Carmichael Street, Georgetown

Lieutenant General Sir Hugh Lyle Carmichael (1764-1813) was Commander-in Chief of British forces and the Lieutenant Governor of Demerara from 1812 to 1813. He was strongly in favour of allowing local Caribbean troops to have the same rights as British soldiers. As Lieutenant Governor, on 12th May 1812 he changed the name of the capital from Stabroek to Georgetown, and made English and Dutch to be the official languages of the courts. In the latter part of 1812, the USA and Britain went to war and the USA warships surrounded Georgetown. Under the leadership of Carmichael, the British forces successfully fought off the USA. Carmichael Street is named after him.

Image 01 - Carmichael Street looking south (1912)

Sources

[image01] - Unknown