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Bolans

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Bolans
Bolan
Village
Jennings (left) and Bolans (right)
Jennings (left) and Bolans (right)
Location in Antigua
Location in Antigua
Bolans is located in Antigua
Bolans
Bolans
Location within Antigua
Coordinates: 17°3′57″N 61°52′26″W / 17.06583°N 61.87389°W / 17.06583; -61.87389
CountryAntigua and Barbuda
IslandAntigua
ParishSaint Mary
Government
 • TypeVillage Council[1] (possibly dissolved)[2]
 • MPDwayne George
Area
 • Total
5.45 km2 (2.10 sq mi)
Elevation
11 m (36 ft)
Population
 (2011)
 • Total
2,053
 • Density376.7/km2 (976/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC-4 (AST)

Bolans (South Antiguan: Bolan)[3] is the largest settlement in Saint Mary, Antigua and Barbuda. Located south of Jennings on Valley Road, the once agrarian community has since been transformed into the economic centre of Saint Mary, as well as one of the largest tourist destinations in the country in the Jolly Harbour neighbourhood. With a population of 2,053 people in 2011, Bolans is the third largest settlement in the country behind All Saints and St. John's. It borders Jennings and Ebenezer to the northeast and Ffryes to the south.

Geography

[edit]

Bolans is located in the Montero Plain in the northern area of Saint Mary, close to the Shekerley Mountains.[4] It covers an area of 5.45 square kilometres and was composed of eight enumeration districts as for the 2011 census. There are some notable neighbourhoods in the village, including Jolly Harbour, Jolly Beach, Tottenham, Bolans Hill, Jolly Hill, and many others.[5] Valley Road, the primary route between St. John's and Urlings is the main road of the village, connecting the Jolly Harbour development to the rest of the community.[6]

History

[edit]

In 1749, what is now Bolans was the site of various sugar plantations operated by enslaved Africans. One of these plantations was owned by John Bolan, which had a windmill and operated until the abolition of slavery in 1833. Following emancipation, this estate was merged into the larger Jolly Hill estate, property of Bertie Entwistle.[7] Before the emergence of the village, Jolly Hill operated closest to what is now the village's centre. An 1829 map shows the present-day village as containing the Jolly Hill, Hermitage, York's, and Tranquil Vale estates.[8][9] Most of these sites continue to stand, although some, including Jolly Hill, are now in ruins.[9][10] Sales of land in the Jolly Hill area date back to 1686, with the purchase of 300 acres by Thomas Horsnell.[10] In 1706, Hermitage on the Pearns Point peninsula was home to 16 slaves on 62 acres.[11] York's plantation, dating back to 1670, was originally composed of two smaller estates, Muskito Cove (today's Mosquito Cove) and Bear Gardens. In 1688, York's was 850 acres and home to 78 enslaved Africans.[12]

Following emancipation, buildings began to emerge in the 1850s. Many people in Antigua were opposed to ex-slaves owning land, although planters eventually began to cease these objections following the realization that uncultivated land could be farmed by these people. Hermitage was viewed as a suitable site for ambitious ex-slaves due to its distance from the central sugar depot at Gunthropes. Many ex-slaves used box hand schemes to collectively purchase the land.[11] In the 1856, Bolans was home to 508 people in 123 homes.[13] By 1872, the Jolly Hill estate had been split into about five different holdings, and the estates, which continued to employ people following the abolition of slavery, likely encouraged the creation of small settlements in the area. By the 1880s, a school operated by the Wesleyans was operating in the village.[7]

The post-emancipation history of Bolans formalized the village as one of the new leading settlements on the island. Major decisions in the colony were expected to have at least some consultation with the village's population,[14] and the village eventually received local government in the 1940s following the adoption of the village councils system. In December 1950, the chairman of the elected village council was Clifford Parker.[15] A map from 1957 shows Bolans as being located on the island's light railway used to service sugar plantations.[16] At some point in the 1960s, the nearby village of Roses was abandoned and while the site of Roses itself became a ghost town, Bolans Hill where it stood began to be a site of the village's expansion.[17] In 1970, Bolans had 1,822 people in 441 households.[18] Bolans, the primary village in the St. Mary's South constituency, was a stronghold for the opposition for the 1971 and 1976 general elections, before eventually being swept by the Labour Party in 1980.[19] Before the 1980s, Jolly Harbour was an undeveloped mangrove, although planning for a major development commenced in 1986.[20] In 1991, Bolans had a population of 1,447. While most of the other villages in Saint Mary experienced drastic population losses following independence, Bolans only had moderate losses, with jobs and money brought to the area due to the major dredging and land reclamation work ongoing in Jolly Harbour.[21][20] By 1995, development in Jolly Harbour was mostly complete, bringing major resorts and foreign investment.[20] Today, Bolans is one of the leading settlements on Antigua, home to both commercial and recreational industries.[22]

Demographics

[edit]

In 2011, the population of Bolans was counted in eight enumeration districts.[5] Bolans had a population of 2,053 in 2011, being relatively ethnically diverse for national standards, with Africans (86.37 per cent), whites (7.77 per cent), other mixed (2.11 per cent), East Indians (0.93 per cent), other (0.93 per cent), unknown (0.82 per cent), mixed black/white (0.67 per cent), Hispanics (0.26 per cent), and Syrian/Lebanese people (0.15 per cent).[23] The village largely follows national religious trends, being mostly Protestant. The major religious groups in the village are Anglicans (23.42 per cent), Adventists (10.86 per cent), Pentecostalists (10.86 per cent), irreligious people (9.37 per cent), Methodists (8.08 per cent), Roman Catholics (5.97 per cent), and many others.[24] About 70.11 per cent of the population was born in Antigua and Barbuda, slightly above the national average. Other birth places include Guyana (6.28 per cent), Jamaica (6.07 per cent), the United States (3.19 per cent), the United Kingdom (2.73 per cent), and Dominica (2.62 per cent).[25] About 80 per cent of the population were Antiguan and Barbudan citizens.[26] About 13 per cent of Bolans residents have lived abroad at some point in their lives.[27]

Bolans remains one of the most impoverished communities on the island. Tottenham, the most deprived area in the village, is the ninth poorest neighbourhood in the country. Excluding seaside developments such as Jolly Harbour which were not included in the survey, all enumeration districts in the village were considered low income or upper-low income in 2008. Many neighbourhoods in the village had low household computer ownership, including Tottenham, being one of the only communities in the country to have no household computers.[28] In 2011, most homes had wood walls (40.56 per cent), concrete and block walls (37.75 per cent), or wood and concrete walls (14.08 per cent).[29] About 81 per cent of homes had sheet metal roofs.[30] 87 per cent of homes had at least one mobile phone.[31] 5.86 per cent of households had at least one member migrate abroad between 2010 and 2011.[32]

Most people in the village speak South Antiguan Creole.[33] The village is home to two public schools, the S. R. Olivia David Primary School for younger children and the St. Mary's Secondary School for older children.[34][35]

Notable people

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ "Village Councils" (PDF). laws.gov.ag. August 2018. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  2. ↑ "The political Neanderthal". The Observer. 12 March 2020.
  3. ↑ Desouza, Jeffrey (15 May 2025). "List of Antiguan and Barbudan localities in Creole". Axarplex. Retrieved 28 December 2025.
  4. ↑ Thompson Map (1815)
  5. 1 2 "Antigua enumeration districts 2011". Archived from the original on 9 February 2023. Retrieved 2 January 2026.
  6. ↑ Staff, Editorial (3 April 2025). "Notice to Stakeholders of Continued Work in Jennings on Valley Road". Antigua News. Retrieved 2 January 2026.
  7. 1 2 "ANTIGUA & BARBUDA'S CULTURAL HERITAGE". antiguahistory.net. Archived from the original on 22 April 2016. Retrieved 2 January 2026.
  8. ↑ Johnson 1829 map
  9. 1 2 "Antigua Sugar Mills – Antigua Sugar Mills". Retrieved 2 January 2026.
  10. 1 2 "Jolly Hill – Antigua Sugar Mills". Retrieved 2 January 2026.
  11. 1 2 "Hermitage – Antigua Sugar Mills". Retrieved 2 January 2026.
  12. ↑ "Yorke's – Antigua Sugar Mills". Retrieved 2 January 2026.
  13. ↑ Commons, Great Britain Parliament House of (1858). Accounts and Papers of the House of Commons. Ordered to be printed.
  14. ↑ "The Peculiar Class: Part 3 - The Development of the Second Middle Class, 1900-1940" (PDF). antiguahistory.net. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 August 2025.
  15. ↑ "Village Council Chairs". ufdc.ufl.edu. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
  16. ↑ Antigua 1955 and 1956: Sketch Map
  17. ↑ DOS Map of Antigua, 1959
  18. ↑ Division, Antigua Ministry of Planning, Development, and External Affairs Statistics (1974). Census of Population, 1970: Housing Characteristics. Statistics Division, Ministry of Planning, Development & External Affairs.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  19. ↑ "Antigua and Barbuda Election 2014 | St. Mary's South". 25 December 2019. Archived from the original on 25 December 2019. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
  20. 1 2 3 Clayton, Michael (4 January 2025). "History of Jolly Harbour, Antigua - From Early Settlement to Modern Development". jollyharbour.org. Retrieved 2 January 2026.
  21. ↑ 1991 census (PDF).
  22. ↑ Antigua and Barbuda: National Urban Profile (PDF).
  23. ↑ "Reports" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 January 2022. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  24. ↑ "Reports" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 January 2022. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  25. ↑ "Reports" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 January 2022. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  26. ↑ "Reports" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 January 2022. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  27. ↑ "Reports" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 January 2022. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  28. ↑ "Household ICT Survey" (PDF).
  29. ↑ "Main material of outer walls" (PDF). Archived from the original on 2 January 2026. Retrieved 2 January 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  30. ↑ "Main roofing material in Bolans by household" (PDF). Archived from the original on 2 January 2026. Retrieved 2 January 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  31. ↑ "Mobile" (PDF). Archived from the original on 2 January 2026. Retrieved 2 January 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  32. ↑ "Migrate Abroad" (PDF). Archived from the original on 2 January 2026. Retrieved 2 January 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  33. ↑ "Antigua and Barbuda Creole English | Ethnologue". Ethnologue. 7 October 2016. Archived from the original on 7 October 2016. Retrieved 1 February 2025.
  34. ↑ "Shift system starts Monday for St Mary's and JSS students". Antigua Observer Newspaper. 23 January 2020. Retrieved 2 January 2026.
  35. ↑ team, pointe (8 September 2023). "Two primary schools in the south benefit from donated tablets". Pointe Xpress | Pointe FM 99.1 | Platnium FM 97.9 | Pointe Tv. Retrieved 2 January 2026.
  36. ↑ "The Govenor [sic] General His Excellency Sir James Beethoven Carlisle". Official website of the Government of Antigua and Barbuda. 23 September 2007. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 7 July 2012.
  37. ↑ "Police Launch Major Search for Orden David". Antigua.news. 18 February 2025. Archived from the original on 20 March 2025. Retrieved 24 July 2026.
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