Parishes of Barbados

[1][2] The use of the term "parish" derives from the island's religious Anglican history under the Church of England.

The differing size and shape of each parish were primarily influenced by the large plantation estates of cotton, sugar cane and tobacco that existed during the colonial years of Barbados.

By 1629, the English settlers after landing at James Town formed six original parishes on the island which were:[3] By 1645, the land holding of Barbados increased and the shape of the original six was reconfigured giving way to an additional five parishes.

[4][5] The parishes each held their own local government councils until these were abolished in 1959, following a brief administrative districting experiment within Barbados until 1967.

With increasing urban sprawl and new construction projects across the country many neighbourhoods and even parishional border-lines today are ill-defined.