Place:Barbados

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NameBarbados
Alt namesBarbados, West Indies
Barbadesource: UN Terminology Bulletin (1993) p 40
Los Barbadossource: Canby, Historic Places (1984) I, 79
TypeNation
Coordinates13.167°N 59.533°W
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EXCERPTED FROM: Titford, John. "Barbados: Some of Its Parishes, Churches, and Monumental Inscriptions." Family Tree Magazine (May & June 1997).

Barbados (with a total land area of 166 sq. miles) has always been English. From the first arrival of an English ship to the uninhabited island in 1625 (it was abandoned by the Caribs a century earlier), to independence in 1966, control never was relinquished to France, Spain, or anyone else. The first full settlement dates from the arrival of the William and John in 1627. Some settlers were small-scale farmers, some were younger sons of gentry or the nobility, some were indentured servants (mostly Scots, Irish, and Welsh, known as "red legs," from their sunburnt skin), or transported criminals to provide labor. The 200 or so wealthiest planter families were known as "high whites." Cavaliers captured in battle during the Civil War were sent there, joined later by Roundheads captured after Monmouth's Rebellion in 1685. The total Christian population in 1656 was about 25,000, consisting mostly of young men. Many of the white settlers moved on to the mainland American colonies (especially South Carolina, Connecticut, and Rhode Island), sugar replaced tobacco as the staple crop, and slaves from West Africa took over the labor sector.

There are eleven parishes, serving both religious & civil functions, the boundaries of which have remained unchanged since 1652. Each has its own parish church and graveyard, most of them still in use. Chapels of ease are scattered over the island.

The oldest parish church is the Cathedral of St. Michael's, in the capital of Bridgetown, dedicated in 1665; the oldest memorial dates from 1666. The original building was destroyed in a hurricane in 1780 and rebuilt. Some monuments from other parish churches on the island were moved here as a result of damage in other hurricanes.



Selected Bibliography:

Brandow, James C. Genealogies of Barbados Families (GPC, 1983).

Grannum, Guy. Tracing Your West Indian Ancestors: Sources in the Public Record Office (PRO Readers' Guide no. 11, 1995).

Handler, Jerome S. A Guide to Source Materials for the Study of Barbados History, 1627-1834 (Southern Illinois University Press, 1971). Supplement (John Carter Brown Library, 1991).

Hotten, J.C. Original Lists of Persons of Quality. . . . (orig. published, 1874)

Brandow, J.C. Omitted Chapters from Hotten's Original Lists, etc. (GPC, 1983).

Oliver, Vere Langford. Monumental Inscriptions in Barbados (npub, 1915).

Sanders, Joanne McRee. Barbados Records [7 vols.] (GPC, 1981-84).

Stanford, C. J. "Genealogical Sources in Barbados." The Genealogist's Magazine 17 (Mar 1974): 489-98.


source: Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names
source: Family History Library Catalog


the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estimate).[1] Its capital and largest city is Bridgetown.

Inhabited by Kalinago people since the 13th century, and prior to that by other Amerindians, Spanish navigators took possession of Barbados in the late 15th century, claiming it for the Crown of Castile. It first appeared on a Spanish map in 1511. The Portuguese Empire claimed the island between 1532 and 1536, but abandoned it in 1620 with their only remnants being an introduction of wild boars for a good supply of meat whenever the island was visited. An English ship, the Olive Blossom, arrived in Barbados on 14 May 1625; its men took possession of the island in the name of King James I. In 1627, the first permanent settlers arrived from England, and Barbados became an English and later British colony. During this period, the colony operated on a plantation economy, relying on the labour of enslaved Africans who worked on the island's plantations. The slave trade to the island continued until it was outlawed by the Slave Trade Act 1807, with final emancipation of the enslaved population in Barbados occurring over a period of five years following the Slavery Abolition Act 1833.

On 30 November 1966, Barbados became an independent state and Commonwealth realm with Elizabeth II as Queen of Barbados. 55 years later on 30 November 2021, Barbados transitioned to a republic within the Commonwealth of Nations.

Barbados is a developed and peaceful country with a very high quality of life. Barbados's population is predominantly of African descent. While it is technically an Atlantic island, Barbados is closely associated with the Caribbean and is ranked as one of its leading tourist destinations.

How places in Barbados are organized

Further information on historical place organization in Barbados

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