Codrington Trust’s five-pillar initiative to address historical atrocities

In a historic move towards reparative justice, four tenants on the Codrington Estates — likely direct descendants of those enslaved on the plantation more than 300 years ago — have become landowners, marking a significant milestone in an $18 million reconciliation project to address the historical atrocities of the Transatlantic Slave Trade.

The initiative, launched just five months ago, aims to transform the lives of communities living on the sugar plantation once owned by 17th-century slaveholder Christopher Codrington, whose legacy created Codrington College and The Lodge School.

The initiative is spearheaded by the legacy organisations controlling the estate – the Codrington Trust and the British-based United Society Partners in the Gospel (USPG), the Anglican successor body to the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts (SPG), which took over Codrington’s bequest upon his death in 1710.

The SPG used the plantation’s proceeds to fund the establishment of Codrington College in 1745, making it the oldest theological seminary in the Americas and the earliest tertiary institution in the Caribbean. The Codrington Grammar School, established between 1721 and 1745, became The Lodge after it moved to the Chaplain’s Lodge at Society, St John, in 1829.

But those proceeds came from the forced labour of enslaved Africans, the ancestors of most Barbadians.

In an update on the project’s achievements so far, Executive Secretary of the Codrington Trust, historian Kevin Farmer said significant strides have been made since its September launch.

The main achievements in 2024 were the formation of an 11-member steering committee which includes two community representatives; a Land and Surveys Department survey of two of the five tenantries, and engagement with major archives including the Anglican Communion’s Lambeth Palace Library, Britain’s National Archives at Kew, and Oxford University’s Bodleian Library, Farmer said.

“We are actively engaging with the community through ongoing town hall meetings,” he told Barbados TODAY. “These serve as a platform for feedback and information-sharing, particularly on the critical objective of transitioning tenants into landowners under the Freehold Tenantry [Purchase] Act. To date, four tenants have successfully become landowners which is a significant milestone.

“Efforts will continue in 2025 to empower more tenants to achieve land ownership.”

In addition, foundational workstreams have been established across the five pillars of the project, which are research and memorialisation, academic research, land ownership and community development, entrepreneurship, and theological development, he added.

With respect to the first pillar, work is expected to begin shortly to identify burial sites and homes of the enslaved people who lived, worked and died on Codrington Estates.

Farmer added: “Guided by community consultation, the final outcome will see the creation of memorials and a family research centre dedicated to helping descendants trace their ancestry. In addition, one of the key results will be training new Caribbean archaeologists and researchers to preserve Barbados’ cultural heritage.”

On the academic research pillar, plans are already in place for a subcommittee to develop a collaborative research network with institutions like the University of the West Indies and bring together specialists from Barbados and the UK to assess and initiate historical research into the estates.

The historian disclosed that a research symposium is also being planned for October this year to review findings on history, archaeology, theology, and reparatory justice and to establish academic scholarships for Barbadian and Caribbean students pursuing advanced studies in these subjects.

Regarding the land ownership and community development pillar, Farmer described this as an important element of the project from which the Trust will not relent.

He said the backers of the reconciliation initiative remain committed to facilitating the transition from leasehold to freehold ownership of property by qualified tenants.

“Two of the five tenantries have already been surveyed in collaboration with the Barbadian government, and efforts are ongoing to expand this work to support tenants transitioning into land ownership.”

Under the fourth pillar, there are further plans to generate entrepreneurship and self-reliance through business development initiatives expected to be implemented in 2025-2026.

These programmes will include financial literacy and mentorship to enable recipients to ensure the sustainability of their ventures.

The final pillar will see Codrington College undergo a curriculum review and align its offerings with the project’s goals this academic year.

In addition, the development of a new master’s degree programme on reparatory justice is also under consideration.

“The success of the Codrington Project,” Farmer suggested, “relies on continued collaboration with the community, academic institutions, and stakeholders both locally and internationally. By working together, this initiative aims to foster renewal, reconciliation, and a brighter future for the communities of the Codrington Estates, Barbados and the Anglican communion in the region.”

Over the next ten years, $18 million is to be allocated to fund the initiative.

At emancipation in 1834, the British government compensated the SPG for the 411 slaves it owned as they were considered property. The payout of £8 823 8s 9d after emancipation – now worth £1 316 447.73 ($3 471 672.24) in today’s money was channelled to Codrington College.

The project is governed by the 11-member steering committee, chaired by prominent historian Professor Sir Hilary Beckles, and includes representatives from the Codrington Trust, the USPG, and the Barbadian community. The committee will guide the project’s operations and oversee the work of Farmer and Reverend Dr Duncan Dormer, general secretary of the USPG.

The representatives of the Codrington Trust on the Steering Committee are led by the head of the Anglican church in the Caribbean, the Most Reverend Dr Gregory Howard, the Archbishop of the Church in the Province of the West Indies (CPWI) and Bishop of Jamaica. It will include Marva Howell of the Ministry of Labour, Social Security and Third Sector and Canon Dr Michael Clarke, principal of Codrington College.

The USPG members include the chair of trustees, the Right Reverend Dr David Walker, Bishop of Manchester.

The reconciliation project is a significant moment in the ongoing process of addressing the legacy of slavery in Barbados. But there remains an underlying expectation for deeper discussions on reparations between the USPG and the government. 
emmanueljoseph@barbadostoday.bb