The Barbados Museum & Historical Society joins with all Barbadians to mourn the loss of one of our outstanding sons, Dr. Karl Stewart Watson – former Diplomat, Historian, Archaeologist, Educator, Naturalist, Art enthusiast and general renaissance man. A longstanding member of the BMHS, Karl has the distinction of being the longest-serving Editor of the Museum’s Journal.
From 1993 until 2016, Karl was the man behind the premier historical journal in this region. He sourced articles, edited content, and even solicited advertisements to help defray publication costs. In addition to editing, Karl has made a tremendous contribution to the historiography of Barbados through the many and varied articles he authored for the Journal. Karl also contributed to other BMHS publications such as A Kind of Right to be Idle: Old Doll Matriarch of Newton Plantation, which he authored, Of Halls, Hills and Holes: Place Names of Barbados (2016) to which he contributed, as well as the upcoming Dictionary of Barbadian Biography.
For us at the Museum, Karl was more than our Editor. He was a friend of the Museum. Whether it was our Annual Lecture Series or a research question, Karl was always available; sharing his vast knowledge in our public programming or one-on-one with our Director, Curators and Librarian. This connection with the Barbados Museum and its work became even more poignant when Karl requested visits by specific members of staff to discuss his personal collection and the work of the Society.
Holding to the view that “without our heritage and structures of our heritage, we lose a sense of our history, we lose a sense of our past,” Karl developed a Heritage Studies Programme at the University of the West Indies Cave Hill, along the lines of a similar course he taught at UWI Mona. This initiative, not only raised awareness of the importance of our cultural heritage but provided a training ground for practitioners, not least in terms of his continuation of the archaeological exploration of the Enslaved Burial Ground at Newton. In this way, the BMHS and other heritage institutions reaped the benefits of the vision, knowledge and experience of a man who described himself as “a simple red man from the Bay Land.”
The Council and Management of the Barbados Museum & Historical Society acknowledge the invaluable role that Dr. Karl Watson has played in the fulfilment of its mandate. To that end, the 2025 BMHS/UWI Lecture series, entitled “Watson’s World: A Journey through Bajan Time and Space”, will be launched on February 5 th, to memorialise and celebrate his legacy.
We extend sincere condolences to Karl’s family and the heritage community of Barbados.
May he rest in peace.
The Barbados Museum will be opening a condolence book in memory of Dr. Karl Watson at our offices, and members of the public are invited to sign and pay their respects.
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