Swetes

History of Swetes

Swetes is a village located in Saint Paul Parish on the island of Antigua, within Antigua and Barbuda. Positioned at the foothills of the Shekerley Mountains, the settlement developed on the flattest lowland of the area.

A historical turning point for the community occurred in the aftermath of the great earthquake of 1843. Prior to this event, the land functioned as a sugar plantation established around 1701 by Main Swete. Following emancipation in 1834, Henry Gale acquired ownership of the 180-acre estate. Because the estate owner refused to construct labourers' cottages after the 1843 earthquake, a pivotal shift took place when land was sold directly to the workers in the mid-1840s. This land transaction marked the genesis of Swetes village, as freed slaves who had previously moved to the region established their own settlement.

Decades later, administrative organization reached the village when a village council was established on 20 December 1946 for Swetes, Buckleys, and John Hughes, remaining active until the 1950s. Today, the village is located at the junction of Fig Tree Drive, Matthews Road, and Jonas Road, and operates within the Eastern Caribbean dollar currency zone.

Swetes is a village located in Saint Paul Parish on the island of Antigua, within Antigua and Barbuda. Situated at the foothills of the Shekerley Mountains, the settlement covers a land area of 4.09 square kilometres and forms part of the Round South cultural region.

The historical turning point for the community arrived in the mid-1840s following a convergence of emancipation and natural disaster. Originally established in the early 1700s as a sugar plantation by Main Swete of Modbury, the 180-acre estate later came into the ownership of Henry Gale following the abolition of slavery in 1834. When a great earthquake struck in 1843, estate owners refused to fund the reconstruction of workers' quarters. This reluctance created the decisive moment that gave rise to the modern hamlet, as the owner opted to sell portions of the land directly to the labourers. Because the surrounding terrain features the area's flattest lowland compared to nearby Buckleys, Follys, and John Hughes, many newly freed slaves relocated to the site. Over a century later, on 20 December 1946, a village council was established for Swetes alongside Buckleys and John Hughes, remaining active until the 1950s.