Antigua, the largest of the British Leeward Islands, is about 14 miles long and 11 miles wide, encompassing 108 square miles. Its highest point is Boggy Peak (1319 ft.), located in the southwestern corner of the island. Barbuda, a flat coral island with an area of only 68 square miles, lies approximately 30 miles due north. The nation also includes the tiny (0.6 square mile) uninhabited island of Redonda, now a nature preserve.
The first comprehensive written record of the early inhabitants of Barbuda comes from information contained in the Letter and Memorandum Book of Sir William Codrington (1715-1790). An entry begins with the statement a list of what white servants, Negroes, cattle, and horses that I have now at Barbuda July 27th 1719. The book provides an extensive record of the first African slaves, who were the ancestors of present-day Barbudans, including names, gender, and age group. The white servants originated mainly from the United Kingdom via other Caribbean islands.
Barbuda's history has been intimately tied to that of Antigua for centuries. The first early attempts to settle Barbuda (by both the British and French) were failures, and it wasn't until 1666 that the British established a colony strong enough to survive the ravages of both nature and the Caribs. In 1680, four years before he began cultivating sugar on Antigua, Christopher Codrington was granted (with his brother John) a lease to land in Barbuda. With subsequent leases that granted them additional rights to the substantial wreckage along Barbuda's reefs, they became the island's preeminent family.
For much of the eighteenth century the Codrington land on Barbuda was used to produce food and to supply additional slave labor for the Codrington sugar plantations on Antigua, and so the Barbuda's fortunes rose and fell with those of its larger neighbor. Testament to the influence of the Codringtons remains today, both in the island's place names and in its architectural remains. On Barbuda's highest point (124 feet) are the ruins of the Codrington estate, Highland House, and on the island's south coast still sits the 56-foot high Martello castle and tower, a fortress that was used both for defense and as a vantage from which to spot valuable shipwrecks on the outlying reefs.
Barbuda's Frigate Bird Sanctuary is located in the island's northwestern lagoon and is accessible only by boat. The sanctuary contains over 170 species of birds and is home to over 5,000 frigate birds. Fregata magnificence, the most aerial of water birds, possesses the largest wingspan (four to five feet) in proportion to its body size of any bird in the world.
It is also known as the man o' war bird, and the comparison to warships is a particularly apt one--with its superior size and flight capabilities, the frigate bird harasses less agile flyers like pelicans, egrets, and cormorants until they drop their catch. The male frigate is marked by its red throat pouch, which it can inflates as part of its courtship behavior and as a defensive display. Courting takes place in the fall, and chicks hatch late in the year.
For a more complete and detailed perspective on the history of Barbuda visit barbudaful.net for Barbuda information.
