State House of Bermuda

The State House of Bermuda, constructed in 1620-1621, witnessed many of the key events in the Bermudan colony’s early history. It formerly served as the center point of the Bermudian government while hosting key events. It is a large open hall that hosted many public events and political gatherings before the complex became a Masonic lodge in 1815.

The State House was fortified with gun loops and firing positions. The building’s roof is now gable shaped, as the originally designed horizontal roof was susceptible to leaks caused by the annual heavy rainfall that Bermuda receives. The old Renaissance facade style that shaped this building made it so that the front of the building had a massive outward front appearance, where it exaggerated the size of the building when compared to the interior. However, just like many of the new buildings throughout the island of Bermuda, the State House eventually transformed into the vernacular style within 200 years.

The open hall of the State House could transform into an open ballroom or a courtroom, as benches, witness boxes, and a long table could be easily moved about. Overall, it served many purposes, such as court hearings, government council meetings, and assembly/function meetings. The way the open hall was designed is most similar to medieval European designs of an open hall, where it allowed for domestic life to take place. The specific structure of the open hall also represented a change in new English colonies such as Bermuda transitioning into the now old medieval architectural style that the “old world” was transitioning out of. Essentially, the open hall was a commonality among early Atlantic colonies in the eighteenth-century, such as Virginia's capital “Governor’s Palace” containing a ballroom space.

Major trials at the State House included that of Sarah Bassett, an elderly enslaved woman accused of attempting to kill the owners of her granddaughters and slave girl Nancey (Foster Family’s slave). Witnesses testified that she poisoned the Foster Family with ratsbane and manchioneel root, ordering her granddaughter to place these where they would be inhaled and included in food for the Fosters. Bassett’s trial took place on June 1, 1730 on the ground floor of the State House, where colony's Court of Assizes met. Bassett was later convicted of witchcraft and was burned alive in a public execution just outside Crow Lane. 

Other events that took place in the State House highlighted Bermuda's connection to the British Empire. A series of toasts at a 1809 celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of King George III’s reign highlighted the colony's elites' loyalism, widening the gap between them and the lower class citizens of Bermuda. Communal feasts also created bonds among the Bermudian elites. Since the State House did not have a kitchen, food was prepared at a different location and brought over to the open hall. In general, the State House was a middle point between mainland England and the North Atlantic/Caribbean colonies. As such, loyalists would host a majority of these social events as a way to bridge the community together all under being loyal to the British Empire.

Many of the archaeological finds from the communal feasts highlighted the elite lifestyle that was present in the open hall through the many social events that took place. Between 2003 and 2010, excavations took place in the lawns of the State House. Such findings include ceramic vessels, Westerwald mugs, and wine glasses. Punch bowls were also found, from which people drank rum or brandy mixed with limes, lemons, sugar, and nutmeg. Punch was initially an elite beverage but eventually transitioned into everyday use for people through the eighteenth century in Bermuda.

Fortenberry, Brent. “Life among Ruins, Bermuda and Britain’s Colonial Heritage.” International Journal of Historical Archaeology 20 (2016): 601–613. 

Fortenberry, Brent, and Jenna Carlson. “Fare for Empire: Commensal Events in Colonial Bermuda - International Journal of Historical Archaeology.” International Journal of Historical Archaeology 19 (3): 568–600. 

Maxwell, Clarence. “‘The Horrid Villainy’: Sarah Bassett and the Poisoning Conspiracies in Bermuda, 1727–30.” Slavery and Abolition 21 (2000): 48-74.