Facts About Jamaica And The Parishes

Jamaica is divided into parishes, of which there are 14. These are administrative divisions, whereas the counties, Cornwall, Middlesex and Surrey, are not. The parish of Kingston, with Port Royal and St. Andrew, and the parish of St. Catherine, which is the largest, include the old parishes of St. Dorothy, St. John and St. Thomas-in-the-Vale. The parish of St. Thomas, referred to as St. Thomas-in-the-East to distinguish it from St. Thomas-in-the-Vale, is one of the oldest parishes.

It was settled by the Spaniards, and their Hatos de Morante was a part of it. St. Thomas includes what was formerly known as the parish of St. David’s. The parish of Portland, named after the Duke of Portland, who was governor at the time of its formation in 1723, includes the very old parish of St. George and a part of St. Thomas. St. Mary, which includes the former parish of Metcalfe, as well as a part of the old parish of St. George, was evidently named from the Puerto Santa Ana of the Spaniards.

The name, St. Ann, dates back to the Spanish era, as it is claimed that it is derived from Santa Ana, the name which Christopher Columbus gave to that parish. The parish of Trelawney was named after Sir William Trelawney, who was the Governor of Jamaica in 1771 when the parish came into existence, and was made up of a part of St. James and St. Ann. The parish of St. James is said to have been named after James, Duke of York, afterwards James II. Hanover was named for the House of Hanover, or the reigning family at that time. It was first spelt in the German manner, Hanover, and is the smallest parish in the island.

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The parish of Clarendon received its name from Edward Hude, Earl of Clarendon. It was a part of the old parish of Vere. The parish of St. Elizabeth is thought to have been given the Christian name of Lady Modyford, wife of the Governor of Jamaica (1664-7?). Part of St. Elizabeth became the separate parish of Manchester in 1814, the latter named after the Duke of Manchester. Westmoreland was so named because it is the most westerly parish. Jamaica, as previously mentioned became an independent country in the year 1962.
Jamaica explanations of the derivation of this place name have been varied and no one is sure of it. One suggestion is that the name is derived from xamac, the Arawak name for “hammock”. Further, it is explained that vanzac was made from the fibers of a plant which grew all over the West Indies (Jamaica included), the botanical name of which is Gossypluin barbadensia, which we know as cotton. By derivation then the place-name Jamaica might mean “the land of the xamac — cotton island”.