William Courten, Barbados Merchant and Slavery. bio and qoutes.

Sir William Courten or Curteen was a wealthy 17th-century merchant, operating from London. He financed the colonization of Barbados but lost his investment and interest in the islands to the Earl of Carlisle.

A Caribbean island called Barbados is a component of the British empire. From 1625 through 1966, it was a real colony. Nowadays, it is a constitutional monarchy with self-government, with Queen Elizabeth II serving as the nominal head of state. There is clear evidence of human occupancy dating back to roughly 1,500 years ago, and it has a long history with humans dating probably as far back as three thousand years.

The island’s first settlers are believed to have come in three groups from the continent of South America. The Arawaks arrived around 1,200 years ago, then the Caribs, who arrived around 600 years ago. The first group was called the Saladoid-Barrancoid. The Caribs were the group that was best organized politically.