Spenser St John was the British consul general in Port-au-Prince, and this 1884 book is his own account of Haiti, including his description of the 1864 Bizoton trial, which became the founding text of the enduring claim that Haitian Vodou involves human sacrifice and cannibalism. Its value is exactly as evidence of that accusation's own origin and of the colonial-era mindset that produced it, in the accuser's own words. Its limit is severe and the reason for its tier three placement, the book is a primary example of the hostile misrepresentation that later scholarship, including Kate Ramsey's work also cited in this atlas, has shown to be unreliable as description, so it should never be cited as a factual account of Haitian Vodou itself, only as evidence about the accusation and its author.
Facts
Assessment
Reliability Tier3
A nineteenth-century British diplomat's travel account, written from an openly hostile colonial viewpoint with no modern scholarly apparatus; valuable only as a period primary document rather than as reliable historical or ethnographic evidence, hence the bottom tier. NotesThe British consul general in Port-au-Prince published his account of the Bizoton trial of 1864 in this book, which became the founding text of the claim that Haitian Vodou involves human sacrifice and cannibalism. Cited as evidence about the accusation and its author, never as a reliable description of the religion.
Citation
AuthorSpenser St John
PublisherSmith, Elder, and Co.
London, 1884 first edition. Publication Year1884
Source Typeprimary-text
Cross-Tradition Connections
Associated With
John, Figures This source names John directly: "Spenser St John was the British consul general in Port-au-Prince, and this 1884 book is his own account of Haiti, including his description of the 1864 Bizoton trial, which became the founding text..."
Claims Backed By This Source (37 claims)
This source backs 37 claims across the atlas. As facts: 27 well-attested, 1 open question. As cited relationships: 3 holds, 2 connected. Plus 4 entities citing it as a general reference with no single fact or relationship attached.
Disposition By Topic
- Articles, 9 claims: 7 well-attested, 1 connected, 1 general references.
- Open Questions, 9 claims: 7 well-attested, 1 connected, 1 general references.
- Sources, 8 claims: 7 well-attested, 1 holds.
- Historical Figures, 7 claims: 4 well-attested, 2 holds, 1 general references.
- Religious Events, 4 claims: 2 well-attested, 1 open question, 1 general references.
Reader Challenges (0 open reader challenges)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.
View At A Past Year
The atlas records no dated fact of its own for this entry, so there is no other year to choose.