Sarah Ann Gill (probably 1780 – 25 February 1866) was a social and religious leader in
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estimate) ...
during the era of
slavery
Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...
. By an act of the
Barbadian Parliament in 1998, she was named a
National Hero of Barbados.
Biography
She was born of a black mother and a white father (Jordan), and baptised with the name Ann. The circumstances of her birth disqualified her from any meaningful participation in social and economic life, in a society which was based on
racism
Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one race over another. It may also mean prejudice, discrimination, or antagonis ...
. In Barbadian society, anyone with a taint of African ancestry, however distant, was considered the natural inferior of all persons of unmixed European descent. Sarah married
Alexander George Gill, like her, of mixed ancestry, and inherited property from him at his death when she was 28 years old. The couple had one son who, apparently, died before reaching full adulthood.
When the
Methodist Church sent missionaries to Barbados early in the 19th century, Sarah embraced this faith and when white planters succeeded in ousting the missionaries from Barbados, she opened her home as a church and kept the faith going, against physical abuse — at one time shots were fired at her home. She donated the land on which the first Methodist Church was built in Barbados. For her exploits in standing firm against oppression in a society in which she was unlikely to find support firstly, as a non-white person, and, secondly, as a woman; she was named as a national heroine. The name Sarah was conferred on her by the Methodist Church in gratitude for her service and in recognition of the pivotal role she played, like
Sarah of the Bible, in establishing an alternative to the white-dominated
Church of England
The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...
in Barbados.
Like many whose lives and value to society are not always fully appreciated, the significance of Mrs. Sarah Ann Gill's contribution must be measured in terms of the context of the role played by Methodists at that time. That was her chosen faith, hence the focal point of hostility by powerful forces against its challenge to the existing social order.
Methodism was brought to Barbados in 1788 by
Dr Thomas Coke, a driving force behind early Methodist missionary activity. By 1793, Methodists were often viewed by the Barbadian upper classes as anti-slavery agitators and Methodist missionaries regarded as agents of the England-based
Anti-Slavery Society.
Gill was a Free Coloured and a member of this church in Barbados. In his "Methodism: 200 Years in Barbados", author
Francis Woodbine Blackman
Francis Woodbine Blackman (21 September 1922 – 6 July 2010) was a Caribbean author, former secretary of the University of the West Indies Cave Hill Campus, a member of the Dalkeith Methodist Church, and a retired consultant of the Canadian ...
wrote that the first record of her association with Methodism was in 1819 when she made a donation of ten pounds sterling towards the building of the first Methodist chapel in
Bridgetown
Bridgetown (UN/LOCODE: BB BGI) is the capital and largest city of Barbados. Formerly The Town of Saint Michael, the Greater Bridgetown area is located within the parish of Saint Michael. Bridgetown is sometimes locally referred to as "The Ci ...
, which was to be constructed of stone. Records show she became a full member in 1820.
In October 1823, the Chapel building was destroyed by a mob of white rioters and the Methodist missionary
Rev William Shrewsbury and his pregnant wife were forced to flee for their lives to
St Vincent.
Sarah Ann and her sister-in-law, Miss Christiana Gill, were among the leaders of this church who subsequently opened their homes as meeting places for church members.
A 28-year-old widow, Sarah Ann held regular worship services in the face of continued and active persecution. These included threats to burn down her house and two prosecutions in the law courts for holding "illegal" meetings. The latter came about as a result of the
Conventicle Act of 1664 which forbade assembly of more than five persons for divine worship unless in a licensed meeting place and led by a licensed preacher.
Sarah Ann was persecuted continuously for one year with threats of grievous bodily harm, questioned by magistrates about supposedly having guns and ammunition in her home, and finally, prosecuted by the House of Assembly. On each occasion, and at her own expense, she not only defended herself and defied the authorities, but also took the extraordinary step of continuing to hold services in her home.
Governor
Henry Warde, censured by the Secretary of State for inaction, was forced to use soldiers to ensure the safety of Sarah Ann, her household and property when the Secret Committee of Public Safety (ringleaders of the persecution) declared that on 19 October 1824, they would destroy her home. Instead, frustrated by the Governor, they could only burn her in effigy.
In April 1825, when Rev Moses Rayner was re-appointed to Barbados, he sought, by letter, Sarah Ann's advice about his safety. She replied: "I don't advise you to come, but if it was me, I should come." He returned and built a chapel on the site of the present James Street Church on land provided by Sarah Ann at a minimal cost with payment spread over eight years. The new Church was built in 1848 and Sarah Ann is buried in the churchyard there.
Inevitably, the outrages of the period reached the House of Commons in England and ignited debate of far-reaching consequences. On 25 June 1825, the members "... deemed it their duty to declare that they view(ed) with utmost indignation (the) scandalous and daring violation of the law and (supported by His Majesty's) ... securing ample protection and religious toleration to all ... of His Majesty's dominions."
Legacy
The Ann Gill Memorial Church at Eagle Hall is named after Sarah Ann. A large, wooden structure built in 1893, it was replaced by a new Gill Memorial Church built at Fairfield Road, Black Rock,
Saint Michael, Barbados in the late 1980s.
Her courage, perseverance and commitment to religious freedom set Sarah Ann Gill apart even among the unnumbered fine Christian stewards of her day. Many primary schools in Barbados are now annually remembering her by celebrating National Heroes Day. An annual "Sarah Ann Gill Memorial Lecture" has been given since 2007.
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References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gill, Sarah Ann
1795 births
1866 deaths
Barbadian Methodists
National Heroes of Barbados
Barbadian people of European descent
Women's rights in the Americas