George Washington in Barbados
His Only Visit Outside America was HERE!
George Washington House, and the Garrison Tunnels are part of our UNESCO World Heritage site: in historic Bridgetown, Barbados. Here, you can learn about the fascinating story of George Washington’s visit to Barbados in 1751. Nearly four decades later, in 1789, the house would become an Officer’s Residence, within the largest British Garrison in the region; now recognised as the most complete and authentic 18th & 19th century British military base, anywhere in the world!
George & Lawrence Washington
George Washington visited Barbados in 1751. As a professional land surveyor of just 19 years of age, he had no military career or political ambition but a determination to become a major landholder. However, this was not actually George’s journey, but rather that of his older half- brother, Lawrence Washington.
For the last few years, Lawrence had been suffering from Tuberculosis (what they called ‘consumption’ in those days). Becoming increasingly ill, he was starting to run out of treatment options. However, he had been told that tropical weather might bring about a recovery. Determined to find a solution, he planned to journey to the West Indies.
Barbados would have been an obvious choice. Compared to their home territory in Virginia, Barbados was quite cosmopolitan; acting as a huge trans-shipment point for the entire region. The island also had what were considered ‘great medical services’; though it should be noted these ‘services’ would not be considered quite so ‘great’, today! Despite these obvious beneficial circumstances, there was another, possibly more powerful reason for securing Barbados as the destination; Relatives of Lawrence’s wife lived here! So now, Lawrence could stay with family.
Voyage
Lawrence would have been accompanied by his wife but, having lost their first three children in infancy and their new daughter now at a similar age, they were not prepared to subject their child to such a journey. So, Lawrence turned to his younger half-brother, George. Summer was at an end and George, with surveying contracts drying up for the winter, agreed to go with his brother and help get him settled. While Lawrence Washington was quite the experienced traveller, George had only stepped outside of Virginia once or twice in his life. Travel to a new overseas territory would have seemed an adventure!
So, in late September 1751, the Washington Brothers boarded a vessel in the Potomac River and began what would be a non-stop, six-week journey to Barbados; first traveling east, passing north of Bermuda, and then south to catch the transatlantic Tradewinds to Barbados.
The Washington brother’s story could have so easily ended when they finally arrived at Barbados. Approaching the island from the east, they arrived two days ahead of schedule, on the 2nd of November, and under darkness in the early hours of the morning. Had the look-out Barbados Garrison Historical Consortium 2022 not been paying attention, they could have easily been wrecked on the coral reefs surrounding the island; which otherwise provided an effective natural defence against invading forces.
Having avoided disaster, the vessel came around the south of the island to anchor in Carlisle Bay, with Bridgetown situated at its northern end. Carlisle Bay was not only the main harbour for Barbados but also a mega-transhipment port for the region; able to service up to 400 ships at any one time!
Lawrence Washington in Barbados
With George’s condition improved, and back out and about, Lawrence was not feeling so positive. He had not seen any improvement in his health. However, Lawrence was not prepared to give up on life just yet, and so started to consider Bermuda as an alternative; further North, it had cooler temperatures and was much closer to home.
While Lawrence made plans to journey to Bermuda, George needed to get back home. His first contract, in the fast-approaching land-surveying season, was scheduled to begin in February 1752 and, with another six-week non-stop journey ahead of him, he left the island on the 22 nd December. He arrived back in Virginia with a few weeks to spare, completing, what would turn out to be, the only ‘foreign’ overseas trip of his entire life. George Washington would never leave the shores of what would soon become mainland USA, ever again.
Lawrence moved to Bermuda, a few months later, and soon came to the realisation that, at the age of 33, he was going to die from Tuberculosis. Having decided his death would not occur on a foreign land, he returned home to Virginia, arriving in early June, dying soon after, in July 1752.
The Washington brothers were, in fact, very close. Their father had died when George was 11 years old, after which Lawrence, then 25, would begin to take on a father-like role for George; who often stayed with Lawrence and his wife and, on occasion, traveling with Lawrence to far- off areas of Virginia. Lawrence was also an important figure in his own right, being not only a member of the Virginia House of Assembly but also the Commander of the entire Virginia Militia. Ultimately Lawrence’s high regard for his younger brother went as far as to suggest, to those in authority, that he should be considered for some of Lawrence’s duties, after he was gone.
The authorities decided that Lawrence’s militia command was too big to hand down to any one person and proceeded to divide it into four units. Within six months of Lawrence’s death, one of these smaller commands was handed to George Washington.
With both immunity to Smallpox and a new military career, important components for George’s future were now in place. But this story is not yet complete. The final piece of the puzzle, perhaps the most import aspect of George Washington’s journey, is next!