Speightstown

Speightstown
Town
Causal view of Queen's Street, Speightstown
Speightstown
Coordinates: 13°15′16″N 59°38′27″W / 13.25444°N 59.64083°W / 13.25444; -59.64083Coordinates: 13°15′16″N 59°38′27″W / 13.25444°N 59.64083°W / 13.25444; -59.64083
Country	Barbados
Parish	Saint Peter
Elevation	11 m (36 ft)
Population (2013)
• Total	3,634
Website	Official website

Speightstown /ˈspaɪts.taʊn/ SPYTS-town, also known as Little Bristol, is the second largest town centre of Barbados. It is situated 12 miles (19 km) north of the capital city of Bridgetown, in the northern parish of Saint Peter.

The town is named after William Speight, a member of Barbados' first Assembly during the Settlement years, and the former owner of the land where the town is located.

Speightstown was formally settled around 1630 and in the earliest days of Settlement was Barbados's busiest port (AMS Seaport Code: 27213, UN/LOCODE: BB SPT ). Ships laden with sugar and other commodities left Speightstown bound directly for London and especially Bristol. For this reason Speightstown is sometimes known as Little Bristol. The quaint town has now become the centre of a tourist area as well as a secondary shopping centre.

The area of Speightstown was the first major port and commercial centre of Barbados. The city is named after William Speight, a member of Barbados' first Assembly during the colonial years as well as the former land owner where the city is located. It has a long and colorful history reaching back to the 17th century when it served as one of the main ports connecting the island with the “mother country,” England. Speightstown was the port that George Ayscue could not capture when dispatched by Oliver Cromwell to quell the insurrection in Barbados in 1649. The Barbadians were loyal to Charles I, and would not accept Cromwell as their protector. For six months Ayscue was unable to land in Barbados, and concentrated attacks on Speightstown were repelled by the small forts along the shore.