British Virgin Islands The earliest European settlement on
Tortola dates back to 1649, when Dutch settlers arrived on
Tortola. They lived in relative peace until war broke out
between the Dutch and the English in 1665. During that war the
English attacked Tortola, destroyed the Dutch settlements, and
took 67 enslaved African they found there. This is the first
record of the presence of slaves in the British Virgin Islands.
The Dutch returned after the 1665 attack and three years later a
report describes the population of Tortola as “80 Irish,
English, and Welsh under the Dutch.” The English and Dutch did
not remain at peace, however, and during another war in 1672 the
Dutch settlement was again attacked by the English. This time,
the Dutch surrendered before a drop of blood could be shed. The
islands became British, and they remain so today. The future
remained uncertain for settlers of the British Virgin Islands
even after the Dutch surrender in 1672. During peace
negotiations after the war between England a