|
Byde MillByde Mill sits elegantly in the St. George Valley, in the parish of St. George on the island of Barbados. It is said that this classic house dates back sometime after the great hurricane of 1831 but there seems to be lots of uncertainty with regards to the exact date of its construction. However, documented history dictates that this famous great home dates back to 1670 when England's Richard Bendyshe leased the plantation on which Byde Mill sits, to Barbados' Thomas Batson.
Byde Mill stands as indeed a famous home of a wealthy Englshman by the name of Joshua Steele who also owned Kendal, Guinea and Hallets plantations. On seeing the 'living conditions' of the slaves, he went ahead with the establishment of a system of self-government for his slaves. A system that sought to improve the way slaves lived and were treated.
Steele shared his Byde Mill home with a slave with whom he had two (2) children. At the time of his death in 1796, his will clearly stated inheritance on the part of his slave partner and children but that request was overruled by the law courts. Fortunately for them, prior to his death, he had pre-arranged their passage to freedom in England.
The Georgian structure of Byde Mill stands as one of Barbados' most famous great homes. There is a mill wall on the property that interestingly enough, sits at the exact spot where the parishes of St. John, St. Philip and St. George meet. Byde Mill is also remembered as the place where the 1876 Confederation Riots broke out.
0-2
|
|
|
  |
