Buxton, Guyana
Encyclopedia
Buxton is a village in the Demerara-Mahaica
Region of Guyana
, standing about midway between Georgetown
and Enmore
.
purchased the 580 acre plantation for 50,000 dollars. The 700 acre Friendship plantation was purchased by 168 former slaves for 80,000 dollars. Buxton, Friendship, Victoria along with other Guyanese were all collectively purchased by groups of former slaves after emancipation was enacted in 1838.
The Buxton-Friendship local authority was established to interact with plantation owners, in addition to building roads, trenches and other similar infrastructure they also formed an elected village council. In 1856, the British Guiana
legislature gave the government the right to enact improvement taxes on the properties of the villagers, this led to a stalemate between the government and the purchasers of Buxton. In 1862, the governor of British Guiana confiscated the property of James Jupiter, Blucher Dorsett, Hector John, Webster Ogle, Chance Bacchus and James Rodney Sr, leading to riots. After the governor refused to hear the complaints of the delegations from Buxton, six village leaders set sail for England to air their grievances to the Queen. After arriving in Barbados
, the Barbadian governor met with the delegation and advised his counterpart to absolve their properties of tax duties. This betrayal upset the other villagers, it also threatened the wellbeing of the members of the delegation who claimed they were not aware of the contents of the letter. In another effort to settle this dispute, some villagers decided to blocked the train carrying the governor, and force him to listen to their grievances. With his train surrounded by angry villagers, the governor promised that Buxtonians would be exempt from these levies.
During the pre-independence period, Buxton-Friendship was the site of some ethnic violence, including the two murders that are blamed for triggering the Wismar Massacre, most of the East Indian population of Buxton moved to the nearby villages of Annandale and Lusignan. During the 2000s, Buxton was the supposed base of the criminal gangs blamed for the increase in murders and other violent crimes in Guyana "Cabinet concerned about growing criminal presence in Buxton" Guyana Chronicle 19 December 2002.
) and the Buxton Spice mango. This mango is unique to Buxton being fleshy and sweet like others but having a unique spicy taste.
There are a variety of fish in the water including the Tilapia
.
Demerara-Mahaica
Demerara-Mahaica is a region of Guyana, bordering the Atlantic Ocean to the north, the region of Mahaica-Berbice to the east, the region of Upper Demerara-Berbice to the south and the region of Essequibo Islands-West Demerara to the west....
Region of Guyana
Guyana
Guyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, previously the colony of British Guiana, is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana was a former colony of the Dutch and of the British...
, standing about midway between Georgetown
Georgetown, Guyana
Georgetown, estimated population 239,227 , is the capital and largest city of Guyana, located in the Demerara-Mahaica region. It is situated on the Atlantic Ocean coast at the mouth of the Demerara River and it was nicknamed 'Garden City of the Caribbean.' Georgetown is located at . The city serves...
and Enmore
Enmore, Guyana
Enmore is a village in the Demerara-Mahaica region along the coastal belt of Guyana. It is about two square miles in size and has a multi-ethnic population of about 8,000, with large concentrations of Indo-Guyanese....
.
History
Buxton Village was founded in 1840 by a group of freed Afro-Guyanese, who purchased the former Plantation Orange Nassau. Friendship, its sister village was founded in 1841 after the purchase of Plantation Friendship. The two were later joined to form the village of Buxton-Friendship, which is commonly called Buxton. Buxton Village was founded when a group of 128-132 former slaves from AnnandaleAnnandale, Demerara-Mahaica
Annandale is a community in the Demerara-Mahaica region of Guyana, located on the Atlantic Ocean at , near Buxton. Historically, Annandale was always an "Indian " village, but today it has sizeable populations of Blacks and Indians. Note Indians are still the largest ethnic group here. Its divided...
purchased the 580 acre plantation for 50,000 dollars. The 700 acre Friendship plantation was purchased by 168 former slaves for 80,000 dollars. Buxton, Friendship, Victoria along with other Guyanese were all collectively purchased by groups of former slaves after emancipation was enacted in 1838.
The Buxton-Friendship local authority was established to interact with plantation owners, in addition to building roads, trenches and other similar infrastructure they also formed an elected village council. In 1856, the British Guiana
British Guiana
British Guiana was the name of the British colony on the northern coast of South America, now the independent nation of Guyana.The area was originally settled by the Dutch at the start of the 17th century as the colonies of Essequibo, Demerara, and Berbice...
legislature gave the government the right to enact improvement taxes on the properties of the villagers, this led to a stalemate between the government and the purchasers of Buxton. In 1862, the governor of British Guiana confiscated the property of James Jupiter, Blucher Dorsett, Hector John, Webster Ogle, Chance Bacchus and James Rodney Sr, leading to riots. After the governor refused to hear the complaints of the delegations from Buxton, six village leaders set sail for England to air their grievances to the Queen. After arriving in Barbados
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
, the Barbadian governor met with the delegation and advised his counterpart to absolve their properties of tax duties. This betrayal upset the other villagers, it also threatened the wellbeing of the members of the delegation who claimed they were not aware of the contents of the letter. In another effort to settle this dispute, some villagers decided to blocked the train carrying the governor, and force him to listen to their grievances. With his train surrounded by angry villagers, the governor promised that Buxtonians would be exempt from these levies.
During the pre-independence period, Buxton-Friendship was the site of some ethnic violence, including the two murders that are blamed for triggering the Wismar Massacre, most of the East Indian population of Buxton moved to the nearby villages of Annandale and Lusignan. During the 2000s, Buxton was the supposed base of the criminal gangs blamed for the increase in murders and other violent crimes in Guyana "Cabinet concerned about growing criminal presence in Buxton" Guyana Chronicle 19 December 2002.
Agriculture
Buxton sits on very fertile land which is surrounded by an irrigation system (trenches). Local farmers produce a variety of fruits and vegetables including peas, beans, Dakar (TamarindTamarind
Tamarind is a tree in the family Fabaceae. The genus Tamarindus is monotypic .-Origin:...
) and the Buxton Spice mango. This mango is unique to Buxton being fleshy and sweet like others but having a unique spicy taste.
There are a variety of fish in the water including the Tilapia
Tilapia
Tilapia , is the common name for nearly a hundred species of cichlid fish from the tilapiine cichlid tribe. Tilapia inhabit a variety of fresh water habitats, including shallow streams, ponds, rivers and lakes. Historically, they have been of major importance in artisan fishing in Africa and the...
.