HIST 3030: The Evolution of Social Policy -- A Biography of Dame Patricia Symmonds (1925-Present)

SYMMONDS, OLGA aka PATRICIA SYMMONDS, 1925- PRESENT

By Alvesia Weatherhead, Student, HIST 3030 The Evolution of Social Policy in Barbados, Department of History and Philosophy, The UWI Cave Hill Campus 

Dame Olga Patricia Symmonds, GCM, DBE, commonly known as Patricia Symmonds, educator, politician, and member of the senate, was born on 18 October 1925 to Alga Ianthe Symmonds and Algernon Symmonds. She is the elder sister of Barbadian diplomat, the late Algernon Washington Symmonds, and aunt of Donna Symmonds, a prominent lawyer. Symmonds lived in both Strathclyde and Bank Hall Road in St. Michael while growing up. Symmonds currently resides in Strathclyde and is 94 years old.

Dame Olga Patricia Symmonds

She was first educated at a private school ran by Mrs. Maude Haynes, widow of a Moravian Minister, at 5 years . At 10 years, Symmonds won a St. Michael’s Vestry Scholarship to Queen’s College (QC), which was a First Grade School for girls at that time. Symmonds attended Queen’s College up to sixth form and was appointed Head Girl. In 1945, Symmonds left QC and started teaching at the St. Michael school in September. She taught English and left The St. Michael School in July, 1951 after 6 years to attend the University of Reading and the Institute of Education in England where she completed a one-year postgraduate certificate course in English. Symmonds returned to Barbados in 1952 and went back to The St. Michael School. Symmonds was appointed Head of English Department and later Deputy Head-Principal of the school from 1963–1976. Symmonds was then appointed Principal of the school from 1976-1985.

Symmonds has contributed extensively to education and public service in Barbados. At The St. Michael School, Symmonds implemented the start of school at 8 am. She also implemented Weekly Assembly with prayer and said that this would aid in the ‘’strengthening of religious principles, develop self-confidence, and learn to assume responsibility’’. She also stressed the importance of honoring and respecting the school and its uniform. She oversaw the expansion of the school orchestra and developed a school diary. Symmonds also ensured that the school curriculum consisted of sports and extracurricular activities, noting that ‘’I was always of the view that sports should be a core curriculum subject for it develops a spirit of sportsmanship and qualities of leadership. It teaches humility in victory and grace in defeat. It provides enjoyment, fitness and relaxation’’.

Moreover, Symmonds has lectured part time at The UWI, Cave Hill Campus and delivered tutorials for free from 1963. She has also sat on many educational committees and non-government organizations. Symmonds was the founder member and President of the Barbados Association for the Teaching of English for 22 years. The committee was founded in 1967 and functioned as a voice for English teachers. Members of the committee sat on CXC sub-committees, where they asked for English Literature to be separated from English Language and graded independently and they were successful. The committee also evaluated external exams and looked at the English Curriculum and gave their opinions and recommendations for improvement. As President of the committee, Symmonds carried out lecturers in English at the Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) to help journalists with their writing. She also conducted courses in English at the Government Training Division, Cable and Wireless (now Flow) to both staff and managers, Insurance Corporation of Barbados, Ltd. (ICBL), and Barbados Fire and General staff of the National Conservation Commission (NCC).

Symmonds was also a member of the International Federation for the teaching of English, Chairman of the Royal Commonwealth Society, Barbados Branch, Life member of the Barbados Cricket Association, Chairman of a Ladies Committee, member of the St. John’s Ambulance Brigade, President of the Friends of St. John Ambulance, Chairman of the National Committee on Ageing, Deputy Chair of the Commission on Social Justice, former Council Member, member of the Barbados National Trust, Chairman of the first National Advisory Council on Women, member of the Advisory Board of the Salvation Army, Patron of the Barbados Alzheimer’s Association, Chairman of the functional competencies survey committee, and served on Council of the Barbados Family Planning Association. Moreover, from 1976-1978 Symmonds was Deputy Chairman of the National Commission on the Status of Women. As a member of the International Federation for the Teaching of English, Symmonds promoted the work and voices of fellow English and literacy educators in Barbados. The International Federation for the Teaching of English is a global network of educators engaged in teaching, research, scholarship and advocacy in the fields of English and literacy education.

Symmonds was also involved in politics. From 1986 to 1994, she was the General Secretary of the Barbados Labour Party (BLP). She also served in the Senate from 1994-2007, where she served as the first female Deputy President in the last four years. Symmonds was also a member of the Privy Council of Barbados from 1997 to 2000. Symmonds retired in 1991 and has been richly rewarded for her contribution to education and public service. She has been given awards from The St. Michael School and Queen’s College for her contribution to the development of education. She has been awarded the Barbados Secondary Teacher’s Union Award and Grantley Adams Award. In 1977, she was the recipient of the Queen’s Silver Jubilee Medal. In 1985, she was awarded the Award of the Gold Crown of Merit. In 2000, Symmonds was appointed as Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire by her Majesty, the Queen, for public service and contribution to education.

SOURCES:

BOOKS AND ARTICLES:

1.     Brathwaite, J. (1999). Women and the Law: A Bibliographical Survey of Legal and Quasi-Legal Materials with Special Reference to Commonwealth Caribbean Jurisdictions and Including Relevant Commonwealth Caribbean Legislation and Case Material. Barbados. University of the West Indies Press.

2.     Mary Chamberlain. (2010). Empire and Nation-building in the Caribbean:1936-66. United Kingdom. Manchester University Press.

3.     Symmonds, O.P. (1993). Longer Lasting than Bronze. Barbados. PrintSource.

4.     Symmonds, O.P. (2009). Recalling These Things: Memoirs of Patricia Symmonds. Barbados. PrintSource.

5.     Academic Dictionaries and Encylopedias. (2019). Patricia Symmonds. Retrieved from https://enacademic.com/dic.nsf/enwiki/5084455. Accessed 11/15/2019.

6.     The Barbados Advocate. (2016). Barbados Labour Party Achievements on Display. Retrieved from https://www.barbadosadvocate.com/news/barbados-labour-party-achievements-display. Accessed 11/15/2019.   

7.     The Barbados Parliament. (2019). Order Paper of the Honourable Senate. Retrieved from https://www.barbadosparliament.com/past_order_papers/senate/view/21. Accessed 11/15/2019.

8.     Issuu. (2017). St. Michael’s School 85^th Anniversary. Retrieved from https://issuu.com/nationpublishing/docs/st._michael_s_school_85th_anniversary. Accessed 11/15/2019.

9.     Barbados St. Michael Alumni Toronto. History of the Principals. Retrieved from https://www.barbadosstmichaelalumnitoronto.com/history.html. Accessed 11/15/2019.

10.  Barbados Labour Party. (2016). Women’s League. Retrieved from https://www.blp.org.bb/womens-legue/. Accessed 11/15/2019.

11.  Revolvy. (2018). Patricia Symmonds. Retrieved from https://www.revolvy.com/page/Patricia-Symmonds. Accessed 11/15/2019.

Please note that some of the information in the Biography was provided by Donna Symmonds, niece of Dame Symmonds, her housekeeper, and a telephone conversation with Dame Patricia Symmonds herself in late 2019.

HIST 3030 The Evolution of Social Policy: The Women's Self-Help Association Helped Women Overcome Poverty

By, Ariel Moore, Student, HIST 3030 The Evolution of Social Policy in Barbados, Department of History and Philosophy, The UWI Cave Hill Campus

Women’s groups are increasingly becoming vehicles for social, political, and economic empowerment (NEHA KUMAR, 2018). Caribbean women advocated for women's rights drawing on a historical legacy of women's resistance and influenced by the first wave of the international feminist movement of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Their history of organizing includes religious and social welfare organisations, civic and political organisations, trade unions, and women's arms of political parties (Rawwida Baksh, 2013).

The Women's Self-help movement was one of the earliest manifestations, where a colonial governor’s wife organised white women to teach poor women housewifery skills and initiated income generating projects based on needle work skills. The Women's Self-help association in Barbados was a charitable organisation founded by Lady Gertrude Codman Carter (wife of Sir Gilbert Carter, Governor of Barbados (1904-1911) and a group of Barbadian women in 1907 (Clutterbuck-Cook, 2017). The organisation enabled women to maintain themselves and their families (Bulletin of the Pan American Union). The aim of the Association was to provide a ready and safe medium for the sale and purchase of various works made by it members: 

The organization arranged for what today we might consider a “fair trade” shop in Bridgetown, Barbados, where women could sell handicrafts and artwork to tourists as a means of adding to the family income. Edward Albes of the Pan-American Union wrote approvingly of the shop upon visiting Bridgetown in 1913: In the salesroom of the association may be found picture postals, photographs, curios, Indian pottery, lace, embroidery and fancy needlework, homemade jellies, cakes, pies, light lunches, delicious ices, etc., and all at remarkably low prices. The association…is maintained by the ladies of Barbados, and is a splendid example of practical benevolence (Clutterbuck-Cook). 

Drawing from this, one can say that the organisation allowed for the development of entrepreneurial skills of low-income women, who were involved in it. It allowed them to produce items to sell giving them a sense of economic enfranchisement and by extension, assistance in raising them out of poverty.

The organization did not only help women with the promotion of their products, it also played a role in organised movements. So much so that an examination of women’s participation in the disturbances of the 1930s suggests not only that women played a major role in these uprisings, but they were motivated by the burden of responsibility for the social and economic welfare and their families in the matriarchal societies (Cheris Kramarae, 2004). Furthermore, in most of the territories, women's first exposure to organized mass movement was through church groups and community associations such as the Women’s Self Help Association (Cheris Kramarae, 2004)

However, at its start, the Barbados Women’s Self Help Association catered primarily to the needs of white women and middle-class non-white women ladies often from the top echelons of society (Kramarae):

Indeed, throughout the Caribbean, women from the middle and upper class initially led the struggle for suffrage and basic rights...by the 1920s, however, Afro-Caribbean women began to promote their own interests... in Barbados, women began pressing for greater involvement in the political process as early as 1951, when Barbados polled its first universal adult suffrage. That year Barbados elected its first woman, Ermie Bourne Senior, to the house of assembly. Since that time, the senate has averaged six women members per session. In 1995, the Dover Accord conference in Barbados endorsed a quota system for women’s participation in political parties and government...That same year, Barbados elected a woman, Dame Billie Miller, as deputy Prime Minister. The women’s movement on the Island was further aided by the appointed of Dame Nita Barrow as governor general. In office, Barrow was important to the promotion of primary health care programs (Cheris Kramarae, 2004)

One can conclude that the women's self-help association aided in, pushing government to get involved in the economic enfranchisement of Barbadian women. Which is evident, seeing as though, the “Government of Barbados has been quite actively supporting women entrepreneurship through training and trade fairs”  (Ferdinand, 2001). Additionally, Within Barbados Government’s Sectoral Plan 1993-2000, there is a clear outline of the policy framework for women’s entrepreneurship which states inter alia (among other things), that:

Strategies and measures aimed at the fuller integration of women in the development process will be formulated and implemented. Economic and social development policies and programmes must seek to address disadvantages experienced by women (Ferdinand, 2001).

The Government also acknowledges that the enhancing of women’s skills, the encouraging of new employment and entrepreneurial opportunities for women as well as the encouragement of increased involvement of women in business ventures (all of which the Women's Self-help association provided) are preconditions for the successful implementation of the principles previously mentioned (Ferdinand, 2001). Thus, training programmes in productive activities were introduced and cooperative ventures, self-help enterprises and joint ventures were facilitated and encouraged as well as measures adopted which promoted the increased involvement of women in export activity (Ferdinand, 2001)

This further reiterates the point the Women’s Self Help Association was a trailblazer for women’s upward mobility.  Firstly, it directly assisted women in selling their crafts, thus creating a direct link to income, but it also got women involved in movements, politics and policy-making to create better working conditions for women, while pushing some out of poverty. 

The Women's Self-help Association helped women for 100 years as of was closed in 2011. Women have been (and still are) organizing for a long time and have been doing so amongst themselves as well as within society. Thus they have been playing an active role in ensuring their own upward social mobility and economic enfranchisement, evidently in creating entrepreneurial and professional women. 

Bibliography

Cheris Kramarae, D. S. (2004). Global Women's Issues and Knowledge. In D. S. Cheris Kramarae, Routledge International Encyclopedia of Women. Taylor & Francis.

Clutterbuck-Cook, A. (2017, May 5). Gertrude Codman Carter’s Diary, May 1917. Retrieved from Masshist.org: http://www.masshist.org/beehiveblog/2017/05/gertrude-codman-carters-diary-may-1917/

Ferdinand, C. (2001). JOBS, GENDER AND SMALL ENTERPRISES IN THE CARIBBEAN. Geneva.

NEHA KUMAR, K. R. (2018, March 7). International Women's Day: Self-help groups aid communication, empowerment in India. Retrieved from IFPRI.org: http://www.ifpri.org/blog/international-womens-day-self-help-groups-aid-communication-empowerment-india

Rawwida Baksh, L. V. (2013). Women’s citizenship the democracies of the Americas . In L. V. Rawwida Baksh, Women’s citizenship in the democracies of the Americas: the English-speaking Caribbean.

United States Congressional Serial Set, Volume 6475. (1913).

The Ancestral Call for Return: Start here. End (t)here.

By, Tara Inniss, Lecturer, Department of History and Philosophy, The University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus

Newton Slave Burial Ground, Christ Church, Barbados

Some of us in Barbados and the Diaspora saw some posts and short videos on social media this past weekend showing a ceremony taking place in Ghana of Barbadian officials burying the “remains” of an “unknown” enslaved African burial/space from Barbados to Africa. Those present described it as a very emotional experience. I have no doubt that it was. Confronting the theft of our culture and the erasure of lives lived during enslavement in Barbados is an extremely visceral experience that would touch any one of us if we had the opportunities to do so. 

When we take our students to the spaces that exist here in Barbados, it is also an emotional experience. If I were to describe it, I would say the emotion is more of revelation and connection than it is of reflection and communion. It is a revelation simply because they did not know that these spaces existed. There are no signposts. There are no pathways or guided markers. If there is a sign upon arrival, it is likely a plaque describing something that was – not is. They are forced to reflect on the fact that these spaces are not a valued part of their heritage.  They never even learned about them in school. In fact, they never really learned their own history. We reflect on that. Together.

There must be many places on this island that hold the remains of our enslaved ancestors. Unfortunately, we are only aware of three that have been documented archaeologically – all of which faced threats to their protection and at least one, which was completely destroyed. These are the burial spaces at Newton Slave Burial Ground which is now the property of the Barbados Museum and Historical Society (BMHS); Fontabelle Slave and Free Coloured Burial Ground which was destroyed by Government to make way for the Barbados Investment and Development Corporation (BIDC) Small Business Development Building; and at least one burial that was excavated during development at the Pier Head likely in the vicinity of the Royal African Company’s Barracoons where newly arrived African captives were landed before being sold off to enslavers in Barbados and the rest of the Caribbean. The area is better known today as the Barbados Tourism and Investment (BTI) Inc.  car park in Bridgetown.

The Barbadian landscape -- past and present -- is such that we have little documentation on the burials of hundreds of thousands of Africans and their enslaved descendants after living, working and dying here. We know they exist, but we do not know where they are. Plantation records, if they exist and are accessible, had been silent and certainly the changing nature of sugar production, estate ownership and residential patterns of a landless emancipation in this island have rendered people’s memories of these spaces either fragile or absent. The majority of enslaved Africans in Barbados were not allowed to be buried in the well-known parish cemeteries on this island as they were not ‘Christian’ and there was complete denial of their religion and spirituality. But they had to bury their dead somewhere – and the places that were selected for them to confer their own rites for their departed were often on the most marginal land of the plantation – usually not suitable for sugar or other agricultural production.

In the case of the burial space at Fontabelle, this was land that was given for this expressed purpose by Joseph Rachell (1716-66) who was widely regarded as the first free black businessman in Barbados.[1] He recognised that the slave and free coloured communities of Bridgetown did not have anywhere to bury their dead so he gave them land to do so. Unfortunately, these spaces have been largely lost to time. Having little access to the somewhat permanent materials that we traditionally associate with grave sites, such as tombstones or other memorials, all that may remain is some of the plantings of trees and shrubs that we know helped the enslaved and free find their dead.

That is why when we have found them here or in other parts of the Caribbean or the rest of the Americas they are quite special on a number of levels. Although an estimated 12.5 million enslaved Africans came to the Americas, there are only a handful of burial spaces that have been located – largely by accident – during archaeological surveys prior to modern construction. Among these are the African Burial Ground National Monument in New York City, USA and Valongo Wharf Arcaheological Site, a UNESCO World Heritage Property in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. There have been other excavations in the region including the house-yard slave burials at Seville Estate in Jamaica as well as others in the French-speaking Caribbean. It is important to note that controversies have existed over the movement of ancestral remains of enslaved peoples as well as other artifacts within and outside of state borders for a number of reasons.

Newton Slave Burial Ground is special because it is the only extant communal slave burial ground that has been found in the region, quite possibly in the Americas. That means that we know that the burials at Newton were those of persons enslaved at Newton. When Jerome Handler uncovered the location of the burials at Newton in the 1970s, it spurred an entire new field of archaeological and historical investigation into the cultural and biological history of Africans in the Americas. It is still used today as a benchmark field study for archaeologists and historians globally. And, unlike the rest of the island’s plantation history, Newton Plantation is one of the best-documented estates in the island. That means that we know a lot about the slave community at Newton – stories of maronnage, landmark court cases for freedom; gender dynamics; resistance; even names and family groups for certain time periods. The enslaved community at Newton is not anonymous.

But are these burial spaces quite special to us as a country? That is a categorical No. I know about them because I learned about them while doing history and archaeology at The UWI, Cave Hill. My knowledge of them largely derives from the work we did with Dr. Karl Watson as undergraduate and postgraduate students. In fact, I was there with him and other students when we tried to do rescue archaeology of only a handful of what was hundreds, maybe thousands of burials at Fontabelle in the early 2000s under severe pressure from the contractor with heavy equipment that had destroyed most of the site and with it one of the largest known slave and free coloured urban burial grounds in the Caribbean. Approximately 1000 burials were destroyed! That was an emotional, visceral experience too as we bulldozed a sacred space belonging to our ancestors as a consequence of “development”. 

Most people today are not aware of burials at Newton, Fontabelle or Pier Head. Most people do not even know where the Newton Slave Burial Ground is; and if you went you would have to drive up to the back of an industrial park, walk a short hike through a cart road in a cane ground and stare at a rolling field which is usually overgrown so you cannot see the burial mounds.  You will be greeted by a molded over Barbados Slave Route sign which is part of a now defunct Ministry of Tourism project.  At Fontabelle, all there is to mark what was is a small plaque at the entrance of the BIDC complex. And at Pier Head -- well we all park our cars there to go on to do our shopping in town and rarely contemplate the suffering and bewilderment of arrival that took place under our feet.

These are places of return too! These are sites of memory for the slave trade and slavery right here in Barbados! Look what we have done with them. Nothing.  Destroyed them. Neglect them. They are not places of revelation or connection and certainly not places for reflection or communion. Most of us will never be able to visit a symbolic burial of ancestral “remains” in Ghana, or any other place on the West African coast although many of us may wish to. Why have we not done our work in Barbados to confront our own African past and to understand the identities that evolved because Africans were here? We have not done our work spiritually or otherwise to even ready ourselves for return. And it is my greatest regret as a daughter of the Diaspora that we have no place here in Barbados to honour our ancestors, even though spaces exist!

I say this in the light of what other communities in Barbados have done to reflect and commune with their own past and the value they have placed on sharing it with others. The recent redevelopment of the Nidhe Israel Synagogue and its environs demonstrates an enduring commitment by the Jewish community to not only honor their presence here but also to share in that recognition with others, including memorializing the historic location of Codd’s House where our emancipation was read aloud for the first time on our soil (also destroyed by Government in the 1980s). I also look to a small group of dedicated persons who cleared and restored a Quaker Burial Ground – there is not even a Quaker presence on the island having been driven out by persecution in the 17^th century! But this space was regarded as having significance and is maintained as such. We can say that since Independence, a majority African-descended Government of Barbados has invested little in the spaces that symbolize the survival and sacrifice of our African ancestors – in fact, we can say that there has been a legacy of neglect and destruction to remove this past from our landscape.

I am calling on our Government to recognize these failings in our past decision-making of erasure and neglect and with a fervent plea: do not relegate our own heritage to the dust-pile of history. Please respect, protect and value our own archaeological and historical past. Please see archaeology as a friend, not foe to our country’s development and knowledge about ourselves. Please invest in our archives and repositories of memory. Please make this history known in our schools and museums. These are spaces for peace-building and community. These are places that can instill the pride we all feel slipping away.

If 2020 is the year of return for Barbadians, please let it to be spaces like Newton Slave Burial Ground that show the value we place on this history with sensitive interpretation where we can do more than reveal and connect but also to reflect and commune.

We do not have these spaces.

We cannot go on these emotional journeys.

We cannot truly free our ancestral call for return without them.

Start here. End (t)here.

---

[1] The irony here, of course, is that there is no memorial to Joseph Rachell, an early example of an enterprising black Barbadian, whose own grave was moved in street widening that occurred in the vicinity of St. Mary’s Churchyard. In fact, his philanthropic legacy in the burial ground at Fontabelle was destroyed to make way for a building that was established to help build infrastructure for small (mostly black) Barbadian businesses for which there was an argument that such a legacy never existed…

Theatres in Historic Bridgetown and the Garrison -- Zakiya Doyle, PhD Candidate Cultural Studies

Theatres in Historic Bridgetown

By, Zakiya Doyle, History Teacher, The St. Michael School, Barbados and PhD Candidate, Cultural Studies

If we cast our minds back to the days before TV and technology ruled our lives and provided entertainment, we would see theatre spaces in Bridgetown as important aspect of the city’s cultural life. Like many cultural and recreational pursuits in Bridgetown, theatres also reflected the social segregation of Bridgetown society, so there were many more theatre spaces in Bridgetown to accommodate disparate social classes. Operating since at least the early 18^th century, theatres were located throughout the city. Eighteenth-century theatres were not purpose-built, but were located in buildings that served other purposes. Visiting professional and local amateur dramatic companies performed in the spaces. And in the 18^th and early 19^th centuries, Bridgetown was an important stop on the Atlantic circuit with production tours starting here and ending in New York.

Performances of imported plays and musical productions predominated in the 18^th century, but by the 18^th century there were some modest productions by local playwrights.

THEATRE ROYAL

            Located at the corner of James and Coleridge Street was the Theatre Royal which operated between the years of January 1^st 1812 - 1844.   However, within the article, “The Tonic Effect of Acting: Frank A. Collymore and Barbadian Theatre” Marcia Burrowes relays that this theatre “hosted performances during the period 1808-1819”[1].  Closer examination of Burrow’s thesis unearthed the fact that there was a theatre which opened in 1808 and was later called the Temple Theatre (in the year 1809).  This theatre had had a successful season within the year 1810, and because of this success the “managers decided to raise money to build what they called a neat and commodious theatre in Bridgetown”.[2]    As such, the decision was made to build a new theatre, which would later be called the Theatre Royal.  There was a ceremony which took place to mark the laying of the first stone of the new theatre and this fact can be substantiated with an advertisement made within The Barbados Mercury, on Saturday June 2^nd 1810.  This advertisement informed the public that “the committee have fixed on Monday next the 4^th June, between the hours of Twelve and One o’Clock to lay the Foundation of the Stone thereof and will be glad of their presence on the occasion”.[3]    

            In the year 1812, on January 1^st to be precise, the Theatre Royal was opened to the public and “of course there were no more productions at the Temple Theatre”.[4]  The inaugural productions included the “celebrated comedies of the West Indian and the Spoiled Child”.[5]   In addition, on this night there was an “introductory address” given by a Mr. Dykes, written by Thomas Marshall Esq. of the theatre.  Admission into the theatre was set at two dollars for Boxes and one dollar each for the Pit, and Gallery.  Performances continued at this theatre until there was a decline during the year 1819, “and the building began to fall into a state of neglect”.[6]   The building was put up for sale two years later in 1823.   A notice within the Barbados Mercury illuminated this fact since it was stated that “At a General Meeting of the Proprietors of the above Theatre, on 23^rd instant, it was Resolved that the same should be immediately sold for the benefit of all concerned.  Notice is hereby given that it will be put all together with the Scenery, Machinery and sold to the highest bidder on the premises Wednesday the 21^st of March at twelve o’clock”.[7]   However, an advertisement on March 20^th 1821 notified the public that the sale of the Theatre Royal was postponed “for a short time of which due notice will be given”.[8]   Hereafter, Alleyne informs us that, “The building was however seldom used afterwards and its proprietors transferred all theatrical activity to the Freemason’s Hall.  The hurricane of August 1831 finally destroyed the Theatre Royal and in March 1833 its ruins were sold off.”[9]  Nevertheless, Alleyne continues to suggest that, “By the date of the latter a new theatre of the same name had been under construction on a piece of ground near St. Mary’s Church called Temple Yard and this opened in 1833”.[10] 

Sporadic performances continued at this theatre until the year 1844 when the theatre was sold.  The Theatre Royal was advertised for sale in the local newspaper The Barbadian on 4^th September 1844.  The advertisement  stated that, “Messrs, Abrams, Clairmonte and Co. have received  directions to dispose by private contract the Theatre Royal a large and spacious wooden building, strongly erected with a superfluity of beams, rafters, sleepers, supporters and columns  and when it is taken into full consideration the quality of the materials indispensible in fitting up a Theatre, and altogether the immense mass of wood that composes the building, it may be said what a profitable advantage it must be turned to; they are confident should the purchase be inclined to hastily reimburse himself and pull it down and sell it piecemeal and he will be sure of a handsome remuneration in a very short time”.[11]  Thus, the Theatre Royal seems to have shifted from the corner of James Street and Coleridge Street, to Temple Yard which would also serve to explain why it was “opened” albeit not continuously to the year 1844.   

ALBERT HALL

 Albert Hall was opened on 16^th January 1874 and was located on the corner of James Street.  This theatre was owned by Henry Trotman.   The inaugural production is notable since it consisted of a performance from the Harrison’s Dramatic Company, which comprised of the boys who attended the school.   An anonymous writer, commenting on the upcoming performance applauded the efforts of these boys and encouraged the public to attend this performance.  Giving his/her name as only B. this individual commented that, “I would advise all those who have never availed themselves of the treat offered to them, by the boys of Harrison’s to do so on the 16 inst.  They express their hope that the Barbadian public would support their youthful desire to please”.[12]   A thorough examination of the papers was carried out to see how this production had done, but no further information was uncovered.  

Nevertheless,   there were also other notable productions, as for instance in the year 1881, “a travelling group of professionals called the E.A.M. McDowell Vaudeville Company appeared” at this theatre but after this season ended the theatre was considered “too small and its acoustics poor and shortly after agitation arose in the Press for a better theatre” in 1882.[13]  However, despite these problems there were productions still being hosted at the Albert Hall but ten years after, in1892, the theatre closed its doors – it was sold during this year to the Barbados Telephone Company.  

After the theatre was sold there were public calls for a new theatre in Bridgetown. There was an article which appeared within the Barbados Herald which sheds light on this claim.  The article was entitled “A Theatre for Bridgetown” and spoke of a meeting which was held to discuss the “erection of a new Theatre or Public Hall in this city”.[14]   The article suggests that “a large number of people attended the meeting and it appears everyone agreed that there was a need for a theatre in Barbados.[15]  However, it appears as though “this scheme came to nought” as nothing no new theatre was constructed at this time.[16]  

WIHELMINA HALL

The Wilhelmina Hall was located on High Street and was owned by a James H. Inniss.  This theatre was named after his wife and it was opened on August 4^th 1894.  A report within the Barbados Herald informs us about the events of the opening night, “Mr. James H. Inniss’ new theatre was opened last Saturday evening by Lady Hay, in presence of a large number of spectators.  His Excellency the Governor made a few remarks on the advantages to be derived from the erection of such a building and hoped the venture would prove a success. At the close of the ceremony Mr Inniss presented Lady Hay a photograph of the Hall in commemoration of the event.  The name given to the building was “Wilhelmina Hall.”[17]   

The first performance at this theatre, which was in aid of the Wanders Pavilion Fund, took place at a later date, Friday the 10^th August with the performance of “The Jacobite” and the farce “An Ugly Customer”.  The initial productions were previously slated to be held on the 8^th August, however, the change was “due to the fact that the Hall would not have been quite ready on the 8^th, the date first fixed for the first performance”.[18]  Another interesting fact about performances at this theatre is that “in addition to stage productions Wilhelmina Hall also early introduced motion pictures. The first show of this kind was given in November 1905 by a certain Monsieur H. Kaurt, but it appears that motion picture entertainment did not finally begin as a regular feature until September 1908” . [19]

 The Wilhelmina Hall operated for a total of nineteen years, until the name of the theatre was changed from the Wilhelmina Hall to the London Electric Theatre and later to the more commonly known Olympic Theatre.[20]

LYCEUM AMATUER THEATRE 

            The Lyceum Theatre was located in Reed Street.  However, the initial opening of this theatre is hard to decipher but the earliest report of any activity concerning this theatre was within the year 1828.   Within the newspaper The Barbadian 4^th March 1828, an advertisement announced that,

By Permission under the protection of His Honour the President and the Patronage of the Public.  The Amateurs of the above theatre (Lyceum) instituted for the benefit of the poor purpose performing on Monday March 17^th 1828 the grand Tragedy of The Apostle with entire new Scenery, Dresses and Decorations with the farce of Fortune’s Frolic[21]    

Tickets for this event could have been obtained from Mr. Samuel Jackson Prescod , who was one of the main “stewards”  or organisers of the said theatre. 

Conversely, two years later another advertisement ran within The Barbadian informed the public that, “The Amateurs of the Lyceum Theatre, beg leave to inform their friends and public generally, that they intend to erect a temporary theatre on the Ground, in which they will exhibit their dramatic skill in the performance of the following celebrated pieces – namely on the first night the Bellamira and on the second Speed of the Plough”.[22]  There was another production put on by the theatre on 27th of May 1830 which was “Dr. Young’s much admired tragedy of The Revenge with the entertaining farce of The Apprentice”.[23]  

The Lyceum Amateur Theatre seems to have been a temporary theatre as it was closed in 1830. Warren Alleyne tells us that the Lyceum Theatre “appears to have been active only from February until June that one year (1830)”.[24]  A quotation taken from Burrows’ article, “The Tonic Effect of Acting” also supports this view as it is suggested that, “Occasionally, local theatre groups would be formed but would be fated to have a short life. Such was the case of the Lyceum Amateur Theatre which was eventually managed by the free coloured advocate Samuel Jackman Prescod.”[25]  However, within the notes (after the article) Burrows makes note of the discrepancies surrounding the actual opening date of this theatre, when she states that, “Note the discrepancy in data provided regarding when this theatre was established.   Fraser et al (A-Z of Barbadian Heritage) states that Prescod managed it in 1828 “if not earlier” while Alleyne states that it was not established until 1830”.[26]  Certainly, any activity at this theatre for the remainder of 1830 was not unearthed throughout my research.               

THE GARRISON AMATEUR THEATRE 

         This theatre was located at St. Ann’s Garrison.  Theatrical productions at St Ann’s Garrison are said to have begun with the advice of Viscount Combermere who “as a measure designed to improve the welfare of the troops encouraged amateur theatricals”.[27]   As such, the first theatre “was a large wooden hut, previously used as barracks on the east side of St. Ann’s Fort, and the first programme, consisting of two plays, was staged there on the evening of July 29, 1818”.[28]  These plays were the productions of “Colman’s play of John Bull or the Englishman’s Fireside.  After which the Farce of the Raising the Wind” was performed.[29]    By the year 1823, “a theatre was specially built and this opened on the evening of Thursday 18^th December with The Conquest of Taranto and a farce entitled The Review or The Wags of Windsor”.[30]   

Theatrical activity continued at the Garrison Theatres for a long time, and during its life span the theatre was housed at different buildings.  For instance, the theatre which was built in 1823 “which was demolished by the 1831 hurricane” after which another theatre was built some time after.[31]  This did not signify the end of the changing “home” of the garrison theatricals, as the location was yet again changed.  Nevertheless, the theatrical activity came to an end in 1905 when the Garrison Troops were withdrawn from Barbados.                

DAPHNE JOSEPH HACKETT THEATRE

This theatre is located within Queens Park, more accurately within Queens Park House.   During the 1970’s the government of Barbados enlisted the services of the architect Oliver Messel to restore the Queens Park House, which had fallen into disrepair.  After the renovations, the theatre was officially opened on 3^rd December 1973.  The President of the Barbados Arts Council Mr. John Wickham reopened the theatre at the Queens Park House and remarked that, “the non development of drama in Island was due to a lack of facilities” as such the reopening of this theatre could be viewed as a step made by the Barbadian government to boost dramatic performances and activity within the island.[32]

Throughout the years this building housed a number of notable productions and events.  For instance, this building hosted the Caribbean Festival of Creative Arts (CARIFESTA) in the year 1981.  In addition, this theatre also staged the local delight, “Laugh it Off” a production which began in the year 1985.   Laugh it off proved to be very popular and was said to have “had the large audience rolling in their seats”.[33]

 In the year 1990 this theatre was named after Daphne Joseph-Hackett, “a teacher who was instrumental in promoting theatre arts in Barbados"[34] and productions at this theatre continued through the 1990s until the theatre eventually fell into disrepair.   Finding the exact date this theatre was closed proved to be difficult, however, unofficial reports claim that performances finished here in the year 2003. 

THE EMPIRE THEATRE

                   This theatre was opened on October 18^th 1922.  On the opening night, the programme included “some screen snap shots and two vaudeville items prepared and presented by Mr. J. H. Wilkinson”.[35]    However, the inaugural production at this theatre fell short for some, a  fact which was highlighted with comments made by a writer to the Herald Newspaper, under the pseudonym the Entertainer, who states to the Editor that,

            In  making its debut to the Barbados public on Wednesday night 18^th instant the Empire authorities seemed to think it worth while to dispense with any grand opening and entertaining such as obtained on the occasion of the opening  of the “Wilhelmina Hall” 28 years ago.  One would have expected that with a real perfect Theatre un fait accompli for “Little England” something of grandeur, at any rate worthy would have accompanied its debut.  But it appears that the only mark of distinction which commended itself was to obtain a few remarks from the governor to usher in the advent of the Empire.  Those present who remembered when the Wilhelmina Hall made its bow must have been struck by the contrast and could only remark “What a falling off was there” when they considered the great name Empire.  The Empire authorities fell short of the glory and only made a dry bow[36]

Nevertheless, the Empire Theatre flourished during its early years of operation and the theatre played a

dual role of hosting both the moving pictures and dramatic performances. New cultural practices evolved from this one. For example, there was the pre-show entertainment in which local performing artists did song and dance routines to entertain the audience before the showing of moving pictures (film).  Frank Collymore, as part of the Kelly and Colly Duo performed these pre-show routines in the Empire Theatre[37] 

This was where “In later years Frank Collymore was to distinguish himself upon the stage as a dramatic actor in a variety of roles”[38] and as such, throughout its lifespan there were a number of notable productions which occurred within this theatre, but to coin the old adage “all good things come to an end” and so it did when the Empire closed its doors around the year 1983.        

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[1] Marcia Burrows, “The Tonic Effect of Acting: Frank A. Collymore”. Ed  Philip Nanton, Remembering the Sea: An Introduction to Frank A Collymore  (Bridgetown: Central Bank of Barbados, 2004), 35. 

[2] Warren Alleyne”A tradition of Theatre”. Ed. Trevor Gale The Bajan and South Caribbean (Bridgetown: Carib Publicity Co. Ltd, August 1981), 17.

[3] The Barbados Mercury and Official Grazette, Saturday June 2^nd, 1810

[4] Alleyne, 17.

[5] The Barbados Mercury and Official Grazette, Saturday December 28^th, 1811

[6] Alleyne, 17.

[7] The Barbados Mercury, January 30^th 1821  

[8] The Barbados Mercury, March 20^th 1821

[9] Alleyne, 17.

[10] Alleyne 17.

[11] The Barbadian, Wednesday September 4^th , 1844

[12] The West Indian (Barbados),  Friday, January 9^th 1874. 

[13] Warren Alleyne, “From the Lyric Temple to the Olympic Theatre”. Ed.   Trevor Gale The Bajan and South Caribbean(Bridgetown: Carib Publicity Co. Ltd, September 1981),   27.

[14] The Barbados Herald, March 7^th 1892  

[15] The Barbados Herald, March 7^th 1892

[16] Alleyne, “From the Lyric Temple to the Olympic Theatre”, 27.

[17] The Barbados Herald, Monday August 6^th 1894.  

[18] The Barbados Herald, Monday August 6^th 1894

[19] Warren Alleyne, “From the Lyric Temple to the Olympic Theatre”.  pg 28 

[20] Warren Alleyne, “From the Lyric Temple to the Olympic Theatre”.  pg 28             

[21] The Barbadian, March 4^th 1828

[22] The Barbadian Friday, February19th 1830.  

[23] The Barbadian, Tuesday May 25^th 1830

[24] Warren Alleyne, “A Tradition of Theatre”, 17.  

[25] Burrows , 35.

[26] Burrows , 50.

[27] Warren Alleyne, “The Garrison Theatres” The Barbados Nation,    

[28] Warren Allenye, “The Garrison Theatres” The Barbados Nation,

[29]The Barbados Mercury and Official Grazette, July 25^th 1818   

[30] Alleyne, Tradition, 17

[31] Alleyne, “The Garrison Theatres” The Barbados Nation. 

[32] The Barbados Advocate, December 4^th 1973.

[33] “You Should Not Miss Laff it Off”, Miles Rothwell,  Advocate November 26

[34] “100 Years of Queens Park” Midweek Nation Extra, Wednesday June 10^th 2009.

[35] Warren Alleyne “The Empire Theatre Rises”, The Bajan and South Caribbean,(Bridgetown: Carib Publicity, October 1981), 50.

[36] The Barbados Herald, Saturday October 21^st 1922.  

[37] Burrows, 37.

[38] Alleyne, “The Empire Theatre Rises” , 50.