Jamaica's stolen iron innovation

Retelling history - 7th August 2023

Groundbreaking historical research has shed new light on the origins of an ironworking technique that played a pivotal role in propelling Great Britain to economic superpower status by the end of the 18th century. It appears that Jamaican metallurgists were the true inventors of this revolutionary method, which catapulted Britain into dominating the iron export market.

Prior to this discovery, the prevailing narrative attributed Henry Cort, an English businessman, who had a patent for the ironworking technique in the 1780s. However, it has now come to light that Cort stumbled upon the process during a visit to Jamaica, where he witnessed a foundry that showcased remarkable efficiency in its operations, thanks to the innovative technique employed by the enslaved labourers.

The process involved utilising grooved rollers, a concept from the sugar mills, to crush and refine scrap metal, eliminating the laborious and time consuming task of manually hammering out impurities from low quality iron. Dr Jenny Bulstrode, a historian of technology, aptly described it as a "mechanical alchemy", transforming discarded materials into valuable assets.

These unsung metallurgists in Jamaica, trafficked from thriving ironworking industries in Central and West Africa, comprised the backbone of the foundry's success. Their contributions to Britain's burgeoning iron trade were immense, even though the majority of their names have been lost to history, with only a few like Devonshire, Mingo, Friday and others being partially preserved.

After Cort's visit, the foundry met its demise, as Jamaica was placed under military rule, and it was targeted under the guise that it was potentially weaponizing a rebellion. Cort acquired and shipped the machinery back to England, where he enjoyed success and earned the title "father of the iron trade."

Dr Bulstrode highlights the significance of reevaluating historical innovation and recognizing the contributions of marginalised groups who played a defining role in shaping crucial advancements in technology. "If you ask people about the model of an innovator, they think of Elon Musk or some old white guy in a lab coat… They don’t think of black people, enslaved, in Jamaica in the 18th century," she stressed, challenging the prevailing stereotypes of innovators.