# Parishes of Barbados > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Parishes_of_Barbados > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Parishes_of_Barbados.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parishes_of_Barbados > Source revision: 1312935172 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Politics of Barbados Constitution Human rights Executive President (list) Jeffrey Bostic Prime Minister (list) Mia Mottley Cabinet Ministries Legislature House of Assembly Speaker: Arthur Holder List of members of the House of Assembly of Barbados Senate President: Reginald Farley Leader List of members of the Senate of Barbados Opposition Leader: Ralph Thorne Legislation Judiciary Caribbean Court of Justice Supreme Court Chief Justice: Marston Gibson Court of Appeal High Court Magistrates courts Barbados law Human rights Elections Recent elections General: 2022 2026 Next Presidential: 2021 2025 Constituencies Political parties Administrative divisions Parishes Parliamentary constituencies Constituency Councils Foreign relations Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and International Business Minister: Kerrie Symmonds Diplomatic missions of / in Barbados Nationality law Passport Visa requirements Visa policy Historical Treaty of Oistins Monarchy Governor-General Judicial Committee of the Privy Council Colonial Barbados Governor Colonial Secretary Council of Barbados Executive Council Legislative Council Local government (Vestry system) Mayor of Bridgetown Bridgetown City Council Other countries v t e The country of [Barbados](/source/Barbados) is divided into sub-regions known as [parishes](/source/Parish_(administrative_division)). ## Terminology They are legally styled as the "Parish of (*parish name*)" as opposed to the [American](/source/United_States) naming convention with "Parish" coming after the name.[1][2] The use of the term "parish" derives from the island's religious [Anglican](/source/Anglican) history under the [Church of England](/source/Church_of_England). ## History The system of parish churches was originally based on the system of the Church of England and was the visible expression forming the basis of the parliamentary representation in Barbados. The differing size and shape of each parish were primarily influenced by the large plantation estates of [cotton](/source/Cotton), [sugar cane](/source/Sugar_cane) and [tobacco](/source/Tobacco) that existed during the [colonial](/source/Colonialism) years of Barbados. As various [chapels of ease](/source/Chapels_of_ease) were created during the 17th century across the island, some local churches were elevated to [parish church](/source/Church_of_England_parish_church) status, leading to the formation of new parishes surrounding those freshly created vestries. By 1629, the [English](/source/England) settlers after landing at [James Town](/source/Holetown) formed six original parishes on the island which were:[3] - The Parish of [Christ Church](/source/Christ_Church%2C_Barbados), - The Parish of [St. James](/source/Saint_James%2C_Barbados), - The Parish of [St. Lucy](/source/Saint_Lucy%2C_Barbados), - The Parish of [St. Michael](/source/Saint_Michael%2C_Barbados), - The Parish of [St. Peter](/source/Saint_Peter%2C_Barbados), and - The Parish of [St. Thomas](/source/Saint_Thomas%2C_Barbados) By 1645, the land holding of Barbados increased and the shape of the original six was reconfigured giving way to an additional five parishes.[3] Some prior churches of the state within the existing parishes were elevated to the level of parish church and as a consequence they formed new parishes around those new [vestries](/source/Vestries): - The Parish of [St. Andrew](/source/Saint_Andrew%2C_Barbados), - The Parish of [St. George](/source/Saint_George%2C_Barbados), - The Parish of [St. John](/source/Saint_John%2C_Barbados), - The Parish of [St. Joseph](/source/Saint_Joseph%2C_Barbados), and - The Parish of [St. Philip](/source/Saint_Philip%2C_Barbados). Thus Barbados was converted into the current eleven parishes of today corresponding to the earlier church parishes. As was common under the British system, each parish had a single main [parishional church](/source/Parish_church) (or [cathedral](/source/Cathedral) in the case of Bridgetown having been elevated to city status), which acted as a sort of capital for each parish.[4][5] The parishes each held their own local government councils until these were abolished in 1959, following a brief administrative [districting experiment](/source/Districts_of_Barbados) within Barbados until 1967.[4] ## List Atlantic Ocean Saint Lucy Saint Peter Saint Andrew Saint James Saint Thomas Saint Joseph Saint John Saint George Saint Michael Christ Church Saint Philip BARBADOS Within the country, travel is unrestricted to everyone in moving about from parish to parish. With increasing [urban sprawl](/source/Urban_sprawl) and new construction projects across the country many neighbourhoods and even parishional border-lines today are ill-defined. The eleven parishes are: Parishes of Barbados, with some details Short name Long name Land area Population (census 2010) Density Historic vestry Christ Church The Parish of Christ Church[6] 57 km2 (22 sq mi) 54,336 953.3/km2 Lead church of the parish St. Andrew The Parish of Saint Andrew[7] 36 km2 (14 sq mi) 5,139 142.8/km2 Lead church of the parish St. George The Parish of Saint George 44 km2 (17 sq mi) 19,767 449.3/km2 St. James The Parish of Saint James[7] 31 km2 (12 sq mi) 28,498 919.3/km2 St. John The Parish of Saint John 34 km2 (13 sq mi) 8,963 263.6/km2 Lead church of the parish St. Joseph The Parish of Saint Joseph[7] 26 km2 (10 sq mi) 6,620 254.6/km2 Lead church of the parish St. Lucy The Parish of Saint Lucy[7] 36 km2 (14 sq mi) 9,758 271.1/km2 St. Michael The Parish of Saint Michael[7] 39 km2 (15 sq mi) 88,529 2,270.0/km2 St. Peter The Parish of Saint Peter 34 km2 (13 sq mi) 11,300 332.4/km2 Lead church of the parish St. Philip The Parish of Saint Philip[7] 60 km2 (23 sq mi) 30,662 511.0/km2 St. Thomas The Parish of Saint Thomas 34 km2 (13 sq mi) 14,249 419.1/km2 ## See also - [Constituency Councils](/source/Constituency_Councils) - [Geography of Barbados](/source/Geography_of_Barbados) - [History of Barbados](/source/History_of_Barbados) - [Transport in Barbados](/source/Transport_in_Barbados) - [Barbadian vehicle registration plates](/source/Barbadian_vehicle_registration_plates) - [ISO 3166-2:BB](/source/ISO_3166-2%3ABB) - [List of cities in Barbados](/source/List_of_cities_in_Barbados) - [List of West Indian first-level country subdivisions](/source/List_of_West_Indian_first-level_country_subdivisions) - [List of Caribbean islands by area](/source/List_of_Caribbean_islands_by_area) - [List of Caribbean islands by political affiliation](/source/List_of_Caribbean_islands) - [List of Caribbean island countries by population](/source/List_of_Caribbean_island_countries_by_population) - [List of metropolitan areas in the West Indies](/source/List_of_metropolitan_areas_in_the_West_Indies) ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** *Laws of Barbados*, Volume 2, p.573, 286. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** U-Ming, Mike. ["Fear and panic as Barbados regularisation deadline loom"](https://web.archive.org/web/20090612205323/http://www.barbadosbcassoc.com/Default.asp?Page=5). *Barbados Cultural Association of British Columbia – History of Barbados*. Archived from [the original](http://www.barbadosbcassoc.com/Default.asp?Page=5) on June 12, 2009. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Barbados_Parliament_website_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Barbados_Parliament_website_3-1) ["The Barbados Parliament – Parliament History"](https://web.archive.org/web/20070523083154/http://www.barbadosparliament.com/history.php). Barbados Parliament website. Archived from [the original](http://www.barbadosparliament.com/history.php) on May 23, 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-01. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-A_to_Z_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-A_to_Z_4-1) Carrington, Sean; Fraser, Henry (2007). "Vestry". *A~Z of Barbados Heritage*. Macmillan Caribbean - Macmillan Publishers Limited Press. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-333-92068-8](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-333-92068-8). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Alleyne, Warren (1978). *Historic Bridgetown*. Barbados: [Barbados National Trust](/source/Barbados_National_Trust). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** *Laws of Barbados*, Volume 2, p.573 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Barbados_p.586_7-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Barbados_p.586_7-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Barbados_p.586_7-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-Barbados_p.586_7-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-Barbados_p.586_7-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-Barbados_p.586_7-5) *Laws of Barbados*, Volume 2, p.586 ## Further reading - [*Laws of Barbados (Laws, statutes, etc. compilations) – 1875*](https://books.google.com/books?id=J-YaAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA1). Vol. 1. Stamford Street and Charing Cross, London: William Clowes and Sons. 1875 [1875]. p. 586. Retrieved 3 January 2010. ## External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to [Parishes in Barbados](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Parishes_in_Barbados). - [Barbados parishes](https://www.totallybarbados.com/articles/about-barbados/parishes/) - [Barbados Statistical Service](https://web.archive.org/web/20151105151638/http://www.barstats.gov.bb/) (BSS) - [Barbados Government census by Parish](https://web.archive.org/web/20091029164951/http://www.barstats.gov.bb/ParishCanv.cfm) v t e Barbados articles History Timeline British Empire Governors British West Indies Windward Islands colony Confederation riots West Indies Federation Barbados Independence Act 1966 Monarchy Governor-General Parliamentary republic 2021 Constitutional Amendment Geography Administrative divisions Beaches Cities, towns and villages Climate Fauna Flora Rivers Politics Constitution Elections Foreign relations Government President Prime Minister Deputy Prime Minister Judiciary Law Military Parliament MPs Senators Cabinet Police Political parties Economy Agriculture Central Bank Barbadian dollar (currency) Stock exchange Rum Telecommunications Tourism Transport Water Society Education Human rights LGBT Language People Demographics Ethnic groups Health Religion Culture Anthem Cuisine Coat of arms Crop Over Flag Landship Media Music Public holidays Sports Outline Index Category v t e Parishes of Barbados Christ Church Saint Andrew Saint George Saint James Saint John Saint Joseph Saint Lucy Saint Michael Saint Peter Saint Philip Saint Thomas v t e First-level administrative divisions of North American countries North America Canada Mexico United States Central America Belize Costa Rica El Salvador Guatemala Honduras Nicaragua Panama Caribbean Antigua and Barbuda Bahamas Barbados Cuba Dominica Dominican Republic Grenada Haiti Jamaica St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Vincent and the Grenadines Trinidad and Tobago Table of administrative subdivisions by country v t e Administrative divisions of the Americas Sovereign states Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Bahamas Barbados Belize Bolivia Brazil Canada Chile Colombia Costa Rica Cuba Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador El Salvador Grenada Guatemala Guyana Haiti Honduras Jamaica Mexico Nicaragua Panama Paraguay Peru Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Suriname Trinidad and Tobago United States Uruguay Venezuela Dependencies and territories Anguilla Aruba Bermuda Bonaire British Virgin Islands Cayman Islands Curaçao Falkland Islands French Guiana Greenland Guadeloupe Martinique Montserrat Puerto Rico Saba Saint Barthélemy Saint Martin Saint Pierre and Miquelon Sint Eustatius Sint Maarten South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Turks and Caicos Islands U.S. Virgin Islands North America Central America Caribbean South America --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Parishes of Barbados](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parishes_of_Barbados) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parishes_of_Barbados?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.