Stamping colonial ownership: Britain shapes Tobago in her likeness
DR RITA PEMBERTON
The most extensive rituals of possession that occurred on the island of Tobago were those imposed by the British. The island’s tenure as a British colony lasted from 1763-1781 and 1793-1962, with a French interruption in 1801/1802.
The rivalry between Britain and France for possession of Tobago, which intensified from the 1740s, was temporarily halted when the island was ceded to Britain by the Treaty of Paris in 1763 at the end of the Seven Years War.
But it was not a victory that was easily conceded and the authorities in Britain were conscious of the fact that embittered France had not abandoned hope of regaining possession of the island. Subsequent intelligence confirmed that France was planning a future strike to reclaim Tobago.