Editing Montserrat (section)

=== New crops and politics ===
In 1834, Britain [[Slavery Abolition Act 1833|abolished slavery]] in Montserrat and its other territories.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pdavis.nl/Legis_07.htm |title=Slavery Abolition Act 1833; Section XII |date=28 August 1833 |access-date=23 May 2016 |archive-date=24 May 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080524010152/http://www.pdavis.nl/Legis_07.htm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="auto2"/><ref name="auto1"/>

During the nineteenth century, falling sugar prices had an adverse effect on the island's economy, as [[Brazil]] and other nations competed in the trade.<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia|last=Beckles|first=Hilary McD|year=1998|editor-last=Finkelman|editor-first=Paul|editor2-last=Miller|editor2-first=Joseph Calder|chapter=Caribbean Region: English Colonies|chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/macmillanencyclo00paul_0/page/154|title=Macmillan Encyclopedia of World Slavery|publisher=Simon & Schuster Macmillan|volume=1|pages=[https://archive.org/details/macmillanencyclo00paul_0/page/154 154–159]|isbn=9780028647807}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|year=1998|editor-last=Finkleman|editor-first=Paul|editor2-last=Calder Miller|editor2-first=Joseph|title=Plantations: Brazil|url=http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/BT2350051325/WHIC?u=aubu98092&xid=7aa21dc7|journal=Macmillan Encyclopedia of World Slavery|publisher=Macmillan Reference USA|via=GALE World History in Context|access-date=14 February 2018|archive-date=28 June 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230628060425/http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/BT2350051325/WHIC?u=aubu98092&xid=7aa21dc7|url-status=live}}</ref>

The first lime tree orchards on the island were planted in 1852 by a local planter, Mr Burke.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=1895 |title=The Island of Montserrat |journal=The Illustrated London News |volume=106 |issue=Summer Number |pages=37 |via=Internet Archive}}</ref> In 1857, the British philanthropist [[Joseph Sturge]] bought a sugar estate to prove that it was economically viable to employ paid labour rather than use slaves.<ref name="auto"/> Numerous members of the Sturge family bought additional land. In 1869, the family established the Montserrat Company Limited and planted [[Key lime]] trees; started the commercial production of lime juice, with more than 100,000 gallons produced annually by 1895; set up a school; and sold parcels of land to the inhabitants of the island. The pure lime juice was transported in casks to England, where it was clarified and bottled by Evans, Sons & Co, of Liverpool, with a trade mark on each bottle intended to guarantee quality to the public.<ref name="The Island of Montserrat"/> 
[[File:Montserrat_lime_industry_transport.jpg|thumb|[[Barquentine]] 'Hilda' loading lime juice<ref name="The Island of Montserrat"/>]]
Much of Montserrat came to be owned by [[smallholding|smallholders]].<ref name="Connection">{{cite web |url=http://www.sturgefamily.com/Discover/THE+MONTSERRAT+CONNECTION.htm |title=The Montserrat Connection |website=Sturgefamily.com |first1= Joseph Edward |last1=Sturge |date=March 2004 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170104225552/http://www.sturgefamily.com/Discover/THE%20MONTSERRAT%20CONNECTION.htm |archive-date=4 January 2017 |access-date=8 July 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |url=http://www.thecommonwealth.org/Templates/YearbookInternal.asp?NodeID=140427 |title=Montserrat |website=Commonwealth Secretariat |access-date=30 January 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708041758/http://www.thecommonwealth.org/Templates/YearbookInternal.asp?NodeID=140427 |archive-date=8 July 2011}}</ref>

From 1871 to 1958, the island was administered as part of the federal [[crown colony]] of the [[British Leeward Islands]], becoming a province of the short-lived [[West Indies Federation]] from 1958 to 1962.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Hendry |first1=Ian |last2=Dickson |first2=Susan |title=British Overseas Territories Law |date=2011 |publisher=Hart Publishing |location=Oxford |isbn=9781849460194 |page=325 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WxncBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA325 |access-date=20 September 2020 |archive-date=3 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231003185055/https://books.google.com/books?id=WxncBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA325 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="auto"/> The first [[Chief Minister of Montserrat]] was [[William Henry Bramble]] of the [[Montserrat Labour Party]] from 1960 to 1970; he worked to promote labour rights and boost tourism to the island, and Montserrat's original airport was named in his honour.<ref name="source2">''Gallery Montserrat: some prominent people in our history'' By Howard A. Fergus. Publisher: Canoe Press University of the West Indies. {{ISBN|978-976-8125-25-5}} / {{ISBN|976-8125-25-X}} [https://books.google.com/books?id=2DD81ZHWhxgC&dq=bramble+fergus+montserrat&pg=PA129] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230628060425/https://books.google.com/books?id=2DD81ZHWhxgC&dq=bramble+fergus+montserrat&pg=PA129|date=28 June 2023}}</ref> Bramble's son, [[Percival Austin Bramble]], was critical of the way tourist facilities were being constructed, and he set up his own party, the [[Progressive Democratic Party (Montserrat)|Progressive Democratic Party]], which won the [[1970 Montserratian general election]]. Percival Bramble served as Chief Minister from 1970 to 1978.<ref name=RA>Robert J Alexander & Eldon M Parker (2004) ''A History of Organized Labor in the English-speaking West Indies'', Greenwood Publishing Group, p144</ref> The period 1978 to 1991 was dominated politically by Chief Minister [[John Osborne (Montserrat politician)|John Osborne]] and his [[People's Liberation Movement (Montserrat)|People's Liberation Movement]] A brief flirtation with possibly declaring independence never materialised.

On 10 May 1991, the [[Caribbean Territories (Abolition of Death Penalty for Murder) Order 1991]] came into force, formally [[Capital punishment in the United Kingdom#Abolition|abolishing]] the [[Capital punishment|death penalty]] for murder on Montserrat.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1991/988/contents/made/data.htm|title=The Caribbean Territories (Abolition of Death Penalty for Murder) Order 1991|publisher=Government of the United Kingdom|language=en|access-date=2020-03-15|archive-date=28 June 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230628060425/http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1991/988/contents/made/data.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

Corruption allegations within the PLM party resulted in the collapse of the Osborne government in 1991, with [[Reuben Meade]] becoming the new chief minister,<ref name=SA>South America, Central America and the Caribbean 2002, Psychology Press, p565</ref> and early elections were called.<ref name=SA/>

In 1995–1999, Montserrat was devastated by catastrophic volcanic eruptions in the [[Soufrière Hills]], which destroyed the capital city of [[Plymouth, Montserrat|Plymouth]], and necessitated the evacuation of a large part of the island. Many Montserratians emigrated abroad, mainly to the United Kingdom, although some have returned. The eruptions rendered the entire southern half of the island uninhabitable, and it is currently designated an Exclusion Zone with restricted access.

Criticism of the Montserratian government's response to the disaster led to the resignation of Chief Minister [[Bertrand Osborne]] in 1997 after only a year in office. He was replaced by [[David Brandt (politician)|David Brandt]], who remained in office until 2001. Since leaving office, Brandt has been the subject of multiple criminal investigation into alleged sex offences with minors.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mnialive.com/articles/attorney-at-law-david-s-brandt-has-been-remanded-into-custody-at-her-majesty-s-prison-on-montserr|title=Attorney-at-Law David S. Brandt Has Been Remanded into Custody at Her Majesty's Prison on Montserrat|website=mnialive.com|access-date=28 June 2019|archive-date=28 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190628034138/http://www.mnialive.com/articles/attorney-at-law-david-s-brandt-has-been-remanded-into-custody-at-her-majesty-s-prison-on-montserr|url-status=dead}}</ref> He was found guilty of six counts of sexual exploitation and sentenced to fifteen years in July 2021.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://caribbean.loopnews.com/content/montserrat-ex-chief-minister-sentenced-sexual-exploitation-case|title=Montserrat: Ex chief minister sentenced in sexual exploitation case|date=July 19, 2021|access-date=10 March 2022|archive-date=22 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211222104722/https://caribbean.loopnews.com/content/montserrat-ex-chief-minister-sentenced-sexual-exploitation-case|url-status=live}}</ref>

John Osborne returned as Chief Minister following victory in the 2001 election. He was ousted by [[Lowell Lewis]] of the [[Montserrat Democratic Party]] in 2006. Reuben Meade returned to office in 2009 to 2014.<ref>[http://www.radiojamaica.com/content/view/21440/88/ Radio Jamaica]{{Dead link|date=December 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, New MCPR Gov't in Montserrat, 9 September 2009. Retrieved 10 September 2009.</ref> During his term, the post of Chief Minister was replaced with that of [[Premier of Montserrat|Premier]].

In the autumn of 2017, Montserrat was not affected by [[Hurricane Irma]], and sustained only minor damage from [[Hurricane Maria]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.inta.org/INTABulletin/Pages/Latin_America_Update_7218.aspx |title=Update on Caribbean IP Offices Following Hurricanes Irma and Maria |website=Inta.org |access-date=28 April 2019 |archive-date=13 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180613235138/https://www.inta.org/INTABulletin/Pages/Latin_America_Update_7218.aspx |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Since November 2019, [[Easton Taylor-Farrell]] of the [[Movement for Change and Prosperity]] party has been the island's Premier.