Encyclopedia of Nevis

This book is the first encyclopedia devoted to Nevis. One of the initial settlers was John Bourne, probably inspired to seek his fortune in the West Indies by William Strachey, his brother-in-law’s father who provided Shakespeare with the inspiration for Prospero in The Tempest. Nevis became a major source of sugar produced on slave plantations. The British Royal Navy defended Nevis and this brought Horatio Nelson and the future King William IV to the island; the former marrying in Gingerland. The great American statesman, Alexander Hamilton was born on Nevis, and his birthplace is now a museum.

 

The treatment of slaves on Nevis was horrific and it was an issue split many families: Rev James Tobin from Nevis, spoke out and wrote in favour of slavery. His son, James W. Tobin, opposed slavery, and the grandson, Walter Tobin, fought in the American Civil War to end slavery in the United States. From the late nineteenth century, there was a decline in the island’s economy, causing some Nevisians to move to North America or to Britain. The father of Melanie B, ‘Scary Spice’, was one of these. The Bath House Hotel and nearby spa attracted visitors from the eighteenth century, and nowadays, tourism remains a mainstay of the local economy.

 

This book describes the places, institutions and people who have made Nevis such an attractive place for residents and visitors alike. There are biographical articles on many settlers, plantation owners, historians, cricketers, politicians, government officials and visitors, appendices listing colonial officials, and politicians, and a complete compendium of all election results since 1952.

 

The Encyclopedia of Nevis has a preface by Mark Brantley, Deputy Premier of Nevis and Minister of Foreign Affairs of St Kitts and Nevis; and a foreword by Professor Marco Meniketti, San Jose State University. It contains over 300 illustrations and maps.