White Barbadians

White Barbadians

Total population
≈ 20,000
Languages
English,Bajan Creole,Portuguese
Religion
Christianity (Catholicism,Protestantism),Judaism
Related ethnic groups
English,German people,Irish,Italians,Portuguese,Scottish,Jews

White BarbadiansorEuropean BarbadiansareBarbadian citizens or residentsofEuropeandescent. The majority of European Barbadians are descended fromEnglish,Portuguese,andScottishsettlersandIrishindentured servants and settlers,who arrived during theBritishcolonialperiod. Other European groups consisted of theFrench,Germans,Austrians,Spaniards,Italians,andRussians.In addition, some of those considered to be European Barbadians are of partial European ancestry and vice versa. TheCIA World Factbookestimates that there are some 20,000 white Barbadians in the country.

At first, Indigenous constituted the majority of the Barbadian population. With colonization, Europeans came to constitute the majority, with the island being used as apenal colonymuch asAustraliawould be later, until the transition of the Barbadian economy to one based onsugarcaneproduction; importation ofAfrican slavesto the island altered its demographics, making European Barbadians a minority. During much of the colonial period, whites formed the island'spoliticalandeconomicelite.Sinceindependencefrom Britain in 1966 when most European Barbadians left for theUnited Kingdom,most political power has shifted to the black majority.

Among European Barbadians, there exists anunderclassof predominantly Irish descent known asredlegs;the descendants ofindentured servants,andprisonersimported to the island, redlegs have historically formed a disadvantaged group within Barbadiansociety.

History

Spaniardswere the first Europeans to discover and land in Barbados.The Spanish regularly seized large numbers of Amerindians from Barbados to be used as slave labour on other regional plantations. This prompted the Kalinago to flee Barbados for other Caribbean destinations such asDominicaandSt. Vincent.Europeans caused the disappearance of the indigenous people in Barbados. The first white European settlement on Barbados consisted of British colonists.

Notable European Barbadians

• Sir James Drax(d. 1662), a pioneer sugar grower and 'plantocrat' (born inEnglandbefore settling in Barbados)
• Theodorious Paleologus(c. 1660–1693), sailor andprivateer,last surviving male descendant of thePaleologus dynasty,rulers of theByzantine Empirefrom 1259 to its fall in 1453.
• Stede Bonnet(1688–1718),pirate,known as the "Gentleman Pirate"
• Neville Goddard(1905-1972), author and mystic
• Robert Lettis Hooper(d. 1738/9), politician and jurist in colonialNew Jersey
• Humphrey Fleming Senhouse(1781–1841), officer of theRoyal Navy
• Tony Cozier(10 July 1940 – 11 May 2016), journalist andWest Indian CricketCommentator
• Zane Maloney(b. 2003), racing driver
• Ward Simpson,businessman

See also

• Barbadians
• White people
• Demographics of Barbados
• Irish indentured servants
• History of the Jews in Barbados