colony · Mesoamerica and the Caribbean
Colony of Nevis
Origins
English settlers led by Anthony Hilton crossed from neighbouring Saint Kitts in 1628 and founded a settlement on the leeward coast of Nevis. Tobacco gave way to sugar from the mid-17th century, and the island grew quickly despite raids from the Spanish in 1629 and the French, who briefly captured it in 1706.
Rule and society
A governor or lieutenant governor ruled with an elected assembly of planters and an appointed council. By the 18th century the island was a plantation economy worked by enslaved Africans, who formed the great majority of the population. Charlestown was a busy port, and the hot springs at the Bath Hotel drew wealthy visitors. Horatio Nelson married the Nevisian widow Frances Nisbet here in 1787. The Church of England was the established church.
Decline and legacy
Sugar declined after emancipation in 1834 and the collapse of prices. Nevis lost its separate assembly and in 1882 was joined with Saint Kitts and Anguilla in the colony of Saint Christopher-Nevis-Anguilla, the forerunner of today's Saint Kitts and Nevis.
Lineage
On the connections map
Open the full map →Connections (2)
- Colony of Nevis was a colony of British Empire1628 CE – 1882 CE
- Colony of Nevis was part of Leeward Islands colony1671 CE – 1882 CE
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Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Colony of Nevis. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/colony-of-nevis
- MLA
- “Colony of Nevis.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/colony-of-nevis. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Colony of Nevis.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/colony-of-nevis.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Colony of Nevis’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/colony-of-nevis (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻