In August 1831, St Vincent was struck by a major hurricane. In contrast to the eruption of 1812, this event had an island-wide impact, with damage to property and crops across 92 of the 96 sugar estates active at the time, and an estimated mortality across the island of 50–100 (Smith, 2012). Disproportionate claims for compensation were received from estates within the ‘Charlotte’ parish that covers the north and northwest portions of the island; emphasizing the susceptibility of populations