Remembering BVI's Past, Protecting Our Future
A reflection on the British Virgin Islands' recent past highlights how islanders endured hardship through farming, craftwork and migration, and how those experiences shaped community identity. The piece argues for protecting the Territory's Constitution and civic unity, urging recognition of historic figures and cautioning against divisions based on birthplace or ancestry.
There was a time not long ago when life in the British Virgin Islands was shaped by sheer resourcefulness. People fished, burned charcoal, farmed the hillsides and made essentials by hand. Women in East End plaited straw to cover Bay Rum bottles made in St John, while others produced Tenerife lace, crocheted slippers and strung jumbie beads and Job’s Tears into mats for export.
Cattle farming dominated the rural economy; animals were driven through Road Town to markets in Martinique and Guadeloupe, and boats loaded at Tobacco Wharf outside the Agricultural Station. Many families lived in two-room houses with outdoor latches, shared outhouses and outdoor kitchens.
Local stores doubled as banks—JEW Georges is recalled as the countryman’s bank where people deposited earnings and purchased goods against accounts, even financing funerals. Public practices mirrored the trust of the era: a PWD paymaster reputedly carried cash across Tortola in the 1950s, handing wages for outlying settlements through trusted intermediaries, and merchants sometimes covered shortfalls when government payrolls lagged (Harrigan/Varlack).
At one point, the UK provided roughly 71 percent of government revenue in grants. Migration for work was central to family survival. Many BVI men sought employment in the Dominican Republic, Cuba, St Croix and the US Virgin Islands—some swimming to neighbouring islands or staying on under 29-day passes.
Tragedies punctuated these movements: the loss of 59 Virgin Islanders aboard the Fancy Me in 1926 remains a community wound, as do similar maritime disasters elsewhere (Harrigan/Varlack). Politically, the Territory evolved through local action. The 1949 march led by Theodolph Faulkner, Isaac “Glanny” Fonseca and Carlton deCastro helped restore the Legislative Council in 1950, and the 1967 constitution established the ministerial system.
The column argues that Faulkner should be honoured alongside other founders outside the House of Assembly. The piece also addresses identity and leadership in the modern BVI. Many who were born outside the Territory nevertheless grew up steeped in BVIsocial norms and values; their children often know only a single identity.
The author warns against divisive rhetoric over birthplace or ancestry and points to overseas examples where immigrant-majority administrations lost sight of local roots. The concluding plea is clear: protect the Virgin Islands Constitution, safeguard civic unity, and remember the shared history that binds BVIslanders together.
This reflection appears as part of a Friday series aimed at preserving and discussing the Territory’s history for present and future generations.
Primary source: Guavaberry