Montserrat West Indies

Montserrat is a small island in the Leeward islands of the eastern Caribbean and at present a British Overseas Territory. It has suffered greatly in recent times, first from the devastations of Hurricane Hugo in 1989 and since 1995 from the still-ongoing eruption of the Soufrière Hills volcano that has caused two-thirds of the island’s population to emigrate and left half the island a dangerous exclusion zone. Archaeological research here began only in the late 1970s, but work over the past four decades has now made it possible to present an archaeological history of Montserrat, from the earliest known traces of human activity on the island about 5,000 years ago to the present. This book draws on all the available archaeological evidence (including that from the co-authors’ own island-wide survey and excavation project since 2010), as well as newly available archival documents, to trace this little island’s long history and heritage. This is not the story of an isolated and remote island: Montserrat is shown rather to be a place intricately connected to the flows of people and goods that have travelled between islands and across the Atlantic at various points in time, both Amerindian and historical. Despite its small size and seeming irrelevance, Montserrat has in fact always been networked into regional and global systems of connectivity. An underlying theme of this volume is resilience. It presents insights from the archaeological and documentary evidence on how the island’s inhabitants have coped with often adverse conditions throughout the course of its history – hurricanes, volcanic eruptions, slavery, disease, invasions, and impoverishment – all while remaining proudly connected to heritage that celebrates the accomplishments of island residents.

Montserrat is a small island in the Leeward islands of the eastern Caribbean and at present a British Overseas Territory. It has suffered greatly in recent times, first from the devastations of Hurricane Hugo in 1989 and since 1995 from the still-ongoing eruption of the Soufrière Hills volcano that has caused two-thirds of the island’s population to emigrate and left half the island a dangerous exclusion zone. Archaeological research here began only in the late 1970s, but work over the past four decades has now made it possible to present an archaeological history of Montserrat, from the earliest known traces of human activity on the island about 5,000 years ago to the present. This book draws on all the available archaeological evidence (including that from the co-authors’ own island-wide survey and excavation project since 2010), as well as newly available archival documents, to trace this little island’s long history and heritage. This is not the story of an isolated and remote island: Montserrat is shown rather to be a place intricately connected to the flows of people and goods that have travelled between islands and across the Atlantic at various points in time, both Amerindian and historical. Despite its small size and seeming irrelevance, Montserrat has in fact always been networked into regional and global systems of connectivity. An underlying theme of this volume is resilience. It presents insights from the archaeological and documentary evidence on how the island’s inhabitants have coped with often adverse conditions throughout the course of its history – hurricanes, volcanic eruptions, slavery, disease, invasions, and impoverishment – all while remaining proudly connected to heritage that celebrates the accomplishments of island residents.

What would have happened if the Irish had conquered and controlled a vast empire? Would they have been more humane rulers than the English? Using the Caribbean island of Montserrat as a case study of "Irish" imperialism, Donald Akenson addresses these questions and provides a detailed history of the island during its first century as a European colony.

Gallery Montserrat presents biographical sketches of persons whose lives and work have shaped the history and development of this British colony from its European settlement in 1632 to contemporary times. The mosaic of persons includes Leeward Island Governor William Stapleton, the philanthropist Joseph Sturge, pioneer trade unionist Robert W. Griffith, the island's first Chief Minister William H. Bramble, the martyrs of the 1768 rebellion, Wally Wade who went from minus to millions, and two women ministers of government. On the artistic side it features nineteenth century king of Redonda, M.P. Shiel, the poet Archie Markham, and Edgar White whose plays have been staged in Europe, the USA and several Caribbean countries. These are ostensibly isolated portraits but together they give a rich insight into an island story, its evolutionary struggles and triumphs and the culture of its people.

This densely illustrated junior-friendly tour-book walks you through an enchanting Caribbean island of Montserrat and makes you feel what it's like to live side by side with an active volcano. From the history of Montserrat civilization, endemic fauna and flora, savvy accommodation, to education, sports and crime rate, this compact guide leaves you without a reason to guess about life in this distant paradise; instead it makes you witness its daily zest. Welcome to the Leeward Islands, the British Overseas !

West Indian migration has attracted considerable attention in recent years. There is a growing body of sociological literature dealing with various aspects of the adjustment of West Indian, as well as other, immigrants in Britain. This book looks at the continuing relationships these migrants maintain with the societies they have left.