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 Montserrat  >  History  and  CultureMontserrat,  The emerald isle
Montserrat was discovered by Christopher Columbus in November 1493. Columbus named the island after a Spanish monastery in the mountains of Barcelona. Apparently he did not land in Montserrat.

Archaeological digs provide evidence that the island was inhabited by Amerindians from 500BC to 1500 AD and was previously known as Alliouagana.

There was a 140 year gap between discovery and settlement by Europeans and the first to settle in 1632 were the Irish fleeing religious intolerance in Virginia and St. Kitts. They were later joined by indentured servants and Cromwell’s prisoners. Local historian, Professor Sir Howard Fergus, in his book, Montserrat, History of a Caribbean Colony, wrote that by 1636 the first Governor of the island, Anthony Brisket, was building the first St. Anthony’s Anglican Church and that ‘Montserrat was an Irish island with an English government’.

Agriculture was the main economic activity in the early years of European settlement with tobacco the main export crop. This was replaced by the more profitable sugar cane. In successive years, limes, then cotton and then tomatoes were grown for export as each in turn failed to provide a good return. Montserrat however, became known for the quality of it’s lime juice which was exported to the drinks manufacturer Sweppes. Agriculture remained the mainstay of the economy right up until the 1960s.

With the advent of sugar and its need for intensive labour, African slaves were imported into Montserrat and from 1707 the majority of the population were Africans. The Irish, however, left their legacy in the names of places such as Kinsale, St. Patrick’s and Cork Hill and in the surnames and blood of the people of Montserrat including the Allens, Blakes, Daleys and Ryans.

The emancipation of African slaves took place in 1838 (four years after the abolition of slavery) giving them personal freedom though not political equality. Education became compulsory in 1880 but this was difficult to enforce.

British rule which began in the mid seventeenth century has continued almost without interruption to this day. There were two brief periods of French rule in 1665-1667 and again in 1781-1783. Montserrat was also included in two federations. The first was the small federation of the Leeward Islands in1871 when these islands shared a British appointed governor. This was dissolved to make way for inclusion in the larger West Indies Federation of 1958. This too was dissolved and Montserrat got its first ministerial government in 1961.

Today the Government is led by a Governor and the Chief Minister. The Governor, who is appointed by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, retains power for offshore finance, public service, defence, internal security and foreign affairs. The Chief Minister, assisted by three other Ministers, all elected, has responsibility for all other matters.

The failure to successfully trade sugar, limes and cotton on the export market led to decline in agricultural produce and hardship for most of the population. The trade union movement was introduced in 1946 seeking better conditions for workers. However, changes in Montserrat’s economic fortune were due to factors other than agriculture. There was mass migration to the UK and the introduction of residential tourism to Montserrat.

Emigration was always seen as the way out for both skilled and unskilled workers in Montserrat, who were ambitious to improve their lot and, from 1905, Montserratians emigrated to countries offering better prospects including Panama, Costa Rica, the Dutch islands of Curacao and Aruba and the USA. When the UK opened its doors to migrant workers many Montserratians took advantage and, between 1955 and 1961, nearly 4,000 had migrated to England from a population of around 15,000. Remittances from UK contributed handsomely to the economy.

The other factor that changed Montserrat’s fortunes was the introduction of residential tourism which started in the 1960s when redundant agricultural lands Development in the north of Montserratwere sold off mainly to North Americans to build second or retirement homes. These sales boosted the construction industry, whilst the tourists contributed to the economy through increased activity in the service sector. By the late 1980s early 1990s the island had embarked on manufacturing light electronic goods for export and the future was looking promising.

Montserrat, however, has had its fair share of natural disasters, the last which and the most destructive, is the eruption of the Soufriere Hills volcano in 1995. The volcanic eruption which is still on-going has made more than half of the island uninhabitable and has destroyed the capital Plymouth, the only commercial centre and the best agricultural lands.

The eruption of the volcano followed on the heels of Hurricane Hugo in 1989 which damaged 98% of the homes, destroying many of them, as well as commercial and municipal buildings and schools. Other notable disasters were hurricanes in 1924 and 1928 and earthquakes in 1672, 1843, and 1935. The St. Anthony’s Anglican Church has been damaged or destroyed on each of these occasions. It now lies in ruins from the volcanic eruption. Since the start of the eruption, more than 6000 people have evacuated the island. The current population stands at 4,500.

With the help of the British Government and the European Union, the Government of Montserrat has now embarked on developing the north of the island, which was previously sparsely populated and underdeveloped. A new infrastructure has been put in place with new government headquarters, schools, hospital and houses. In 2005 fixed wing flights to Montserrat resumed after an eight year absence.


Our Culture

Art:
Montserrat national dressArt: Montserratians enjoy storytelling and this historically took the form of skits or short plays in community centres. In recent times drama groups, such as Ash, export their plays to regional festivals.


Dance:
The traditional dance of the masquerades takes place at all festivals dating back to the days slavery.


Music:
All types of music are played and enjoyed in Montserrat but we excel in performing calypso and Soca. In fact the Soca anthem “Hot, Hot, Hot” originated in Montserrat performed by the internationally renowned Montserrat artist, Arrow.