In June 1730, Sally Bassett, an elderly Bermudian slave, was burned at the stake. She had been convicted of the capital crime of attempting to poison her granddaughter Beck’s owners, Thomas and Sarah Foster, as well as their slave Nancey, the previous December. In the centuries since, Sally Bassett has never been forgotten. In his 1937 travel book Bermuda Journey, William Zuill mused, “It is curious, that while so many punishments have been forgotten, the burning of Sally Bassett should have made such a deep impression that it became a...
Heritage
Heritage
The Wreck of the Sea Venture: The Untold Story
It is easy for Bermudians to assume the wreck of the ship Sea Venture is a stirring yarn that begins with a hurricane and ends with the captain of the ship, Sir George Somers, on his deathbed, asking that his heart be buried in the islands he ha...
April 10, 2018
Classic Crow's Nest
April-May 1930
At ten o’clock on Wednesday morning, April 2, the Stinson cabin monoplane, Pilot, powered by a 300-horse power Wright engine, swooped down and settled its pontoons in Hamilton Harbor – the first airplane to bridge the 666 miles of water betw...
April 10, 2018
Heritage
Bermuda in the Privateering Business
Relying on local shipbuilding expertise and the fastest ships, Bermuda’s privateers enjoyed lucrative success. The first couple of generations of settlers in Bermuda had to scramble to make their living. They grew tobacco, of course, and that...
April 5, 2018
Heritage
God’s Country
A glimpse into Somerset’s storied past with cannon shots and cricket, lawn tennis and literary meetings, skulduggery—and even murder There is a theory Somerset is named after Admiral Sir George Somers, who so appreciated this part of Berm...
April 5, 2018
Heritage
The Good Governor
An advocate of social and economic change and a Renaissance man of his day, Governor Sir William Reid did much for Bermuda and Bermudians during his nine-year tenure. Drive into the grounds of the Cabinet Office from Court Street. About 20 ya...
April 5, 2018
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