Queen Elizabeth II 25th Anniversary Coronation First Day Cover, Barbados postmarked on April 21, 1978.
Barbados
This easternmost of the Caribbean Islands grew as coral from the sea, giving it today's wonderful white beaches. Its climate is equable, with pleasant trade winds and temperatures between 70 and 90 F. Banyan trees, ornamental palms, avocados and tamarinds abound, but half the island is devoted to sugarcane and its attendant refining, molasses and rum industries.
Although first discovered by the Spanish, the island was claimed by English sailors in 1624 for James I. Colonisation began under the 1st Earl of Marlborough, and soon tobacco had become the main crop, worked by white indentured labour (often English prisoners). Cane sugar was introduced from Brazil in 1637, and the population was swelled by Cromwell's royalist captives; but work in the Barbadian sun was considered unsuitable for Europeans, and between 1645 and 1667 the number of black slaves grew from 5,700 to 40,000.
The slaves worked from 6 to dusk with two hours break at midday, and they were denied religious instruction on the grounds that being black, they had no soul. By the 1770s most large plantation owners lived in England and attorneys were appointed to handle the estates. Gradually, conditions deteriorated and new slaves had to be brought from Africa to make up the declining numbers.
Slaves were emancipated in 1834 but power remained in the hands of the plantation aristocracy, so even forty years later, children of 7 were jailed for stealing cane, and there were riots over low wages and hunger. A movement for political rights grew in the 1930s, led by educated middle class black people, one of whom, Sir Grantley Adams, founded the Barbados Labour Party and became the first Premier in 1954. The country became independent in 1966, and now earns more through tourism than sugarcane.
This Omnibus issue shows the Griffin of Edward III, symbolic of strength. It is an apt device for the king that started the 100 Years' War with France, and having won a large area actually proclaimed himself King of France.
The Pelican, often depicted heraldically as a symbol of self-sacrificing motherhood, supports the Barbados shield. It is also known as a powerful swimmer and flier, nesting in large colonies near water, and is related to the cormorant and gannet.
