Liberta is a village located in Saint Paul Parish, on the island of

Antigua Antigua ( ; ), also known as Waladli or Wadadli by the local population, is an island in the Lesser Antilles. It is one of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region and the most populous island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua ...

Antigua and Barbuda Antigua and Barbuda is a Sovereign state, sovereign archipelagic country composed of Antigua, Barbuda, and List of islands of Antigua and Barbuda, numerous other small islands. Antigua and Barbuda has a total area of 440 km2 (170 sq mi), ...

. It had a population of 2,560 in 2001. It the third-largest village on Antigua. It is located in the southern island area, north of

Falmouth Harbour Falmouth Harbour is a horseshoe-shaped bay and natural harbour on the far southern coast of the island of Antigua in Antigua and Barbuda. The town of Falmouth in Saint Paul is located on it. Geography The small township and port of Falmouth ...

and the port of Falmouth, to which it is connected by road.

History

Around the time of the 19th century British emancipation of slaves in

British Antigua and Barbuda The history of Antigua and Barbuda covers the period from the arrival of the Archaic peoples thousands of years ago to the present day. Prior to European colonization, the lands encompassing present-day Antigua and Barbuda were inhabited by thre ...

, a colonial plantation owner had financial troubles and was forced to sell off a part of her property in small lots. The ex-slaves in the neighbourhood bought up all the small freeholds, as they desired to own land in perpetuity. "Liberta", meaning liberty and honoring the freed people, became the settlement's name in 1835. By 1842, a painted signboard near its border read: "The Village of Liberta". The new landowners immediately settled on the lots they had purchased, framed their houses, and cultivated their gardens. Besides working on nearby plantations, income was sometimes also earned working as mechanics at

Nelson's Dockyard Nelson's Dockyard is a cultural heritage site and marina in English Harbour, located in Saint Paul Parish on the Caribbean island of Antigua, in Antigua and Barbuda. It is the only continuously working Georgian era dockyard in the world. It was ...

at Falmouth Harbour. Later on, their descendants also worked in other trades, such as tailors and shop keepers.

Education

Liberta Junior Secondary serves grades 1–9 in the village. There is a small

steelpan The steelpan (also known as a pan or steel drum) is a musical instrument originating in Trinidad and Tobago from Afro–Trinidadians and Tobagonians, Afro-Trinidadians. Steelpan musicians are called pannists. In 1992, the steelpan was declared ...

orchestra there.

Demographics

Liberta has six enumeration districts.

Census data (2011)

Source:

Enumeration districts

* ''70800 Liberta'' * ''70901 Liberta-West_1'' * ''70902 Liberta-West_2'' * ''71000 Liberta-North Central'' * ''71100 Liberta-South Central'' * ''71200 Liberta-SouthWest''

References