Naval Hospital Cemetery Project

During the colonial era, Antigua was a heavily fortified naval and army base of operations in the West Indies for the British. English Harbour provided a deep natural harbour that was ideal for the refitting and sheltering of ships; as such, a Royal Naval Dockyard was constructed on its shores. This facility was intensively used during the Napoleonic Wars during which the British Navy and Army suffered huge losses due to tropical diseases and other illnesses. Loss of men due to disease was one of the highest for any military campaign at the time and English Harbour was often referred to as the 'grave of Englishmen'.

Historical records indicate that the hospital was open from A.D. 1793-1822 and may have provided care not only to naval personnel but also to military personnel, slaves and the general public. While some records exist, most have been lost. Desmond Nicholson, late director of the Museum at Nelson's Dockyard has found many references to the hospital in various historical sources including the following map of the hospital compound.

The majority of historic documents that have survived have not originated directly from the hospital but rather from a variety of sources such as parish baptismal records, correspondence between the dockyard and the Admiralty Office in London: slave registers, officer's logbooks and newspaper advertisements.

The site of a naval hospital (PAH-83) is located on a hill to the north of English Harbour. The entire area that the hospital and associated cemetery occupied is now a residential neighbourhood. In the past few decades, large portions of the site have been subject to considerable disturbance due to construction and landscaping developments. The undisturbed portions of the site are in imminent danger of destruction and this project seeks to salvage the remaining archaeological information.

After the study of the human remains in complete, they will be re-interred at a protected cemetery site such as one of the military cemeteries that are under the care of the National Parks Authority of Antigua and Barbuda.

In 1980, a midden associated with the hospital was discovered during construction activities on the south-west side of the site, close to the former location of the main gate of the hospital compound. Salvage excavations were carried out by the Historical and Archaeological Society of Antigua and Barbuda, and reported on by Nicholson (1993).

Many interesting artifacts were found during these excavations, including fragments of European (median date of 1800) and Afro-Caribbean ceramics, wine
and other bottles, pipes and buttons (not only British military and naval uniforms but also from French military uniforms). One highlight is a shako hat badge from an 8th West Indies Regiment, which was one of a about a dozen regiments comprised of African slaves who were promised emancipation in return for 5 years of service. Another highlight was a ceramic pot and a mortar; both contained powders that were analyzed and may have been substances used for medicinal purposes.