Antigua Maritime Landscape

Introduction

The rise of the British Empire as a leviathan of global trade power is a complex tale of the underdog becoming triumphant over a mostly superior foe, particularly in the Americas.

While Spain kept an almost complete control of most of South America and the Caribbean for the better part of three centuries, Britain, France, and other minor European players squabbled over several otherwise insignificant islands in the southern Caribbean.

This project explores the rise of the British Empire in the Caribbean, illustrated by the economic and cultural history of the small island of Antigua, and tries to tell the story of how the seemingly backwater island became one of Britain's chief exporters of sugar and a hub of globalization and trade during the second half of the 18th century.

The Trade Towns of Antigua

In 1675, the English government passed a law that established six "trade towns" on Antigua. The law required that all imports, exports, and intra-island trade be conducted in these towns to be assessed for taxes. The six original towns were:

• St. John's – survives today as the capital
• Parham – survives as originally established
• Falmouth – survives as originally established
• Carlisle Road – now called "Old Road"
• Bridgetown – abandoned in the 19th century
• Bermudian Valley – location has been lost

Of the six original towns, only four survive today. Bridgetown was abandoned in the 19th century, its inhabitants moving up the hill and establishing the modern town of St. Philip's – named after the church at Bridgetown. Bermudian Valley's exact location has been lost to history.

Archaeological Research

In 2016, preliminary archaeological surveys were conducted at the Bridgetown site and elsewhere on the island, in cooperation with the Antigua National Parks Authority. The research aimed to:

• Document the deterioration of the town ruins compared to previous assessments done between 1987 and 1996
• Assess offshore cultural resources in the associated harbour
• Answer questions about the town's abandonment
• Assess the veracity of various local legends surrounding the site

This project serves as a pilot study towards a Ph.D. dissertation research project, which aims to explore the influence of Antigua's sugar economy within the world trade network in the Early Modern Period.

The Sugar Economy

Sugar production began around 1655 on Antigua, with the first major plantation established in 1674 by Sir Christopher Codrington. Within a century, the island contained over 100 sugar estates and a fully developed plantation economy dependent on enslaved African labor.

This economic transformation displaced peasant farmers who had initially grown cotton, tobacco, indigo, and ginger. By the 1720s, Antigua's sugar plantations influenced both the local economy and global trade networks, requiring extensive transportation infrastructure to facilitate commerce.

Military Infrastructure: English Harbour

England developed Antigua as a strategic military base, particularly English Harbour's naval dockyard, established in 1743. The dockyard provided:

• Hurricane shelter for the Royal Navy fleet
• Ship repair and maintenance facilities
• Protection for planter interests
• Strategic positioning to secure British dominance in the Eastern Caribbean

The dockyard operated until its decommissioning in 1889 and is now known as Nelson's Dockyard, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2016.

The 1843 Earthquake

Historical accounts suggest the magnitude 8.3 earthquake of February 8, 1843, prompted Bridgetown's rapid decline. The earthquake, one of the most powerful ever recorded in the Caribbean, caused significant damage across the Lesser Antilles and was accompanied by destructive secondary seismic events according to local legends.

Archaeological analysis of artifacts, including 54 pipe stem fragments dated around 1751, indicates Bridgetown's role as a significant trade town influenced by colonial shipping routes before its eventual abandonment.

Future Research Directions

Future research aims to investigate Bridgetown's economic significance relative to surviving towns, employing modern technologies such as:

• Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
• Remote sensing techniques
• Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) for underwater surveys
• 3D modeling and mapping

The project will continue to explore how Antigua's sugar economy functioned within Early Modern Period world trade networks through archaeological investigation.

References

This page is based on research conducted by Arik Bord as part of his work with the Nautical Archaeology Program at Texas A&M University. Key sources include:

• Bord, Arik (2019). "Crossroads on the Coast: A Preliminary Examination of Bridgetown, Antigua." MA Thesis, Texas A&M University.
• Oliver, Vere Langford (1894-1909). The History of the Island of Antigua. 3 vols. London: Mitchell and Hughes.
• Lanaghan and Flannigan (1844). Antigua and the Antiguans. 2 vols. London: Saunders and Otley.
• Sheridan, Richard Bert (1994). Sugar and Slavery: An Economic History of the British West Indies, 1623-1775. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.