Henry Hawley (governor)

Henry Hawley was the British governor of Barbados since 1630 to 1640.

Career

Henry Hawley was son of James Hawley^[1] and he had, al least, a brother: William (who perhaps was the first governor of St. Croix for England, and (if we exclude Juan Ponce de Leon) the first Christian governor of a Virgin Island)^[2] and a sister (who married with also governor of Barbados Richard Peers).^[1] In addition, he was also brother in law of Richard Ashcraft (1590-1600).^[3] He was appointed governor of Barbados in 1630, arriving to the island in June this year. Governor Henry Hawley arrived at Barbados as the Commissioner for the Earl of Carlisle, who after a war of patents between himself, Courteen and the Duke of Marlborough emerged as the victorious proprietor of the island. The Earl was heavily in debt and revenue from the island was to pay off this debt. This was very onerous on the islanders. Hawley was just the enforcer.

During his government, Hawley did increased the entrepreneurs´s benefits, while was reducing the living conditions of the working class in Barbados. There was no such thing as working class at that time. The settlers were either freemen who could afford to pay the Captain for their passage or indentured servants, that is impoverished people from the British isles who entered into contract slavery for a certain period in order to emigrate to Barbados. In addition, Barbados suffered a severe drought, which restricted the supplies to workers and gave way to the so-called "hunger period". There was no drought - the settlers could not produce enough to feed themselves for the first few years and ships were sent from the British Isles with provisions to keep them going. Most other settlements also experienced this starving time.

So, the former governor William Tufton accused to Hawley of withholding supplies for himself and his Council, while workers had nothing to eat. Tufton could find a large number of signatories to the island that supported his ideas, but he was not able to convince the board, as this was formed by people who supported Hawlery.

After this, Hawley denounced him for treason to him, basing in the idea that Tufton had rejected to him as governor. However, the Council accepted the indictment and Tufton was executed.

Hawley continued to tighten its policy with the colonists, while administrators accepted it. However, the population of Barbados was growing continuously and in 1639, a population of thousands of people saturated in poverty rebelled against Hawley. This is not true. The first Earl of Carlisle died in 1636 and his heir could not inherit because the estate was held by trustees. Governor Henry Hawley appears not to have been happy about this situation as it jeopardised his position. A dispute between the second Earl of Carlisle and the trustees meant that two governors were nominated.

Hawley, to win people, founded the "House of Assembly" on the island. This was the first assembly of elected representatives in Barbados.^[4]

On the other hand, in 1636 Hawley attained that the Council increased the years in which the Black and Amerindian slaves brought in Barbados worked, overcoming the between three and seven years of work of the white servants, establishing a legal new duration of work of the slaves that it would be extended for more than 200 years.^[5] In 1636 there were several factors that lead Governor hawley and his Council to enshrine in statute the enslavement of African for life i.e. they became chattel slaves to be bought and sold at the will of the owner. Two other forms of slavery existed on Barbados at the time. The first was British contract slavery whereby impoverished people from the British Isles enslaved themselves in order to emigrate to the new world. Their slave sentences were normally a few years. Initially some were granted land of 6 to 10 acres at the end of their terms, that is, if they survived the heat and tropical disease. Apprentice British slavery usually applied to the young children of British contract slaves and eventually the age was regulated by law to fourteen years old. Governor Henry Hawley had experienced a form of slavery himself when he was apprenticed to a Mercer as a young child after the death of his father, James, in 1622. Richard Ashcroft mentioned above, died young and his son was sent out to Barbados to be apprenticed to Richard Peers. The apprenticeship meant that Richard Ashcroft was entered into a slave contract from the age of about 10 to 24 years of age. During that time he worked unpaid and it was all slave labour. Henry Hawley appointed his brother William Deputy Governor in 1638.^[2]

Hawley left the Barbados government in 1640.^[4]

References