Manchester Jamaica

Ballyholly, in the town of Mandeville, Manchester, is derived from an Irish place-name. The property was owned for many years by Dr. George Cooke, a retired Surgeon, and was, no doubt, named by him.

Berry Hill, in the parish of Manchester, bears the surname of Curtis Philip Berry, architect, who on October 3, 1818, received a contract for the public buildings in the town of Mandeville. Berry owned much property. He was elected to the House of Assembly in 1823 and served into the 1830’s.

Bethabara, near Newport in Manchester, was first the site of a Moravian Church and School for training women. The village which grew around it bears the same name. The women’s training college, which opened with three pupils on January 3, 1861, was removed in later years to Bethlehem in the Malvern Hills, where it still functions.

Brook’s Park, on the outskirts of Mandeville, Manchester, is named after Stanley Edwin Brooks, J.P., businessman and politician. Through Brooks’ proposals, which were carried through by the Parish Council, the land for this park was acquired.

Brumalia is a suburb of Mandeville, Manchester. In its early history it consisted of 1,257 acres of land owned by David Hollingworth. Afterwards it came into the possession of John Daley Lewis, whose family sold it to a syndicate in 1 968 for a residential section.

Bryce, in the Manchester hills, and Bryce Kirk and Village, bear the surname of a Scotsman. When missionary work was began here by the Scottish Missionary Society in 1 873, the congregation worshipped in a thatched hut, and an appeal was made to the home church for support. A wealthy Scotsman by the name of Bryce volunteered to help, and was the church’s benefactor for many years. The land for the erection of a kirk was given by Messrs. George Young and Thomas Webb, and the kirk, which was built on an imposing site, 3,000 feet above sea level and overlooking the town of Christiana, is cruciform, with a red cross outlined on its southern wall. This church, being paid for by donations from Bryce, was named after him in 1880 when it was dedicated. Since those early days a village was developed in this area and has taken the name of the kirk, that is Bryce.

Bull Hole, in Manchester, is so named because of a legendary story which declares that at a certain time of the day a roaring would be heard and the Golden Table of folklore would appear, only to be quickly pulled beneath the waters by a bull.

Caledonia is in Mandeville, Manchester, and was a large tract of land owned in the 19th century by Robert Crawford of Scotland, sixty acres of which became the town of Mandeville. There is a Caledonia Avenue in Kingston.

Carpenter’s Mountain (and also Carpenter’s Hill) in Manchester, was first known as Carpenter’s Hall and, it is thought, took the name of the first owner.

Cedar Hurst, near Mandeville, is in the parish of Manchester.

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Cobbla (Cobbla Camp), in Manchester, is said to have received this rather odd name (Cobb La) because of the following incident which took place there. A man was seen in the early days of the history of this place putting up a building but seeming not to make much success of it. Someone passing remarked, “What a ‘cobbla’ you are”. Those hearing the remark began to call the place Cobbla and what was a joke in the first place, has now become a place-name. Cobbla Camp is administered by the Jamaican Youth Corporation. It can accommodate 600 students. Started about 1 2 years ago, its object is to train 1 .000 boys per year in agricultural and industrial skills.

Cross Keys is in Manchester. This name could have come originally from Newport, Monmouth shire, England.  Cumberland Pen in Mandeville, Manchester, is said to be named after the Duke of Cumberland, successor to the Cumberland Culloden duke.

Daley Grove in Manchester, according to parish records, was named after the first owner, Peter Daley.  Davyton is in Manchester.

De Carteret Road, Mandeville, Manchester, is named after the Right Rev. George Frederick Cecil DeCarteret, deacon (1890) and priest. He was appointed Assistant Bishop of Jamaica in 1916.  Devon is in Manchester. This place-name was originally that of an English county. The property was once owned by Hugh Crawford, M.D., a native of Cumnock, Ayrsliire.

Don Figueroa Mountain is in Manchester. No one is sure how this mountain got its name. However, it is pointed out that the second Abbot of Jamaica, who was appointed in 1 522, was Luis Figueroa. He was at that time Bishop of La Concepcion, and President of the Royal Audiencia in Hispaniola.

Enfield, in Manchester, the place-name originally from Middlesex, England, was in the 18th century owned by Thomas James and Elizabeth, his wife of South end, England, and afterwards of Dover, Kent, England. It was left to his son, John T. James.

Fairfield in Manchester, near Newport, is a property acquired by the Moravians in 1754 when they began missionary work in Jamaica. They established a church here, and in 1839, the nucleus of their training college for women teachers began here with three scholars, who were in the charge of Rev. Zorn of the Moravian Missions.

Fairview, in Manchester, near Spur Tree, was first listed as “Mount Pleasant”, and the present owner — Mr. Robert Tyndale Biscoe — claims that it is 200 years old. It was first owned by Mr. Edward H. Muchette, who sold it to the well-known Lind family of this parish, who in turn sold it to Biscoe.

Flog Man, in Manchester, was so named because in old Jamaica villagers could apply punishment to wrongdoers without appealing to the law. A man was severely flogged here.

French Park, near Spur Tree in Manchester, is said to have been named after early settlers with the surname French.  Grants Green is in the parish of Manchester.

Grove Place is in the parish of Manchester, 60 miles from Kingston. The government has established a stock farm here.

Grove Road in the parish of Manchester, on the outskirts of the town of Mandeville, is said to be named after “Grove [louse”. Grove House was the name of the parsonage of the Mandeville Parish Church, which was built in the I 820s. The Rector, the Rev. George Wilson Bridges, declaring that the house was on too public a site, asked permission to rent it. It was rented to John Hollingsworth for a tavern, to the displeasure of the Church. It is not known how long Mr. Hoflingsworth occupied “The Grove”. But among others who lived there were Mr. and Mrs. Tom Leyden of Black River and the Lee Kerrs. Recently it was bought by Dr. Deiroy W. McPherson of Mandeville. And Grove Court Shopping Center has been established in Mandeville.

Hargreaves Avenue, in the town of Mandeville, Manchester, was named after Dr. George Hargreaves, M.D., C.M. (Canada), who entered the public service on the 25th of May, 1891. He became District Medical Officer for Cave Valley and St. Ann, and was justice of the peace for the same parish. He served in the Royal Army Medical Corps in the First World War, and on his return was appointed D.M.O. for Mandeville. This avenue was named after him for his meritorious service in Mandeville, and the Manchester Hospital was named the Hargreaves Memorial Hospital.

Harrison Piece, in Manchester, near Newport, is said to have been named after its first owner, Thomas” Harrison, who also owned Old bury in the 19th century. He became Surveyor General of Jamaica, and his valuable maps are deposited in the Institute of Jamaica, and in the Survey Department, Kingston.  Hastings, in Manchester, originated in Sussex, England.

Heron’s Hill, in Manchester, was named after Alexander George Heron, who owned illiamsfield, Chudleigh, Shooters Hill, Spitzbergen,cand Wigton Estates. Heron’s last wish was that he should be buried at the top of Heron’s Hill, so that even after death he would be in sight of his estates. His coffin was taken there in a cart drawn by mules, and mourners scrambled up the narrow stony path on hands and knees.

Hog Hole, in Manchester, old-timers state, was owned by Samuel Hutchinson, known to them as “Mass Sam”. He owned a shop in which he sold everything “from a pin to a saddle”. –  Hope Village, in Manchester, is now primarily a residential area for employees of Alcan Jamaica Ltd.

Huntingdon, near Mandeville, in the parish of Manchester, was so named by Rev. Q.R. Noble after Hunting- don in England, where both his wife (Jane Ridgley) and himself were born. The Rev. Noble was a missionary who served under the Scottish Missionary Society, with headquarters in Edinburgh. As a young man, he served in Africa in 1875, then in 1878 was transferred to the mission field in Jamaica, being in charge of the following spheres: Carton Hall, 1878-1883; Mount Zion in the parish of St. James, 1910; and Ebenezer in 1925 — giving in all 50 years of service in Jamaica. The Rev, and Mrs. Noble had three children: a son and two daughters. The son and one daughter (who married a Mr, .Gordon and lived in England) are now deceased. The surviving daughter, Mabel, married Mr. L.W. Hitchins. On the death of her mother in 1941 (her father died in 1935), she inherited Huntingdon, and in 1957, when she came to live in Mandeville, she sold it to a branch of the police in that town.

Kendal is in Manchester, the place-name originating in Kent, England. Kendal was a large coffee plantation which extended to Mile Gully Pen, St. Elizabeth, and Martin’s Hill. It was owned from 1839 by Mr. John Clark of Thornbury, England, who was the first of the Clark family to settle in Jamaica. He married Jane Smythe Powell, daughter of Thomas Powell and• Elizabeth Powell of Ballynure. Near Devon, also in Manchester. Thomas Powell died January 5, 1839, and was buried in the Mile Gully Churchyard, where Elizabeth Powell is also buried.

The marble tablets to their memory are still to be seen on the wall of this church. John Clark and Jane Smythe Powell had two children: John Powell Clark and William Maitland Clark, who went to England to reside. John P. Clark Sr. died on March 27, 1858, at 51, and is also buried at Mile Gully cemetery. His wife Jane died Nov. 19, 1869, at 61. Marble tablets to their memory also hang on the church wall.

John Powell Clark Jr. was born June 29, 1840. In 1863 he married Elizabeth Isabella Farquharson, daughter of a Scottish captain in the British Navy. They had four sons and four daughters: John, William, Arthur, Ernest, Mary, Mabel, Lilian, and Muriel. Ernest died as a boy. J.P. Clark was a planter, pen keeper, and well-known churchman. He was also Custos of the parish of Manchester for 34 years, Chairman of the Parochial Board, and a Member of the Legislative Council. It was during his time that the railway line was extended to Kendal and beyond. He died on January 29, 1915.

His wife died on Sept. 1919, and they are both buried in the Mandeville Parish Churchyard. William Powell Clark (the second son of John P. and Elizabeth Isabella Clark) was born on November 25, 1864, and spent six years in England to further his studies. He was admitted to practice as a solicitor of the Supreme Court of Judicature of Jamaica on Dec. 18, 1866, and appointed judge at the age of 28, on December 14, 1892. He served in this capacity in almost every parish in the island, including the Corporate Area of Kingston and St. Andrew. Clark married Lilian D. Panton, second daughter of Archdeacon David Brooks Panton, rector of Mandeville Parish Church.

The Clarks lived to celebrate their diamond jubilee wedding anniversary. They had four children: Raymond Brooks Clark (Missionary to Peru), Annie Panton Clark (active in Marlborough and Moorlands Camps for young people), Charlie I. Clark, and Ernest Morrison Clark. William P. Clark and his brother John, were co-founders of the Keswick Convention in Jamaica, which began in Mandeville in 1900 and now is held in many other places in Jamaica. W.P. Clark died in 1954.

Ernest Morrison Clark was born on September 10, 1896. He purchased Kendal after the death of his grandparents, John P. Clark and Elizabeth I. Clark. He married Madeline I. Lord and had three daughters: Helen, Isabella, and Phyllis, the last of whom married the Hon. W.F. Coke, stos of Manchester. Ernest Morrison Clark was widowed and later married Elizabeth J. Jespersen. They had two sons: Ernest Panton Clark and Stephen M. Clark, who reside at KendaL. Ernest Panton Clark is a businessman, pen keeper, and lay preacher. He was also one of the founders of the Bible School in Mandeville, and helped to found the Hanbury Home for orphans and the Manchester Mutual Building Society. Kendal has been owned by the Clark family for over 100 years.

Mandeville, the capital of Manchester, bears the title of the eldest son of William, Duke of Manchester, after whom this parish was named. He was also Governor of Jamaica, 1813-21. Land was purchased for the establishment of this town from Mr. Robert Crawford, a Scotsman who, owned the Caledonia estate. This was done by the Vestry at a meeting held on 27th August, 1816. The town was setup thus: a square with the following buildings — Courthouse, Record Office, Parish Church and Police Station. A Village Green was also laid out.

First plots of land were purchased by Messrs. Berry, De Pass, Charles Jackson, and Kingston. Kingston erected a store where Exalda Store is now sited, Berry had Berry Hill named after him, and Jackson became the owner of the area known as Waltham.

Mandeville is almost in the centre of Manchester, and also the island, and is 2,061 feet above sea level. The climate is salubrious, and the temperature averages 70 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit in the daytime to 65 to 70 at nights and the town has not only achieved worldwide popularity as a winter resort for tourists, but is much frequented in the summer by islanders from the warmer districts on the plains. The earliest drug store, established on the future site of Mandeville Pharmacy, was owned by Mr. Chevers, then passed to the following: Holmes, Isaacs, then Richard Haughton. This drug store has been in the Haughton family (apart from Richard, Dudley Haughton, and now the latter’s son and daughter) for over 100 years.

The Mandeville Parish Church, first to be established, was the State Church in the 19th century. The Congregational Church at Ridgemount (now United Church of Jamaica) was began in 1836 by Rev. William Slayter of the London Missionary Society. The Baptist Church on Baptist Hill was established in 1840 by Rev. James Murscell Phillipo (then stationed at Spanish Town) of the Baptist Missionary Society of London.

There are numerous schools in Mandeville. Secondary schools include a coeducational day school run by the Manchester Trustees, and a private day school at Brompton two miles out of town, while accommodation for boarders is available at other schools such as the Roman Catholic School for girls, the Anglican Preparatory School, De Carteret School (named after Bishop de Carteret) and other private coeducational schools. The government also has elementary and basic schools, and there is a large academy called The West Indian Training College, run by the Seventh Day Adventists for children and adults of both sexes, where vocational and industrial training, as well as purely academic training, is given.

The Sugar Manufacturers Association maintains a research station in Mandeville which serves the sugar estates and factories not only in the island, but throughout the West Indies. The Church Teachers College, owned by the Anglican Church, began in Jamaica at Riversdale in 1907, then moved in 1919 to its present location in Mandeville.

There is a thriving country club in Mandeville, various private clubs, and excellent facilities available for tennis, billiards, golf, cricket and football. The Mandeville Hotel, the oldest such facility in the town, has been enlarged and modernized. The Bauxite industry started in Mandeville in 1942 when Mr. R.F. limes, then (Jamaica) Government Senior Agricultural Chemist, brought to the government’s notice the significance of the alumina content of the island’s red soils. This led to a thorough survey later by a team of scientists from Aluminum Limited of Montreal, Canada. Extensive bauxite deposits were found and the Jamaican Government decided to permit the commercial development of these deposits.

Jamaica Bauxite Limited (the original name of the company) incorporated in October 1943 as a fully-owned subsidiary of Aluminum Limited to further investigate the commercial potential of Jamaica bauxite. The first alumina plant was established at Kirk vine, near Shooter’s Hill. In 1952 the name (Jamaica Bauxite Limited) was changed to Alumina Jamaica Limited (Alcan) and the first shipment from Kirk vine was made in January 1953. The bauxite industry has brought prosperity to the parish of Manchester, and Mandeville now has a modern public library and many suburbs with modern residential buildings, homes, and shopping centers.

Marlborough in Manchester has a charming Great House.

Marshall Pen, in Manchester, was a large coffee estate of over 1,000 acres, first owned by the Earl of Balcarres, Governor of Jamaica, 1795-1801. It also included Martin’s Hill. It later came into the ownership of Mr. Michael (Mike) J.E. Muirhead, who sold a part for what is now known as Mike Town. The property was then acquired by Mr. Arthur Sutton, and is still owned by Mr. and Mrs. Sutton and family.

Mike Town, in Manchester, is named after Mike E. Muirhead, who was once the owner of Marshall Pen, and sold a part of it for the establishment of this town. (See Marshall Pen.)

Moravia, in Manchester, is a site where a church was established by the Moravian missionaries, and was named after Moravia in Czechoslovakia. The village which grew up around the church has taken the name.

Morelands, in Manchester, is said to have been first known as Moorlands, which is a Scottish place-name. The first owner listed in the Jamaica Almanacks was James McIntosh. Afterwards it was purchased by Oscar Lord of Mandeville. In 1948, Lord’s wife, formerly (Anise Clark) and himself gave it as a place of conference for churches and as a camp for young people. The camp was first sited at Marlborough, in Manchester (1937-38) and is governed by a trust. For some years, until the present time (1972), Mr. and Mrs. C.R. Burgess have been in charge of it.  Royal Flat, a suburb of Mandeville, was evidently named from some “royal” event.

Sedburgh, in Manchester, originated in Yorkshire, England.  Sherwood Forest, in Manchester, evidently originates from the identically-named place in England.

Shooters Hill in Manchester was first owned by Captain Alexander George Heron, who, when he arrived in Jamaica in the early 18th century (being preceded by an ancestor, John Heron), acquired many properties in this parish. After his death the property was inherited by H.H. Heron. Shooters Hill in Manchester has now come into the possession of the Kirk vine branch of Alcan Jamaica Limited.

Spaldings is situated near the border of Manchester and Clarendon, and is a thriving town in the “upper district” of this parish.

Spitzburgen, in the parish of Manchester, comes from Norway. It was owned in the early eighteenth century by Captain George Heron, an English settler.

Spur Tree, in Manchester, derives its name from a tree with prominent spurs, the long spiked fiddlewood (Citharexylum caudation) which grew in large quantities here in the early history of the place. Of further historic interest is the fact that in 1950 the main offices, laboratories, and powerhouse of the Kaiser Bauxite Company, a subsidiary of Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical Corporation of the United States, were established at Spur Tree.

Stones Hope, near Spur Tree in Manchester, was named because of the quantity of stones found there. In its early history it was owned by the Hon. H.T. Donaldson. Stones Hope has been sold and now goes by the name of Hope.

Swaby’s Hope, in Manchester, is a village situated on a long strip of land bounded on the south by Hanover. The property on which this village is established was owned by a Mr. Swaby and was evidently named after him.  Victoria Town, south Manchester, said to be named after Queen Victoria, is an old town.

Walderston, in Manchester, was first known as “Watson Gate” and later “Walder Town”, and was named after Reverend Heinrich Walder, a Moravian missionary who came to Jamaica in 1870. •He gave devoted service to church and community for more than a quarter of a century, dying on August 7th, 1895. An architect and builder, he established churches at Walderston, Mizpah, and Rftchies. He also introduced a land settlement scheme for the people, in this way improving their living conditions. The place-name, in memory of him, was finally changed to Walderston.

Wales in Manchester was known from 1811 when estates were first listed, and was owned by Edward Morgan, a Welshinan, who evidently named it for the country from which he came.  Woodside is in the parish of Manchester. This name originated in Aberdeen, Scotland.

Zion Hill, found in Manchester and Trelawny, is a biblical place-name. It is the site of a Baptist church in Manchester, and, in Trelawny, of a Presbyterian church, now United Church of Jamaica.  Zorn, a village in Manchester, is named after Rev. Jacob Zorn, one of the first Moravian missionaries who arrived in 1754.

Zuasshire Hill, in Manchester, is said to be a large piece of undeveloped land near Newport. It was named after a faithful slave of that name, who belonged to the Pusey family, and this portion of land used to be a part of their property.

Curphey Home in Mandeville and Holmwood, in Manchester, near Christiana, is the site of the first Practical Training Centre for boys, established March 2, 1936, by the government.