Historical documentation and archaeological investigation of Codrington Castle, Barbuda, West Indies

Abstract

Codrington Castle was Barbuda's principal structure for almost two centuries (1680s-1870s) while the island was leased by the Codrington family. The building no longer exists because it was razed near the turn of the 20th century. Analysis of historical documents determines the Castle's position, configuration, and architecture; analysis of archaeological data verifies its chronology, construction, and renovation. The study concludes that: (1) three rectangular buildings sequentially occupied the same location; (2) these structures had different long-axis orientations; (3) the Castle's functions included defense, storage, administration, and habitation; and (4) an expansive subsurface archaeological feature delineates the extent of the second Castle. Descriptive analysis of the ceramics distinguishes imported wares from Afro-Caribbean pottery and defines three intermediate ceramic categories in which the syncretism of two pottery-making traditions is correlated with the ethnicity of the potters and manufacturing locations. Lithic artifacts are interpreted as evidence for direct exploitation of West Indian chert sources during the historic era or, alternatively, for the recycling of prehistoric artifacts by historic inhabitants. Manufacturing timespans and stratigraphic positioning of imported ceramic, glass, and kaolin pipe artifacts corroborate Codrington Castle's duration of occupation as determined from historic records. The Castle exemplifies Barbuda's role in provisioning the vast sugar estates that were the basis of the Codrington family's wealth. 1997 Watters -Codrington Castle, Barbuda 231 Annals of Carnegie Museum VOL. 66to Pleistocene limestone formations and Holocene sand deposits (Brasier and Mather, 1975;Brasier and Donahue, 1985). Land area is about 160 km^ (62 mP).The island has very shallow soils, limited rainfall, and mainly xerophytic vegetation, but it is surrounded by very productive marine environments ranging from shallow bottoms to extensive reefs (Harris, 1965; Watters et al., 1992:15-25).Barbuda's climatic and edaphic limitations precluded the cultivation of sugar, tobacco, or other commercially important crops in the colonial era (apart from sporadically grown cotton); these factors also thwarted commercial agricultural enterprises in more recent times (Berleant-Schiller, 1978). Since Barbuda was unsuited for cultivation of plantation crops, its acquisition by the Codringtons may seem incongruous. Barbuda, however, was an integral part of the broader economy of the Codrington family's West Indies holdings. It served as an important provisioning island, supplying a range of commodities needed by the Codrington sugar estates and selling surplus staples to other plantations. Hides, meat, com, wood, charcoal, lime, turtles, fish, and livestock (horses, mules, cattle, swine, goats, and sheep) were among its exports (Watters, 1980Z?:125). Boats built by Barbudans brought supplies to that island, transported hogsheads of Codrington sugar around the coast of Antigua, and also carried goods to ot...

Interaction Between Climate and Tectonics in the Northern Lesser Antilles Inferred From the Last Interglacial Shoreline on Barbuda Island

“…These beachrocks might be the mark of the continuous Holocene sea-level rise since about 6 ka due to GIA and/or related to tectonic subsidence (sudden or gradual). However, present sea level would have been reached around 4,085 years BP (Brasier & Donahue, 1985;Brasier & Mather, 1975), according to radiocarbon dating of a slightly elevated limestone ridge on the west side of Barbuda that is filled with Strombus fragments and is interpreted as a shoreline deposit (Watters et al, 1992). Since the Goat Point beachrocks are not dated, they might also represent a more recent RSL rise (similar to those affecting coral microatolls) as suggested by Russell and McIntire (1966).…”

“…At Palmetto Point, on the central west coast of Barbuda, and in a few other places on the west coast, the formation is composed of a system of beach ridges prograding toward the sea (Russell & McIntire, 1966). 14 C dating of Strombus fragments from a lithified limestone ridge that might mark a paleoshoreline in the Palmetto point area confirmed a mid-to late Holocene age (Watters et al, 1992). The Codrington Formation is hypothesized to be related to the Last Interglacial (LIG) (Brasier & Donahue, 1985;Russell & McIntire, 1966).…”

“…Comparison of historic charts and maps suggests a high rate of beach ridge progradation between 1750 and 1992 (Watters et al, 1992), with at least one beach ridge built in the area between 1958 and 1964 (according to aerial photographs Russell & McIntire, 1966). During this period, the major subduction earthquake (8 February 1843) occurred offshore Antigua and Guadeloupe with an estimated magnitude of 8.5 Hough, 2013;McCann & Sykes, 1984).…”