Wolfert Simon van Hoogenheim in the Berbice slave revolt of 1763-1764

When almost the entire slave population rose up in 1763, the Dutch West Indian colony of Berbice was quickly overrun, deserted, and nearly abandoned. The story of its survival is inextricably connected with the character of its governor, Wolfert Simon van Hoogenheim, whose cour age and ingenuity prevented the colonists' being driven into the sea by the overwhelming multitude of rebel slaves, and through whose deter mined efforts the Dutch won back mile after mile of territory until their power was reestablished and the rebels were entirely crushed. Although his activities are mentioned in descriptions of the revolt, little is known about the man himself. Moreover, he appears only in accounts published in books now relatively rare (Hartsinck 1770; Dalton 1855; Netscher 1888;Rodway 1891-3). Despite his crucial role in the Berbice revolt, Van Hoogenheim has received little attention. By way of contrast, his colonial neighbor, Laurens Storm van 's Gravesande, Commandeur of the West India Company's colonies Essequebo and Demerara (Berbice's western neighbors, and later, with Berbice, parts of British later the Republic of Guyana), received praise and biographical attention from the Hakluyt Society, in English, with a Dutch version of much of the same material, published at the beginning of this century (Harris and Villiers 1911; Villiers 1920). Storm's Berbice counterpart has remained nearly forgotten. His term of office was short (1760-1765) and he lacked illustrious family connections. Except for his military record, practically nothing was known about him. It is possible, however, to make a recon struction of possibilities, based on his letters, other writings, and refer ences to him.1 Wolfert van Hoogenheim was born around 1730 in the eastern part of the present Netherlands. Although inconspicuous, his family was pros

Ancient history · Art · Character (mathematics · Geography · Ingenuity · Literature · Mile · Multitude · Nothing · Political science · Population · Power (physics · Praise · Sociology · Demography · History · Law · Philosophy

• Narrative of a Five Years Expedition Against the Revolted Negroes of Surinam

  Open Access•Dale T Graden•Latin American Anthropology Review•1993

  Add to list

• Storm van's Gravesande

  George L Burr, Chris Harris et al.•The American Historical Review•1911

  Add to list