Christ Church History Facts and Timeline

(Christ Church, Barbados)

Christ Church, the southernmost of the 11 individual parishes on Barbados, is the birthplace of the island's modern tourism industry. Its namesake parish church, best known for its Chase family vault and its mysterious 'moving' coffins, is just one of many picturesque Anglican churches based within the parish that clearly reflect the rich history of Christ Church.

Other popular attractions include a couple of beautifully laid-out golf courses, the prominent South Point Lighthouse and countless beaches ideally placed for both wind and kite surfing. Visitors can even examine a retired Concorde jet at the Barbados Concorde Experience, which is based at the Barbados-Grantley Adams International Airport.

Earliest Residents

The history of Christ Church began with its earliest residents, who belonged to the Carib and the Arawak tribes and came to Barbados aboard simple dugout canoes from present-day Venezuela. The island's first European visitors arrived from Portugal in the year of 1537. Before heading on to Brazil, they chose to name the island Los Barbados, after the distinctive 'bearded' roots of its fig trees. The Spanish conquered the island in 1492 and set about enslaving its native Carib population, who eventually perished from deadly diseases inadvertently brought here by the colonists, such as tuberculosis and smallpox.

British Settlement of Christ Church

After the Spanish abandoned Barbados for its bigger Caribbean neighbours, it remained uninhabited until the British accidentally stumbled upon the island in 1625, after losing their way. They were quick to establish its first formal settlements and two years later, a basic infrastructure was in place. The Barbados House of Assembly was to be the world's third parliamentary democracy and the island quickly became affectionately known as 'Small England.'

Not long afterwards, various plantations started to dominate the landscape of Christ Church and the rest of the island, with the farming of cotton, ginger, sugar and tobacco all bringing much wealth to the region. Most plantation labour was performed by convicted criminals or indentured servants, who had chosen to sign contracts agreeing to work for plantation owners for lengthy periods, often exceeding five years. Many descendants of these plantation workers, known as 'Red Legs', still live on the island country of Barbados today.

History of Slavery and Freedom around Christ Church

West African slaves began replacing indentured servants as plantation labourers on Barbados during the middle section of the 17th century. In the 1660s, Barbados found itself at the hands of a series of natural disasters, managing to survive a locust plague, a fire, a hurricane and even a drought. The island remained the Caribbean's most dominant sugar producing area until around about 1720.

Following the 1834 abolition of slavery in Barbados, many of its newly freed residents decided to further their education, eventually managing to secure themselves well-paid government jobs. Other homeless former slaves entered into apprenticeship contracts, where they agreed to work long hours for no real compensation, other than the tiny huts where they were allowed to sleep at night.

Independence and Tourism in Christ Church

Major George Washington (later to become the President of the United States) was one of the most famous visitors ever to stay on Barbados, after arriving on the island in 1751 in the hope of curing his half-brother, who suffered from tuberculosis. Barbados soon gained itself quite a reputation as a relaxing island retreat for the health conscious.

The island was granted internal autonomy in 1961 and complete independence just five years later, in 1966. The modern history of Christ Church is now reflected in its tourism, with some of the most lively nightlife offerings around Barbados tending to be clustered within the parish's neighbourhood of St. Lawrence Gap, in addition to many of the island's most affordable restaurants and hotels.