While on his second voyage through the Caribbean, Christopher Columbus sighted and named various islands. It is often unclear which islands retained the name he assigned to them. The names given to them by the Kalinago were erased from history

A group of loggers who stopped to cut wood at St. Kitts found the island unoccupied.

Very little is known about this attempt to settle the island. It may have been a Huguenot group looking for a place where they could practice their religion without discrimination. Warner found French men on the island during his first visit.

Thomas Warner and a small number of men arrived at Old Road Bay in the ship called the Marmaduke. They set up a small fortified community "betwixt ye two rivers"

An English account states that a woman, who was part of the Kalinago community, warned Thomas Warner of an impending attack. The English and French joined forces and repelled it. Tegreman, leader of the Kalinago community was among those killed..

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The English and French Settlers agreed to divide the island between them. The French took the two ends and the English settled in the middle..

The French had found refuge in Antigua. Du Roissey returned to France but D’Esnambuc and about 350 settlers returned to St. Kitts. He was not feeling as enthusiastic as before about the chances of the French colony.

Pierre D'Esnambuc maintaned a French presence in St. Kitts and saw the settlement of Guadeloupe and Martinique. He died in the Basseterre quarter of St. Kitts due to failing health.

The planting of tobacco stopped for 18 months following an agreement between De Poincy and Warner. This was the result of a glut in the market. De Poincy introduced sugar cane cultivation.

The French community was allowed to restart tobacco planting. Warner extended the ban in the English part of the island by another 12 months. Sensing that an alternative was needed, De Poincy introduced sugar cane. .

1500 men took up arms and a list of grievances was drawn up. The colonists insisted that they lived in a free colony and that laws should be passed by an Representative Assembly. Warner gave in and created an Assembly of 24 men. However, 4 men who went to make presentations in England never returned and others still on island were banished.

Thoissy tried again to assert his role as Governor General and captured a fort in Capisterre taking two of De Poincy’s nephews. He was met by a force led by Warner and De Poincy and defeated. Eventually he had to surrender his claim to the governorship of Saint Christophe and return the two nephews.

De Poincy persuaded Grand Master Lascaris in Malta to pay 120, 000 livres for St. Kitts, St Croix, St Bartholomew and St Martin

This was a vision of an English colonial empire. Admiral William Penn sailed across the Atlantic with 2500 troops, recruited 3000 more in Barbados and then another 1300 in St. Kitts, mostly landless or impoverished men. They attacked Hispaniola disastrously but successfully captured Jamaica from the Spanish.

The act strengthened restrictions under Cromwell's act. Colonial imports and exports were restricted to ships belonging to the English possessions. Crews had to be three-quarters English, and ship captains were required to post a bond to ensure compliance and could recoup the funds upon arrival.

This war was the result of Dutch resentment over the Navigation acts. Dutch mercendise was popular because it was not burdened by tariffs.

News of the French entry in the war arrived in the Caribbean and Governor De Sales decided to pre-empt an attack. Preceded by enslaved Africans who set fire to the cane fields, they devastated the area between Cayon and Dieppe Bay. Leaders on both sides were killed. Chevalier de Saint-Laurent took control of the island.

While some considered this a good deal, the exiled planters in Nevis convinced the king that St. Christopher “was one of the flourishing colonies, the first and best earth that ever was inhabited by Englishmen amongst the heathen cannibals in America.”

In St. Kitts, the earth opened up nine feet in many places and buried solid timber and sugar mills. It caused the collapse of the Jesuit College and all other stone buildings. The sea withdrew a furlong from Charlestown returning after two minutes.

A French fleet arrived at St. Kitts. The invaders raided and burnt several plantations and carried off three hundred enslaved workers before the attack was repulsed. They next landed in Nevis. Planters claimed compensation for losses from the British Government

The burnt out church of Notre Dame was re-built as an Anglican church and named St. George’s.

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The British Parliament authorised the distribution of £103,003 among those planters in St. Kitts and Nevis who suffered losses during the French raid of 1706 and who had re-settled their plantations.

Black Bart Robert’s Royal Rover was set on fire by his disloyal crew. Unaware of this he blamed Governor Mathew and threatened Basseterre. He later sailed away without causing the destruction he had promised.

A Commission of three men was appointed to dispose of the French Lands on St. Kitts. They were William Matthew, Gilbert Fleming and Edward Mann

The Molasses Act imposed a 6 pence tax on imported molasses from non-British Colonies. This was at the insistence of plantation owners in the British West Indies.

There were two violent hurricanes, one on September 21 and the other on October 24. A total of 24 vessels were lost at Basseterre. All were English merchant ships, most of them loaded with sugar bound for England.

A fever reduced the white population to 2713 persons. The African population numbered 21,891 due to high importation of enslaved workers. St. Kitts had 321 more white women than men.

The Stamp Act was passed to raise revenue for defence in the British Colonies. In St. Kitts the stamp paper was burnt by ‘rioters’. Kittitians then went to Nevis to make sure that their counterparts there did the same.

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An alleged conspiracy among the enslaved of St. Kitts was discovered. Governor Woodley reported that it had merely been a Saturday meeting of enslaved persons who imitated their owners by holding a Council and Assembly and concluded the evening with a dance.

An extensive fire damaged Basseterre.

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Admiral Rodney took St. Eustatius. There he found storehouses full of merchandise to the value of £3 million, a good deal of which allegedly belonged to residents of St. Kitts. The St. Kitts Assembly demanded proof in support of Rodney’s accusations, but Rodney treated their protests with contempt and sold all confiscated goods by auction at prices below value.

French Commander, Marquis De Bouille lay siege to Brimstone Hill and concentrated fire on the Fortress where ammunition started to run low. Two large breaches were blasted into the rampart of the North West Work. Unable to sustain a defense, the garrison surrendered.

An act passed prohibiting the mutilation of enslaved workers. Punishment was to consist of a fine of £500 and six months imprisonment. Those enlavers who could not pay the fine were liable to twelve months imprisonment. Mutilated enslaved persons were to be forfieted to the use of the island and publicly sold. According to James Stephen this was the first law in the British West Indies that afforded the slaves some measure of protection against their masters.

Jordan Burke of St. Kitts was indicted for wounding Clarissa, an enslaved worker. He was fined £50. Wadham Strode was fined £100 for inflicting injuries on the enslaved worker called Peter.

William Hammett, an Irish Methodist preacher, was ordained by John Wesley in 1786. He was destined to work in Newfoundland but his ship was blown off course by a storm and arrived in St. Kitts instead. Immediately he organised a society of 9 members in Old Road and visited St. Eustatius. In 1789, Thomas Coke transferred him to Tortola.

The Tontine, on the East of Pall Mall Square was acquired by Government and turned into a Court House.

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About 250 men of this regiment were stationed at Brimstone Hill. Apparently while drunk, one of the men made some rash statements to his comrades, who dismissed them with contempt. The Commanding officer saw no danger. However a rumor made its way down the Hill where the civilian population felt threatened. The Assembly took the opportunity to get rid of black soldiers who were viewed with suspicion. The Regiment was transferred to St. Vincent in 1798, one man was executed and three others flogged..

Earthquakes were experienced several times at St. Kitts and Antigua.. The strongest shock came on the 19th March.

The French invaded St. Kitts and demanded the payment of a ransom of £50,000 or the town would be burnt. General Thomas Matthew, a native of St. Kitts who was visiting from Virginia, committed £10,000 of his own money towards the safety of the island. The French were paid a total of £18,000. They withdrew but not before they set fire to six merchant ships and then let them drift out to sea.

The first register of slaves was compiled.

The free coloureds of St. Kitts petitioned for the removal of disabilities that were imposed on them by law.

Freeholders in Anguilla were authorised to send one representative to the House of Assembly of St. Christopher.The Basseterre Methodist Church was erected on its present site.

A destructive hurricane comparable in magnitude to that of 1772 caused major destruction.

The first Police Act was passed.Laws discriminating against Roman Catholics were repealed.

Emancipation was declared.There were disturbances in various parts of St. Kitts as estate workers downed tools in protest against Apprenticeship.

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Masters and Servants act passed in the Assembly.

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Basseterre was destroyed by fire.

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Workers went on strike on estates near Challengers. Old Road and Dieppe Bay. Some headed into Basseterre and, during the night, street lamps were smashed and shops looted and set on fire. Most of these shops belonged to Madeirans who had come to St. Kitts as indentured servants. These were the Portuguese Riots.

Warner Park, named after Thomas Warner, was officially opened.

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Cane cutters at Buckley’s demanded better wages. When their demands were rejected they went on strike. The strikers marched to Shadwell Estate persuading the workers there to join the strike.

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First general election held in St. Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla. The franchise was limited by a property qualification.

may stevens

ZIZ Radio Station was launched.

Construction was started on Government Headquarters, Church Street.

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The J.N.F. Hospital was officially opened.

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The Court House and Library building was destroyed by fire.

Sugar industry placed under the management of SSMC.

Hurricane Georges caused damage to 90% of housing stock in St. Kitts.