In the beginning...

Amerindian Settlement and Early European Involvement:

The colonial beginnings of Barbados are interesting to say the least. The island, once called Ichirouganaim, was originally settled by Arawak and Carib Indians coming from the north coast of South America. The Caribs and Arawaks lived in opposition of one other for some time until around the year 1200 when the Caribs either subjugated or forced the migration of much their more docile counterparts. Carib dominance continued on the island until the late 15th century when the population was nearly destroyed by Spanish slave raids and European diseases. Left almost uninhabited, the island of Barbados sat untouched when in 1536 a group of Portuguese explorers led by Pedro a Campos stopped there for a brief period. It was during this visit that a Campos gave the island its current name which comes from the Portuguese "os Barbados" or bearded ones. There is some debate over whether this name was in response to the fig trees that grow in abundance on the island or the presumably bearded Carib inhabitants. Following this short Portuguese stopover, Barbados and its small population were once again left untouched by European hands.

British Arrival:

In 1625 an English expedition led by Captain John Henry Powell arrived on Barbados essentially by accident. Barbados was found to be nearly devoid of population by Powell and his crew who would later claim the island for England in the name of James I. Two years later on February 17th, 1627 Powell returned on the ship William and John with a crew of 80 Britons and 10 Africans. They landed in what is now called Holetown, Jamestown to them, beginning the long period of British rule over the island of Barbados.

Hardship:

This early on in the history of Barbados and British rule we see that, like other colonies, there were several problems that settlers faced. What is unique to Barbados is the lack of a large indigenous population. This meant that the British were able to establish control quite quickly and with little danger to the settler population. There was difficulty, however, in establishing a main crop suitable for export. Early British settlers in Barbados based their economy on the cultivation of aloes, indigo, and most importantly cotton and tobacco. Later, with Dutch help, there would be a move to sugar as a source of income. The main source of strife for the British in Barbados came as a result of unrest in Britain. At this time we see the beginnings of the English civil war and the differences between those that would support the crown and those that would support parliament came along with the settlers to Barbados. In addition, help in the form of supplies from Britain was little and infrequent.

"Babadosed":

By the late 17th century there was a 40,000 strong slave population on the island of Barbados. This coincided with the rise of the international slave trade driven by the need for cheap, renewable labor. Another quality unique to the island of Barbados was its large population of either free or indentured Irish peasants. To return to the topic of the English civil war, it is at this time that we see Oliver Cromwell rise to the title of Lord Protector of the commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland... and begin his campaign against Catholicism in Ireland. The term "Barbadosed" was widely used to describe Cromwell's use of forcible immigration to deal with those Irish that refused to hand over control of their lands to the Parliamentary forces. These Irishmen and the African slaves already present on Barbados would endure similar hardships, frequently revolting against their British masters.

Works Cited:

http://www.barbados.org/history1.htm

http://members.tripod.com/jonpat/history.html

http://www.yale.edu/glc/tangledroots/Barbadosed.htm