Codrington () is the only village on the island of Barbuda, which is part of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Codrington coincides with the Codrington major division, one of the two major divisions on Barbuda. Situated on the Codrington Lagoon, Codrington is the country's northernmost settlement. The population of Codrington was 796 in 2011.
As the primary residential area on the island, Codrington was established in 1685 by Christopher Codrington and his brother John. Codrington is one of the oldest settlements in the country, and is now the country's twenty-third largest settlement. Codrington is on the larger end of villages in the country, and due to its position as the only settlement on Barbuda, is home to many specialized facilities, such as seven churches, a post office, a police station, a daycare, a preschool, a primary school, and a secondary school.
In 1685, Christopher Codrington and his brother John established Codrington as the primary residential area on the island. They constructed a castle that towered over the town, but in 1843 an earthquake severely damaged it, leaving only ruins.
For the purpose of the census, Codrington is split into three enumeration districts: Codrington-North, Codrington-Central, and Codrington-South (Airport). Codrington is also made up of different settlements: the old airport is located in the Park community, the village hospital is located in the Spring View community, and the village center is in the Middle Section and Mulatto South communities. The first successful European settlement on Barbuda was a community of British farmers whose end-goal was for the island to become an export hub for agricultural products. Some sources state that these initial settlers may have inhabited the Codrington area and the Codrington family did already own some of the land on the island.
Barbuda was leased to the Codrington family by King Charles II for an initial period of 50 years starting in 1684. John Codrington moved to the island and likely lived there until his death. After the lease was secured, he ordered the self-funded construction of the Codrington Castle near the lagoon. This castle became the administrative centre of the island. The castle became the epicentre of the modern village, with most of the island's slaves living in close proximity to it forming a small settlement (others living in either the Highlands or along the coast). It was fortified by an extant wall, mostly to keep wild animals out. As human activity in the area expanded, many of the evergreen forests of the island's central plain were cleared. The castle was also intended to protect the small population of Barbudans during attacks.
As time progressed under the Codringtons, some managers decided to make their homes outside of the village and at some points the castle was mainly used for storage and defence purposes as well as when the Codrington family or guests decided to come to the island. It is likely that slaves in the village lived in small homes constructed with wood and sedge-thatched roofs sourced from Palmetto Point. Some slaves also lived in larger slaves' quarters that usually had two rooms: a living area and a bedroom. Water was sourced from the castle and the other wells that dotted the village. With an abundance of building materials, the village tended to recover quickly from hurricanes and slaves would be housed in the castle as repairs went on. An 1837 visitor noted that the homes on the island were significantly poorer quality than those on Antigua although it is likely that this was due to a crisis on the island. The enslaved population was known to value their time on their provision grounds deeply and discontent arose when this schedule was disrupted. By the 1820s it is possible that some slaves were not required to work on Sundays and that some were permitted to fish in the lagoon freely. A new castle was eventually built that was likely demolished by Robert Dougall's Barbuda Island Company (BIC) by the end of the century. On 1 August 1860, Barbuda was merged with Antigua and the Codrington family's rule ended in 1870 with the expiration of their final lease. This is when communal land ownership is considered to have began on the island.
Following the Codrington's depature, the island changed hands between several owners until the BIC purchased the island in 1894. The company had ownership of the entire island except for major throughfares, a cemetery, and some grazing lands until 1899. Like the 1860 directive, BIC prevented islanders from being able to build outside of the village other than some small one-acre gardens, a policy that was further confirmed by the Barbuda Ordinance in 1904 that restricted outward development for several decades. In 1895, many Barbudans refused to accept their BIC-assigned plots and instead petitioned for lands in the Highlands, a location that Barbudans had desired to settle since emancipation. The Barbuda Ordinance established an island warden who resided in Codrington's Government House. It also defined the legal boundaries of the village and codified the process of land distribution within its limits.
Many visitors to the island in the 1920s described Codrington as a clean and orderly village. At the village post office, there was a "Visitors' Book" in which an Anglican minister, J. F. Pilgrim, wrote that he was "struck by the cleanliness of the village" in 1921. A medical officer in 1924 described Codrington as in good health and as a "village clean and tidy". Leeward Islands governor also wrote in the book in 1923. The first election took place in January 1977. As Antigua and Barbuda moved towards independence, Barbudan voters repeatedly elected parties opposed to unification with Antigua. As a condition for granting the country independence, the Barbuda Council was granted increased autonomy. The country gained independence on 1 November 1981, although protests erupted in the village on 3 November with the majority of villagers signing a petition to separate Barbuda from the new country. In April 2007, community consultations about the Barbuda Land Acts commenced, establishing the modern system of land management on the island. In May 2007 there was a crime wave with an attempted bank robbery and a burglary at the secondary school. In February 2011 an interpretation centre opened in the village for the Codrington Lagoon National Park. Road surfacing works took place in July 2011, especially in the Middle Section area. In August 2011 the Barbuda Fisheries Complex opened along the lagoon's shores which continues to be one of the tallest and largest buildings on the island. In January 2012 a Chinese-funded community centre opened in the Spring View area in the village's south. In March 2015, prime minister Gaston Browne visited Codrington to attend a controversial village meeting which resulted in a disputed vote in favour of the Paradise Found development. In September 2016 reports surfaced that some students in the local school system were being taught outide, prompting intervention by the Ministry of Education. In November 2016, Prince Harry visited both schools in the village.
On 6 September 2017, Codrington was directly hit by category 5 Hurricane Irma. 95% of buildings on the island were destroyed and the entire population was evacuated to Antigua following fears of a potential second hit by Hurricane Jose. A small minority of villagers began to return in October 2017 to begin the reconstrction process. In Codrington, the police station, the hospital, and the post office all had access to water and electricity by April 2018; nevertheless, many of the island's few residents were still residing in tents, and numerous government structures were still undergoing repairs. An estimated 75% of inhabitants had returned to Barbuda by February 2019 and as of 2025 the population of the island is higher than it was before the hurricane. In October 2024 the Barbuda Codrington Airport closed to make way for the Burton–Nibbs International Airport. Codrington is currently represented in parliament by .
Geography
According to the Barbuda Act, Codrington's northern boundary is a wall that divides the settlement from Sedge Garden. On the south by a line that runs along to the old settlement's south wall, starting at the southernmost point of the eastern boundary and continuing until it reaches the lagoon. By a wall that separated it from Indigo Piece to the east, and by a line that ran 700 yards south from the southernmost point of that wall. To the west, by the lagoon.
Climate
Codrington exhibits a tropical climate marked by well-defined wet and dry seasons. Typically, winters experience lower precipitation levels compared to the more rainfall-intensive summers. Köppen and Geiger's climate classification categorizes Codrington as Aw. Codrington maintains an average temperature of 26.2 °C (79.2 °F), while annual rainfall accumulates to 899 mm (35.4 in).