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Elites in nineteenth century Trinidad and Tobago

French Creoles

In Trinidad and Tobago, French Creoles is often synonymous with White Trinidadian. In the nineteenth and through much of the twentieth century, the term was used more narrowly to refer to refer to a certain group of white Trinidadians.

In nineteenth century Trinidad French Creoles were a group of people of European descent, primarily French but also Spanish, Irish, English, Corsican or German origins who were born in Trinidad and was considered to be part of that in-group. People who were not born in Trinidad were sometimes adopted into the group. Although some French Creoles had African ancestry, they had to be considered pure white by their peers to belong to this group.

French Creoles were Catholic and were culturally aligned toward France, in particular the pre-Revolutionary Ancien Régime. The leading families claimed descent from the old French nobility. French Creole families were primarily plantation owners and former slave owners. After Emancipation they retained a closer relationship with the formerly-enslaved population and a paternalistic outlook towards them.

In the later decades of the nineteenth century French Creole families lost control of the major sugar estates; by 1897 almost all of the major estates were owned by British corporations, British residents of the colony, or English Creoles. Their focus shifted away from sugar to cocoa cultivation, and by the 1880s they dominated the sectors. While only a few large cultivators grew rich off the crop, smaller estates provided prosperity to many others.

English Creoles

In contrast to French Creoles, white people of English descent born in Trinidad were called English Creoles. In combination with the resident British-born population, the English Creoles formed a white elite that was distinct from the French Creoles. This group was predominantly middle class, urban and Victorian in its culture and outlook, and looked toward Britain as their cultural centre.