PiecesPast
[ News | Go - Kingston | Discover Jamaica ]

Our Parishes
Jamaica's parishes in 1728

How did they come about and how did they get their names - Jamaica's parishes explained.

IN 1664, the Spanish relinquished control of Jamaica to the British and Sir Thomas Modyford divided this fair isle into 7 administrative units known as parishes. These were located mainly in the mid to south- eastern end of the island: Clarendon, St. John's, St. Andrew's, St. Katherine's, Port Royal, St. David's and St. Thomas in the East. Within 25 years, by 1683 the number of parishes had doubled totalling 15 parishes as St. Dorothys, St. Thomas in the Vale, Vere, St. George's, St. Marie's and St. Ann's and St. James and St. Elizabeth's were added.
In 1692 earthquake survivors fled across the harbour and Kingston was formed a year later.
1528: Earliest map featuring Jamaica.
Courtesy of Aaron and Marjorie Matalon's gift collection to the National Gallery of Jamaica

By the mid-eighteenth century parishes covered the entire island. In 1758 the island's 3 counties ­ Surrey, Middlesex and Cornwall ­ were created to facilitate more convenient holdings of courts of Justice. Surrey has 4 parishes ­ Kingston, the smallest parish, St. Andrew, St. Thomas and Portland. Middlesex has 5 ­ St. Catherine, St. Mary, Clarendon, St. Ann and Manchester. Cornwall also has 5 ­ St. Elizabeth, Trelawny, St. James, Hanover, the second smallest parish in the island, and Westmoreland. In the mid-nineteenth century, Jamaica recorded its largest number of parishes ­ 22. In 1867 some parishes were melded into others and the island was left with 14 ­ the number of parishes we have today. Each parish has a capital town and serves as a unit of local government. Kingston, which existed as a settlement of houses in the mid-1600s prior to even its formation as a town, became the capital of Jamaica in 1872. It acquired this position due to its function as a major centre for commerce and communication.

THE PARISHES OF SURREY

The parish of St. Andrew, formed in 1867, was originally called Liguanea after the Liguanea Plain in which it lies. Since most of the other 13 parishes were named after governors of Jamaica, their wives, or English kings, it is possible that St. Andrew derived its name similarly. St. Thomas, for example, may have been named after Thomas, Lord Windsor, Governor of Jamaica in 1662. Portland was named after the Duke of Portland, Governor in 1723, the year of the parish's formation. Kingston was once called Beeston after Sir William Beeston who served as Lt.-Governor of the island from 1693-1700. It is not known how the parish received the name Kingston although a letter from Port Royal dated July 3, 1693 referred to it being known by some as "Kingston" and others as "killcown". Kingston was made a parish in 1713.

THE PARISHES OF MIDDLESEX

St. Catherine, formed in 1867, was named after Charles II's Queen, Katherine, and it was once spelled as such. Charles II was king when the parish was formed. St. Mary, may have been named after the Spanish port Santa Maria, although Modyford's daughter was called Mary and when St. Mary was first formed, it was next to the parish of St. George which was named after George Nedham, Mary's husband. Clarendon was named after Cromwell, the Lord Chancellor and St. Ann was named after Ann Hyde, wife of James II. In 1814 Manchester was formed from the parishes of Clarendon, Vere and St. Elizabeth. It was named after the Duke of Manchester who was governor of Jamaica when it was formed.

THE PARISHES OF CORNWALL

St. Elizabeth was named in honour of Elizabeth, wife of Sir Thomas Modyford, who was Governor when it was formed in the seventeenth century. Trelawny, formed in 1770 was named for former governor Sir William Trelawny who died in Jamaica in 1772. St. James was named for the Duke of York who became James II. Hanover, formed in 1725-26 out of parts of Westmoreland and St. James, it was named after the then reigning family in England ­ it was originally to be called St. Sophia in honour of the mother of George I but this idea was overridden. Formed in 1703, Westmoreland's name may simply come from the fact that it is the westernmost parish in the island. Each parish has unique places of interest and characteristics. St. Ann, for example, is known as the Garden Parish for its extreme beauty. The population of our 14 parishes is approximately 2.6 million people, the majority of which reside in the parishes of Kingston and St. Andrew.

Article by Rebecca Tortello.

Sources: Bryce, W. (1946) Ed. Reference Book of Jamaica, B.W.I., Cundall, F. (1926) Handbook of Jamaica for 1926, The Gleaner (1995). Geography and History of Jamaica. 24th Edition, Our Island, Jamaica, Mike Morrissey.


A QUICK LOOK AT PARISH CHANGES OVER THE CENTURIES

Jamaica's parishes in 1762
 
OVER THE CENTURIES: 1600- Present Day

Coming November 5: We remember the first 500 Jamaican soldiers sent to World War I.


Give Us Your Feedback | Read what others had to say
Name
E-mail
Country
Comments
Complete List of Past Pieces
Current
Port Royal Earthquake
Port Royal Earthquake : I Was There
June 20, 1965: Martin Luther King Jr. visits Jamaica
Bog Walk Tube
For Your Listening Pleasure
The Road to Freedom
Birth of Independence
Hurricane of 1780
Tragedy at Kendal 1957
The Ward Theatre 1912
The Guarded City: Port Royal 1690
The Triumph of Will:1960s
The History of Our Parishes
Jamaica and the Great War
Jamaica's Grand Hotels
Celebrating Christmas Jamaica 'Style'
Disaster - The Earthquake of 1907
The Great Exhibition of 1891
The Mutiny On The Bounty & The Arrival of The First Breadfruit 1793
The Fall Of A Gentle Giant: The Collapse of Tom Cringle's Cotton Tree
Jamaica's Botanical Gardens
All Hail The State Visit Of Emperor Haile Selassie I
Jamaican Healer And War Heroine Mary Seacole
Mistresses Of The Sea: Female Pirates Mary Read and Anne Bonny
The Capital City: A Historic Look At Kingston
Riots Here: Send Help At Once
A Historic Portrait of the Town Where Jamaica's Tourism Began
Devon House -The first 500 years in Jamaica
Jamaican Coffee - A beverage of distinction
Jamaican Rum - A kill-devil of a drink
Jamaica Festival - What a Bam Bam
Captivated by Jamaica - Sir Hans Sloane's Passion for Jamaica
Captivated by Jamaica Pt II - Noel Coward, Errol Flynn and Ian Fleming
The Founding Of The BITU & The JLP
The Founding Of the People's National Party
Lewis Hutchinson: The Mad Master
A Pioneer, A Survivor: Dr. Cicely Williams

Henry Morgan: The Pirate King

Claude McKay: Jamaica's First Poet Laureate
Frazier versus Foreman on the Sunshine Island 1973
The Magical Spiderman: Anancy
The Case Of The Shark Papers
Katherine Dunham - Matriarch of Modern Dance
Money - The Roots of Jamaican Currency
Simon Bolivar: El Liberatador
Old Time Tellin's: A Closer Look At Jamaican Proverbs
Recollections of World War II
Place Names - A Window to Jamaica's History & Character: Wnat's In A Name?
The History Of Spanish Town
A Cultural Explication Of Empire: Lady Nugent's Journal
The History Of Falmouth: Boom Town Of The 19th Century
Dreamers Among Us - Famous Jamaican Scientists- Prof. Louis Grant 1913 - 1993 Part I
Dreamers Among Us - Famous Jamaican Scientists-Part II
Out Of Many Cultures: The People Who Came - The Jews In Jamaica
Out Of Many Cultures: The People Who Came - The Chinese
Out Of Many Cultures: The People Who Came - The Lebanese
Out Of Many Cultures: The People Who Came - The Indians
Out Of Many Cultures: The People Who Came - The Irish
Out Of Many Cultures: The People Who Came - The Africans
Out Of Many Cultures: The People Who Came - The Germans
Colourful Characters - Jamaican Birds
The Stamp Of History: The Jamaican Postal Service
The People Who Came - The English
Old-time Jamaican weddings
In this place dwelt Horatio Nelson
Printing in Jamaica
Museums in Jamaica
Gibraltar Camp: A Refuge From War
HISTORY OF AVIATION IN JAMAICA: PART I
HISTORY OF AVIATION IN JAMAICA: PART II
Roads & RESISTANCE
KINGSTON'S HISTORIC AND DIVERSE PLACES OF WORSHIP RELIGIOUS ICONS part 1
KINGSTON'S HISTORIC AND DIVERSE PLACES OF WORSHIP RELIGIOUS ICONS part 2
The history of the Salvation Army in Jamaica CHRISTIAN SOLDIERS
Somewhere beyond the sea
A fascination with football
Jamaican Horse racing History
A Time to Live...Jamaican Birth Rituals
A Time to Die Death rituals
Deadly superstitions


Feedback To the Series

"I have found your articles on the Pieces of the Past most entertaining and interesting to read. For me as a historian these pieces come at a time when Jamaicans need to reconnect themselves with their past and the Gleaner's efforts through this medium is quite commendable.

I have found especially today's article on the 1780 hurricane to be quite of interest to me as I am currently involved in bringing to light the role of natural disasters in the development of Jamaica's history, culture, society, economy and politics and the article on the "Hurricane of 1780" has greatly aided in this direction. Keep up the good work and I look forward to more interesting and historically significant pieces from this series." - Kerry-Ann


The First 500 years in Jamaica

We're taking you for a stroll down memory lane for the next six months. Along this journey,we will relive several events which
significantly impacted on the social, political and economic development of Jamaica. As we travel share your experience with us...

Send your comments to:

Pieces of the Past,
The Gleaner Company Ltd.,
7 North Street, Kingston;

E - mail us:
editor@gleanerjm.com

Fax 922-6223.


A Jamaica Gleaner Feature posted October 29, 2001
Copyright 2001. Produced by Go-Jamaica.com