The Civil War in Barbados

Location

Schomburgk's views expressed over one hundred and fifty years ago echo those of other analysts of Barbadian history. It is indeed surprising that this small island of 166 square miles should have impacted to the degree which it did, not only on British imperial policies, but to a larger extent, as a vibrant component of the Atlantic system. The answer lies mainly in two factors, the island's geographic location and its economic success in the mid seventeenth century, as an unrivalled producer and innovator in the sugar industry.

Barbados' easterly location and position at 13 degrees latitude gave it comparative advantages for the growing and production of sugar cane. Among the factors which helped were an alkaline soil, sufficient, but not excessive rainfall at the correct growing time, and the reliable trade winds which allowed planters on the island to use energy efficient windmills for the processing of sugar cane stalks. Wind and sea currents permitted fast and reliable access to Europe, Africa and North America. This relative ease of communications enabled the island to become a hub in the early stages of its development. The economic promise of sugar financed the large scale importation of labour from Europe and ultimately Africa, which was a necessity if the sugar industry was to grow and proper. Good facilitators or middlemen were also needed, and at a critical phase, Dutch and Jewish Sephardic merchants provided shipping, capital, technological transfers from North Eastern Brazil, logistical support, labour, market information and access to European markets.

Good families

The society and economy which sugar created was slave-based, hierarchical and stratified, with the large landowning families dominating the local arena. The core of these families dated from the period of earliest settlement, but the unsettled political situation in England prompted many well-to-do Royalists to migrate to Barbados in the 1640s. This led Oldmixon to comment that there were 'as many good families in Barbados as in any of the Counties of England.'

Until the execution of Charles I, a consensus existed among the various sectors on Barbados, that no undue political divisions should interfere with the strengthening of local government and the emerging sugar economy of the island. The situation in England had led to a slackening of metropolitan control and greater autonomy for the island, which the islanders, and the planter class in particular, greatly welcomed. This manifested itself in areas such as law-making, the right to appoint local officials, free trade and close relationships with the Dutch. Gary Puckrein makes the point, that 'between 1636 and 1646 a series of political events occurred that destroyed the proprietorship and that severely reduced England's effective control over the island ... The plantocracy used the general dissatisfaction with proprietary government on the island and the outbreak of civil war in England to free the island from any specific governing force in the mother country.'

Tensions

Clearly indicative of this line of thinking was the degree of religious tolerance which emerged in this period. Although the Anglican Church was the state church, there were a number of other denominations present on the island, reflecting the heterogeneous nature of the white population. As a contemporary observer, Father Biet pointed out, people were free to exercise their conscience in religious matters, "provided they did nothing to be conspicuous in public." Determined not to allow events in England to sour local relationships, it was agreed informally by Barbadians, that "whosoever named the word Roundhead or Cavalier, should give to all those that heard him, a shoat and turkey to be eaten at his house that made the forfeiture." Ligon asserts that this was sometimes done on purpose, to provide an excuse for holding a dinner party.

With the execution of Charles I in January, 1649, this consensus disappeared. Fearful of a strong central authority in England whose economic policies would be inimical to the free trade enjoyed by the island, and especially the existing favourable relationship between Barbados and Dutch merchants, planters reacted negatively to the Commonwealth. Royalist supporters on the island declared Charles II to be the lawful sovereign of Barbados.

Latent divided political loyalties now surfaced, and planters with Royalist leanings got the upper hand. One such was Humphrey Walrond who attempted to influence public sentiment on the island against Parliament. In this atmosphere of charge and counter charge, an aborted revolt by indentured servants caused even further social and political unrest. The island's Assembly passed an 'Act and an Oath' which declared that anyone who vilified or opposed the local government , was to be deemed 'an enemy of the island.'

The authority of the Governor, Philip Bell was challenged and he in return issued a proclamation prohibiting on 'pain of death', anyone taking arms against him. This had no effect, and units of the local militia were raised by competing planters, who either supported Governor Bell or the Walrond faction. The spectre of civil war now faced the island.

The political situation

At this juncture, a new development changed the political situation on the island. From exile, the new King, Charles II, confirmed an earlier appointment by his father and the Earl of Carlisle, of Francis, Lord Willoughby, as the new governor of the island. Willoughby had a chequered political career, having earlier fought for Parliament, but then, at a late stage, switching his support to the Crown, for which act he was declared a traitor and had his estate sequestered.

In 1650, Willoughby quietly sailed out to Barbados, entered the island discretely, and played a waiting game while he assessed the situation. Soon he informed the Assembly of his commission, and they voted to accept it. However, Humphrey Walrond, by pointing out that Lord Willoughby 'was once a Roundhead and might be again,' succeeded in having a temporary stay of Willoughby's commission decreed by the House of Assembly. At the same time, the Assembly declared some 122 individuals 'disturbers of the peace', fined them and banished the lot from the island. Among this group were some prominent and influential planters, who, on arrival in London, agitated for Parliament to brand Barbadians as rebels and traitors.

Their arguments convinced lawmakers in the English Parliament, and on October 3 1650 an act was passed which brought to a halt all trade between the island and England. In order to make the situation as untenable as possible for the Barbadians, Parliament also struck at their allies the Dutch. Acts were passed prohibiting any but English vessels to trade with English colonies, and allowing only English ships to import goods into England. As Schomburgk observes, 'thus the origin of the famous navigation law was laid.'

Declaration to England

More ominously, the navy was instructed to prepare a fleet and army to force the Barbadians to give their allegiance to Cromwell and the Commonwealth. News of this reached the island, and Lord Willoughby insisted that the islanders should swear an oath to defend him against any enemy. The House of Assembly passed an act confirming the King as sovereign, and a committee was established to sequester the estates of those who opposed Willoughby, who at the same time, took steps to improve the fortifications of the island and to strengthen the local militia, which could muster an estimated 7000 foot soldiers and cavalry.

Barbadians were exhorted 'to defend themselves against the slavery that is intended to be imposed on them.' Then on the 18th of February, 1651, a joint declaration of the Governor, the Council and the Assembly was issued. Its purpose was two fold, to indicate to the inhabitants of the island how much they 'would be brought into contempt and slavery, if the same (that is, an English invasion) be not timely prevented,' and to tell the English Parliament and public that Barbadians would not:

Imperial control

One of the clauses of the declaration referred specifically to the prohibition of Dutch trade with the island. It noted how essential Dutch assistance had been for the survival of the young settlement and declared 'that we will never be so unthankful to the Netherlanders for their former help and assistance, as to deny them or forbid them...the freedom of our harbours...they may continue, if they please, all freedom of commerce and traffick with us.'

This document is interesting in that it clearly shows the degree to which the interests of Barbadians differed from those of the mother country. It is also an early document testifying to the innate desire of the colonised to free themselves of imperial control. It is interesting to note that in almost every warning or advisory issued by the Barbadians, slavery was used as a metaphor for the political control which England wished to establish over the island. It is more than ironic that the political directorate of an island, whose economy depended on slavery and the majority of whose population were slaves, should have used this institution as a rallying call for freedom for themselves.

On October 16, 1651, the seven vessel fleet dispatched by the Commonwealth hove into sight off Carlisle Bay. It was under the command of Sir George Ayscue, whose instructions were to blockade the island and starve it into submission. Less than a thousand soldiers were on board, states Puckrein, although Schomburgk puts their number at two thousand. Also among the passengers, were a number of exiled planters who were returning with hopes of regaining their estates. Ayscue bluntly told the islanders that despite the 'specious pretences,' of their leaders, 'you cannot be ignorant, but that they are altogether unable to give you protection without which this island can no way subsist.'

Suppression

Commonwealth Cannon  © After some initial skirmishes off Carlisle Bay, during the course of which eleven Dutch vessels were captured, the Commonwealth's fleet anchored off Speightstown, and on 7th December, 1651 several hundred troops were landed at night. The first casualty was the Barbadian planter leader of the Parliamentary forces, Colonel Reynold Alleyne. After a fierce battle, in the course of which the Barbadians were on the losing side, over one hundred of their men dying in action, the invading forces withdrew to their ships.

A stalemate of sorts ensued, during which time Ayscue successfully applied the old Roman dictum of divide and conquer. He contacted some disaffected elements on the island, among whom was the influential Thomas Modyford whom he persuaded to defect to his side with over one thousand men. This shifted the balance of the opposing forces more evenly than before.

Operations moved from the west coast of the island to the south coast. On a bluff overlooking Oistins Town preparations were made for a full scale land battle. The Parliamentary army numbered some two thousand and were opposed by Lord Willoughby's three thousand strong army. After small scale forays heavy rains intervened, lasting three days. This certainly saved the island from a major disaster. Willoughby recognised that in the long run he could not win, as desertions and the command of the seas guaranteed the upper hand to Parliament's forces. On 17th January, 1652, the Charter of Barbados setting out the conditions of surrender was ratified at Ye Mermaid's Inn, Oistin's Town.

Thus ended an unusual chapter in colonial history, when for a brief moment a few people on a tiny island openly defied a strong imperial power.

Find out more

Books

Little England. Plantation Society and Anglo-Barbadian Politics, 1627-1700 by Gary Puckrein

The Cavaliers and Roundheads of Barbados, 1650 to 1652 by Darnell Davis

The History of Barbados by Robert Schomburgk

A True and Exact History of the Island of Barbadoes by Richard Ligon

About the author

Dr Karl Watson is Senior Lecturer in the Department of History, University of the West Indies. He is the Editor of the Journal of the Barbados Museum, Secretary (Hon) of the Barbados National Trust, Chairman of the George Washington House Restoration Committee, and the Barbados/Carolinas Committee. His publications include, Barbados, The Civilised Island, A Social History 1750 to 1816, The White Minority of the Caribbean (with H.Johnson) and Old Doll, Matriarch of Newton Plantation.