Barbados in a Nutshell - 2022 - EBook

8 painting by Heather-Dawn Scott Sugar cane being brought to the windmill to be crushed History in a Nutshell There are archaeological remains of an Amerindian presence in Barbados from around the time of Christ – Barrancoid, Arawak and Carib Indians have all left evidence of settlements here. The Spanish and Portuguese adventurers who rode the prevailing North-East Tradewinds in the 1500’s named it Los Barbados but chose not to settle. The English chanced upon the island in 1625 and for them it represented a golden opportunity to acquire a colony with tremendous scope for agricultural development. They returned in 1627 when Captain William Powell brought with him 80 settlers and several slaves captured on route. After initially planting tobacco and cotton, leading planters drew on Brazil’s experience in sugar cane production to introduce the production of sugar, molasses and rum. As the sugar industry flourished the large labour force needed was sought firstly from indentured servants from Ireland and Scotland and then large numbers of slaves from Africa. With a high value of sugar and low labour costs, fortunes were made and Barbados was referred to as one of the richest spots of ground on earth. As most of the planters were resident, some of their vast wealth helped to develop the island’s infrastructure. One facet of this was the establishment by 1639 of Barbados’ own parliament and in 1652, the Charter of Barbados declared “no taxation without representation”. Barbados, a tiny island of 166 sq. miles, had global significance in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. It History in a Nutshell