William Byam (colonialist) facts for kids

William Byam (died 1672) was an important English colonist and politician. He lived during a time of big changes in England, including the English Civil War. Byam was involved in politics in England and on the island of Barbados. He also played a key role in setting up and leading a short-lived English colony in what is now Suriname. A place called Braamspunt in Suriname is even named after him.

Early Life and the English Civil War

William Byam was born in the 1620s in Somerset, England. He went to college at Trinity College, Dublin.

During the English Civil War, Byam fought for the King's side, known as the Royalists. In 1645, he was captured after the town of Bridgwater fell to the other side, called the Roundheads. After this defeat, Byam moved to the Caribbean, just like many other Royalists did.

Life in Barbados

Byam settled in Barbados. The Roundhead government in London called him a "known malignant," meaning they saw him as a troublemaker.

Barbados had tried to stay out of the English Civil War. But when Charles I of England was executed, things changed. The Royalists on the island, who had become very strong with many new arrivals from Britain, took control. They forced the governor, Philip Bell, to declare loyalty to Charles II. They also took control of the island's weapons and disarmed anyone who supported the Roundheads. During this time, William Byam led a group of Royalists who wanted to deal with opponents very strictly.

Byam became the island's treasurer. This job meant he was in charge of the island's weapons and its defense.

In late 1651, the English government sent a fleet of ships led by Sir George Ayscue. Their goal was to bring Barbados back under their control. The fleet blocked Barbados and eventually landed soldiers on the island in the winter of 1651. The Royalist forces on the island, led by Lord Willoughby, could not stop them. After some battles, the Royalists eventually gave up the island.

After Barbados was lost, Willoughby and Byam went to Suriname. Lord Willoughby had been planning to develop a colony there as a backup plan.

Leading the Colony in Surinam

Byam arrived in Surinam and quickly became the most powerful person in the colony. Lord Willoughby had returned to Europe, so Byam called himself a "colonel." For a few years, there was no clear leader in English Suriname. It wasn't until 1657 that the colonists created a local army, a group of twenty-one wealthy people to make laws, and a governor's office.

At first, the governor was chosen every year. Byam was elected governor in 1657, when he was in his mid-thirties. He was re-elected in 1658 and 1659.

As Byam stayed governor, he used his power to gain many supporters. He also punished and forced out people who were against him.

Byam personally owned two large farms, called plantations, in Surinam.

He appears as a character in the book Oroonoko by Aphra Behn. This story is set in Suriname. Behn and Byam met when she visited the colony in 1663–64. They wrote letters to each other afterward. Eventually, Byam arranged for Behn to leave the colony after they had an argument. Braamspunt in Suriname is a changed version of "Byam's Point," named after William Byam.

Surinam is Lost

When the Second Anglo-Dutch War started, the Dutch sent a force led by Admiral Abraham Crijnssen to capture Surinam. Crijnssen's ships arrived at the mouth of the Suriname River on February 25, 1667. By the next day, they were attacking Fort Willoughby by river and surrounding it.

Byam was in charge of the fort, which controlled who could enter the rest of the colony. Under constant attack, Byam surrendered the fort to the Dutch. Since the colony needed control of the river to reach the Atlantic, losing the fort meant losing the colony. Many English colonists either ran away or joined the Dutch.

After he surrendered the colony, Byam was put on trial for being a coward. But he was not found guilty.

The Treaty of Breda ended the war. This treaty mostly meant that whoever controlled a place at the end of the war got to keep it. So, Surinam was given to the Dutch. The English never got control of Suriname again, and Byam's power there ended.

Later Life and Legacy

After Surinam fell to the Dutch, Byam moved to Antigua. This was another English colony that was more settled. There, he wanted to "hew a new fortune out of woods," meaning he wanted to start fresh and become rich again.

He was successful in Antigua. He arranged for his sons to marry into a powerful local family, the Warners. This helped him create one of the richest and longest-lasting sugar-growing families on the island.

William Byam died in 1672.