Colonising Expeditions to the West Indies and Guiana, 1623-1667

1925

Journals G161 H2 Ser. 2 no. 56

London: Printed for the Hakluyt Society

The British first landed in Barbados in 1625 and the arrival of Captain Henry Powell, 80 immigrants, and a few indentured servants in 1627, saw the thickly forested island soon cleared. By 1650, the colonists, with slave labour, were farming sugar, indigo, cotton, ginger, and tobacco. This Hakluyt volume contains edited versions of manuscripts held in various institutions in the United Kingdom that describe Barbadian life and conditions in other newly colonised islands of the West Indies in the 17th century. This map shows the northern Barbadian district of Scotland. The majority of early settlers were from Scotland and the rugged coastline of the region reminded them of home. In Barbados today, there is still a strong Celtic tradition and a Celtic festival held every year.