Community

Walking Back ... in theDays of Cayman Past

Of good manners, unfaithfullnessand the story behind 'Big Hill'

Life in the old Cayman, truly was, in manyways, unlike what Caymanians experience today. In fact, thereis no semblance of yesteryear to be recognised anywhere today.
Are you asking me what the difference is between and the pastand the present? The answer is - much in every which way: Morally,culturally, spiritually, and financially. All were completelyout of proportion with what is seen today.

I'd first like to think of the moral and cultural aspects of lifetoday. A boy of about ten came to me with a message one day, andstarted by addressing me as "Will." I said: "Holdon, boy. Didn't your mother teach you some manners towards olderpeople?"
He looked me full in the face and said: "No! My mama tellme I don't have to bow down to anyone; they ain't no better thanme." I asked: "Who are your parents?" "Manand woman," was his reply. So I said: "I can't be toosure of that, son."

That, you see, is the type of Cayman we live in today; a Caymanin which manners and respect among young people for their eldersis thought of as being old-fashioned and obsolete.

As a kid growing up, nobody asked me whether I wanted to go toSunday School on Sunday mornings or not. I just had to go, nomatter how I felt about the matter. Try finding out, if you will,how many young people go, either to Sunday School or Church Servicenow.

The Bible says: "The love of money is the root of all evil."Well, in those good old days, there was neither money nor lovefor it; blessing number one. The old folks had no money but theydidn't worry about it. They were quite happy in their ways ofliving. They had no monthly bills to pay such as telephone, electricityand cable. And, by no means, least of all of today's great obligations- the bank loans.

In today's living, I have no doubt that the average High Schoolchild spends more money in one week than did most families insix months. That can't be so, did you say? I speak from personalexperiences, my friends. My grandfather, who reared me, was notthe 'worse-off' you had ever seen. He lived 'off the fat of theland', growing everything for himself. He reared a whole lot ofhogs, and had just about every kind of fruit tree at the time.He fed his hogs mostly on produce, caught his own fish and whateverother seafood he had a yearning for.

But his cash supply was small in comparison with today's costof living. Pork was only about six pence (now five cents) perpound.

Grand-father was among the wreckers when ships ran aground, whichwas often in his heyday. Those old wreckers fared well when theygot hold of a loaded wreck. Their most essential item was in theline of clothing. Sometimes, they came up with whole bolts ofcloth. Almost every housewife of old could have sewn and did sofor the whole family once she came by the goods and thread withwhich to work.
When clothes had to be purchased, in most instances, it was donein exchange for rope. This was the hard way of financing, butit was all a lot of people had to depend on as cash. Plaids, chambray,prints, gingham and brown cotton could all be had for four pence,half penny or six pence per yard.

I mentioned morals and culture previously, which were great assetsof the time. Well, the fathers were not altogether Saints, youknow. No! Not by a long shot! They committed their sinful deeds,which they were able to keep undercover to a great extent, butthey had hearts of gold when help was needed.

They had but two weaknesses - women and land. Men thought nothingof casting both eyes on his neighbour's wife while their husbandswere out turtling or off somewhere sailing on a schooners. Manywere the children of old whose daddies weren't their daddies atall.

In the home life, wives were mostly 'barefoot and pregnant', thusgiving the ram a good excuse to ramble. Nevertheless, one seldomever heard the words separation or divorce mentioned. One oldfellow was heard saying, "that was their way of lending ahelping hand." By that he meant the husbands, of course.

However, the old folks' first love, generally, was land. Manyof them would kill for a piece of land; they didn't mind shiftinglandmarks wherever they spotted a chance to suit their purpose.

As a child, I once heard a story of an old Church elder who didthe Sunday services in the village Church. He was very enviousof a man who owned a beautiful parcel of land alongside of his.The preacher first tried to purchase his neighbour's land, buthis offer was refused. Then, he chiselled away a couple of acreson to his own. This brought an argument between them. "Well,"thought the preacher, "I'll get him out of the way and noone will contend with me. I'll have it all if I care to take it,or his wife will be glad to sell it to me."

So, preacher man contacted a man of ill repute from another villageand made arrangements with him to kill the other poor old man,right there on his plantation.
It came to pass one gloomy day that when evening came and thefarmer had not returned home, a search as made to find him. Hewas found stabbed to death right there in his farm. He had beenstabbed through the heart. This was one of the many crimes ofthe times that went unsolved. It was not until years later, whenthe killer lay dying, that they knew who the murderer was. Heconfessed to the murder right there on his death bed.

This story is not just an exceptional incident in the historyof the old Cayman, though unwritten. In those days, there wasno Police Force as such. There had to be two or three responsiblepeople who would stand up and say: "We saw the act beingdone." Many were the heinous crimes that were committed withoutever a single clue being uncovered as to what transpired. Therewas no fair-play in land ownership; it was a 'catch-keep' business;the smartest ones claimed the most.

Here is an amusing but true to life land story. Old William Jackson,popularly known as 'Old Bill', discovered a large tract of unclaimedland far into the interior. He proceeded right away to set hismarks around the parcel. Day after day he worked on the projectuntil he had enclosed about 60 acres as his property.

Now, there was in the village an old man who was called 'Old Gill'.Old Gill's only hope of enjoying a place called Heaven was inthe land he possessed here and now. Having heard of old Jackson'sfind, Old Gill and some of his boys set out to find and lay claimto it. They went one Sunday when Jackson went to Church, as washis custom, and set out their own markings adjacent to Jackson'sthus laying claim to the land. Soon, Jackson was told that hehad no land there, so he went to the Magistrate to settle thematter.

When the matter came up for hearing a Friday, the Magistrate ordereda fist fight between the two parties on the disputed propertythe following Monday. So it was, that, very early the Monday morning,Old Jackson and Old Gill, along with the Magistrate and two witnessesassembled in a clearing; fight would take place. No one thoughtthe duel would last more than an hour or two.

As the sun peeped over the bushes, the fight broke. At mid-morning,the two pugilists were allowed a 'rest and refreshment' break,after which the duel resumed. Another break mid-afternoon broughtno solution to the matter, so fight again resumed.
On they went fighting. Tired, weak and hungry though they were,the fight had to go on because land was involved here and it wasnot in the old settlers' blood to give up fighting as long asthere was a single ray of hope left.

Nevertheless, just as the sun started sinking behind the treesto the west, Old Gill threw up his hands and declared the battleover. The land was declared to be Jackson's and was, from thatday on, named Battle Hill. Eventually, I inherited all of theland from my father, though I have since sold it.

We have only taken a glimpse into the love of lands that existedamong our forefathers. Many were the family battles that werefought and the family relationships that were broken because ofthis curse.

Blood was shed murders committed and much robbery was done. No,our forefathers were not angels, but they did have many a goodmorals and held on to some Christian cultures. They were not allland worshippers or all adulterers. They just loved to lend ahelping hand. Some of their cultures and morals would do wellif practised in our today's generation.

The Author:

Mr. Percival Jackson, known throughout theCayman Islands as "Will" Jackson, is a born East Ender.He is a man of many experiences: A Home Guard during World WarTwo; A former policeman, a seaman for 22 years who sailed aroundthe world; and a retired businessman.
Mr. Will has been a Justice of the Peace for the past 20 yearsand a Marriage Officer, whose one greatest interest is preachingthe gospel.
He is the author of three books, one which will be published ina few weeks. Obviously, his pastime is in writing of life in theold days of Cayman, and he has written many local articles forthe local media.
The pride of his life is his wife, Miss Sybil Harris of GeorgeTown, whom he married 35 years ago. They are now retired, enjoyinglife together, living in East End, by the Sea.

Return