18th Century History
St. Helena (pronounced Saint He-LEE-na), is an island of volcanic origin and is now a British Overseas Territory in the South Atlantic Ocean. The territory consists of the island of Saint Helena, and the dependencies of Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha. The island has a history of over 500 years since it was discovered by the Portuguese navigator João da Nova, on his voyage home from India. He named it "Saint Helena", as 21st May was the birthday of Helena, mother of the Emperor Constantine the Great. Britain's second oldest colony, one of the most isolated islands in the world, was for several centuries of vital strategic importance to ships sailing to Europe from the Far East, to take on essential stores and leave sick crew members to recover in its healthy climate. In the 19th Century it played a huge and largely unrecognised role as a vital refuge for Liberated African slaves. Since 1815, the British have also used the island as a place of exile, most notably for Napoleon Bonaparte, Dinizulu kaCetshwayo and over 6,000 Boer prisoners.
The first sailors to be put ashore arrived on Portuguese vessels. The island's first known permanent resident was a Portuguese renegade, Fernão Lopez who had been mutilated on being returned to the Portuguese, by order of Albuquerque, the Governor of Goa. Fernando Lopez preferred being marooned to returning to Portugal in his maimed condition, and lived on St. Helena from about 1515. By royal command, Lopez returned to Portugal about 1526 and then travelled to Rome, where Pope Clement VII granted him an audience. Lopez returned to St Helena, by his own request, fully pardoned, where he lived until his death in1545.
In 1588 Thomas Cavendish, having captured a Portuguese ship, compelled the pilot to show him where the island was and thus became the first Englishman known to have visited the island The Dutch formally made claim to St Helena in 1633, although there is no evidence that they ever occupied, colonised or fortified it. By 1651, the Dutch had mainly abandoned the island in favour of their colony founded at the Cape of Good Hope.
A fleet commanded by Captain John Dutton (first Governor, 1659-1661) in the Marmaduke arrived at St Helena in 1659, with the first permanent settlers and a few slaves they were instructed to bring from the Cape Verde Islands. The English East India Company (E.I.C.) was given a Royal Charter which allowed the Company the sole right to fortify and colonise the island "in such legal and reasonable manner as the said Governor and Company should see fit". The Dutch attempted to regain the island in 1673, but were defeated by the timely arrival of Captain Richard Munden on the scene, and the island has remained British.
More settlers and slaves arrived over the intervening years until 1792, when the slaves outnumbered the civilian population, and it was ordered that no more slaves were to be brought to the island. The community up till then consisted of British settlers, soldiers of the EIC, and slaves, mainly from Africa, India, and Madagascar. The Astronomer Edmond Halley came in 1677 to observe the Transit of Mercury and to catalogue some of the Southern Stars. Dampier, the explorer and buccaneer arrived in 1691
