she eventually left to secure her relative freedom within England.
Although Prince was illiterate, she was determined to share her experiences to aid the abolitionist cause. While living in London, she dictated her life story to Susanna Strickland, a writer residing in the home of Thomas Pringle, the secretary of the Anti-Slavery Society. This collaboration resulted in the publication of The History of Mary Prince in 1831. It was the first autobiography by a Black woman to be published in the United Kingdom.
Prince's narrative detailed the harsh realities and physical violence of plantation life, challenging the pro-slavery rhetoric of the era. Released at a time when slavery remained legal in Bermuda and the British Caribbean colonies, the book had a powerful, galvanizing effect on the British anti-slavery movement, quickly going through multiple reprints in its first year. Her post-1833 life remains undocumented, but her written legacy endured as a crucial text in the fight for emancipation.
