Laborie is a village on the south coast of
Saint Lucia
Saint Lucia is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean. Part of the Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, it is located north/northeast of the island of Saint Vincent (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines), Saint Vincent ...
. It was originally called l'Islet a Caret after the
Loggerhead sea turtle
The loggerhead sea turtle (''Caretta caretta'') is a species of sea turtle, oceanic turtle distributed throughout the world. It is a marine reptile, belonging to the Family (biology), family Cheloniidae. The average loggerhead measures around ...
s that were found in the area. The name Laborie is named after Baron de Laborie who was the French governor of Saint Lucia from 1784–1789. At that time the village had a population of 712. Laborie is the seat of the
Laborie District
Laborie District is one of 10 districts (formerly quarters) of the Caribbean island nation of Saint Lucia. According to the 2002 census, the population of the Quarter was 7,414 people. The village of Laborie is located about south of Castri ...
.
History
The French introduced large estates to the island and after the British took control of the island in 1814, many French landowners remained on their estates.
In 1838 the first school was opened. Known as the "Mico School" because it was opened and operated by the Lady Mico Trust, it had 80 pupils and lasted until 1891. By this time a Catholic school had opened in the village.
In 1907, the 18th Century church was replaced by a larger church which opened in 1914.
During World War II, American forces opened a radar station on the hill of Morne le Blanc to help protect the airfield that is now
Hewanorra International Airport. The remnants are still visible today.
The Creole heritage is still visible today, both in the local culture and in the
Saint Lucian Creole French language that is still widely spoken.
See also
*
List of cities in Saint Lucia
*
Districts of Saint Lucia
The island nation of Saint Lucia is divided into 10 districts (formerly called Quarters). The name ''Quarters'' or ''Quartiers'' originally came from the French period in Saint Lucia (Sainte Lucie in French). The 2001 and 2010 Census of Saint L ...
References
{{Authority control
Populated coastal places in Saint Lucia
Towns in Saint Lucia