Nelson's Caribbean Hellhole: An 18th-Century Navy Graveyard Uncovered
As archaeologists excavate a mass grave of British sailors, Sam Willis explores Antigua's ruins and sees how the Caribbean's sugar islands were a kind of hell in Nelson's time.
Human bones found on an idyllic beach in Antigua trigger an investigation by naval historian Sam Willis into one of the darkest chapters of Britain's imperial past. As archaeologists excavate a mass grave of British sailors, Willis explores Antigua's ruins and discovers how the sugar islands of the Caribbean were a kind of hell in the age of Nelson.
Sun, sea, war, tropical diseases and poisoned rum.
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Sam Willis at a beach side excavation site
Duration: 01:25
BBC Four Archaeology Season
Nelson's Caribbean Hell-Hole is part of BBC Four’s season of programmes exploring our fascination with uncovering the past. Find out more about the other programmes in the season below…
Archaeology: A Secret History - Dr Richard Miles seeks out ancient treasures and explores our relationship with the past.
The Flying Archaeologist - Ben Robinson conducts aerial surveys of ancient sites to reveal new evidence of lost civilisations.
Stories from the Dark Earth: Meet the Ancestors Revisited - Julian Richards discovers how science, conservation and new finds have changed our understanding of history.
The Archaeology at the BBC Collection - Robin Lane Fox explores the BBC's first ventures into archaeology programming.
The Somme: Secret Tunnel Wars - Peter Barton investigates the military mining that played a big part in the tactics of both sides during WWI.
Find out more
There are lots of features, articles and quizzes covering archaeology - and the treasures that have been uncovered - in BBC History’s Archaeology section.
Credits
| Role | Contributor |
|---|---|
| Presenter | Sam Willis |
| Producer | Rupert Edwards |
| Director | Rupert Edwards |
| Executive Producer | Tim Green |
Broadcasts
- Wed 1 May 201321:00
- Thu 2 May 201302:45
- Mon 6 May 201319:30
- Sat 13 Jul 201320:00
- Sun 14 Jul 201301:35
- Wed 17 Jul 201300:00
- Thu 12 Sep 201320:00
- Wed 30 Oct 201320:00
- Thu 31 Oct 201301:00
- Sun 19 Jan 201423:20
- Thu 4 Sep 201422:40
- Mon 27 Jul 201520:00
- Tue 28 Jul 201501:30
- Fri 7 Aug 201503:00
- Sat 13 Feb 201620:00
- Mon 20 Feb 201700:35
- Mon 7 Aug 201722:00
- Tue 8 Aug 201703:00
- Tue 29 May 201800:05
- Mon 23 Sep 201920:00
- Thu 26 Sep 201901:55
- Wed 16 Nov 202221:00
- Fri 18 Nov 202202:50
- Tue 29 Jul 202521:00
- Wed 30 Jul 202502:30
