Saint Philip, Antigua and Barbuda: History
Saint Philip was created in August 1681, when Antigua was divided into five parishes. Saint Philip and the four other parishes were permanently established in July 1692, and confirmed in January 1693. The primary objective of the establishment of parishes was providing for the parish church. Like most other parishes on Antigua, in its early colonial history, it was often dominated by the sugar industry, with some regions having smaller industries of cavalier rum, cattle, and muscovado sugar. Saint Philip had over 36 sugar mills during the sugarcane era. The main church of this parish was today's church in the village of St. Philip's.
Historically, the region was divided into the Belfast Division in the north and the Nonsuch Division in the south. These two and the eastern parts of the Willoughby Bay Division were also administratively confirmed in 1873 as the Parish Boundaries Act.
The region is mostly farmland, partly wilderness. After the abolition of slavery in 1834, Freetown was a freedman's settlement, at one time the largest freedman's village on the island. Around 1856, shortly after the abolition of slavery, the parish included the estates Rooms, Parson Maule, Collins, Glanvilles, Grants, Sion Hill, Mayers, Retreat, Comfort Hall, Grays, Wickhams, Elliotts, Long Lane, Gaynors, Elmes, Gobles, Lower Walronds, Lyons, Lavingtons, Ffrys, Montpellier, Archbolds and Browns, Skerretts, Colebrooks, Upper Walronds, Harmans, Jefferson's, Mannings, Hope, Watsons, Lynches, Sheriffs and Mangrove– some of these farms still exist today, while others evolved into The Rectory (today St. Philip's), Farrs Hill Village (Freetown), Seatons, Newfield, Willoghby Bay, Wilkies, Mayers, Salters, McCay Lands, Sandy Ground, Brooks Land and Grays Hill– some were abandoned after the great earthquake in 1843.
In the 20th century, several luxury hotels and high-end residential resorts were built on the coasts, but they are largely isolated, especially in the southern part (Half Moon Bay, Mill Reef Club, Brown's Bay Resort, Crossroads Centre) and made little contribution to economic development. The population decreased by 3.3% between 2001 and 2011, a typical rural exodus phenomenon, while the state as a whole increased by more than 11%.