Christopher Codrington III was a wealthy plantation owner whose fortune helped establish one of the Caribbean’s oldest Anglican colleges. An Oxford-educated scholar and former colonial governor, he left two sugar plantations worked by enslaved Africans to an Anglican missionary organisation to fund the education of future scholars. The institution became known as Codrington College.
Born in Barbados in 1668, Christopher Codrington III was the son of Christopher Codrington II, a wealthy plantation owner who served as Governor-General of the Leeward Islands. The family accumulated considerable wealth through sugar plantations in Barbados and Antigua, as well as its interests in Barbuda.
Codrington received his education in England, attending Christ Church, Oxford, before becoming a Fellow of All Souls College in 1690. He developed a strong interest in literature, history and theology and assembled an extensive personal library.
He also pursued a military and political career. Following his father’s death, he succeeded him as Governor-General of the Leeward Islands in 1699. He held the position until 1704, when he left public office and returned to Barbados. Accounts of his administration describe disagreements with other plantation owners over his policies towards enslaved Africans and poorer white settlers.
Although he developed a reputation as a scholar and supported improvements in plantation conditions, Codrington remained a slave owner. Much of his personal wealth came from estates worked by enslaved Africans.
The Will That Established His Educational Vision
On February 22, 1703, Codrington drew up the will that would shape the future of his fortune. He bequeathed two Barbados plantations, Society and Consetts, to the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts (SPG), an Anglican missionary organisation established in 1701.
His instructions went beyond transferring ownership of the properties. He wanted the estates to remain intact and required that at least 300 enslaved Africans be kept there. He also directed that a suitable number of professors and scholars should be maintained on the properties.
These scholars were to study and practise medicine, surgery and theology. Codrington believed that medical services would make missionaries useful to the local population, helping them establish relationships with people and create opportunities to spread Christianity.
Codrington died on April 7, 1710, aged 41. His will transferred the estates, together with the enslaved population working on them, to the SPG. The properties covered approximately 700 acres and included around 400 enslaved African men, women and children.
Codrington College
The SPG took possession of the two plantations in 1712. Rather than receiving a separate cash donation for construction, the organisation inherited productive estates whose income could finance the institution Codrington had envisioned.
Sugar production continued on the properties, with the proceeds providing the financial foundation for the proposed college. The work depended on enslaved African labour, making the plantations the principal source of the institution’s endowment.
In 1713, the SPG commissioned English architect Colonel Christian Lilly to prepare architectural plans for the college. Construction began in 1714, although financial difficulties affected the original design. The northern side of the proposed quadrangle was never completed.
The buildings were finished in 1743, more than three decades after Codrington’s death. The institution officially opened on September 9, 1745, initially operating as a grammar school with seventeen pupils. It provided instruction in subjects including reading, writing, Latin and accountancy.
In 1830, it underwent a major transformation into a theological college, finally fulfilling Codrington’s vision of higher instruction in divinity, philosophy, mathematics, and medicine, to educate young men preparing for the Anglican ministry.”
It became an important centre for training clergy across the Caribbean, allowing students to receive theological education closer to home rather than travelling to Britain. In 1875, it became affiliated with Durham University, providing opportunities for students to pursue recognised university qualifications.
Today, Codrington College remains in Barbados and continues its work in theological education. Its existence can be traced directly to the educational vision and financial bequest of Christopher Codrington III.
His fortune provided the foundation for an institution that developed over several generations, from an intended community of scholars into a grammar school and eventually an Anglican theological college. The plantations he left behind financed that ambition, while the forced labour of enslaved Africans made the wealth behind his educational legacy possible.
Sources:
https://uspg.org.uk/history/
https://gloucestercathedral.org.uk/cathedral/heritage/connected-lives/christopher-william-codrington
