Borsselen (also Borslem) is an island in 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 ...
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 ...
, and was the capital of
Demerara
Demerara (; , ) is a historical region in the Guianas, on the north coast of South America, now part of the country of Guyana. It was a colony of the Dutch West India Company between 1745 and 1792 and a colony of the Dutch state from 1792 unti ...
between 1755 and 1782.
History
In 1745,
Demerara
Demerara (; , ) is a historical region in the Guianas, on the north coast of South America, now part of the country of Guyana. It was a colony of the Dutch West India Company between 1745 and 1792 and a colony of the Dutch state from 1792 unti ...
was created as a separate colony out of
Essequibo, and was initially governed from Essequibo. The colony grew rapidly, and attracted many English planters.
In 1755, Gedney Clarke, a Barbados merchant requested political representation, therefore the administration was moved to the island of Borsselen,
upriver near plantation
Soesdyke which was owned by the Governor
Laurens Storm van 's Gravesande.
Two administrative buildings, a small fort and barracks were built on the island.
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.
In 1765,
Jan Cornelis van den Heuvel became governor of Demarara. Van den Heuvel owned plantation de Parel across from the island, but 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 ...
forced him to move to the island with his assistants and clerks. Arguments about the island continued for many years. The settlement near the guard post 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 became the capital of the colony. In 1812, the town was renamed to
Georgetown.
References
Bibliography
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External links
*{{usurped,
The Wonderful Demerara River} (featuring a picture of the island)
Demerara
Geography of Essequibo Islands-West Demerara
Populated places in Essequibo Islands-West Demerara
River islands of Guyana