Holetown (

UN/LOCODE UN/LOCODE, the United Nations Code for Trade and Transport Locations, is a geographic coding scheme developed and maintained by United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). UN/LOCODE assigns codes to locations used in trade and transpor ...

: BB HLT), is a small city located in the Caribbean island nation of

Barbados Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estimate) ...

. Holetown is located in the parish of Saint James on the sheltered west coast of the island.

History

Holetown Monument, Saint James, Barbados-1

In 1625, Holetown (formerly as St. James Town) was the site of initial English settlement of Barbados (although Captain Cataline had previously landed to collect water in 1620). The envoy (led by John Powell) was blown off-course from

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England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

and took the opportunity to claim the island for the

Kingdom of England The Kingdom of England (, ) was a sovereign state on the island of Great Britain from 12 July 927, when it emerged from various History of Anglo-Saxon England, Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, until 1 May 1707, when it united with Kingdom of Scotland, ...

. Some personal possessions were left behind and the crew departed Holetown for England. On 17 February 1627 the brother of Captain John Powell ( Captain Henry Powell) aboard the "Olive Blossom" returned with his benefactor, Sir William Courteen, a Dutch-born English merchant trader, and fifty other shareholder settlers (and 10 captive negroes). A monument erected to commemorate this first landing on the island erroneously records the date as 1605. Since 1977, the town has also celebrated the Barbados Holetown Festival to commemorate this landing. The name Holetown comes from the stream, The Hole, which provided a safe landing place for the settlers. Also sometimes called Saint James Town, the settlement was, until 1629, the island's only town. Holetown celebrates the founding of the first five plantations in Barbados, the first major fortification, the first place of Justice, and the first Governor's House. The town was also involved in the transatlantic trade with

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

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, and

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, although this last was deemed illegal. After Lord Carlisle gained control of Barbados as a

protectorate A protectorate, in the context of international relations, is a state that is under protection by another state for defence against aggression and other violations of law. It is a dependent territory that enjoys autonomy over most of its int ...

of The Crown, he decided to found his own settlement in the southern part of the island. Carlisle's move gave way to Bridgetown being settled along

Carlisle Bay Carlisle Bay is a small natural harbour located in the southwest region of Barbados. The island nation's capital, Bridgetown, is situated on this bay which has been turned into a marine park. Carlisle Bay's marine park is a popular spot on the ...

and a shift of the capital for the island to that location. The Island's oldest church, St. James Parish Church, was erected here in 1628, a year after the first settlers landed. The town is the home of

McGill University McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous ...

Bellairs Research Institute The Bellairs Research Institute, located on the Caribbean island of Barbados, was founded in 1954 as a field-station for McGill University. Initial funding was from a bequest by British naval commander, Carlyon Bellairs, for whom the institute is ...

Geography

Holetown is located at (13.183333, −59.65).

Boundary

Through Statutory Instrument (S.I) 1984 No. 141, Road Traffic Act, CAP. 295, ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATIONS, and under Schedule Section # 6: The Boundaries of Bridgetown, Speightstown, Holetown and Oistins are cited as follows: 3) "Holetown: The section of Highway 1 (formerly West Coast Rd.) from its junction with Lascelles Road at Limegrove Lifestyle Centre to its junction with Trents Road".

Town twinning

Holetown has been twinned with: * – Borough of Haringey, London,

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

(since 2009)Holetown, Haringey officially linked
15 February 2011 Barbados Advocate

References

External links

Holetown Chamber of Trade

Holetown – TotallyBarbados.com

{{Authority control Populated places established in 1627 Populated places in Barbados Saint James, Barbados Former colonial capitals 1627 establishments in the British Empire