The government of Barbados has been accused of creating “bogus history” to add character to the proposed development of a gated community at Rock Hall, St Thomas.Caswell Franklyn, a resident of Rock Hall, believes the construction of the monument at the Rock Hall Freedom Village was and has always been a precursor to the development of a gated community in the area. He charged that the history of Rock Hall was history created “for a purpose”.The Rock Hall Freedom Village, a commemorative monument of which was unveiled in August 2005, is regarded by Franklyn as a hoax. He contends that historian Woodville Marshall came to the area to speak to the residents and they referred to the area as Rock Hall, but it was originally known as Glebe Land.“When Woodville Marshall came here and spoke to the people, they called it Rock Hall because most of them may know it [by that name] and that is how most of the confusion originated about the name of the land where the monument is located,” Franklyn said.He sees the Government’s desire to redevelop the Freedom Village, specifically the slave hut along Rock Hall main road, as simply an effort to enhance the development that is slated to begin shortly in the district. “The land where the hut is located is Anglican Church land and not plantation land; therefore the reference to the hut as a slave hut is only to give some history to the area so the development would have some character.”Franklyn disputes Marshall’s comments published in the July 1 edition of the DAILY NATION. “During the 1816 slave rebellion, Mount Wilton plantation owner rewarded the slaves who did not join the revolt. Richard Lynch was one of the persons who got land from Mt Wilton. At the monument there is a list of names where Lynch is noted as one of the original landowners in Rock Hall (1850), but there is no connection with Lynch and the slave hut.”Franklyn is concerned that the people who have lived on the land for many years will now be displaced. “This land is tenanted land and these persons are interested in purchasing it but they have not been afforded that privilege. The church is selling the land, but they said they cannot sell the land to the locals because the Government wants to purchase it.“Rather than do something for the people of the area, they want to run the people off their land to make way for a gated community. These persons should have first choice and since it is tenantry land it should be sold at tenantry land price,” Frankyn said.Others have also expressed their own concerns. Another resident claimed there were plans to sell off the Glebe Land to a white businessman to develop a gated community, calling it an “unconscionable act” to take the people of Barbados into history by such as retrograde step. She queried: “If this is a Freedom Village, then why should such a development be approved.” She pointed out that The Rock Hall Community Group approached the Anglican Trustees in 2003 in order to establish a community recreational park on the lands directly opposite the Gordon Cummins District Hospital but the request was denied by the trustees. She added that scores of residents on the Glebe land met the criteria to purchase their lots but the church remains tardy in fulfilling their needs. Member of Parliament for St Thomas, Cynthia Forde, said she was totally against the construction of any gated community in the constituency. She said, however, that she was unaware of any official plans for development, adding that she was told by a constituent that the owner of the land was in the area with developers looking over papers. “The area is designated as a freedom and heritage village. That type of development is a contrast to the concept of the freedom village,” she said. Forde added that back in 2003 and 2005 during the development process concerning the Freedom monument there was discussion of plans for further development.
“I assumed it was for the people but I not aware of any plans for the development of a gated community,” she said.“My main concern is that there are persons in the area who have lived on those spots for over 25 years and I would like to see those persons get their papers to purchase the land they are living on,” Forde said.Ian Rock of the Barbados Diocesan Trustees, those in control of the land said: “We have not sold any land for the development of a gated community”. He added that the only land sold at Rock Hall was that sold to the Government for the construction of the Freedom Village Monument. “We have have not sold anymore land and have no plans to sell any further land there,” he said.
