In 1839, just over a year after full emancipation in British Guiana, 83 formerly enslaved men and women collectively purchased the 200-hectare (500-acre) Northbrook plantation. They subsequently renamed the land Victoria.
This initial purchase led to other groups acquiring land, developing into what became known as the communal African village movement. The first payment for Northbrook was reportedly transported to Georgetown in coins via a wheelbarrow.
These acts were not merely individual property acquisitions; formerly enslaved people bought land collectively, established villages, and created their own systems for managing shared resources. By 1845, Victoria had developed its own code of local government.