Demerara (; , ) is a historical region in

the Guianas The Guianas, also spelled Guyanas or Guayanas, are a geographical region in north-eastern South America. Strictly, the term refers to the three Guianas: Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana, formerly British, Dutch, and French Guiana respectiv ...

, on the north coast of

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

, now part of the country of

Guyana Guyana, officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern coast of South America, part of the historic British West Indies. entry "Guyana" Georgetown, Guyana, Georgetown is the capital of Guyana and is also the co ...

. It was a colony of the

Dutch West India Company The Dutch West India Company () was a Dutch chartered company that was founded in 1621 and went defunct in 1792. Among its founders were Reynier Pauw, Willem Usselincx (1567–1647), and Jessé de Forest (1576–1624). On 3 June 1621, it was gra ...

between 1745 and 1792 and a colony of the Dutch state from 1792 until 1815. It was merged with Essequibo in 1812 by the British who took control. It formally became a British colony in 1815 until Demerara-Essequibo was merged with Berbice to form the colony of

British Guiana British Guiana was a British colony, part of the mainland British West Indies. It was located on the northern coast of South America. Since 1966 it has been known as the independent nation of Guyana. The first known Europeans to encounter Guia ...

in 1831. In 1838, it became a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

of British Guiana until 1958. In 1966, British Guiana gained independence as

and in 1970 it became a republic as the Co-operative Republic of Guyana. It was located around the lower course of the

Demerara River The Demerara River is a river in eastern Guyana that rises in the central rainforests of the country and flows to the north for 346 kilometres until it reaches the Atlantic Ocean. Georgetown, Guyana's largest seaport and capital, is situated on ...

, and its main settlement was Georgetown. The name "Demerara" comes from a variant of the

Arawak The Arawak are a group of Indigenous peoples of northern South America and of the Caribbean. The term "Arawak" has been applied at various times to different Indigenous groups, from the Lokono of South America to the Taíno (Island Arawaks), w ...

word or , which means "river of the letter wood" (wood of '' Brosimum guianense'' tree). Demerara sugar is so named because originally, it came from sugarcane fields in the colony of Demerara.

History

Demerara was first mentioned in 1691 as a trading post. On 18 October 1745, Demerara was created as a separate colony, even though it was located on an unoccupied part of Essequibo, because the people from the province of

Holland Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former provinces of the Netherlands, province on the western coast of the Netherland ...

wanted to settle there and Essequibo was part of

Zeeland Zeeland (; ), historically known in English by the Endonym and exonym, exonym Zealand, is the westernmost and least populous province of the Netherlands. The province, located in the southwest of the country, borders North Brabant to the east ...

. In the founding documents, it was mentioned that the colonists should live in peace with the

Amerindian In the Americas, Indigenous peoples comprise the two continents' pre-Columbian inhabitants, as well as the ethnic groups that identify with them in the 15th century, as well as the ethnic groups that identify with the pre-Columbian population of ...

population and respect their territories, because they fought with the colony of Essequibo against the French privateers and helped to chase them off. The Amerindians were considered free people, and they were not allowed to enslave them. The first planter was Andries Pieterse who already owned a plantation in Essequibo. Half a year later, there were 18 large sugar plantations and 50 smaller plantations. The colony was initially governed from Fort Zeelandia by Laurens Storm van 's Gravesande, the governor of Essequibo. In 1750 he appointed his son Jonathan as Commander of Demerara. Demerara grew rapidly, and attracted many English planters. The

, who had a monopoly on the slave trade, was unable to supply them, leading to illegal smuggling from English colonies. In 1755, Gedney Clarke, a Barbados merchant and plantation owner, requested political representation, therefore the administration was moved to the island of

Borsselen Borsselen (also Borslem) is an island in the Demerara River of Guyana, and was the capital of Demerara between 1755 and 1782. History In 1745, Demerara was created as a separate colony out of Essequibo, and was initially governed from Essequibo. ...

, upriver near plantation Soesdyke which was owned by the commander of Demerara. The decision was criticised because the island was hard to defend, and the planters had started to build houses around the guard post near the mouth of the river. That settlement later became known as

Stabroek Stabroek () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises the towns of and Stabroek proper. In 2021, Stabroek had a total population of 18,680. The total area is 21.51 km². In 2008 Stabroek cele ...

, and in 1782 the capital of the colony. The town was renamed Georgetown in 1812. In 1763, a slave uprising took place in neighbouring

Berbice Berbice () is a region along the Berbice River in Guyana, which was between 1627 and 1792 a colony of the Dutch West India Company and between 1792 and 1815 a colony of the Dutch state. After having been ceded to the United Kingdom of Great Brita ...

. Governor van 's Gravesande formed an alliance with the Amerindian

Kalina Kalina may refer to: People * Kalina people The Kalina, also known as the Caribs or mainland Caribs and by several other names, are an Indigenous people native to the northern coastal areas of South America. Today, the Kalina live largely in ...

, Warao and Akawaio tribes, and prevented the uprising from spreading to Demerara and Essequibo. 50 soldiers from Demarara were sent to Berbice as assistance. The slave uprisings were a source of concern: in a 1767 letter to

Frederick the Great Frederick II (; 24 January 171217 August 1786) was the monarch of Prussia from 1740 until his death in 1786. He was the last Hohenzollern monarch titled ''King in Prussia'', declaring himself ''King of Prussia'' after annexing Royal Prussia ...

, the King of Prussia, which aimed to promote the colony for German planters, a request was added for 100 soldiers. In 1780, there were almost 200 plantations in Demerara compared to 129 in Essequibo. Demerara had become more successful than Essequibo. The rivalry between the colonies resulted in the creation of a combined Court of Policy in Fort Zeelandia. The majority of the white population of the colony were English and Scottish planters.

Conquest and reconquest

In 1781, the American revolution induced the Dutch Republic to join with the Bourbon side against the British. A large fleet under Admiral Lord Rodney's command was sent to the West Indies, and after having made some seizures in the Caribbean Islands, a squadron was detached to take possession of the colonies of Essequibo and Demerara, which was accomplished without even a fight. The previous year, the colony produced 10,000 hogsheads of sugar, 5,000,000 pounds coffee and 800,000 pounds cotton. In 1782 the French took possession of the whole of the Dutch settlements, compelling Gov. Robert Kingston to surrender. The opinion of the Dutch newspapers varied. The ''Leeuwarder Courant'' called it the loss of our Demerary, while the ''Hollandsche historische courant'' described it as a pleasant reconquest. The

Treaty of Paris (1783) The Treaty of Paris, signed in Paris by representatives of King George III of Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and representatives of the United States on September 3, 1783, officially ended the American Revolutionary War and recognized ...

restored these territories to the Dutch. The British recaptured Demerara, Essequibo, and Berbice in 1796. A deal was struck with the colony: all laws and customs could remain, and the citizens were equal to British subjects. Any government official who swore loyalty to the

British crown The Crown is a political concept used in Commonwealth realms. Depending on the context used, it generally refers to the entirety of the State (polity), state (or in federal realms, the relevant level of government in that state), the executive ...

could remain in function. They returned the colony to the Dutch in 1802 under the terms of the

Peace of Amiens The Treaty of Amiens (, ) temporarily ended hostilities between France, the Spanish Empire, and the United Kingdom at the end of the War of the Second Coalition. It marked the end of the French Revolutionary Wars; after a short peace it set t ...

, but re-took control of it a year later. On 28 April 1812, the British combined the colonies of Demerara and Essequibo into the colony of Demerara-Essequibo. They were ceded to Britain on 13 August 1814. On 20 November 1815, the Netherlands ratified the agreement.

Slave rebellion

Large slave rebellions broke out in West Demerara in 1795 and on the East Coast of Demerara in 1823. Although these rebellions were easily and bloodily crushed, according to Winston McGowan, they may have had a long-term impact in ending slavery:

Dissolution

On 21 July 1831, Demerara-Essequibo united with

, now

. In 1838, Demerara was made one of the three counties of Guiana, the other two being Berbice and Essequibo.Regions of Guyana
at Statoids.com. Updated 20 June 2011. Retrieved 20 March 2013. In 1958, the county was abolished when Guiana was subdivided into districts. Historical Demerara was divided in 1958 and are a part of Guyanese administrative regions of

Demerara-Mahaica Demerara-Mahaica (Region 4) is a region of Guyana, bordering the Atlantic Ocean to the north, the region of Mahaica-Berbice to the east, the region of Upper Demerara-Berbice to the south and the region of Essequibo Islands-West Demerara to the ...

Essequibo Islands-West Demerara Essequibo Islands-West Demerara (Region 3) is a Regions of Guyana, region of Guyana. It is situated around the Essequibo River, the largest river in Guyana that lies between the Orinoco and Amazon River, Amazon rivers of South America. It is bor ...

, and Upper Demerara-Berbice.

Notable Demerarans

* Sir James Douglas (1803–1877), Governor of the

Colony of Vancouver Island The Colony of Vancouver Island, officially known as the Island of Vancouver and its Dependencies, was a Crown colony of British North America from 1849 to 1866, after which it was united with the mainland to form the Colony of British Columbia. ...

(1851–64) and the

Colony of British Columbia The Colony of British Columbia refers to one of two colonies of British North America, located on the Pacific coast of modern-day Canada: * Colony of British Columbia (1858–1866) * Colony of British Columbia (1866–1871) See also * History of ...

(1858–64). *Rev. Joseph Ketley (1802–1875),

Congregational Congregationalism (also Congregational Churches or Congregationalist Churches) is a Reformed Christianity, Reformed Christian (Calvinist) tradition of Protestant Christianity in which churches practice Congregationalist polity, congregational ...

missionary, mid 19th century. *

John Edmonstone John Edmonstone was a taxidermist and teacher of taxidermy in Edinburgh, Scotland. He was an influential Black Briton. Early life Born into slavery on a wood plantation in Demerara, British Guiana (present-day Guyana, South America), he was ...

(late 18th century–mid 19th century), a

freed slave A freedman or freedwoman is a person who has been released from slavery, usually by legal means. Historically, slaves were freed by manumission (granted freedom by their owners), emancipation (granted freedom as part of a larger group), or self- ...

who taught

Charles Darwin Charles Robert Darwin ( ; 12 February 1809 – 19 April 1882) was an English Natural history#Before 1900, naturalist, geologist, and biologist, widely known for his contributions to evolutionary biology. His proposition that all speci ...

taxidermy Taxidermy is the art of preserving an animal's body by mounting (over an armature) or stuffing, for the purpose of display or study. Animals are often, but not always, portrayed in a lifelike state. The word ''taxidermy'' describes the proces ...

. * Andrew Watson (1856-1921), first black person to play association football at international level.

Commanders of Demerara

* Jonathan Samuel Storm van 's Gravesande (†1761) (1750–1761) * Laurens Lodewijk van Bercheijk (†1765) (1761–1765) * Jan Cornelis van den Heuvel (1765–1770) * Paulus van Schuylenburgh (1772–1781) * Antony Beaujon (22 April 1796 – 27 March 1802)

Governors of Demerara

* Robert Kingston (27 February 1781 – 1782) * Louis Antoine Dazemard de Lusignan (1782) * Armand Guy Simon de Coëtnempren, comte de Kersaint (*1742 – †1793) (1782) * Georges Manganon de la Perrière (1783–1784)

Directors-general

* Laurens Storm van 's Gravesande (1752–1772) * Joseph Bourda (acting) (6 March 1784 – February 1785) * Jan L'Éspinasse (February 1785 – 18 August 1789) * Albertus Backer (18 August 1789 – 31 March 1793) *Baron Willem August Sirtema van Grovestins (31 March 1793 – May 1795) *Antony Beaujon (May 1795 – 22 April 1796) * Antony Meertens (27 March 1802 – September 1803)

Lieutenant governors of Demerara and Essequibo

* Robert Nicholson (September 1803 – 18 August 1804) * Antony Beaujon (18 August 1804 – 17 October 1805) *James Montgomery (acting) (19 October 1805 – 8 May 1806) * Henry William Bentinck (*1765 – †1821) (8 May 1806 – February 1812) * Hugh Lyle Carmichael (*1764 – †1813) (February 1812 – 11 May 1813) *E. Codd (acting) (11 May 1813 – 23 May 1813) * John Murray (23 May 1813 – 26 April 1824) * Sir Benjamin d'Urban (26 April 1824 – 21 July 1831)

Leaders of rebellions

* 1823: Jack Gladstone of Plantation Success * 1823:

Quamina Quamina Gladstone (c. 1778 – 16 September 1823), most often referred to simply as Quamina, was a Guyanese slave from Africa and father of Jack Gladstone. He and his son were involved in the Demerara rebellion of 1823, one of the largest sla ...

of Plantation Success

References

Sources

* * * * * * *