Abstract. The ages and environments of deposition of the principal mapped units of Barbados, based on foraminiferal and other palaeontological evidence, are discussed, together with the uplift history of the island. The age of the Scotland Formation is demonstrated to be Paleocene to ?early Middle Eocene; that of the Oceanic Formation late Middle Eocene to early Early Miocene; that of the Bissex Hill Formation and Conset Marl late Early to early Late Miocene; and that of the Coral Rock Formation Middle–Late Pleistocene. The environment of deposition of the Scotland Formation is interpreted to be abyssal; that of the Oceanic Formation abyssal to be lower bathyal; that of the Bissex Hill Formation and Conset Marl middle to lower bathyal; and that of the Coral Rock Formation inner neritic. Observed elevation/age relationships imply a mean uplift rate of between 120 m Ma⁻¹ and 220 m Ma⁻¹.