Pompey Rolle (born c. 1798), commonly known as Pompey, was an enslaved Bahamian man who in 1830 led a revolt on the island of Exuma against forced relocation. In 2025, he was posthumously designated a National Hero of The Bahamas.
Early life and enslavement
Pompey was enslaved on the Steventon plantation in Exuma, one of five estates owned by Lord John Rolle. He was known among his peers for his strength, intelligence, and leadership.
The 1830 revolt
In 1830, Lord Rolle ordered the relocation of 77 enslaved men, women, and children from Exuma to Cat Island. Pompey, then aged about 32, refused to accept the order and led his fellow enslaved people in defiance against their overseers. The revolt forced the colonial government to reverse the relocation order, a rare triumph of human dignity over oppression.
Pompey was captured and publicly flogged for his role in the resistance, but his spirit was never broken. Governor Sir James Carmichael-Smyth suspended colonial officials who were complicit in Pompey's unjust trial, an action so significant that it had to be justified to authorities in London.
References
External links Pompey Museum at Commonwealth Walkway