Blanchisseuse (pronounced, in the local English dialect, "blan-chee-shears") is a village in

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...

. It is located about midway along the north coast of

Trinidad Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...

on the northern slope of the

Northern Range The Northern Range is the range of tall hills across north Trinidad, the major island in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. The hills range from the Chaguaramas peninsula on the west coast to Toco in the east. The Northern Range covers approx ...

, about 24 km north of

Arima Arima, officially The Royal Chartered Borough of Arima is the easternmost and second largest in area of the three boroughs of Trinidad and Tobago. It is geographically adjacent to Sangre Grande and Arouca at the south central foothills of th ...

. The village was settled by the French following the '' Cedula of Population'' in 1783. When Captain Frederick Mallet was charting and surveying the island of Trinidad following its capitulation to the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

in 1797, he was told that the village had no name. Observing the women washing clothes in the river, he simply wrote on his survey chart: "Ladies River". Later, the settlers called the place after the

washerwomen A washerwoman or laundress is a woman who takes in laundry. Both terms are now old-fashioned; equivalent work nowadays is done by a laundry worker in large commercial premises, or a laundrette (laundromat) attendant. Description As evidence ...

the surveyor had seen, ''blanchisseuse'' being the French for "washerwoman". The difficult terrain meant there was little development or expansion, and no roads. The settlement was a clearing with thick forests and

mountains A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher th ...

behind and the sea in front. The village is accessible from

Port of Spain Port of Spain (Spanish: ''Puerto España''), officially the City of Port of Spain (also stylized Port-of-Spain), is the capital of Trinidad and Tobago and the third largest municipality, after Chaguanas and San Fernando. The city has a municip ...

via the North Coast Road or through the Blanchisseuse Road via

through the

northern Range The Northern Range is the range of tall hills across north Trinidad, the major island in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. The hills range from the Chaguaramas peninsula on the west coast to Toco in the east. The Northern Range covers approx ...

. Blanchisseuse is located much further than

Maracas Beach Maracas Bay is a bay with sandy beach on the island of Trinidad. It is located on the north side of the island, an hour's mountainous drive from the capital city of Port of Spain via the North Coast Road. Unlike many of the northern beaches of ...

and Las Cuevas but it still remains a popular beach.

References

* {{Coord, 10, 47, N, 61, 18, W, region:TT_type:city, display=title Villages in Trinidad and Tobago Beaches of Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad (island)