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Barbuda’s history began long before the arrival of European colonists. Archaeological evidence records the presence of Indigenous peoples, including communities associated with the wider Caribbean’s Saladoid and later cultural traditions. The island’s sheltered lagoon, reefs and productive coastal waters supported fishing, gathering and settlement, while its proximity to Antigua connected it to regional movement and exchange. European descriptions from the early colonial period are incomplete and often filtered through outside perspectives, but they confirm that Barbuda was not an unoccupied island when English interests expanded in the Lesser Antilles. This earlier history remains an important part of Barbuda’s identity, even though relatively little of the archaeological record is visible in Codrington itself.

In 1685, Barbuda was leased by the British Crown to Christopher Codrington, whose family developed an estate economy based on livestock, provisions and plantation agriculture. The Codringtons also held plantations on Antigua, and Barbuda was managed as part of this wider colonial enterprise. Enslaved Africans carried out much of the agricultural and domestic labour, while the island’s natural resources supported the estate. Codrington village grew in connection with this system and became the principal settlement. The surviving estate ruins, including masonry structures associated with the former plantation, are therefore not simply picturesque remnants: they represent the economic and social order imposed on Barbuda during the colonial period.

The abolition of slavery in the British Empire in 1834, followed by the end of the apprenticeship system in 1838, transformed Barbuda’s society. Formerly enslaved people and their descendants continued to live on the island, developing livelihoods based on fishing, farming, livestock and coastal resources. Over time, communal patterns of land use became central to Barbuda’s social and political identity, distinguishing it from much of the privately divided plantation landscape elsewhere in the Caribbean. The village of Codrington remained the island’s main population centre, while the ruins of the former estate stood as reminders of an unequal past that had shaped settlement, work and ownership.

Barbuda became part of the independent state of Antigua and Barbuda in 1981, but its distinctive communal land traditions and physical separation from Antigua continued to influence local affairs. Codrington served as the administrative and social centre of the island, with residents maintaining strong connections to fishing, livestock, community organisations and the surrounding environment. The Barbuda Peoples Movement and other local voices have frequently defended communal land rights and the island’s authority over development. This history helps explain why debates over tourism, resources and construction carry particular weight in Codrington: they concern not only economic growth but also the preservation of a long-established community relationship with the land.

Hurricane Irma struck Barbuda in September 2017 as an exceptionally powerful storm, damaging or destroying most buildings and forcing the temporary evacuation of the island’s population to Antigua. Codrington suffered extensive losses, and the disaster disrupted homes, public services, livelihoods and historic structures. Residents gradually returned and reconstruction followed, but recovery has remained a major part of contemporary life. The hurricane also intensified discussion about resilience, land rights, environmental protection and the scale of future development. Today, visits to Codrington take place within this living history: the village is both a gateway to Barbuda’s natural attractions and a community rebuilding while protecting its distinct identity.