| Barbados Timeline |
| A
chronology of key historical events from 1536 to the present
day |
| COLONIZATION
TO REVOLT |
 |
| 1536 |
Portuguese
explorer Pedro a Campos visits the island. |
|
| 1627 |
Captain
Henry Powell lands a party of English settlers who establish
a colony, which they then develop as a sugar plantation
economy using slaves brought in from Africa. |
|
| 1629 |
Barbados was divided into six parishes - Christ Church, Saint Michael, Saint James, Saint Thomas, Saint Peter and Saint Lucy. |
|
| 1639 |
Barbados'
first parliament, the House of Assembly, holds its first
meeting. Sixteen land-owners were chosen in 1639 to constitute the House of Burgesses, soon to become the House of Assembly. |
|
| 1645 |
Barbados was divided into the present 11 parishes in 1645. Each parish thereafter chose two representatives for the House of Assembly. |
|
| 1652 |
Col. Thomas Modyford elected as the first Speaker of the House of Assembly. hereafter, the two Houses of Parliament, the Legislative Council and the House of Assembly, sat separately. |
|
| 1663 |
Barbados
is made into a British crown possession. |
|
| 1813 |
John Brathwaite, Esq, elected by the Legislative Council as its first President. |
|
| 1816 |
Slaves
stage a revolt. |
|
| 1831 |
Free coloured men who satisfied the property requirements became entitled to vote in elections for the House of Assembly. |
|
| 1834 |
Slavery
abolished. |
|
| 1843 |
Samuel Jackman Prescod, the first coloured man to sit in the House, was one of two members elected to the House of Assembly for the new constituency of the City of Bridgetown. Thereafter, there were 24 members of the House of Assembly until 1981. |
|
| 1876 |
British
proposal for a confederation of Barbados and the Windward
Islands triggers bloody riots in Barbados. |
|
| 1924 |
Democratic League of Barbados, a pioneering black political group, was founded by Dr. Charles Duncan O'Neal |
|
| POLITICAL
PARTIES FORMED |
|
| 1937 |
Outbreak
of riots in response to poor economic conditions; British
Royal Commission sent in to investigate conditions |
|
| 1938 |
The Barbados Progressive League (BPL), soon to become the Barbados Labour Party (BLP), was formed in April and launched in October 1938. |
|
| 1946 |
In the general election in November 1946, the Barbados Labour Party won 9 seats, the West Indian National Congress Party 7, the Barbados Electors Association 6, and 2 Independents were elected. The Bushe Experiment by which elected Members were given quasi-ministerial portfolios was introduced after this election. |
|
| 1948 |
Mrs. Muriel Hanschell was appointed to the Legislative Council, the first woman member of either House. |
|
| 1951 |
Universal
adult suffrage introduced; BLP wins the December 1951 General Elections with 15 of 24 seats. Edna Ermyntrude Bourne was the first woman to be elected as a member of the House of Assembly. |
|
| GRANTLEY ADAMS ADMINISTRATION |
|
 |
| Premier Grantley Adams with the 1954 Cabinet of Barbados |
|
| 1954 |
Ministerial
government commenced on1 February 1954 with Grantley Adams as Premier. Fred C. Goddard (Babados Electors' Association) became the first Leader of the Opposition. |
|
| 1955 |
Democratic
Labour Party (DLP) formed out of a splinter of the BLP. |
|
| 1956 |
Barbados
Labour Party wins 15 of 24 seats in 6 December 1956 General Election. The House of Assembly was, from 1956, elected for five years. |
|
| GORDON CUMMINS ADMINISTRATION | Learn more » |
|
| 1958 |
Hugh Gordon Cummins becomes Premier following resignation of Grantley Adams to become Prime Minister of the West Indies Federation. |
|
| 1958-1962 |
Barbados
a member of the British-sponsored Federation of the West
Indies, of which Grantley Adams became the first Prime Minister. |
|
| FIRST ERROL BARROW ADMINISTRATION | Learn more » |
|
| 1961 |
Barbados
granted full internal self-government with DLP leader
Errol Barrow as Premier. DLP wins 14 of 24 seats in 4 December 1961 election. |
|
| 1964 |
Voting age was reduced to age 18. |
|
| INDEPENDENCE & BEYOND |
|
 |
| The Barbados Flag being raised on Independence Day 1966 |
|
| 1966 |
Errol Barrow led DLP returned for a second consecutive term in office, winning 14 of 24 seats in the 3 November 1966 General Election. |
|
| 1966 |
Barbados
becomes independent on 20 November 1966 with Barrow as first Prime Minister. Sir John Stow, the last Governor, becomes first Governor-General. |
|
| 1967 |
Barbados
joins the United Nations. |
|
 |
| First Prime Minister of Barbados Errol Barrow addressing the United Nations |
|
| 1967 |
Local Government Councils were abolished. |
|
| 1967 |
On 18 May 1967, Sir Winston Scott, takes office as the first native Governor-General. |
|
| 1971 |
DLP returned for a third consecutive term in office, winning 18 of 24 seats in the 9 September 1971 General Election. |
|
| 1972 |
Barbados
establishes relations with Cuba. |
|
| J.M.G.M. 'TOM' ADAMS ADMINISTRATION |
|
 |
Prime Minister of Barbados, JMGM Tom Adams with other world leaders
(Eugenia Charles, Dominica; Lester Bird Antigua and Barbuda; Margaret thatcher, UK; Indira Ghandi, India) |
|
| 1976 |
BLP,
led by Tom Adams, the son of Grantley Adams, returns to
power (in their first win in a General Elections since
1961) with 17 of 24 seats in the 2 September 1976 election. |
|
| 1981 |
BLP wins a second consective term in office, winning 17 of 27 seats in the 18 June 1981 General Election. |
|
| 1983 |
Barbados
supports and provides a base for the US invasion of Grenada. |
|
| BERNARD ST. JOHN ADMINISTRATION | Learn more » |
|
| 1985 |
Adams
dies and is replaced by Bernard St John (BLP) as Prime Minister. |
|
| ERROL BARROW ADMINISTRATION | Learn more » |
|
| 1986 |
Errol
Barrow becomes Prime Minister after his DLP wins the General Elections with 24 of 27 seats. |
|
| ERSKINE SANDIFORD ADMINISTRATION |
|
 |
| Erskine Sandiford being sworn in as Fourth Prime Minister of Barbados |
|
| 1987 |
Erskine
Lloyd Sandiford (DLP) becomes Prime Minister following
the death of Barrow. |
|
| OWEN ARTHUR ADMINISTRATION |
|
 |
| Fifth Prime Minister Owen Afrthur address the United Nations General Assembly |
|
| 1994 |
Owen
Arthur becomes Prime Minister after his BLP wins a decisive
victory in the General Elections, securing 19 of the 28
seats in the House of Assembly, the lower chamber of parliament. |
|
| 1999 |
BLP
wins a landslide in the General Elections, capturing 26
of the 28 seats in the House of Assembly. |
|
| 2002 |
Barbados
is removed from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation
and Development (OECD) list of countries deemed to be
uncooperative tax havens. The country was put on the list
in 2000. |
|
| 2003 |
Barbados Labour Party wins third consective election with 23 of 30 seats; Owen Arthur returned for third term. DLP wins other 7 seats. |
|
| 2004 |
Sea border disagreement with Trinidad and Tobago flares after arrest of Barbadian fishermen. Barbados takes border case to UN-backed tribunal. |
|
| 2008 |
Country's only prison is badly damaged and subsequently evacuated following fires and an uprising among inmates. |
|
| DAVID THOMPSON ADMINISTRATION |
|
 |
| David Thompson being sworn in as Sixth Prime Minister of Barbados |
|
| 2008 |
Parliamentary elections on January 15 won by opposition Democratic Labour Party with 20 of 30 seats. David Thompson becomes Prime Minister. |
|
| FREUNDEL STUART ADMINISTRATION |
|
 |
| Freundel Stuart being sworn in as Seventh Prime Minister of Barbados |
|
| 2010 |
Prime Minister Thompson dies in office on 23 October 2010. Freundel Stuart becomes Prime Minister. |
|
| 2013 |
Democratic Labour Party wins second term in office in the 21 February 2013 General Election with 16 of 30 seats. |
|
| 2018 |
Dame Sandra Mason installed as the eight Governor-General of Barbados. |
