Though the Spanish were the first to sail and chart the Guiana Coast it is the Dutch who are credited with establishing the first permanent settlements in Guyana. The exact date of the first Dutch settlement has been keenly debated among historians of that era. Netscher asserts that it is possible that the Dutch may have settled in this region as early as 1590 whilst Hartsinck indicates that they may have settled in the Pomeroon circa 1580.
The Dutch from the very beginning entered into a trade of tropical goods such as anatto, wood and balsam with the indigenous peoples of this region. Unlike their Spanish counterparts they made no attempt to uplift these supposedly godless people with the rays of Christianity. They realized that they needed the cooperation of the Indians if they were to succeed in the vast wilderness of the ‘Wild Coast.’
In order to facilitate trade with the Indians the Dutch established crude settlements in remote areas to serve as depots to collect substantial quantities of goods to fill the hulls of their cargo vessels. These settlements, according to Cornelius Goslinga, were nothing more than “wooden shanties” surrounded by earthern palisades to offer some level of protection against a surprise attack by the Indians. Over time these settlements were slowly transformed into more permanent settlements.
Perhaps around 1616 the Dutch occupied Kykoveral, a small island at the confluence of the Mazaruni, Cuyuni and Essequibo Rivers. At some point, a brick fortress, the archway of which can still be seen today, was constructed there. This fort is believed to have been the smallest fortification constructed by the Dutch overseas. It was used as a warehouse, a garrison as well as the house of the Dutch officials, the secretary, bookkeeper and a parson and staff. As the colony of Essequibo slowly progressed small plantations cultivating sugar cane were soon established around this fort.
By 1675 there are numerous reports which indicate a desire to relocate the fort as the area had become too small and congested. In addition many planters had begun to relocate further upriver to more fertile soils. In the circumstances the size and the location of Kykoveral would, the colonists argued, prove ineffective in rendering defence to the colony should an attack occur.
It was not until 1726, however, that work was begun on a wooden redoubt with palisading on ‘Vlaggen’ (Flag) Island or Fort Island as it is known today, which had been favoured as the location for the new fort for many years. In fact a wooden fort was constructed there in 1687 but it was never used as Van der Heyden, then commander of the colony was not in favour of this location.
Owing to the overcrowded conditions in Kykoveral, the Dutch relocated the parson, a warehouse and the house of the administrator and his staff to an area next to the private estate of Cartabo. Today this area is littered with bricks, and if one looks carefully through the undergrowth foundations of buildings can be seen.
In 1719 Laurens de Heere was appointed as Commander of Essequibo, replacing Van der Heyden, who had been recalled to Holland. He supported relocating the seat of Dutch administration to Flag Island. In response to his demands for this project to be executed A. Leslorant, an engineer, was sent from the Netherlands. He was charged with the construction of the outer portion of the bastion and pallisading of the island. De Heere was unable to complete his project as he died of cancer in 1729. He was succeeded by Hermanus Gleskerke in 1731.
Under the new commander works continued but progress was constrained by a shortage of materials and labour. In 1738 Gelskerke’s administration was given a significant boost with the arrival of his new secretary Laurens Storm van ‘s Gravesande.
Gravesande’s dispatches reveal considerable data about the colony during the 18th century. Upon his arrival on August 12, 1738 he wrote that the new fort would never be completed as long as timber was used for construction.
“For when the palisades are set up on one side those on the other side, being rotten, fall over, thus causing tedious
