A Description and History of St Nicholas Abbey, Barbados

The Plantation Great house

St Nicholas Abbey is a picturesque house with curved gable, said to he Jacobean style. It is thought to he one of only three Jacobean Plantation Great Houses left standing in the American Continent:- the other two being Drax Hall here in Barbados, and Bacon’s castle in Virginia.

It is not known precisely when St Nicholas Abbey was built, nor is it known who was the architect, but the evidence is that the house was built sometime between 1650 and 1660, probably by Colonel Benjamin Beringer. An unusual feature of the house is the inclusion of fireplaces (in upstairs rooms) and chimneys, unnecessary features for so warm a climate. Possibly the house was designed for a colder climate and the builders, not wishing to disobey their master, followed his instruction to the letter. At the rear of the house there is a fine old staircase done in what might he described as a Chinese Chippendale manner; each panel being different in design as you ascend. In 1898 panelling made from cedar wood, grown on the estate, was installed in the two front rooms. Much of the roof is original and the beams, being made of bullit wood and mastic, both so hard they are heavier than water, have been unaffected by the ravages of time and termites. The old kitchen, originally built separate from the house to stop the spread of fire, is on the north side of the house.

Furniture

Over the years there have been many changes of furniture as owners and residents have come and gone. Some of the present furniture, made during the 18th century, has been in the house since 1810 or earlier. Pieces of particular interest are the small Sheraton sideboard, c. 1780, the Grandfather clock on the stairs (it is known to have stood there since before 1800), which was made by J Thwaites of London in 1759. The hurricane candle shades on the sideboard, which came originally from Easy Hall Plantation House in the parish of St Joseph and the candlesticks on the dining room tables are typical of those in use in the West Indies during the 18th and 19th centuries. The porcelain dinner service is English Coalport and it was made in about 1810. Whilst some of the present furniture has remained in the house since about 1810, much of it has been collected here in Barbados or brought from his home in England by the present owner. There is also some 18th Century glass decorated with gold leaf that was a wedding present from the then Duchess of Buccleuch to the present owner ‘s grandmother in 1895.

The Outbuilding and Yard

To the right of the front porch there is a small gate, and next to the gate is what is known as a “Water Drip”. This was the old method of obtaining a cool drink. Water was poured through two coral blocks and evaporation reduced the temperature of the water. To the left of the house are two small outhouses – the first of these being the original bath-house and the second being the lavatory. The lavatory, we are told, had a “Four-Seater” in it, with no partition, so presumably you either had your own seat, or a visit to it was a family affair! The other buildings within the immediate vicinity of the house were stables and saddle rooms, where owners’ horses and coaches were kept. Below the main house are the remains of the old windmill, the water mill and also the now disused syrup factory together with remains of the cow and horse pens. The windmill was built at about the same time as the house i.e. 1650 and it crushed the sugar cane every reaping season until about 1889 when it was replaced by a steam engine, made by Fletchers of Derby in England. The latter remained in operation until 1947. Today the sugar cane is sent by road to the Portvale Sugar Factory about 8 miles away.

The Plantation

Sugar has been grown at Nicholas since about 1640 and is still grown today, the whole estate being some 420 acres of which 220 are arable. After visiting St Nicholas Abbey you will be able to drive from the house up to Cherry Tree Hill which is part of the plantation, and enjoy the view across the East Coast of Barbados, one of the finest views of the Caribbean.

Ownership

Little is known of Benjamin Beringer, the man believed to have built St Nicholas Abbey and to have been the first known owner of the plantation. He was born in England, probably in the early 17th century, and travelled to Barbados in the mid 1630s. Sometime before 1651 he became a member of the council of the island; he married Margaret Forster, a daughter of the Reverend John Forster of Barbados. Beringer was in the business of Real Estate in the northern parishes of the island, in partnership with John Yeamans (later Sir John) and the record shows them as joint landowners before 1643. Unortunately, Beringer and Yeamans fell foul of one another, the reason being that Yeamans was too interested in Margaret, the evidence is that Yeamans somehow managed to persuade a third party to poison Beringer, who died in Mr Dickinson’s house in Speightstown in January, 1661. Yeamans then immediately married Margaret.

Thus, he became, in effect the second owner of the property. Yeamans was a capable man and on January 12, 1664/5 he was knighted by King Charles II. The day before this he received a commission as Lieutenant General and Governor of South Carolina. However, he did not take up his governorship until later and he finally became Governor of South Carolina on April 19, 1672. On Yeamans death, his widow Margaret married a third time, to a William Whalley, but on her eventual death Nicholas was inherited by her son, John Beringer (Benjamin’s son) who died one month later and who left it to his daughter who married George Nicholas (hence the name). They sold it to Joseph Dottin who gave it to his daughter, Christian, on her marriage to Sir John Gay Alleyne in 1746 (he was Speaker of the House of Assembly). Christian Alleyne died about 1764 (see memorial in St James’ Church) and Sir John Gay Alleyne had the use of Nicholas until his death in 1801. Subsequent to Sir John’s death Nicholas reverted to the children of Christian’s sisters who were mostly called Blenman, but the plantation fell into debt and was taken over by the Chancery Court and sold for £20,500 (iie. the debt) in 1810 to two brothers, Edward and Lawrence Cumberbatch. Edward died first and left his share to his daughter Sarah who married Charles Cave of London. Lawrence died a bachelor in 1832 [1833] and also left his share to Sarah Cave. Charles Cave died long after Sarah in 1887 aged 91 and left Nicholas to his son Laurence Trent Cave who died in 1899. He left it to his son Charles John Philip Cave who in 1947 transferred the ownership to his son, Laurence Charles Henry Cave who gave it to his son, the present [now previous] owner, Lieutenant-Colonel Stephen Cave in 1964.

[In 2006 St Nicholas Abbey was acquired by Larry Byron Warren]

It is not known why the house is called St Nicholas Abbey as it was never an abbey. It is called Nicholas Plantation after George Nicholas. The Cumberbatch family originally came to Barbados from St Nicholas parish in Bristol, England and Charles Cave and Sarah Cumberbatch were married in Bath Abbey, near Bristol in 1818. It is suspected that all these places were amalgamated into St Nicholas Abbey a name in use since about 1820.