By Adriana Murray
Barbadian
plantations did not arrive at their names by alphabetical selection or
happenstance….no…it’s much more interesting than that.
From
Chalky Mount to Fairy Valley from Mount Wilton to Walkes Spring from River to
Hopewell these plantation names conjure up images of fast flowing waters by
River Plantation, to tiny brooks by Walkes Spring.
From
picturesque valleys, by Fairy Valley to mountains and mountains of chalky clay
by Chalky Mount we get caught in magical garden theatres of mystique but before
we get to far into our escapade of the imagination we need historian Robert
‘Bobby’Morris to bring us back to terra firma…
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| Cherry Tree Hill Over looking Chalky Mount |
Ever
wondered how a particular plantation in Barbados got its name?
Historian
Bobby Morris explains “that early ownership dominated the landscape in terms of
naming…some estates have not kept the name of an owner but would have taken the
name of some characteristic”
Let’s
delve a little deeper Barbadian plantations derived their names largely from
their owners or were named after the landscape.
Named After the Land
Some
plantations were named with reference to their location. This refers
specifically to the topography of the land. One such plantation is River
Plantation, St. Philip situated in a valley between Sandford Plantation and
Marleyvale. Research suggest that River plantation plantations spanned over 400
acres. This plantation was originally called White River Plantation. Between
1674 and 1740 the first owner of White River Plantation was William
Fortescue.
According to the Soil and Land-Use Surveys No. 18 Barbados conducted
by Regional Research Centre of the British Caribbean at The Imperial
College of Tropical Agriculture Trinidad, W.I. (1966) “Much of the eastern
part of the parish of St.Philip appears to mark an old lagoonal site where
fresh or brackish water swamp conditions occurred.” Thus River Plantation is
thought to have derived its name from this prevailing landscape of the time. It
was a large raver basin that flooded in the rainy season hence its appearance
like a river. So today when you drive through the District of River and
Riverland St.Philip one can reflect on what the landscape and topography would
have looked like hundreds of years ago. The sculpted valley still remains but
there is little evidence save a small stream that water could once be collected
there in abundance.
Another
example example of a plantation whose name reflected its environment is
Thickets Plantation also located in the eastern parish of St. Philip. As
defined in the Oxford Dictionary a thicket is a dense group of bush or trees.
Robert Morris explained that the area originally known as ‘the thickets’ is
where the Irish indentured servants revolt occurred. The plantation was
situated in a wooded area and hence was so named to reflect its location. Today
the old plantation house still stands surrounded by a gathering of large
mahogany trees.
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| Thickets Plantation House - Photo by YWAM |
Chalky
Mount was given the name because of the clay found in St. Andrew one of the
northern parishes found on the island. This plantation was built and named
in 1680 by Bartholomew Reece. ‘Chalky’Mount is reminder of the mounds of clay
which are scattered throughout the landscape in this area.
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| Drone Footage of Chalky Mount by Above Barbados |
Named by the Owner
On
the other hand we have Oughterson Plantation which derived its name through the
owner. This plantation was originally owned by Mary Anne Sheafe. Arthur
Oughterson married Mary Anne Sheafe and thus gained ownership of the plantation
which was subsequently named after him. This was custom of the law in this
time. According to Henry Fraser and Ronnie Hughes in the book Historic Houses
of Barbados Arthur Oughterson was not a planter but a merchant in Bridgetown.
Thus Oughterson Plantation acquired its name as the custom was in those days
promptly assigned the new owner’s last name.
Likewise
Lowther Plantation is another plantation whose name which acquired by its
owner. Ownership in this case was also acquired through marriage. Formerly
known as Lewis Plantation, one of the Lewis’ married Joanne Frere. She
later became the owner of the plantation and she remarried Governor Lowther.
Hence the plantation was named Lowther Plantation as a result of her union to
the Governor.
St.Nicholas
Abbey
So
you’ve heard the name before but…
do
you know how St.Nicholas Abbey got its name?
As
recorded in Historic Houses of Barbados “Susanna
Berringer daughter of Jehu, inherited property from her father. She married
George Nicholas after whom the plantation was named and in accordance with the
matrimonial law of that period, it automatically became her husband’s”. George Nicholas has acquired a plantation in St. Peter as a result of his marriage to
Susanna Berringer. She inherited the property from her father and based on the
existing matrimonial law her property became her husband’s. He named the
property Nicholas Plantation and that is the property on which today still
stands the original plantation house which bares the name St. Nicholas
Abbey.
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| St.Nicholas Abbey Photo from Historic Houses of Barbados |
Consett Plantation on which the picturesque Codrington College sits is “one of the oldest plantations in Barbados” according to Henry Fraser and Ronnie Hughes’ record of the property in Historic Houses of Barbados. Consett Plantation is also known as College Plantation after owner William Consett in 1635.
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| Codrington College by Historic Houses of Barbados |
In this same vein we see Drax Hall Plantation got its name. This plantation which still exist today was comprised of two plantations: Draw Hope plantation and Drax Hall Plantation as you no doubt can predict was named after its owners James and William Drax. Drax Hall Plantation was known as one of the largest sugar property in Barbados and still stands today in the lush country side of St. George. Historians tell us that “Drax Hall is one of very few properties in Barbados which has not changed hands in nearly four centuries, but the descendant of James Drax who owns it today lives in Britain.”
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| Drax Hall Plantation House by Historic Houses of Barbados |
One
plantation that seems to be so named was Bagatelle Plantation. The great house
was claimed by its new owners as compensation for a gambling debt. According to
Harry Praiser in Explore Barbados “ the story goes after the property was lost,
the former owner shrugged and and said it was just a
"bagatelle"French for trifle”, hence the name Bagatelle.
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| Bagatelle Plantation House by Historic Houses of Barbados |
When
plantations changed hands so too did their names…
As a
result of plantations being sold and acquired frequently their names changed
with the same frequency. This was the case with Brighton Plantation. What
later became known as Brighton Plantation was once called Wiltshire Plantation
as it was owned by the Wiltshire family. Some time in the 1820s after it was
acquired by Conrad Pile it was renamed Brighton Plantation.
According
to Henry Fraser and Ronnie Hughes authors of Historic Houses of Barbados “Hopefield was first called Boucher’s
and later Callender’s after owners with those surnames.”Scores of other
Barbadians plantations got their names in this manner. Plantations such as
Kendal, Fortescue and Hothersal to name a few.
Why
Do the Names Matter?
It
is because although so many plantations have disappeared they have a continued
existence in the names of villages, hamlets, terraces and heights that retain
their distinctive names. As we say its now just history it is really our story.
No country drive across Barbados unless you pass through Bowdens, Turner’s
Hall, Springvale St.Andrew, Walkes Spring, Clifton Hill, Mount Wilton,
St.Thomas and meander you way to Sugar Hill, Blackmans heading straight for
Chalky Mount. While none of these are active sugar plantations there are living
reminders of times past yet present.
So
what’s in a name – Our history – Our Story
(Long Version)
References
Historian Robert ‘Bobby’ Morris
Henry Fraser & Ronnie Hughes Historic Houses of Barbados
Soil and Land-Use Surveys No. 18 Barbados conducted by Regional Research Centre of the British Caribbean at The Imperial College of Tropical Agriculture Trinidad, W.I. (1966) https://library.wur.nl/isric/fulltext/isricu_i2826_001.pdf
Explore Barbados https://books.google.com/books?id=zDM8K7LFqIoC&pg=PT154&lpg=PT154&dq=flooding+in+river+st+philip+barbados&source=bl&ots=EEp3hpbEn5&sig=ACfU3U2lRLA7LVGSFSwm4RvHzDBNMO_5oQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjZ9OeextfoAhVth-AKHetrCFgQ6AEwAXoECAcQAQ
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/lbs/estate/view/55
Plantations and Slavery - Barbados Family History: A meeting place for Bajan Family Historians https://barbadosgen.wordpress.com/internet/plantations/
http://crimesofthecenturies.com/index.php/2019/07/14/robert-lowther-the-tyrant-of-barbados/
https://creolelinks.com/1913-barbados-plantation-owners-names.html
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