The island now known as New Herswick was inhabited by a group of people called the Gaarps before English-speaking settlers arrived in the late 1700s. In the 1790s, English-speaking people arrived to the island, many of them from Herswick. In 1795, the island was named New Herswick, in honor of the birth nation of many of the new settlers. In 1796, the new settlers chose a location for their new nation's capital city, and a Government House was built on a hill now known as Berlock Hill. In 1797, the new settlers began deciding on what form of government they wanted for New Herswick. They decided that they wanted a monarchy, as that was the form of government Herswick had. On 5 December 1797, a man named Curtis Gayoule became King Curtis I when he was chosen by the people to be thir monarch.