In 1505, a Spanish explorer named Juan de Bermúdez sighted the islands that would bear his name. The first written record appeared in 1511 within Pedro Mártir de Anglería's book Legatio Babylonica. No Indigenous people lived on these rocks when Europeans arrived. Portuguese mariners wrecked there in 1543 and left an inscription on Portuguese Rock. They called the place the Isle of Devils due to loud nocturnal noises from wild hogs and raucous bird calls. English colonists finally established a permanent settlement after the Sea Venture shipwrecked on Bermuda's reefs in 1609. Survivors built two ships called the Deliverance and the Patience to continue their journey. The Plough arrived in 1612 with new settlers who founded St. George's Town as the colony's first capital. This town remains the oldest continuously inhabited English settlement in the New World today.
Slavery And Social History
The first enslaved individuals arrived in 1616 aboard the ship Edwin sent by Governor Tucker to find pearls. These were not African slaves but one Black person and one Native American from the West Indies. Pearl diving proved impossible so more black slaves came later from America and the Caribbean. A law passed in 1623 forbade blacks from buying or selling tobacco without master consent. Major rebellions erupted in 1656, 1661, 1673, 1682, 1730 and 1761. In 1761 authorities discovered a conspiracy involving most blacks on the island. Six slaves faced execution while all black celebrations became prohibited forever. By 2016 census data showed 52% of residents identified as Black with mixed ancestry including European and Native American roots. White Bermudians made up 31% of the population according to that same count. About 9% identified as multiracial while 4% each chose Asian or other categories.