"The author formed the design of visiting the older English colonies of the West Indies, and of examining, so far as he might be permitted, their local records, with a view to the production of a work which should contribute, through the genealogical medium, to a better knowledge of the social origin of those colonies, in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. ... The present collection was made in 1858 and 1864-5, and almost entirely annotated by the author, under circumstances of considerable personal difficulty, in the churches and cemeteries of Jamaica, and Barbados." Prefatory Remarks precede sections devoted to: Jamaica with a chronological table, and, epitaphs and monumental inscriptions; Barbardos with a chronological table, and, epitaphs and monumental inscriptions; Antigua with a chronological table, and, epitaphs and monumental inscriptions; St. Christopher, Nevis, and Anguilla with a chronological roll of governors, etc., and, epitaphs and monumental inscriptions; and British Guiana with epitaphs and monumental inscriptions. Other colonies covered include: Grenada, St. Vincent, Montserrat, St. Lucia, Tobago, Trinidad, Dominica, Turks and Caicos Islands, the Virgin Islands, the Bahama Islands, and Honduras. Numerous coats of arms enhance the text. Researchers will appreciate the original surname index.