Background
Christopher Codrington's father was captain-general of the Leeward Isles. He was born in the island of Barbados, West Indies, in 1668.
Christopher Codrington's father was captain-general of the Leeward Isles. He was born in the island of Barbados, West Indies, in 1668.
Christopher Codrington was educated at Christ Church, Oxford.
Christopher Codrington was elected a fellow of All Souls, and subsequently served with the British forces in Flanders, being rewarded in 1695 with a captaincy in the Guards. In the same year he attended King William III on his visit to Oxford, and, in the absence of the public orator, was chosen to deliver the University oration. In 1697, on the death of his father, he was appointed captain-general and com- mander-in-chief of the Leeward Isles. In 1703 he commanded the unsuccessful British expedition against Guadeloupe. After this he resigned his governorship, and spent the rest of his life in retirement and study on his Barbados estates.
He died on the 7th of April 1710, bequeathing these estates to the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts for the foundation of a college in Barbados.
