British Windward Islands Explained

The British Windward Islands was an administrative grouping of British colonies in the Windward Islands of the West Indies, existing from 1833 until 3 January 1958 and consisting of the islands of Grenada, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent, the Grenadines, Barbados (the seat of the governor until 1885, when it returned to its former status of a completely separate colony), Tobago (until 1889, when it was joined to Trinidad), and (from 1940) Dominica, previously included in the British Leeward Islands.

Administrative history

The seat of government was Bridgetown on Barbados, from 1871 to 1885, and thereafter St. George's on Grenada. The islands were not a single colony, but a confederation of separate colonies with a common governor-in-chief, while each island retained its own institutions. The Windward Islands had neither legislature, laws, revenue nor tariff in common. However, there was a common audit system, while the islands united in maintaining certain institutions of general utility.

Judicial history

In 1859 a common court of appeal for the group was established, composed of the chief justices of the respective island colonies. Under the West Indian Court of Appeal Act 1919 this court was replaced by the West Indian Court of Appeal, responsible for appeals from not only the Windward Islands but also the Federal Colony of the Leeward Islands, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, and British Guiana.

In 1939 the Windward and Leeward Islands Supreme Court and the Windward and Leeward Islands Court of Appeal were established, which was replaced in 1967 by the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court which provides both functions.^[1]

Chief justices of the Windward and Leeward Islands

• 1940–1942 James Henry Jarrett^[2]
• 1943–1950 Sir Clement Malone
• 1950–1957 Sir Donald Jackson
• 1958–1963 Sir Cyril George Xavier Henriques^[3]
• 1963–?1967 Frank E. Field^[4]

See also

• List of governors of the Windward Islands
• History of the British West Indies
• Windward Islands
• British Leeward Islands
• Windward Islands cricket team

External links

• Queen and Commonwealth: Other Caribbean realms for the official website of the British monarchy
• U.S Library of Congress – Barbados and the Windward Islands colony
• WorldStatesmen.org

Notes and References

1. News: The Origin of the Supreme Court of Grenada . . The Barnacle . Granada . The Barnacle News . https://web.archive.org/web/20151120175320/http://www.barnaclegrenada.com/index.php/local-news/commentary-mainmenu-53/2879-the-origin-of-the-supreme-court-in-grenada . 20 November 2015 . dead.
2. News: Named Chief Justice. London, Feb. 5 . The Ottawa Journal . Ottawa, Canada . 3 . 6 February 1940 . . subscription . The Colonial Office tonight announced appointment of J. H. Jarrett, now Colonial Secretary of the Bahamas, as chief justice of the Windward and Leeward islands..
3. News: Chief Secretary's Office . Ref. No. P.F. 770 . The Antigua, Montserrat and Virgin Islands Gazette . 4 . 8 . by Authority . 1 . 5 February 1959 . Mr. Henrique's appointment became effective on 24th December, 1958..
4. News: Government House . Appointment of Chief Justice of the Windward and Leeward Islands . The Antigua, Montserrat and Virgin Islands Gazette . 9 . 5 . by Authority . 21 . 23 January 1964 . The Secretary of State for the Colonies ... has appointed Mr. Justice Frank E. Field to the office of Chief Justice of the Windward and Leeward Islands with effect from 2nd December, 1963..