The transatlantic slave trade is rife with figures who, through their actions, defined the brutal systems of commerce that sustained the colonial economies of the Caribbean. Among them, Alexandre Lindo, a Jewish Jamaican slave trader and ship captain, stands out not only for his role in trafficking enslaved Africans but also for the sheer scale of his operations. Stanley Mirvis, in his book “The Jews of Eighteenth-Century Jamaica: A Testamentary History of a Diaspora in Transition”, describes Lindo as “perhaps the most notorious Jamaican Jewish slave trader, and moneylender at the end of the eighteenth century.”
Alexandre Lindo emerged as a powerful figur in the slave trade during the late eighteenth century. Operating out of Jamaica, he was known not only as a wealthy merchant but also as a captain of slave ships, a role that placed him at the frontlines of the transatlantic slave trade’s most harrowing aspects.
Lindo was captain of at least two slave ships, overseeing the transportation of enslaved Africans from West Africa to the Caribbean colonies. His involvement extended beyond mere trade; he participated directly in the voyages, witnessing firsthand the grueling and fatal Middle Passage.
One of Lindo’s most notorious sales involved the “scramble” method, a particularly brutal and chaotic method of auctioning in which enslaved Africans were sold in an unregulated manner. Buyers, often plantation owners or wealthy merchants, would gather in a holding yard where captives were confined, and at a designated time, the gates would be thrown open, prompting a rush as the buyers scrambled to seize and claim those slaves who appeared healthiest. Those who were quickest and most forceful would gather as many slaves as possible bind the captives together using ropes or handkerchiefs to prevent escape, while others were left behind or sold at discounted prices. The process was dehumanizing and violent, with no regard for the emotional or physical distress of the enslaved, some of whom, overwhelmed by fear, would attempt to flee.
At one point, Lindo conducted one of the largest and quickest scramble sales in Jamaican history, setting a new record by selling an entire ship’s human cargo in just four hours. This rapid pace remained unmatched until 1805, when thirty plantation owners collectively bought an entire shipment of enslaved Africans in only one hour.
Lindo’s fast, high-volume sales highlighted the harsh efficiency of the slave trade, helping plantation owners quickly replace workers. The demand for labor on sugar plantations was constant, and traders like Lindo met this demand with ruthless speed and precision.
Records also detail Lindo’s involvement in the infamous 1783–1785 voyage of the Golden Age, a slave ship captained by Joseph Fayrer. Departing from Liverpool on October 15, 1783, the Golden Age arrived in Kingston, Jamaica, on November 25, 1784, after stopping briefly in Barbados. This journey was particularly grueling, resulting in the deaths of 23% of the 650 Africans originally embarked. Upon arrival, the surviving 503 captives were placed for sale in Kingston. The horrors of the Middle Passage had taken a heavy toll, leaving many of the enslaved people weakened or ill.
Lindo, recognizing the financial opportunity in purchasing “unhealthy” captives at discounted rates, became the chief buyer of these individuals. Out of the 503 people sold, 237 were classified as “unhealthy,” and Lindo purchased 144 of them at discounted prices. The purchased individuals, already weakened and suffering, would face further hardships as they were integrated into Jamaica’s brutal plantation system, often without the recovery or care necessary to regain health.
Alexandre Lindo’s participation in the slave trade reflects a complex layer of Caribbean history: the involvement of Jewish communities in the slave-based economies of the New World. Many Jewish settlers in the Caribbean had sought refuge in colonies like Jamaica after fleeing persecution in Spain and Portugal. There, they often found opportunities in trade and finance, with some, like Lindo, becoming involved in the slave trade.
In the later years of his life, Alexandre Lindo’s wealth and influence grew, allowing him to expand his business interests beyond the slave trade. He owned several properties, including Greenwich Park, which became notable as Jamaica’s first steam-powered plantation, and Pleasant Hill, a large coffee plantation. These acquisitions solidified his status as a powerful landowner and planter in the Caribbean.
As Lindo’s business empire flourished, he increasingly delegated the management of his Jamaican operations to his eldest son, Abraham Lindo. The family’s holdings in Jamaica, particularly their land investments, were substantial. Alexandre himself moved to London, where he shifted his focus to trading, banking, and insurance.
Lindo’s influence extended beyond business. In 1805, he was elected Parnas of Bevis Marks Synagogue, a prominent Jewish congregation in London, reflecting his standing within the Jewish community.
Alexandre Lindo’s life came to an end on March 12, 1812, when he died at his residence in Finsbury Square.
References:
Alexander Falconbridge, “Disposal of Sick Slaves,” in An Account of the Slave Trade on the Coast of Africa, edited by Steven Mintz, (london: 1789)
Mirvis, Stanley (2020). The Jews of eighteenth-century Jamaica : a testamentary history of a diaspora in transition.
https://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/9994-lindo-alexander
