What’s in A Name! - Everything

By Adriana Murray

From Andrews to Applewaithe

From Bagatelle to Barnwell

From Checker Hall to Castle

The name of plantation is almost synonymous to the naming of a new born,

some little ones were named by their parents doting on them

and ascribing a name based on their appearance

others just got the family name so if your father was Lotty then you were Lotty Junior!

Plantations were named after some distinctive feature of the landscape

or they simply acquired the family name.

The general naming convention from the 1600s to 1800s

was that most plantations took the name of their owners.

Whether the owner acquired the land by directly

or by marriage this practice was employed…

So we find Chalky Mount is set in the rolling hills of St. Andrew

where mounds could be found

hence it could be understood why it could be called a chalky mount

as it reflected the compostion of the soil which

until today is harnessed to make clay pots and other household utensils

On the other hand we have Draxhall Plantation named after the Drax brothers,

likewise Oughterson Plantation in the spacious

parish of st.Philip was named after Andrew Oughterson!

And today while the sugar industry

no longer dominates the Barbadian society

the plantations remain lasting legacy

not only in the natural trust protected plantation houses

but in the names retained in many Barbadian villages and districts…

So next time that your family takes an excursion to the east coast road

see how many plantation names you can spot on road signs

and you may be lucky enough to also spot a plantation house still standing in that very spot

hint hint look out for Clifton House Plantation or even the Abbey!

(short version)

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