19th Century

The Evaluation of the Legitimacy of Caribbean Folklore Through the Legend of the White Witch of Rose Hall
By Brandon Cox 

The White Witch of Rose Hall is a legendary figure in Jamaican folklore. Annie Palmer, the alleged witch, was a plantation owner during the 19th century. She was an orphaned white woman who was taken in by her nanny who taught her the practice of Obeah. In her adult life, she was rumored to have practiced dark magic. She used it for cruel acts, including poisoning her husbands, sexually mistreating her slaves and the manipulation of individuals. Local lore suggests that she held rituals and ceremonies at Rose Hall Plantation, exerting control over her surroundings through fear and manipulation. Annie's reputation as a malevolent and sadistic figure earned her the nickname "White Witch." She was rumored to use her magic to harm and manipulate people for her benefit. This legend has been one of the most popular Caribbean folklore tales for decades, becoming deeply ingrained within the culture. The White Witch of Rosehall is extremely popular and influential, but did the alleged witchcraft even happen? 

The origins of this tale began in 1868 when the Falmouth Post published a pamphlet which contained many elements of the tale that are popularly known today. The story was originally met with skepticism but was believable due to similarities between the actual Annie Palmer and the one portrayed in the tale. The legend remained in question until 1929 when Herbert G. de Lisser released the novel: The White Witch of Rose Hall. The vast popularity of this novel sealed Annie's fate as the White Witch of Rose Hall. Though the book contained aspects of both fact and fiction, many people ignored its fiction. The legend began to grow rapidly after the release of the novel. Legends of her ghost still roaming the house and other aspects of the novel at the plantation make Rose Hall one of Jamaica's most popular tourist attractions. The story is so accepted within the Caribbean that not many people questioned its legitimacy. I, as someone from the Caribbean, even assumed the story was real before doing this research on the legend. 

In 1895 a man was so intrigued by the story that he traveled to Jamaica to try and confirm its legitimacy. His original observations sparked a country-wide debate about the legitimacy of the story. One of his first observations occurred when visiting a memorial of Annie Palmer that was erected by one of her Husbands. “I took the opportunity of having a good look at Mrs. Rosa Palmer's monument in the Parish Church. I can hardly bring to my mind that such a lovely looking creature could have been guilty of the charges laid against her, viz: of killing five husbands.” His initial observations of Annie Palmer led him to believe that there was no way that she killed five husbands and tortured slaves by using the practice of obeah. A contradiction for him was that she was given a grand memorial by her husband in a church that honored her life. Though tradition has her accused of murdering multiple men. His letter of doubt was met with a response from the overseer of Rose Hall, John Broderick. Broderick disputed that the events were true stating that:

"Palmer, her fourth husband, consequently she could not have killed five. She killed three. One was a Military Officer, one & Barrister and one a Clergyman. On one of her tigers was -- "If I survive -- I will have five but this was never fulfilled. I could never learn how she killed the first. The second she poured molten lead in his ear while he slept, the third she caused one of her slaves to cut his throat while he slept. The marks of the blood stains were still on the floor when I was removed to take another estate. Mrs Palmer from cruelty to her (domestic) slaves Was smothered between the Mattresses in her room at Palmyra (also her own estate) while punishing them for not rubbing the floor, having sat a trap for them on retiring to bed, by dropping the sperm here and there on the floor which would enable her to see where was not rubbed next morning. When her body was found between the mattresses she still held the horse whip. They say "Palmer" was afraid of her, and he was the instigator (slaves in those days especially females, would not have thought of such a thing.) A great deal of this information is based on information from an old and respectable gentleman on the adjoining estate where he could hear every Sunday the lash of Mr. John Cattle Whip on the slaves, her only day of punishment.” 

I found Broderick's account striking because he is the one who was the source of the original story. He is vehemently defending that Palmer in fact committed all of these atrocities and also provides more context. His stark defense of this story without much supporting it other than his “first-hand experience” work brings me concerns about legitimacy. Especially when his story was met with skepticism from locals. Montego Bay local, J.W. Gruber stated in response to Brodrick:

“The monument in the Parish Church here is honest in purpose and substantial in fact, and truly represents the character of a virtuous and exemplary woman…He tells who Mrs. Rosa Palmer was, and he also tells that his mother not only knew Mrs. Ann Palmer of notoriety but had sat with her in her house in Rose Hall and talked with her. Your readers will therefore be able to draw their own conclusions of the "Rose Hall Legend" and the monument, in the church from Mr. Hill's letters, a gentleman whose far known merit and veracity requires no comment from me.”

His perspective implies that members of his family knew Annie Palmer and concluded that she was a good woman who did not commit the accused actions. He, like the original source, cited back to her memorial within the church which implies that she was a woman pure of soul. He encourages readers to conclude the truth on their own after evaluating both sides of the debate. This debate of legitimacy ended in 1929 with the release of the novel, which readers took literally. Ignoring the debate of legitimacy that occurred just 30 years earlier. 

This research has made me question the validity of folklore and stories passed down by oral tradition. There are countless tales of Caribbean folklore that are collectively believed to be true culturally, many of which include connections to witchcraft or obeah. These stories are the backbone of Caribbean culture and have had an effect on generations of people. This evaluation of the White Witch of Rose Hall makes me wonder about the historical accuracy of the countless tales that have affected the development of Caribbean culture and beliefs. Were these stories that supported the evidence and beliefs in witchcraft real? Or were these stories exaggerated by individuals throughout the years to create a fictional source of entertainment? Because of the intertwining of fact and fiction within many stories along with conflicting unverified sources, we likely will never know the truth about folklore such as the White Witch of Rose Hall.