Belize Archives & Records Service

09/09/2025

Every year, as the Battle of St. George’s Caye Celebrations approach, the following quote is often highlighted: “That the man who will not defend his country is not entitled to reap the benefits thereof.” This was just one of four propositions that Thomas Paslow attempted to put forward at the Public Meeting before he was stopped.
In a letter written on 7th June 1797 at Fort Wexford, and addressed to the Keeper of Records, Paslow requested that it be “put upon public record, that the World may know my sentiments at this dangerous crisis.”

11/07/2025

Hi Ladies and Gents, it has been a while...we know! Last year we promised a Scrapbook Story featuring Peggy aka Peggy Hickey. Normally when discussing the atrocities of enslavement, especially the abuse faced by enslaved women, Peggy and the handkerchiefs is what is foremost mentioned. With that in mind, we decided to highlight both the Court Case brought against Manfield W. Bowen and what other records we could find pertaining to this young woman. New panels are up in the Reading Room, pop in if you every had some time and take a look at them. Don't worry, we know this isn't so easy for everyone, you can also find the same information in a different format on our Website Exhibit page here https://archives.gov.bz/exhibitions/ Please note that we are testing this format out for the first time, please let us know if you have any problems accessing or viewing in order for us to try and make necessary adjustments. Thank You to our little History Brigade!

12/09/2024

A small in-house and online display we did about the 10th September 1798 Battle. Information taken from the Archival Records held at the BARS and translated copies of Spanish Archival Records donated to the department in the 1990's by Spanish Archaeologist Juan Luis Bonor. To view the complete exhibit, please visit the following link https://archives.gov.bz/st-georges-caye-exhibition-2024/

01/08/2024

Happy Emancipation Day!
BARS Scrapbook Stories: Kitty Campbell
here are the images for more convenient reading.

01/08/2024

A few years back we highlighted the Special Court Case The King vs. Dunkanette Campbell, a woman of colour originally from Curacao. Since then, we have often wondered what else appeared in the records regarding Kitty, one of the many voiceless, reduced to a life as chattel or property. Here is the extent of the information we could find in the surviving administrative, judicial, and church records held at the BARS. Though it may seem sparce, it still gives us a small view into what life was like for the people living in the Belize Settlement reduced to labour and capital rather than humans. It is important to note that the records were not created for and on behalf of the voiceless, resulting in many of our ancestors disappearing in the annals of time. We hope to bring you more insights like this one in the near future, it does take a bit of time but it is important. We hope to share a bit on Peggy in the next week or two. Let us know if you would like more scrapbook stories like this.

30/07/2021

From time to time we still get students and visitors who ask "did we really have slavery in Belize?" Well most of the world did, and as a dominion of the British Crown...so did we. If you have ever wondered about the term "chattel slavery", please take a look at this exhibit which we assisted with. Learn the meaning of the term, what life was life for men women and children sold and born into this atrocious institution, the hardships they face and their incredible resilience. ISCR has done a phenomenal job of using our country's historical records to give you a glimpse into the late 18th and early 19th centuries of Belize.

29/07/2021

Definitely take a look at the exhibit being mounted by ISCR, they did a great job of using key records to give a glimpse into the intricacies of the institution of Slavery in the settlement before Emancipation in 1838. It is a lot of work locating and picking the best records for such an important exhibit, BARS and ISCR had to be very selective. Records were pulled from archival records known as Minutes of the Meetings of Magistrates, Grand and Summary Courts, Private Records, Census Records, R-Records (Dispatches) and the 1834 Slave Register. Unfortunately not all these record series have a listing at this time, which makes searching with references a bit difficult and requires a lot of time in order to locate key information. We are working with these records and hope to have a complete listing available in the near future. An excellent source for references come from, the man the myth the legend Governor John Alder Burdon, as well as, excellent books by Bolland, Dobson, Shoman, Humphries, Thomson and of course Readings in Belizean History... a personal favourite when introducing students to Belizean History.

15/04/2020

Hey all you cool Cats and Kittens...sorry guys, some of us might have succumbed to the madness that is Tiger King. I know many of us are home at this point and are feeling rather listless without our daily work schedule. Fortunately a number of us are able to carry out some work remotely and continue to work on information for the new website, index layout changes and updates, etc. For those of you looking for a little project to pass the time, how about digging into some vital records? I know many of us say, "mein, I wish I had the time to try and locate the marriage record for my grand or great grandparents, etc. Some of you have already been accessing these older records online but many might not know that Vital Records from 1881 to 1930's-1940's, as well as, the early Census Records can be accessed at FamilySearch.org. You will be required to make an account but it is FREE! Yay! You can browse and download high quality scans. Pull out your paper and pencil and try to solve a few family oral history. Take care, Everyone!
https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/628296?availability=Family%20History%20Library
https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/628070?availability=Family%20History%20Library

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23/03/2020

Please Kindly Note!