As a future resident of Basil Jones, I'm curious, can anyone tell me who he was?

What's the history?

I've heard there was a Basil Jones Plantation? What did they grow?

Thanks for any info!

Don't know for sure if there was a who.
Basil Jones was an early Mayan settlement and you can read about it at this link:
http://ambergriscaye.com/pages/mayan/ambergmaya.html

You can also view the page on A.C. history from a link on the main page of this website.

Thanks Sandshaker! That site says a lot about the Mayan era, but still would like to hear where did Basil Jones Plantation and airstrip, that's now Nova Shrimp's, come from?

Thanks!

Large areas of Ambergris Caye were Coconut Plantations.

When you head up north of the Caye you may notice that many of the larger trees are actually in lines, because they were planted in Coconut plantations.

The airstrip was originally built for a oil expedition team. Thank goodness they didn't find oil, or at least not in quantity.

Hope this sheds a little light on the matter for you.

Thanks Amanda, that explains what the Basil Jones Plantation was about.

Still, anyone know who he was?

LOL...the $64,000 question!

OK....i'm curious now....if there was a he....and who was he.

Anyone?....Marty....Jesse....Lan.....Amanda?

Here is what I've come up with on Basil Jones...

"JONES, WILLIAM BASIL (1822-1897), bishop of St David's, born at Cheltenham on 2 January 1822, was the only son by his first wife (Jane, daughter of Henry Tickell of Leytonstone, Essex), of William Tilsley Jones of Gwynfryn, Llangynfelyn, near Aberystwyth, high sheriff of Cardiganshire for 1838 (J.R.Phillips, Sheriffs of Cardiganshire, pp37-38). He was educated at Shrewsbury School under Samuel Butler and Benjamin Hall Kennedy from 1834 to 1841, being head boy in his last year. He went up to Oxford in 1841, having matriculated on 16 June 1840, was scholar of Trinity College 1840-5, andd Ireland scholar in 1842, when Archbishop Temple was second in the competition; he was placed in the second class of the final school of literae humaniores in 1845, graduated BA the same year and M.A. in 1847. He was elected in 1845 to a Michel scholarship, and in 1848 to a Michel fellowship at Queen's College, but exchanged the latter in 1851 for a fellowship at University College, which he held till 1857, becoming assistant tutor and bursar in 1854, lecturer in modern history and classical lecturer from 1858 to 1865, when he finally quitted Oxford. He also served the university as master of the schools in 1848, as examiner in classical moderations in 1856 and 1860, in theology in 1870, as senior proctor in 1861-2, and as select preacher in 1860-2, 1866-7, 1876-8, being also select preacher at Cambridge in 1881."

Shrug....

Wow Denny, what a lot of info! In reading it, it looks like that Basil Jones was an teacher in England as late as age fifty nine. Not sure if he would be traveling to British Honduras in 1881. May be a son? Anyone?

According to one of Emory Kings books:
he writes that Basil Jones was probably
a Welshman. He owned a plantation on
the north end of Ambergris Caye. He was a
bayman that played an important part in the
Battle of St. George Caye in 1798. He kept
a crew of people, probably slaves to grow
food. He assisted the military in 1798,
acting as lookouts for a Spanish invasion.
The Spaniards were defeated in the Battle
of St George Caye.
When
it was apparent that the Spanish would
invade, Basil Jones suggested to the military
commander that he send men to his plantation
to act as lookouts for the enemy. So they did. The Spaniards were defeated after spending two years assembling 32 ships and 2500 men. Mr. King believes that if Belize would have lost the Battle of St. George Caye there would be no Belize today.
I was also wondering what Basil Jones meant when looking into the new resort area. This is all I have come up with so far.

I read this in the book "I spent it All
in Belize" by Emory King.


[This message has been edited by Marty (edited 11-14-2000).]

Good stuff Thall!

With that we now know that...

In the late 1700's Basil Jones, who was most likely a Welshman, owned a plantation on the north end of Ambergris Caye. The plantation with a work crew, probably consisting of slaves, grew food and coconuts. Basil was a Bayman who played an important part in the Battle of St. George's Caye.

In 1798 when it was apparent that the Spanish would invade, Basil Jones assisted the military by suggesting to the Bayman Commander that he send men to his plantation
to act as lookouts for the Spanish Invasion Fleet.

When they arrived, the Spaniards, who had spent two years assembling a fleet of 32 ships and 2500 men, were decisively defeated at the Battle of St. George's Caye, September 10th 1798. Basil Jones may have contributed to their defeat by reporting the arrival of the Fleet.

How's that sound?