Montserrat Colonial Records

European Settlement (1632-present)
Irish settlers came to Montserrat in 1632, with some settlers from Virginia arriving soon after. The French attacked and briefly controlled the island in the late 1660s. The British conquered Montserrat soon after and gained legal control following the Treaty of Breda. Montserrat operated as a federal crown colony of the British Leeward Islands from 1871-1958, a province of the West Indies Federation from 1958-1962.