Settler Society in the English Leeward Islands, 1670–1776

“Through deftly probing analysis of a wide range of sources, Natalie Zacek deploys her considerable skills as a social historian to argue persuasively, in this wonderfully enlightening and well-written study, that white settler society in the Leeward Islands, whatever its particular characteristics during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, cannot be said to have failed. This book greatly extends our understanding of the significance of the colonial forces, other than those directly connected with plantations and slavery, that shaped the emergence of slave societies in various corners of the Atlantic basin." – David Barry Gaspar, Duke University

“A welcome investigation of the neglected Leeward Islands: diverse communities, united by dependence on slave labor and exposure to natural hazard and foreign invasion. Within these kettled communities, sexual impropriety and small-town politics feature vividly Zacek’s forthright profiles of such colorful colonials as Daniel Parke, John Gardiner, and George Frye. Overcoming the challenge of scattered and fragmented public and private archival sources, Zacek urges a reconsideration of West Indies as failed societies. This captivating monograph contributes to the revisionist view of West Indian colonists as both adopters and adapters of recognizable and distinct English social, political, and cultural ideals.” – Simon D. Smith, University of Hull

“Thoroughly researched and beautifully written, this is a stunning contribution that greatly enhances our understanding of a long-neglected area of the colonial Anglophone Caribbean. Natalie Zacek’s compelling study will remain the standard work on the subject for many years to come.” – Betty Wood, Girton College, Cambridge University

"This sophisticated yet clearly written book will inspire further research into the colonization process in other portions of the British Caribbean...[It] will appeal to a wide audience of imperial, colonial, and Caribbean historians and encourage them to rethink their understanding of the West Indies during the first empire." -- David Ryden, H-Albion

"This is an impressive book; it effectively integrates developments on four different islands, and it provides—given the challenges of the sources—an exceptionally rich sense of island life in the eighteenth century." -Susan D. Amussen, Journal of British Studies

"Some of Zacek’s most memorable material comes in the form of vignettes about specific controversies that roiled white society. She nicely contrasts the lack of concern over Rachel Faucette Levine Hamilton’s unconventional domestic arrangements with the furor over the notorious Governor Daniel Parke’s flagrant affair with Catharine Chester, who was married to a member of Parke’s council." -Carla Gardina Pestana, William and Mary Quarterly

"...Zacek argues that the net achievements of Leeward Islanders were significant even in the face of numerous challenges to order and prosperity." -Cathy Matson, H-Atlantic

"...significant scholarly study of Montserrat, Antigua, Nevis, and St Kitts in the late seventeenth and eighteenth centuries." -Kenneth Morgan, New West Indian Guide