| Aboukir, in St. Ann, according to Jamaica Almanacs, is as old as 1801. It recalls the battles of Aboukir: (a) the great sea fight of 1798 at Aboukir Bay (b) the land battle near the village (1801) when Sir Ralph Abercombie, an English general who distinguished himself in many battles, landed there and defeated the French at Alexandria, but died of wounds. Other place-names in Jamaica which remind of Sir Ralph Abercombie’s expedition are Rosetta and Alexandria, also in this parish. Albion in central St. Ann
Annandale, in St. Ann, is originally a Scottish place— name. It was owned by a Scotsman, who built a Great House there in the eighteenth century This estate was purchased by another Scotsman, the late Sir Thomas Roxburgh, and has been owned by his family for over 100 years age.
Arawak, in St. Ann, received this name from the fact that Arawak remains were once found there. There is now a post office which bears this name. Bamboo Town is between Brown’s Town and Claremont. The place-name, ‘Bamboo’, is found in several other parishes.
Bengal is on the border of Trelawny and St. Ann. The place-name originated in India and later became the designation of a sugar estate owned by Alexander Hopwood from 1888. Blackstonedge is a Scottish place-name.
Brown’s Town is a place-name found in St. Ann, Clarendon and the suburbs of Kingston. Brown’s Town was first known as Hamilton Town, after the first name of its founder (1775-1843), who was an Irishman, but afterwards it was decided that it should bear only his surname. A tablet to his memory Hamilton Brown of A trim, Ireland, died September 18th, 1843. He was the founder of this town, and for 22 years was one of the Representatives of this parish in the House of Assembly. His name will long be cherished by a grateful community who for nearly half a century experienced the benefits of his generous mind and heart.
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Calabar, in St. Ann, is a place-name originating in south-east Nigeria, from which in the eighteenth century many Africans were brought as slaves to Jamaica. At Calabar in 1843, the Jamaica Baptist Union established the Calabar Theological College under the presidency of Rev. Joshua Tinson of Watledge, England. This college was moved to Kingston in 1866 and functioned there until 1964, when by the decision of eleven denominations it became the United Theological College of the West indies, and has been established on the grounds of the University of the West Indies at Mona.
Cave Valley is said to be so called because of the proximity of a great cave to the Cave River, on whose banks it is located. During the first Maroon war, British troops were quartered nearby, and there are still ruins of a Cave Valley barracks. Claremont, in St Ann, was first known as “Finger Post” It took its name from the first house there, and the correct spelling is Clermont.
Clarksonville was so named by Rev. John Clark, Baptist minister stationed at Brown’s Town in that parish, in 1835. He purchased land there for what was then known as a “free village”, for the settlement of ex— slaves after August 1st, 1838. He named it after Thomas Clarkson, English advocate of the abolition of slavery.
Coultart Grove, in St. Ann, is named after the Rev. James Coultart, English Baptist missionary, who started his missionary service at the East Queen Street Baptist Church (then known as “The Gully Church”, as it is near a gully). Transferred to St. Ann’s Bay, he served there until his death in 1853, and is buried in the St. Ann’s Bay Baptist Church Cemetery.
Discovery Bay, in St. Ann, was Columbus’ Dry Harbor, Puerto Seco, renamed Discovery Bay by Mr. Hal Peat in 1947. Don Christopher’s Cove, in St. Ann, was for years said to be named for Don Christopher Columbus. This ascription is now discredited, as it is claimed that it is too small to have held Columbus’ caravels. The supposition then is that it was named after Don Christopher Ysassi, the last Spanish Governor.
Drax Hall, in St. Ann, was named after Charles Drax, who, in his will dated 1721, “made liable all his estate known as ‘Walton’ in the said parish of St. Ann, and if that estate be insufficient, other estates to be added”. This endowment was for a free school which was, begun in the vestry of the court house of that parish in 1 795, and which was called “The Drax Free School”.
Dry Harbor, in St. Ann, was the Puerto Seco of Christopher Columbus — so called because there was no fresh water there.
Dry Harbor Mountains, in St. Ann, are well known for their dry and bracing climate. Dumbarton, in St. Ann, originates in Scotland. There are hundreds of Scottish place-names in Jamaica.
Eaton Hall, in St. Ann, was named in the late 19th century after Thomas and Timothy Eaton, who bought it for their residence and endowed the site with the permanent name of Eaton Hall. The Eaton’s are reputed to have been a famous family of shopkeepers. Eaton Hall is now a hotel.
Enfield is also found in Westmoreland, St. Ann and St Catherine. Faith’s Pen (residential area and post office), in St. Ann, was first registered as “St. Faith’s Pen”. Fern Gully, in St. Ann, is one of Jamaica’s beauty spots, and is so named because on the banks of the gorge through which the road winds, many ferns grow. There is also a Fern Gully Village.
Flamstead in St. Ann claims that all the Flamstead properties which overlooked the sea were owned by Admiral Flamstead. Research, however, has revealed that in naval history there was an Admiral Flamstead, but as far as is known now, he was never stationed in Jamaica.
Golden Grove is 47 miles from Kingston. Golden Spring is in St. Ann. C.S. Cotter, in “The Hartman Will” (Jamaica Historical Society Bulletin, Vol II, No. 1, March, 1961), states that this property was purchased by “Major Edmund Fleming Akers Hartman, son of Major William Henry Hartman and Elizabeth Fleming Akers. The Hartmans came of an old West Indian family of Dutch descent. Edmund Hartman, after service in the Indian Army, purchased in London the Higgins Properties of Golden Spring, and New Ground in St. Ann”. During Mr. Hartman’s life in India, he had seen many victims of cholera buried alive, so in his will he made the following odd request:
Whereas I entertain great dread of being buried alive and with the view of guarding against this possibility, I direct that at my death my body shall be kept in an open coffin as long as the law will permit, and thereafter my head shall be severed from my body, and interred with it at Golden Spring, and I request that a fee of ten guineas be paid a medical man to perform the operation of decapitation.
This was done by a Dr. Maunsell, well-known in Westmoreland at that time. Edmund Hartman died on September 9, 188 1, and it is said that “he does not rest in peace, but that at full moon precisely at twelve o’clock, he may be seen dressed in white, riding a white horse, with one white gloved hand holding the bridle and the other holding his upright head under his right arm”.
Liberty Hall, in St. Ann, is said to have received this name when what is known as a “Liberty Tree” was planted there on the 1st of August, 1838. These trees were planted as an act of commemoration of the freedom which came on that date to the enslaved people of this country.
Lime Hall, in St. Ann, is said to have been first known as Clark’s Town, but as there was another place in this parish by that name, when the property was purchased in the 1860’s by the Rev. Joseph Dussard Ormsby, he changed the name to Lime Hall, because there was great number of lime trees there. It was a large property and the Rev. Ormsby, besides building his house there are parts of it for the erection of a church, which is still in existence. He also built a shop for the convenience of the people, as the area was far from any shopping facilities. Ormsby married a daughter of the Rev. Smith, and, at his death, Lime Hall was left to his widow, and, at her death, to all their daughters. Later, at the deaths of these, it was sold to Mr. Tommy Nicholson, whose family still owns it. In the cemetery nearby, Mrs. J.D. Ormsby, her eldest son, the Rev. Charles Ormsby, and Tommy Nicholson are buried.
Lime Tree Gardens, also in St. Ann, no doubt received its name for the same reason as Lime Hall. Linton Park, in St. Ann, is named after Joseph Linton, first owner of the estate. Llandovery, in St. Ann, originates in north-east Carmarthen, Wales. It included for some years a sugar estate which was incorporated with the Richmond Sugar Estate and known as “Richmond-Llandovery”. This sugar estate, however, closed down in 1970. Llandovery also includes “The Llandovery Falls”, made famous for having been depicted on Jamaica’s first one-penny stamp, in the series known as “Pictorial Stamps”. It was to have commemorated Jamaica’s entry into “The Imperial Penny Post”, but, as it was issued on May 1, 1900, it was late for that event. In all, 5,575,080 copies of this first Jamaica one-penny stamp were printed by Messrs. De La Rue of England, and a vast number were used as fiscals on receipts. The first Llandovery stamp was carmine and the shape rectangular, but, as the color was unpopular, it was reprinted in black and red, on September 26, 1901. This stamp not only depicts a beauty spot in St. Ann, “the garden Parish of the Island”, but also corroborates the story of the Spanish Lovers Leap.
Lumsden, in St. Ann, is said to have being named after William Lumsden, a Scotsman, who settled there in the early 18th century. Since then, a district known as Lumsden Village has developed around this property.
Lydford is a property in St. Ann. This name comes originally from Devon, England. In the present century, it was owned by Sir Alfred D’Costa, a prominent businessman, who was born in Kingston in 1873, son of David Rodriques D’Costa, and Cordilia Margaret, his wife. In 1942, Sir Alfred, after observing that plants did not grown well at Lydford, samples of the soil to be analyzed, and the analysis showed 45-50% alumina content. Sir Alfred took steps which led to its exploration. Although not the discoverer of bauxite (alumina content observed from 1869 by J.G. Sawkins), D’Costa was mainly responsible for its development. Reynolds Jamaica Mines Limited, Lydford Works, undertook the mining and drying of ore, and the transporting of it to the coast at Ocho Rios, where it is shipped, the first shipment made at the end of 1952.
Moneague, in St. Ann, was first rendered Moneque, also Monesca Savannah, and, it is claimed, is of Arawak origin. Spanish documents have Manegua for Moneague. Runaway Bay, in St. Ann, is so named because it is claimed that this was the port from which Ysassi, the last Spanish governor (pursued by the English) left the island. This was after he fought for five years to recapture the island from the English. Ysassi escaped to Cuba, arriving there on May 9th, 1660. This made an end of Spanish occupation of Jamaica, and the island was officially ceded to England by the Treaty of Madrid.
Seville, in St. Ann, was the Sevilla Nueva (New Sevifie) or Sevilla de ora (Golden Seville) of the Spaniards. Sevilla Nueva was founded by Juan d’ Esquivel, the first Spanish Governor of Jamaica, who arrived in 1509 with instructions from Diego Colon (Christopher Columbus’s son) to establish a colony here. The city of Seville, the Spanish capital of Jamaica for 23 years, had, among other buildings, a church, monastery, castle, and palace.
Southfield in the parish of St. Ann may be so named because of the direction in which it lies. Spicey Hill is in St. Ann. There is a Spice Grove in Manchester. Staceyville, on the border of St. Ann and Clarendon, is a thriving country town. Sturge Town, in St. Ann, is named after Joseph Sturge, the Quaker philanthropist, who bought “Mount Alba” in this parish, and divided it into village lots for some 100 families. This was done after the 1st of August 1838 when the ex-slaves were in need of land on which to settle.
Try See, in St. Ann, is said to have been the site of a “free village” in its early history, and was so named by those former slaves who received land. Try See is part of the phrase, “Try and see what can be done’ Upton is found in St. James and St. Ann. This name originated in Worcester, England. Upton, in St. James, is the site of a Methodist church. Recently a part of Upton was sold as a residential area, with club house etc. Situated on a hill, the area commands a beautiful view of the Montego Bay harbor.
Upton, in St. Ann, was a cattle and coconut property and was first owned by Mr. Ernest Mais, who married Lilian Cameron, of Scottish descent. The couple had four sons: Leslie, the eldest, who was a pen keeper; Noel, who owned Bermuda Mount in St. Andrew and became an engineer; Roderick, who lived in England; and Jeffrey, who is a well-known medical practitioner in Mandeville. Upton was eventually sold to Alex Gordon, and since then it has been purchased by a syndicate for housing development. Upton is an attractive tourist resort.
Waltham St. Ann is a village, said to be named after Colonel Waltham, an early English settler. Westphalja, found in St. Ann and in St. Andrew, is of German origin. Lady Curphey Home in St. Ann: All these places are named after Colonel Sir Aldington Curphey and Lady Curphey. Colonel Curphey was the son of T.J. and Mrs. Curphey of Kingston, Jamaica, where he was born (1880). Colonel Curphey, M.B.C.M. (Canada), L. R .C .P. (Edinburgh), L.F.P. (Glasgow), F.R.I.P.H. (London), worked in Jamaica as Medical Officer of Health, then served abroad in the First World War (19 16-1919) with great distinction, receiving the Military Cross for outstanding surgical work. These places, which house the care for ex-soldiers, are named after him because of his untiring single-handed efforts on their behalf. He was also instrumental in the foundation of the Jamaica Legion in 1958, the year he was knighted.
Edinburgh Castle, in the Pedro District of St. Ann, was so named by Lewis Hutchinson, first owner, after the Scottish city. It is claimed that there is a theory that Hutchinson was jilted and became embittered to such an extent that he became a desperado and murderer. He had a square-walled house or ‘castle’ built with two loop holed turrets. From these turrets he espied everyone passing along the road, and fired at them, and numberless people suffered death at his hands, their bodies said to be flung by his slaves into a sinkhole at the back of Edinburgh Castle. The government put a price on his head, and though for a time he defied all efforts to capture him, he finally left his fortress and put out to sea in a boat. Units of the Royal Navy under the command of Admiral Rodney captured him and he was taken to Spanish Town. Hutchinson pleaded not guilty, but he was convicted and hanged on the 16th March, 1773. At the foot of the scaffold, he left £100 in gold for the erection of a monument with a record of his death to be inscribed with these words:
Their sentence, pride and malice I defy, Despite their power, and, like a Roman, die. Edinburgh Castle is still in existence and is the property of the National Trust Commission. Flamstead — this name is found in five parishes: St. Ann, St. James, Hanover, St. Andrew (Port Royal Mountains) and Westmoreland. A recent owner of Messrs Pilliner and Dairymple and the latter’s son, Sydney Dairymple.
Helicon Road, in Discovery Bay is a classical place-name of Greek derivation. Lilyfield, in St. Ann, is now the site of Kaiser Bauxite. Madras, St. Ann (mostly residential), originated from a city in India. It is a reminder that indentured East Indians were imported in 1845 to take the place of Africans, whose importation ceased in 1838, on sugar estates.
Waltham is in St. Ann and Manchester. Manchester Waltham is now a residential area. Originally owned by Charles B. Jackson, it was passed on to his heirs. It is very likely named after Waltham in England. |
Kingston 
