Four Sites at Woodside – One/Long Bubby Susan, St. Gabriel's Anglican Church (Old Anglican Church), “Arawak” (Taino) Steps and Daddy Rock

Historical Significance

The community of Woodside is one of the Jamaican villages replete with history. It has connections to the Taíno, the plantation era and emancipation. There is evidence of Taíno presence in the area in the form of a prehistoric petroglyph or rock carving site referred to as Dryland, Dry Grounds, Image Cave or ‘One/Long Bubby Susan’. This petroglyph site was first recorded in 1820 and later published by J.E. Duerden in 1897. As such, it is the oldest known petroglyph site on the island. It is located in that part of Woodside called Rock Spring, where there is a cave containing this petroglyph. Like many other indigenous groups, the Taíno used pictographs (rock paintings) and petroglyphs (rock carvings) to communicate and to document aspects of their lives. All of the pictographs and petroglyphs discovered in Jamaica have been found in caves. This is what makes Jamaica unique in comparison with other Caribbean islands (Atkinson, 2009, p. 47).

Woodside, as a coffee plantation, was first mentioned in the Crop Accounts of 1803. At that time, the property was owned by the heirs of John Neilson Esquire. It is said that Neilson died in 1800, but prior to his death, he held important positions in the parish of St. Mary. In 1799 he was a major in the St. Mary regiment and had been so since May 29, 1796. Woodside plantation in the early nineteenth century was one of the largest coffee estates. Others in close proximity were Louisiana, Richmond Hill, Rock Spring, Smallfield, Waterton and Stapleton. Woodside covered about 1,000 acres, and the others were less than 500 acres. According to Barry Higman, coffee plantations were significantly smaller than sugar estates, the latter averaging 1,000 acres and the former 700 acres. Also, the ‘works’ required for coffee processing were less complex and industrialised than those found on sugar estates (Higman, 1988, p. 161).

Produce for the Woodside plantation in 1803 included 30 tierces (approximately 19,152 pounds) of coffee shipped to London, 290 pounds of coffee sold locally, the sale of ground provisions and the hiring out of enslaved Africans. The overseer for the property was one Thomas Courtenay. In 1805, produce for the plantation was valued at £337 4s. 7d; this was derived from the sale of coffee and the hiring out of enslaved labour such as masons, carpenters and coopers. In 1809, earnings were from the sale of coffee, yams, corn and the jobbing out of enslaved Africans. The overseer at the time was Alexander Patterson.

By 1812, the property continued to have the heirs of John Neilson listed as the owners, in particular, Dr William John Neilson. Dr Neilson had inherited the property from his father, who had died when William John was about ten years old. According to Dr Erna Brodber, by an official document signed between John Neilson’s widow, Frances Maidstone and a William Neilson, it was agreed that William Neilson would manage John Neilson’s property until William John attained majority. Frances Maidstone went to England and took her son with her (Brodber, 1999). However, by 1811, William John’s name appeared in government records as a member of the judiciary and of the militia for the parish of St. Mary. Apparently, William John had attained majority by then and had returned to Jamaica to take charge of his inheritance.

In 1812, the plantation earned £477 1s. 4½d. from 89 tierces (approximately 56817 lbs) of coffee shipped to London, as well as from the sale of coffee locally and the sale of ten young steers, bushels of corn, 850 pounds of yam, plantains and the jobbing out of enslaved Africans. By then, the overseer of the property was one James Duff. In 1817, when the registration of enslaved Africans became mandatory, the Register of Slave Returns for the Woodside plantation for that year revealed that the property had 149 enslaved Africans, 71 males and 78 females. Of this number, 92 were listed as creoles, 55 as Africans, one as American and one as a runaway.

In 1827, the plantation produced 45 tierces and 3,396 pounds of coffee as well as made earnings from the hiring out of enslaved Africans and the sale of cows, all amounting to £550 0s. 3d; the overseer at the time was Patrick Morgan. However, by 1831, Dr William John Neilson died at about 40 years of age, leaving behind his widow, Jane Eliza, with a young family – four girls and two boys all under the age of 21 years. The Crop Accounts of 1837 list Jane E. Neilson as the owner of Woodside plantation, but produce on the property had fallen drastically to a mere 16 tierces of coffee. According to Dr Brodber, Jane Eliza stayed on at Woodside until around 1842, if not later, to become a much-talked-about figure (Brodber, 2004, p.46).

The community also has other sites of interest, including the former great house which was converted into a school. It is believed that in 1881 Jane Eliza gave her house officially to the Anglicans, who made it a school. Dr Brodber stated that from the church records, one will find that the community’s use of the school had been from 1893, if not before (Brodber, 1999). The school is no longer at this location, and the site is now an old Anglican church, the St. Gabriel Anglican Church. There is also another vestige of Taíno presence in the area in some stone steps etched on a slope near the Anglican Church. These are known as Arawak steps because, according to the community folklore, they were built by the Arawaks (Taínos). This would suggest the presence of the Taínos in the area. Dr Brodber also highlighted that the site of the Anglican Church was believed to be a Taíno midden (Personal communication, 2014).

Additionally, there is a place called ‘Daddy Rock’, a cavern-like formation, where it is said the enslaved Africans would meet to socialise and discuss issues. This site has remained a part of the community’s social consciousness and is considered a place of reverence. The Emancipation observance, which takes place in Woodside on July 31 and August 1, ends at Daddy Rock. According to Dr Brodber, “we transport ourselves back to 1838, and we go there to talk our own business. A re-enactment of the proclamation of the emancipation of the enslaved Africans is part of the observance” (Williams, 2013). Some families have already mounted plaques there with the names of their ancestors who worked on the Woodside plantation based on the entries in the Slave Returns for 1817. (Ibid).

Inherent Features

Dryland or ‘One/Long Bubby Susan’

The cave system known as Dryland or Dry Grounds is described as “a complex cave containing interconnected shafts, passages and chambers” (Fincham, 1997, p. 161). Fincham adds that it has a depth of 30 metres and a length of 125 metres (Ibid). It is located in a depression to the north of Dog Hole.

This cave contains a single anthropomorphic Taíno petroglyph referred to as ‘One/Long Bubby Susan’ (Fincham, 1997, p. 161).‘One Bubby Susan’ is a representation of the Taíno Earth Mother, Atabey, the mother of their supreme male deity Yocahu. The Taíno petroglyph at Rock Spring, St. Mary, provides an interesting example of how Taíno material culture has been incorporated into Jamaican folklore (Atkinson, personal communication, 2014).

The petroglyph is called ‘One Bubby Susan’, as she has only one breast. It is derived from the African folklore of Long/Lang Bubby Susan, who is regarded as a duppy that terrorises children, identifiable as the ‘Old Higue/Hag’ (Atkinson, 2010).

This rock art site is also special to Akan, Yoruba and Dagara priests and priestesses who treat the image and the cave as a shrine (Erna Brodber, personal communication, 2010). This veneration for indigenous rock art sites is not unique to Jamaica, as in Haiti, these sites are perceived as a source of healing and are incorporated into pilgrimages that take place in the summer (Beauvoir-Dominique, 2009, pp. 85-86).

St. Gabriel’s Anglican Church (Old Anglican Church)

St. Gabriel’s Anglican Church (Old Anglican Church), the former great house, sits on the top of the hill overlooking the community. The great house was a relatively small two-storey structure on the coffee plantation. A stone laid on the church bears the date August 6, 1932, which suggests that it was constructed on or before this date. The stone was laid by Cecil Decarteret, then Lord Bishop of Jamaica. At the back of the church is the church cemetery, which is currently being used. The earliest marked grave that was seen dates back to 1919.

The church is of Georgian architecture, built with cut stone and wood with quoins at the front and side of the building. The building has been altered with the construction of a smaller adjoining structure to the left. The method of construction is generally in keeping with the period in which it was built, the 19th century. We were unable to determine who built the church; however, it has an attractive design. The interior is enhanced by a beautiful marble baptismal font at the entrance.

‘Arawak’ (Taíno) Steps

These are a set of fourteen steps located near St. Gabriel’s Anglican Church, which is believed to be the former Plantation House of the coffee plantation. According to folklore, these steps (stone steps) were created by the Taíno, who were the earliest settlers in the area (Woodside). These steps lead from the plantation house to the plains below. It is one of the sites visited during Woodside Community Emancipation celebrations each year. The Arawak steps are located in close proximity to a possible Taíno midden, which is located on the site of the St. Gabriel Anglican Church.

Daddy Rock

Daddy Rock is a cavern-like formation located in close proximity to the Anglican Church. According to Dr Brodber, Daddy Rock is a religious and mystical space where former enslaved Africans would go to plan strategy for escape from enslavement. It was also a place of worship and solace. The name Daddy Rock suggests a father giving loving care to his children. Daddy Rock is the final stop of the yearly Emancipation activities of the Woodside Community. Dr Brodber adds that each year of the celebrations “we transport ourselves back to1938, and we go there to talk our own business.”

Identity – National/Regional/Local

All the above-mentioned sites are of significant historical and archaeological importance to the community to the community of Woodside. They form part of a legacy which has helped to shape and define the area. The sites are an attraction to visitors and are an important element of the annual Emancipation Celebrations.

Integrity/Sustainability

The structures are located at various locations in the community, but each has its own sentimental value. Because they are subject to weathering, they are in varying stages of preservation; for example, the ‘Arawak’ steps. Others, like the Anglican Church, are in a fair state. All the structures remain at their original location.