About
Type: Extant
Parish: St.Philip
Founding date: 1750
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Current Status
The existing mill was rebuilt in recent times and is not according to specifications. Under Agriculture in 1842, it is noted “in former times a mill and works on Long Island ruins to be seen.”
The original mill was built in 1749 and was in ruins by 1835.
Estate Related History/ Timeline:
The first inhabitants of Long Island were the Siboney arriving around 400 BC or prior. Then came the Arawak sometime between 400 B and 600 AD. They were driven out by the Caribs who arrived around 1,000 who were in turn driven out by the Spanish in the 1520’s but continued to raid the islands up until 1674. Long Island is the only source of a very high grade flint used over the ages by the Amerindian people and can be found up and down the chain of Caribbean Islands to this day. Flinty Bay no longer exists and has been turned into a sand beach by one of the home owners. As a child holidaying on Long Island we would walk completely around the shore line always stopping to sit at Flinty Bay, close our eyes and listen to the tinkling sound of the waves playing in the flint.
The Jumby Bay Hawksbill Project began in the late 1980’s with the Environmental Awareness Group, WIDECAST (the Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Conservation Network) and the Jumby Bay Hawksbill Project team. 2015 marks the 29th year of study at Jumby Bay, close to 450 nesting hawksbills have been tagged and identified with many old timers still returning to lay their eggs, joined by newcomers. The Hawkesbill turtle has been on the critically endangered list since 1996, when their beautiful shells were hunted to make sunglasses and jewellery. Turtle meat used to be sold in the marketplace and turtle eggs were considered a delicacy.
With only one in one thousand surviving to adulthood, the Hawkesbill turtle needs all the help it can get.
Maj. William Byam -Occupation 3, Governor of Surinam, 1654-17 Feb 1667 At the end of this time Surinam was handed by the British to the Dutch, and Byam removed to Antigua ‘with great hardship’ – the island having been ruined by the French.
Edward Byam was born in Surinam in 1662, the youngest son of William Byam. In 1715 he was appointed Governor of the Leeward Islands and Lieutenant Governor of Antigua where he remained till the day of his death, 4th December 1741. He married Mary Winthrope and they had two children. Edward Byam (b.1685c, Antigua) and Mary Byam (b.1690 Antigua). Later he married again with Lydia Thomas in 1703, Antigua and they had five children: George Byam (1704-1734), William Byam (1706-1755), Alice Byam (b.1711 ) and Lydia Byam (b.1713).
1700: Private Act No.116. An Act empowering and enabling the Hon. Edward Byam Esq. and John Otto, Gentleman, to make sale and dispose of a certain island lying off Parham Harbour, called Long Island, and thirty eight Acres in the Division of Falmouth.
1750: “Thomas Jarvis (d.1805) 1750, owner of Long Island and Mount Jarvis alias Joshua, inherited owner of Long Island and Mount Jarvis also inherited Blizards with his first wife Jane Whitehead (d.1797). “ Vere Oliver Vol.II p.97
Thomas Jarvis inherited his father-in-law’s Antiguan estate, Popeshead, in 1716; the sugar plantation grew and prospered, remaining in the family for two hundred years. The estates eventually included one thousand acres in the parishes of St. John and St. George, as well as Long Island and Bird Island. In 1747, after Jarvis’ death, the estate passed to his eldest son, Thomas (1722-1785), who served in the government of Antigua, eventually becoming Chief Justice of the Court of Common Pleas. With his wife, Rachel Thibou, the younger Thomas had numerous children, including Thomas Jarvis III (1784c-1807), George Ralph Payne Jarvis, Bertie Entwisle Jarvis (1793-1862), and James Nibbs Jarvis (1794-1842). James and his wife Lorne Campbell had a son, Thomas Jarvis (1835-1877), who served on the General Legislative Council of Antigua. Biography
1755: Indenture. “…. and Thomas Jarvis is not to send off any slaves charged with the dower of Esther (widow of Jacob Thibou) save from Antigua to Long Island or from Long Island to Antigua under penalty of £50 currency for each slave.” Vere Oliver Vol.III p.125
1800’s: The sugar plantation and works on Long Island continued operation until the 1800’s when it was abandoned. In 1835, the Island was rented to some of the emancipated slaves to grow provisions. By 1940, Frank Henzell was using it as a sheep ranch, building up the old herd which dated back to the 1500’s. The Arawak Company, Ltd. was formed in 1966 by Bob Davis who then sold to Homer G. Williams in 1979. Long Island is now the home of Jumby Bay Resort, an upscale property offering both private homes, villas and hotel.
c.1920’s: “Grandmother came back from a visit to the UK after putting Joyce Henzell into school She arrived a day early and found her husband in the company of a lady (secretary at the factory) and proclaimed she would never step foot in that house again. This is when the second (front) house was built. Later there was a connecting metal causeway between the two houses on the second floor.” Len Moody Stuart.
1951: Long Island was leased by the Antigua Sugar Factory, Ltd. as a Staff holiday resort. Repairs from the 1950’s hurricanes cost approximately £1,000 and ASF with ASE undertook the cost of repairs and have the house at $50 per month for seven years. Frank Henzell, who owned Long Island, retired from assistant manager at the Tomlinson’s workshop in 1951.
1952: Mr. Frank Henzell retired from assistant manager at Tomlinson’s workshop.
During Len Henzell’s time Long Island was ‘the place’ to go to for many Antiguans for their holidays and many a honeymoon was spent there including the author and her mother before her.
In fact, I will venture to give you a picture of the times – 1961 “I was married to Robert Meeker who had been a Lieut. at the Navy Base here in Antigua, in the Anglican Cathedral with the reception being held at my father’s place of residence, the manager’s house at the Antigua Sugar Factory. Around 10pm when the festivities were over, Bob’s best man, Jack Johnson, and my maid of honour, Vonnie Delisle, whisked us off to Parham’s Jordan dock for the trip over to Long Island. To start the night off we ran out of gas right after crossing North Sound bridge. It was a pitch black night and Jack stood in the middle of the road to flag down and commandeer the nearest passing vehicle, which he did. Never knew whose car we used, but he apparently gave it up without any argument. A boatman was waiting at Jordan’s dock to take us over to Long Island and as mentioned, it was a pitch black night. The boat was small with an outboard engine and as we rounded Umbrella Point a squall came through with a vengeance. The boatman got cold feet and hunkered down so Bob had to take over driving the boat (his watch never worked from that day on), while I attempted to navigate from the bow. You could hardly see in front of you and if Uncle Frank Henzell had not been waiting on the dock at Long Island with a lantern and the tractor we could have gone straight past out to sea. Chilled and drenched to the bone he gave us a ride up to the back house with our suitcases and provisions which included a case of wine and box of crab backs. He had turned the generator off earlier, so left us with a lantern and our own devices. The next morning Bob and I had to return to Parham to pick up the maid, more provisions and several live chickens, there only being one small kerosene fridge on the island. Douglas Macandrew had lent us his outboard boat for use during the ten days we were on Long Island, which enabled us to explore the out-islands during the day. Other than everyone visiting for a major picnic and water skiing on the Sunday, and us going to the mainland for Bob’s birthday one evening, we were island bound for ten days with visits from Uncle Frank at happy hour, which was an ideal setting to get to know one another. Uncle Frank also butchered one of his sheep while we there, so we had fresh lamb on the menu besides the chickens and crab backs we had brought. I tell you, memories.” – Agnes Meeker
As mentioned, many a summer holiday was spent on Long Island and we usually went over with the Turner family (cousins). There were mattresses on the floor in one room and at night you just found you a spot and were out like a light after a very busy and active day on the island. We hiked all over, looked for the lovely glass balls that would wash ashore from the fishing nets in Portugal, messages in a bottle, popped light bulbs with stones and looked for land tortoise. In between we swam in the sea and showed up when it was meal time. The boys would get an eel or two and pickle them on the galvanize roof with rock salt, to be eaten later. Beware if they found an octopus in between the rocks for they loved to sling it at the girls and have it ‘suck’ on.
We would go with our fathers to shoot fish and be the ones to jump in and retrieve the fish while it was still stunned. When the mosquitoes were bad we would have to gather green bush for bushfires to smoke out the pesky varmints which just about smoked us out too. The adults played card games into the night.
Long Island is now the exclusive Jumby Bay Resort, with homeowners purchasing and building beautiful homes around the periphery of the island.
The original Estate house has been turned into the restaurant for the Jumby Bay Resort and used to consist of two buildings, one added during L. Henzell’s time. A metal ramp ran between the two houses on the second level. Long Island grew Sea Island Cotton after sugar and later raised black head sheep. Records also show that cattle were raised. The old sundial and water drippers (limestone carved to allow the water to permeate or drip slowly through thus purifying the water for drinking), now planters, can still be seen, and an old copper is in front of the mill.
There were also three grave headstones on the bluff south of Jumby Bay as late as the 1960’s (hence the name) which no longer exist, while the ghost of Sam Payne, the old boatman, continues to haunt the original southerly building . When Sam died it was felt that he would “walk” and to stop him tacks were nailed into the soles of his feet. It was felt that when he stood up this would prevent him from “walking.” This, however, did not work and Sam, a large black man, has appeared to many, often rattling chains.
Joslyn (nee Lake) Evelyn was told that it got the name of Jumby Bay because the slaves from Royal’s Estate were buried over there.
Another spirit sometimes seen is a lady in a white dress who seems to be quite real when she appears.
Enslaved People’s History
Based on contemporary research, we have little information to share about the enslaved peoples from this plantation at this time. We do know that the estate had 170 enslaved people working right before slavery was outlawed in the Caribbean. We will continue our quest for more information about these vital individuals.
Ownership Chronology
- 1627: first recorded owner Earl of Carlisle by grant of King Charles.
- 1650: Lieut. Gen. William Byam (1623-1670)
- 1700: Edward Byam (1662-1741)
- 1750: Thomas Jarvis (d.1805) 1777/78 Luffman map
- 1873: Thomas Jarvis 1872: Horsford Almanac
- 1891: John C. Jarvis
- 1917: Lena Henzell purchased at auction for 200 UKL with her chicken/egg/milk money. Nee Sedgwick (1876-1960)
- 1950: Frank Henzell (1908-1965) buried in St. George’s churchyard
- 1960: Richard Gordon
- 1965-66: Bob Davis
- 1979: Homer G. Williams – Bob Davis’ nephew. Portland investor and developer
- 1990: The Jumby Bay Resort. A Rosewood Resort