Abraham Howell

Abraham Howell was a British colonial governor who served as Deputy Governor of Anguilla and led an failed attempt to colonise Crab Island. He led the defence of Anguilla during the Nine Years' War before being defeated by the French. His effort to colonise Crab Island was stopped by the Spanish and they temporarily held him prisoner.

Career

A colony in Anguilla was established by settlers from St. Kitts and Nevis in 1650. This colony was attacked by the indigenous people in 1656, and the surviving colonist appointed Howell as their leader.[1] The Spanish attacked Anguilla on 21 December 1688, but were defeated by Howell.[2] During the Nine Years' War the French seized Anguilla in 1689 despite a defence led by Howell.[3]

English colonists attempted to colonise Crab Island in 1683 and 1688, but failed.Crab Island. A group of 42 people petitioned Walter Hamilton, governor of the British Leeward Islands, in 1717 for official approval to colonise the island, but Hamilton rejected their petition citing how close Crab Island was to the Captaincy General of Puerto Rico and that the colony would not have a sizable population. However, the petitioners, led by Howell, left despite Hamilton's disapproval. A census reported that 46 white men and 62 black men were a part of Howell's colony.[4] Hamilton later gave Howell a commission as commandant of the settlement on Crab Island.[5]

A Spanish force of schooners and 289 militia men arrived on Crab Island in March 1718, and seized control without opposition from Howell.[6] The Spanish seized multiple sloops and captured 50 black people, Howell, and other people before sending them to Puerto Rico. Hamilton sent the HMS Scarborough to Puerto Rico to demand the release of the prisoners. Howell secured his own release due to an agent of the Asiento de Negros company and went to St. Kitts on a sloop from Jamaica. He warned the British that the Spanish were planning to attack the Bahama Islands and a Spanish raid was later conducted there.[7] The property confiscated by the Spanish, including slaves that were auctioned off in Puerto Rico, resulted in a revenue of 100,584 pesos.[8]

References

  1. ^ Azevedo 2012.
  2. ^ Fortescue 1901, pp. 3, 28.
  3. ^ Childs 1995, p. 83.
  4. ^ Walicek 2012, pp. 58–61.
  5. ^ Headlam 1930, p. lvi.
  6. ^ Walicek 2012, pp. 62–63.
  7. ^ Headlam 1930, pp. xiii–xiv.
  8. ^ Walicek 2012, p. 63.

Works cited

Books

  • Fortescue, J., ed. (1901). Calendar of State Papers Colonial, America and West Indies: Volume 13, 1689-1692. Vol. 13. Office of Public Sector Information.
  • Headlam, Cecil, ed. (1930). Calendar of State Papers Colonial, America and West Indies: 1717-1718. Vol. 30. Office of Public Sector Information.

Journals

News

Content Disclaimer

Informasi ini disarikan dari Wikipedia dan disajikan kembali untuk tujuan edukasi. Konten tersedia di bawah lisensi CC BY-SA 3.0. Kami tidak bertanggung jawab atas ketidakakuratan data yang bersumber dari kontribusi publik tersebut.

  1. The information displayed on this website is sourced in part or in whole from Wikipedia and has been adapted for the purpose of restating it. We strive to provide accurate and relevant information, however:
  2. There is no guarantee of absolute accuracy. Wikipedia is an open, collaborative project that can be edited by anyone, so information is subject to change.
  3. It is not intended to constitute professional advice. The content displayed is for informational and educational purposes only. For important decisions (e.g., medical, legal, or financial), please consult a professional.
  4. Content copyright. Wikipedia is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License (CC BY-SA). This means that content may be reused with appropriate attribution and shared under a similar license.
  5. Responsible use. Any risk arising from the use of information from this website is entirely the responsibility of the user.