Denbigh plantation
Denbigh plantation is located near the centre of Jamaica, just outside of May Pen, the capital town of the parish of Clarendon. The painting of Denbigh plantation (below) is currently on display in Penrhyn Castle. It was painted in 1870. It depicts an idealised image of plantation life, as, even after slavery was abolished, sugar production was harsh, labour-intensive work.
Denbigh was one of the Pennants's largest plantations, with a slave population of over 300 (Jamaican average was 150). Sugar production was a complex process, requiring a number of skills. Enslaved workers were needed to manage the cane crops, and then to extract, boil and crystallize the sweet juice held within the stems of the cane.
Records for Denbigh plantation in 1805 list the following occupations:
| Field gang (cane management) | Great gang (adults) | 60 |
| Small gang (children) | 36 | |
| Grass gang (old and infirm) | 39 | |
| Workers around the mill | Carriers | 9 |
| and Great House | Boilers | 2 |
| Coopers | 9 | |
| Carpenters | 21 | |
| Domestics | 10 | |
| Washing and cooking | 5 | |
| Doctors and midwives | 3 | |
| Stock keepers | 10 | |
| Watchmen | 9 | |
| Distillers | 14 | |
| Total working | 227 |
The agent's report also lists how many slaves were not working:
| Illnesses (as recorded | Invalids | 42 |
| by the agent) | With sores | 10 |
| Non-illness | Children (under 7) | 54 |
| Pregnant females | 12 | |
| Runaways | 2 | |
| Total not working | 120 |
Out of 347 workers, the figures above indicate that just under 35% were unproductive (the plantation average in Jamaica was 30%).
Denbigh now
The former Denbigh plantation is now owned and managed by the Jamaica Agricultural Society. It is the site of the annual Denbigh Agricultural, Industrial and Food show, the island's largest agricultural show. Thousands of visitors attend each year.
Remains of its former use as a sugar plantation are few but include a cane crusher (see below), a restored waterwheel, and the foundations of the boiler house.
