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OVERVIEW St. John is well known for its rich historical, cultural and agricultural heritage. It is an agricultural parish situated at the southern end of the Scotland District. In 1631, St. John was in the second groupings of parishes to be established. Over the years the family structure within St. John have remained very stable. As Trevor Marshall (historian, educator, song-writer) who originates from the Glebe in St. John quoted: “St. John is a stable set of white and black families for over three hundred years. A parish where people have lived in families for the family and by the family, and in no other parish besides St. Philip have the family remained so stable by residents, and so strong by its influence over generations. We differ from St. Philip in that we have not been severely affected by in-migration and thus St. John can be regarded as a single community with roots, which go back at least three hundred years.” On this web page you will find information on many aspects of St. John’s affluent heritage. These facts will relate to the following: Ø Family Ø St. John
FAMILY FACTS
v
Louise Alberta McCollin who derives from Pot House, St. John,
is the second oldest woman in Barbados at 106 years old. She is the
grandmother of Errol Crawford who contested for the seat in St. John in the
2003 elections. v
Joseph Nathaniel Goddard (a speculator) was born in Martin’s
Bay in 1874. He had nine boys, and one girl.
As a strong family unit they formed Goddard Enterprises. The
Goddard’s established the first supermarket in Barbados – Goddard’s
Food Fair. He also assisted in the establishment of the Pickwick club. v
John D. Goddard (son of Joseph Goddard) attended the Lodge
school and even more important than this he captained the West Indies team
that travelled to England in 1950 and beat the English team at home for the
first time ever. v
The St. John Folk group was established in 1968 by a group of
families. Some of the families’ members who were in the original group
are: Joan Glasgow and her sister Vida. The Lashley family, the Sealy family
(Angela, Ian, Jennifer), the McCollins (Darren McCollin – he won Richard
Stoute Teen Talent), the Marshall/Sealy family (Trevor Marshall and his
brother Delisle Sealy), the Mayers family (Wayne and Eddie), the Simpson
family (Jocelyn and Colleen) and Austin Hutson and his siblings. v The Simpsons’ of Simpson Motors also came from St. John. Debbie Simpsons’ father was born at Guinea plantation. v The parish is proud of His Lordship the Right Reverend Doctor John Holder who originates from the parish. He is the 13th bishop on the island, the 3rd black bishop, the 2nd black, Bajan bishop but the FIRST from St. John. v
George Simpson owned an elite bus company called St. George
Bus Company that travelled through Gall Hill and went past Cliff Cottage to
the other parts of St. John. v
The Walkers were the largest family to attend the Lodge School
back then. Six out of nine Walker boys attended that institution. Walker was
an overseer at Malvern plantation v The Mayer family from Newcastle own most of the banana land in St. John.
HISTORICAL FACTS v
In 1877 the London Company Barbados General Railway turned the
first soil in St. John that saw the establishment of a railway service in
Barbados. v
In 1959 a group of people who set out from England intending
to travel around the world in an ordinary hot-air balloon, ended up at Bath.
These people were known as “Small world Balloon people”. v
Ferdinando Paleologus, a churchwarden and vestryman who
claimed to be a descendent from the line of the last Christian Emperors of
Greece is buried in St. John’s graveyard. v
Yarico’s Pond is located at Kendal, St. John.
The pond is said to have got its name from a beautiful Indian girl. It is said that a young English soldier was the only person saved when his shipmates went ashore on the Spanish Main and Indians ambushed the crew. Yarico hid the Englishman, later known as Inkle, and followed him back to his ship, completely smitten by him. However, when the two reached Barbados Inkle sold Yarico into slavery. It is stated that the young girl was a servant at the house where he was living, presumably at Kendal, where her duties included removing chiggers from his feet. According to the legend
Yarico, heart-broken and disillusioned, drowned herself in the pond, hence
the name ‘Yarico’s Pond’. v
Thomas Hathersall established the first plantation at
Hothersal St. John around 1640. v
Bernard Leslie Barrow from Gall Hill, was the largest black
landowner in St. John, he also was a member of parliament from 1944-1946. v
The Moravian Church at Mount Tabor was established in 1825. v
St. John’s Parish Church was destroyed by a hurricane in
1790 and in 1811. v The Parish of St. John was one of the first six parishes formed in Barbados soon after the formal settlement, which took place in 1627.
ST. JOHN FACTS v
Sir Keith Hunte from Venture, St. John is the former principal
of the University of the West Indies. v
The NUPW Auditorium is named after Horatio Cook a
distinguished son of the soil from the Glebe Land St. John. v
George Simpson of Cliff Cottage St. John once owned the St.
George bus company, which ran buses from Bridgetown to Sergeants Street, St.
John. v
John D Goddard one of the Goddard’s sons captained the West
Indies team, which included the 3 was to England in 1950 and for the first
time the West Indies defeated England 3-1. v
Adam Straw Waterman the Grandfather of Sir Fredrick Sealy
Smith was the first man to cut limestone and he came from St. John. v
The Pride of Wilson Hill Community Park was established in
1991 v
St. John has two unique fishing villages Martins Bay, and
Consett Bay. v
One of the few remaining sundials on the island is at the St.
John Parish Church. v
St. John has six springs, the most springs within Barbados.
The springs run along the following areas: Consett Bay, Newcastle,
Pot House, Church Woods, Bath and Bowmanston. v
Bowmanston Pumping Station once upon a time pumped up to
1,000,000 gallons of water a day. v
In 1860 the Bridgetown Waterworks Company began to work on
channelling water from springs in Newcastle, St. John through pipes in the
city. In 1864 a second source
to be tapped by the water company were the springs at Codrington College.
Today some of this water still supplies Barbados. v
Pot House, St. John a Pottery that once existed in that
village. The Pottery was called
a Kiln. v
St. John is exactly 3600 miles from Africa. v
The latest centenarian Mabel Jordan comes from Sherbourne in
St.John. She celebrated this important birthday in September of this year
(2003). v
The Lodge school turned co-ed in 1980. Only certain people
could afford to go to Lodge in the early days since the school fees was too
much for the average parents to pay. v
The St. Johns’ church hall is named after Thorne Edward
Gollop and Eustace Gill. v
Glenburnie is so called after a Scotsman- Glen Bourne. v
Major Sam Headley who came from Venture was the first black
boy to become head boy at the Lodge School. v
C.O Williams’ owner of C.O Williams Construction grew up in
Foster Hall. v
A St. John man owns Carter’s General store.
PLANTATION FACTS v
CLICO owns the most plantations in the St. John District. Plantations such as Clifton Hall, Hothersal, Wakefield, Lemon
Arbor, Bowmanston, Henley, Todd’s and Pool. v
Villa Nova was bought in 1965 by the Earl of Avon,(Sir Anthony
Eden) and a former Prime Minister of Britain.
Today it is an exclusive five star hotel. v
Charles Miller Austin was the first black man to own a
plantation; he owned Malvern and Eastmont plantations. He is the grandfather
of Sir Harold Bernard (Bree) St. John. v
The Haynes family at one time owned these six plantations,
Bath, New Castle, Clifton Hall, Guinea, Wakefield and Villa Nova. v
Bernard Orville Gill (a poor white) owned Edgecliff
plantation. He was the father of Pat Thorington, who also contested the St.
John in the past.
SPORTS / CULTURAL FACTS
v
In 1963 the St. John’s Cultural Cricket Team and the St.
Johns’ Cultural Association were formed. v
St. John football league was established by Trevor Marshall in
1974 and is still currently going under the MP for the Parish David
Thompson. v St. John is a parish of singers. Lemuel Waithe, Darrem McCollin, Olwayn McCollin and Laurie White are all well known is the music industry and all originated in St. John.
POLITICAL FACTS
v
St. John is known as a DLP stronghold with Errol Barrow
holding the seat from 1958 to the time of his death in 1987.
David Thompson then took over in 1987 and presently still holds the
seat. v Evans Webster contested in every election from 1951-1991.
We the ambassadors would like to thank, Historian Trevor Marshall and the Advocate Publishing House for making the facts on this page available. |