Why go
Holetown is more than a coastal name in this period: it marks the vicinity of the first English settlement. The account also explains why early colonists did not simply own the land they worked. A proprietary claim, indentured labour and the creation of a House of Assembly set up the political and economic structures later transformed by the sugar boom.
The full story
An English ship reached Barbados in 1625. In 1627, a group led by Henry Powell began a lasting settlement near present-day Holetown. The colony was financed through a proprietary claim held by London merchant Sir William Courten, so early settlers worked within a system that directed profit back to its backers. Indentured labourers were among the arrivals, and the source notes that some may have been brought against their will. Tobacco was an early export crop, but falling prices weakened that trade in the 1630s. Political authority was also taking shape. After disputes over the island's proprietorship and governorship, the House of Assembly was established in 1639. This early period matters because its smaller farms, labour arrangements and colonial institutions preceded the large sugar estates that would soon dominate Barbados.