978-1-4222-3316-0

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Bahamas

Soon the Spanish completely abandoned the Bahamas. Greater riches, such as gold and silver, were to be found in Central and South America. Many Spanish galleons carrying treasure back to Spain passed through the Bahamas, however, and quite a few foundered in violent storms or were wrecked on the reefs of the treacherous waters. In addition, pirates and adventurers plied the area and preyed on the Spanish treasure ships. England Claims the Bahamas In 1629, King Charles I of England claimed the Bahamas and granted them to an English nobleman, Sir Robert Heath. Nevertheless, the islands remained sparsely populated. In the late 1640s, about 100 English Puritans under the leadership of a man named William Sayles arrived in the Bahamas. The Puritans were a Protestant religious group who objected to, and were often persecuted by, the official Church of England. Sayles and his followers, who had come from Bermuda, initially landed on the present-day Abaco Island. But the group moved on to Cigatoo Island, whose name they changed to Eleuthera, from the Greek word for freedom. Later they established a settlement on New Providence Island. After weathering some initial difficulties, including the loss of all their provisions and political disagreements, the Puritan settlers established their own independent republic. For the king of England, the fate of a tiny Puritan republic in the Bahamas was of little concern. Wishing to shore up support for the crown in the aftermath of the English Civil War, King Charles II in 1670 granted the Bahamas to six noblemen, called lords proprietors, who had earlier been