Codrington Plantations

Codrington Plantations
Codrington College, Barbados
Location	Barbados
Area	763 acres (309 ha)
Established	17th Century

The Codrington Plantations were two historic sugarcane producing estates on the island of Barbados, established in the 17th Century by Christopher Codrington (died 1698) and his father of the same name. Sharing the characteristics of many plantations of the period in their reliance on slave labour, their particular significance was as a part of a charitable bequest in 1710, on the death of the third Christopher Codrington, to the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts (SPG).

The history of the plantations illustrates both the 18th century Church of England's dependence on financial support for Christian mission work in the West Indies from local landowners, and, until the growth of the Abolitionism, an institutional unwillingness to address issues relating to slavery.

The two estates named Codrington’s and Consett’s were located in the parish of St. John on the eastern side of Barbados and covered 763 acres (309 ha) of sugarcane planting. Codrington’s will, first drawn up in 1702, also notes three windmills with associated sugar manufacturing facilities on the land, 315 indentured slaves and 100 head of cattle.

Upon the death of Christopher Codrington in 1710, the two estates were left to the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel to fund the establishment of college in Barbados stating his "Desire to have the Plantations Continued Entire and three hundred negros at Least always Kept there on, and a Convenient Number of Professors and Scholars maintain'd." Codrington directed that a portion of his charitable bequest be used to educate the enslaved population of Barbados, but this was a gesture effectively blocked by the objections of fellow planters.

Although the monastic aspect of the college was soon abandoned, the college was constructed over an extended period from built 1714-42. The college buildings today serve as a seminary for the Church in the Province of the West Indies, an autonomous member province of the worldwide Anglican Communion.