A Brief Island History
1493. The Caribs and Arawaks inhabited the island when
Christopher Columbus, on his second voyage claimed it for Spain
and named it Santa Maria de Montserrat.
1632. The island fell under British control and the first colony
was established when Irish Catholics were forcibly moved there
from St. Kitts. It is because of its Irish heritage, plus the
fact that it resembles coastal Ireland, that the island is
considered the Emerald Isle of the Caribbean. (Ireland is known
as The Emerald Isle). Many towns and families were left with
Irish names.
1660s. African slaves were brought in.
Late 1770s. Thanks to the diligent labor of African and Irish
slaves, the colony developed, promoting an economy based on
sugar, rum, arrowroot and cotton.
1782. Montserrat was captured by the French during the American
Revolutionary War in 1782, but was returned to Britain under the
Treaty of Paris one year later.
1834. Slavery was abolished. Eventually the lack of slave labor
led to the decline of the sugar industry.
1869. British philanthropist Joseph Sturge, along with other
members of the Sturge family established the Montserrat Company
Limited. They planted lime trees and started the commercial
production of lime juice. They also sold land to the natives,
allowing smallholders to own much of the island.
1871 to 1956. Montserrat became part of the Leeward Islands
Colony of Great Britain.
1956. The island became a colony in its own right.
1958 to 1962. it joined the West Indies Federation, then returned
to dependency on Britain when the Federation ceased to exist.
1979. The Beatles producer George Martin opened AIR Studios on
the island and world-famous musicians flocked there to make their
recordings while enjoying the island's tropical beauty.
1989. Hurricane Hugo wrought havoc on Montserrat and the studio
closed.
1995. The Soufriere Hills Volcano awoke, and is still considered
active.
No comments:
Post a Comment