Isle of Devils, Isle of Saints: An Atlantic History of Bermuda, 1609-1684

Bermuda was a key site of English colonization, settled five years after Virginia and eight years before Plymouth. Its history reveals different paths of potential colonial development, including slave-owning puritan tobacco planters, overseas markets, ships, a Christian commonwealth, witch hunts, racial difference, and godly pirates. Michael J. Jarvis' book, "Isle of Devils, Isle of Saints," presents a new narrative social and cultural history of Bermuda, arguing that it was the first of England's colonies to produce a successful staple, form a stable community, turn a profit, transplant civic institutions, and harness bound African knowledge and labor.

Format: Hardback
Length: 496 pages
Publication date: 09 August 2022
Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press

Bermuda, a small, isolated island located in the North Atlantic Ocean, holds significant importance in understanding the early expansion of English America. First discovered by Europeans in 1505, Bermuda had no indigenous population and no permanent European presence until the early seventeenth century. Settled five years after Virginia and eight years before Plymouth, Bermuda is considered a foundational site of English colonization. Its history reveals diverse and complex pathways of potential colonial development, as a place where slave-owning puritan tobacco planters raised large families, engaged overseas markets, built ships, established a Christian commonwealth, executed witches, grappled with racial differences, and welcomed godly pirates raiding Spanish America.

In his book "Isle of Devils, Isle of Saints: A New Narrative Social and Cultural History of Bermuda," Michael J. Jarvis presents a fresh perspective on Bermuda's history. Drawing upon thirty years of extensive research and archaeological fieldwork, Jarvis recounts Bermuda's turbulent and dynamic past, spanning from the dramatic 1609 shipwreck of the Sea Venture to the 1684 dissolution of the Bermuda Company. He argues that Bermuda was the first of England's colonies to achieve success in producing a staple commodity, establish a stable community, turn a profit, transplant civic institutions, and harness bound African knowledge and labor. Bermuda served as a blank slate that inspired English thinkers seeking to create an American utopia. It was also England's first puritan colony, founded in 1612 by self-consciously religious settlers committed to building a moral society.

By the 1670s, Bermuda had become England's most densely populated possession and was poised to become an intercolonial maritime hub after gaining its independence from the British Crown in 1684. The island's strategic location, with its deep harbors and proximity to the Caribbean, made it an ideal base for trade and exploration. Bermuda's history continues to be a rich source of research and fascination, shedding light on the complex interplay of social, cultural, economic, and political factors that shaped the early development of English America.

Weight: 826g
Dimension: 162 x 237 x 42 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781421443607