Dr Rita Pemberton

THE DECISION by the administration of Tobago in 1769 to shift the island's capital from Georgetown to Scarborough was not unanimous. There was controversy over two important matters.

Plantation owners whose properties were located in the northern and windward parts of the island expressed concerns about the difficulties of doing business in Scarborough. Given the poor state of roads and the absence of any road connecting Scarborough and the more distant locations, commuting would be difficult.

Some members of the planting community advocated Plymouth as a better location, since it possessed a natural, safe harbour and was accessible from all parts of the island; it was easier to get to Plymouth by sea than to Scarborough over land.

The other major problem aired was the challenges posed by the Scarborough harbour, which was difficult to manoeuvre. The harbour is surrounded by reefs and there is a narrow channel through which entry could be gained safely, but to those who were not familiar, access to the harbour was fraught with danger. It was considered particularly hazardous at night-time. This was not an ideal location for trade, on which the island depended.

Despite its obvious disadvantages, Scarborough was the preferred site of the majority of the large planters. Since only a few large planters lived in the Plymouth area, they were outweighed in the assembly by the voices of the members of the large planting community, whose properties were in and around Scarborough and on the western side of the island.

Scarborough was more advantageous for this group, because it was within easy reach and more convenient and economical for them to do business and organise their trading arrangements.

The Scarborough harbour was not popular with the shipping fraternity because of the regularity with which ships ran aground on the reefs. Some shippers refused to use it, preferring one of the safer harbours at Plymouth or Courland, and travelled by road to do business in Scarborough.

The accidents led to constant complaints from mariners, who raised safety concerns about the Scarborough harbour.

In response, the council and assembly determined in 1818 that the movement of vessels into the port at Scarborough needed to be regulated and guided by the implementation of safety mechanisms.

For these purposes, a law was formulated which included the terms and conditions for appointing an official to exercise the required controls, manage and control entry into and exit from the harbour, and ensure compliance with the law.

The official, who was to be called the harbour master and pilot, was to be recommended by two freeholders and was required to put up a surety bond of £500. His job was to bring vessels safely into the harbour without impeding free navigation by smaller craft used by fishermen and local traders. All vessels were to be moored into position as directed by the harbour master, and the penalty for those who refused to obey his instructions was £10.

The law required t