This metal band would be locked onto an enslaved person’s wrist to show they were considered the property of someone else. The name on the band is the name of the plantation owner, S. Bosanquet. The name of the plantation, Layton, and the year the person was purchased, 1746, is on the other side.
Any slave found away from a plantation without proper papers or identification was deemed to be a runaway. Wearing a band like this enabled slaves to be identified and returned if they did escape.
