Dominica (1831–32) and Antigua and the Leeward Islands (1832–36) On 25 July 1831, Murray-Macgregor was appointed
Governor of Dominica. On 19 December 1832, he was made
Governor of Antigua,
Montserrat and
Barbuda,
St Christopher,
Nevis,
Anguilla and the
Virgin Islands, and
Dominica, administered together as the
British Leeward Islands. Murray-Macgregor's gubernatorial appointments coincided with the passage of the
Slavery Abolition Act in the British Parliament in 1833 Murray-Macgregor implemented laws abolishing slavery and, uniquely, foregoing apprenticeships in the Leeward Islands in 1834, granting freedom to all former slaves immediately. He believed the process to have been peaceful and successful. This likely convinced him that swift moves towards full emancipation were both possible and beneficial elsewhere. Murray-Macgregor also appointed two non-white justices of the peace in Antigua.
Barbados and the Windward Islands (1836–41) Abolition of apprenticeships Murray-Macgregor left the Leeward Islands and was appointed
Governor of Barbados,
Saint Vincent,
Grenada and
Tobago (the
British Windward Islands) in October 1836. By the time he took office in Barbados, the colony's
planters were embittered following the 1833 Act, poor relations with Murray-Macgregor's predecessor Sir
Lionel Smith, and the British government's decision to amalgamate the governorship of the island with that of the other Windward Islands in 1833. When the Abolition of Slavery Act came into force in 1834, the islands opted to impose the apprenticeship scheme on former slaves. Criticism of the system grew from
abolitionists in Britain, who argued that former slaves fared little better as apprentices; pressure mounted on the British government to end the system early. In late 1837, the
Colonial Office encouraged governors to persuade local legislatures to terminate the apprenticeship system early. In January 1838, Macgregor formally recommended to the
Parliament of Barbados that it abolish apprenticeships, but in the following months the planters (who made up most of its membership) made clear their opposition to the notion. They resented what they saw as another attempt to weaken their position economically and impose laws on them. In March and April, the
British Parliament began debating legislation which would force an end to the apprenticeships (the
Bill to Amend the Abolition of Slavery Act); Macgregor therefore encouraged the Barbadian planters to realise that they faced a choice: free the apprentices on their own terms, or be compelled on the terms of the British government. He worked with others, notably
Robert Bowcher Clarke, to champion early termination. He had to give some concessions to planters, mainly over the right of apprentices to retain their tied tenures after termination, and the Bill passed on 15 May in Barbados; equivalent Bills were passed in all but the
Saint Lucian assemblies within the month. The assemblies voted to abolish the apprenticeship scheme effective in August 1838, creating a system of free labour. This applied pressure on planters in other colonies, such as
Jamaica, to do the same. In late May the British Parliament passed their Bill; this made early termination effective from 1 August unless the assemblies were to bring forward emancipation earlier still. When the Act arrived at Barbados, many on the island were deeply unhappy with the move (and felt that Macgregor had deceived them), seeing it as an imposition on the part of the British government. Macgregor tried to convince the planters to bring forward the commencement of their own Bills. They refused, arguing that to do so would signal to the British that the islanders could be coerced into supporting anything coming out of the Colonial Office: they could "be brought into a dog-like fidelity ... the more they were kicked and spurned". They therefore voted down a move to bring the date for early termination before August. On 2 July, Murray-Macgregor proclaimed emancipation for apprentices in Barbados effective from 1 August. Saint Lucia's legislature still had not passed an Act to the same effect and so he arrived on the island on 13 July 1838 with a 100 infantrymen and convinced the planters to pass the Bill three days later. On 19 July, he was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB). The historian
Hilary Beckles states that the end of the apprenticeship system occurred peacefully,
"Contract Laws" of 1838 and 1840 With the end of the apprenticeships, the Barbadian legislature passed the
Masters and Servant Act 1838, which became known as the Contract Law. It stipulated that a worker who was employed for five days a week was assumed to be employed on a one-year contract, which could be ended by either party with one month's notice. It placed workers at a disadvantage, allowing employers to evict them from
tied tenancies and punish them for misbehaviour (imposing jail terms for using
foul language). Employers were also allowed to employ
private police on their estate. Murray-Macgregor disliked the law, feeling it unfair on workers; he convinced the Colonial Office in October 1838 to overrule it and another vagrancy law which was being abused by planters. Workers were also critical of their low wages and he encouraged them to negotiate with their employers. In 1840, a "mildly modified" form of the 1838 Act was passed, which allowed for contracts of one month instead of one year. Despite that, the Act "institutionalised discrimination against black and coloured workers". == Death and legacy ==