  Busha Browne
In 1836, HOWE PETER BROWNE, 2nd Marquess of Sligo, returned to Westport, Ireland, taking with him fond memories of the spicy and exotic dishes he had been served during his governorship of Jamaica.
Known as "The Emancipator of the Slaves", the noble Marquess had earned himself a renowned place in Jamaican history for his two year term of office. His had been the unenviable task of supervising the first stage of Emancipation which was unpopular with the reactionary planters for whom the abolition of slavery assuredly meant financial ruin.
In desperation many of these planters subsequently sold their vast estates to the local managers who were known as "BUSHAS".
Sligo himself was among the first to free his slaves on his Jamaican estates - Kelly and Cocoa Walks - which he had inherited from his ancestors, the Kellys and Brownes of Ireland; Jamaican settlers from the late 1600s.
The Brownes became wealthy and were numbered among the respected members of the plantocracy who were famous for their entertaining and the variety of food they served. In Jamaica their name has always been pronounced "BROWNEY".
|
