Borsselen Borslem | |
|---|---|
former capital and island | |
  Borsselen Location in Guyana | |
| Coordinates:6°34′36″N58°13′36″W / 6.5766°N 58.2267°W /6.5766; -58.2267 | |
| Country |  Guyana |
| Region | Essequibo Islands-West Demerara |
| Time zone | UTC-4 |
| Climate | Af |
Borsselen (alsoBorslem) is an island in theDemerara River ofGuyana, and was the capital ofDemerara between 1755 and 1782.
In 1745,Demerara was created as a separate colony out ofEssequibo, and was initially governed from Essequibo.[1] The colony grew rapidly,[2] and attracted many English planters.[3] In 1755, Gedney Clarke, a Barbados merchant requested political representation,[4] therefore the administration was moved to the island of Borsselen,[3] 20 miles (32 km) upriver near plantationSoesdyke which was owned by the GovernorLaurens Storm van 's Gravesande.[5] Two administrative buildings, a small fort and barracks were built on the island.[3]
The decision was criticised, because the island was hard to defend,[6] and the planters had started to build houses around the guard post near the mouth of the river.[3] In 1765,Jan Cornelis van den Heuvel became governor of Demarara. Van den Heuvel owned plantation de Parel across from the island, but theDutch West India Company forced him to move to the island with his assistants and clerks.[7] Arguments about the island continued for many years.[8] The settlement near the guard post became known asStabroek,[3] and in 1782 became the capital of the colony.[9] In 1812, the town was renamed toGeorgetown.[10]