Castle Bruce Affair
The Castle Bruce Affair began on 10 July 1972, marking a decisive moment in Dominican rural history. What started as a refusal to follow corporate orders by a young estate manager soon evolved into a national flashpoint for land reform, cooperative leadership, and grassroots resistance against external control.
Turning Point on 10 July 1972
On that day, Atherton “Athie” Martin, newly appointed manager of the Castle Bruce Estate, then operated by the British-based Commonwealth Development Corporation (CDC), was ordered to lay off 53 workers for financial reasons. Martin had recently returned from Cornell University, where he earned degrees in agronomy and agricultural economics. Faced with the decision, he refused.
Martin argued that terminating such a significant portion of the workforce would devastate the economic stability of Castle Bruce, a village deeply dependent on estate wages. Instead, he proposed a radical alternative: create a worker-managed cooperative that would allow the estate to continue operating under local control.
Public Support and National Debate
News of Martin’s defiance spread quickly. Within weeks, residents and national allies rallied to his side. Backed by elements of the Dominica Farmers Union (DFU) and inspired by broader post-colonial struggles across the region, Martin’s stance became a symbol of resistance and rural self-determination.
Protests and debates erupted across the island. In 1973, tensions heightened when Castle Bruce villagers attempted to join the national Day parade carrying placards in support of the cooperative. Although stopped by authorities, the message had already resonated: rural workers in Dominica were no longer willing to remain voiceless.
The affair also created divisions. Figures like Alvin Armantrading and Ted Honychurch supported the ruling Dominica Freedom Party, while Martin, branded by some as a “communist agitator”, was widely embraced by the political Left. The incident revealed fault lines between conservative estate ownership models and progressive, community-led visions for economic reform.
Formation and Lifespan of the Cooperative
In the months following the standoff, negotiations began. With pressure mounting from activists and local leaders, the CDC initiated a phased withdrawal. The Castle Bruce Farmers’ Cooperative was formally established in 1972 and assumed control over estate operations.
The cooperative existed from 1972 to 1978, a six-year period during which local farmers jointly managed production, labour, and sales. Although it eventually dissolved, the experience provided valuable lessons in democratic land management and community ownership.
It was the first cooperative of its kind in Dominica, a prototype that influenced similar efforts across the island. Villages such as Laplaine, Colihaut, and Delices later pursued cooperative strategies of their own, often citing Castle Bruce as inspiration.
Legacy and Long-Term Impact
While the cooperative itself no longer exists, its influence endures. The Castle Bruce Affair altered the way land ownership, rural governance, and economic justice were discussed in Dominica. It also served as a stepping-stone for Athie Martin, who went on to found political organisations such as the Dominica Liberation Movement (DLM), served twice as Minister for Agriculture, and later became a leading environmental advocate.
The 1972 standoff also helped energise the civic momentum that led to Dominica’s 1979 constitutional crisis and the ousting of the Patrick John administration. The affair remains deeply embedded in the village’s collective memory, often cited by residents as the moment Castle Bruce “stood up for itself.”
Today, while no formal cooperative operates the estate lands, the spirit of that movement continues to shape how the community engages with agricultural development, land stewardship, and village leadership.