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How did the Treaty of Madrid in 1670 affect the Cayman Islands?
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The Treaty of Madrid (1670) was a pivotal event for the Cayman Islands, as it formally ceded the islands, along with Jamaica, from Spanish control to Great Britain.1
Following this transfer of sovereignty, the first permanent settlement was established on Grand Cayman. The population of this new British territory consisted primarily of British mariners, privateers, shipwrecked passengers, African slaves, and land-grant holders arriving from Jamaica.1