Victoria, Guyana
Encyclopedia
Victoria is located on the Atlantic
coast of Guyana
, 18 miles east of Georgetown
and bordered by Cove & John to the west and Belfield
to the east. It was the first village in Guyana to be bought by the combined resources of Africans who had recently won their freedom from slavery.
The community was initially established as a plantation
called Northbrook. In November 1839, eighty three ex-slaves from five nearby estates (Douchfour, Ann’s Grove, Hope, Paradise and Enmore) pooled their resources and bought Plantation Northbrook for 30,000 guilders or $10,283.63. Each of the eighty three owned one lot of land. After its purchase it was renamed Victoria, presumably in honor of England's Queen Victoria http://www.guyana.org/features/guyanastory/chapter54.html, although some suggest it may have been named as such in honor of the free slaves' victory http://www.landofsixpeoples.com/news/nc110075.htm.
It is credited with one of the first codes of local government
in Guyana, established in 1845. http://www.silvertorch.com/jottings/guyajots2.html The village grew up to become one of the leading exporters of products made from coconut
s and cassava
.
The first church built there, a Congregationalist church, named after Wilberforce, the abolitionist, was erected in 1845. A memorial tablet was placed in the church honoring William Africa Baptiste, known as 'Boss Africa', who became accepted as the Father of the village. Baptiste, who died in 1881, was the first village schoolmaster. Wilberfore Congregational church at Victoria still stands today.
William Nicholas Arno's History of Victoria Village gives a useful account of the origins and development of the village.
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
coast 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...
, 18 miles east of 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 bordered by Cove & John to the west and Belfield
Belfield, Guyana
Belfield is a village in the Demerara-Mahaica Region of Guyana, standing on the Atlantic coast, three kilometres west of Enmore.The first section of the Demerara-Berbice Railway, from Georgetown to Plaisance, was opened on 3 November 1848...
to the east. It was the first village in Guyana to be bought by the combined resources of Africans who had recently won their freedom from slavery.
The community was initially established as a plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
called Northbrook. In November 1839, eighty three ex-slaves from five nearby estates (Douchfour, Ann’s Grove, Hope, Paradise and Enmore) pooled their resources and bought Plantation Northbrook for 30,000 guilders or $10,283.63. Each of the eighty three owned one lot of land. After its purchase it was renamed Victoria, presumably in honor of England's Queen Victoria http://www.guyana.org/features/guyanastory/chapter54.html, although some suggest it may have been named as such in honor of the free slaves' victory http://www.landofsixpeoples.com/news/nc110075.htm.
It is credited with one of the first codes of local government
Local government
Local government refers collectively to administrative authorities over areas that are smaller than a state.The term is used to contrast with offices at nation-state level, which are referred to as the central government, national government, or federal government...
in Guyana, established in 1845. http://www.silvertorch.com/jottings/guyajots2.html The village grew up to become one of the leading exporters of products made from coconut
Coconut
The coconut palm, Cocos nucifera, is a member of the family Arecaceae . It is the only accepted species in the genus Cocos. The term coconut can refer to the entire coconut palm, the seed, or the fruit, which is not a botanical nut. The spelling cocoanut is an old-fashioned form of the word...
s and cassava
Cassava
Cassava , also called yuca or manioc, a woody shrub of the Euphorbiaceae native to South America, is extensively cultivated as an annual crop in tropical and subtropical regions for its edible starchy tuberous root, a major source of carbohydrates...
.
The first church built there, a Congregationalist church, named after Wilberforce, the abolitionist, was erected in 1845. A memorial tablet was placed in the church honoring William Africa Baptiste, known as 'Boss Africa', who became accepted as the Father of the village. Baptiste, who died in 1881, was the first village schoolmaster. Wilberfore Congregational church at Victoria still stands today.
William Nicholas Arno's History of Victoria Village gives a useful account of the origins and development of the village.