Betsey's Hope

Yet another one of Tobago’s historical plantation stories is that which involves the naming of the village now called Betsey Hope. This is a small village, located on the way to the popularly known village of Charlotteville, just past the second town in Tobago, Roxborough. Formerly known as Louis D’or Estate this village was one of but not the first Sugar Cane Plantation in Tobago, having been founded around the end of the 1760s.

Owned initially by John Robely, it boasted a large windmill which was used to grind the canes, as well as sea frontage from whence the sugarcane could be exported directly to Europe. (Many of these windmills can be found in different parts of Tobago and speak directly to Tobago’s history.) There are still some traces of sugar cane works present in the area.

The estate was named after the plantation owner’s wife, Betsey, who it is said, never liked slavery. Folklore has it that she felt the pain of slaves when they were beaten and she always hoped that slavery one day would be abolished, hence the name Betsey’s Hope.

Betsy’s Hope overlooks the Atlantic Ocean, where the sea when it is hungry screams and plunges against the rocks on the shore, but when calm can be so peaceful and at rest. It is to be hoped that this village would typify the people of Tobago, where hope is never lost, but where folks can continue to look forward to better things.

 References

Angelo Bissessarsingh's Virtual Museum of Trinidad and Tobago

 https://www.destinationtnt.com/betseys-hope/