PARISH INFORMATION

GENERAL

POSITION/SIZE/DESCRIPTION

St Mary is located in the north-eastern section of the island. The area is 657.86 square kilometers (254 square miles). The terrain is mountainous rising up to almost 4000 feet at the highest point, but there are no distinctive mountain ranges. Like the other parishes the climate is varied. The eastern section of the parish has shale rock and an intricate surface draining pattern, while the western section is limestone with predominantly underground rivers. There are three main rivers the Rio Nuevo, Wag Water and White Rivers.

The parish has rich clay deposits and rich alluvial soil.

BRIEF HISTORY

After the English capture of Jamaica from the Spanish in 1655 the area around the north coast town of Santa Maria became known as St Mary with the chief town called Port Maria. Its present size was determined in 1867 when the parish of Metcalfe was merged with St Mary.

The parish has important traces of Taino/Arawak occupation. It was one of the first sections of the island occupied by the Spaniards. Puerto Santa Maria (later Port Maria) was the second town the Spaniards built on the island.

The fight for freedom from slavery found early expression in St Mary in the Easter Rebellion led by Tacky in 1760. The existence of the Maroons at Scotts Hall is another indication of the strong resistance to slavery in this parish.

In the labour riots which affected several parishes in 1938 four men lost their lives at Islington. Monuments for Tacky, the men at Islington and other men and women of outstanding achievements have been placed in the parish.

POPULATION: 113,000

CAPITAL: Port Maria

MAJOR TOWNS: Highgate, Oracabessa, Richmond, Annotto Bay, Gayle

MAJOR INDUSTRIES/ SOURCES OF EMPLOYMENT

Agriculture: Bananas, tobacco, citrus, logwood, fustic, pimento, cocoa, coffee, coconuts, sugar cane
Agro-industry: Copra, coir, coconut oil
Tourism: This is still a relatively small sector in the parish.

MAJOR HISTORICAL/CULTURAL/RECREATIONAL/ECOLOGICAL SITES

Annotto Bay Baptist Church: This church was built in 1823 and was damaged in the Christmas slave rebellion of 1831-1832. It was badly damaged by a storm in 1880 but was rebuilt in 1894. It was designed by the minister in charge, Rev.Charles Barron of Scotland and people believe that he cut the glass for all the windows by hand and fitted them in the frames and decorated the walls of the church with verses of scripture. The style of the church is unique. It was again repaired in 1964 and was listed as an historic monument by the Jamaica National Trust Commission.

Rio Nuevo Battle Site: A plaque reads: "On this ground on June 17 1658, was fought the battle of Rio Nuevo to decide whether Jamaica would be Spanish or English. On one side were the Jamaicans of both black and white races, whose ancestors had come to Jamaica from both Africa and Spain 150 years before. The Spanish forces lost the battle and the island. The Spanish whites fled to Cuba but the black people took to the mountains and fought a long and bloody guerrilla war against the English. This site is dedicated to them all."

Castleton Gardens: Located 31 kilometres from Kingston on the road connecting Kingston to Annotto Bay,the Gardens span 12 acres of land at an elevation of 496 feet. They were established in 1865. The Gardens are heavily populated with birds and a high proportion of the natural vegetation is exotic plants with many ferns and plants from Madagascar, India and the East Indies.

Firefly: Between 1956 and 1973 this was the home of Sir Noel Coward, the English playwright, actor, songwriter and wit. The English style cottage is set amidst wide lawns on top of a hill with a breath-taking view of the coastline about three miles from Port Maria. On his death he left the property to a friend who gave it to the country. It fell into disrepair and the property was leased by The Jamaica Heritage Trust to Island Outposts. It was meticulously restored and in 1993 was reopened to the public as a museum. Because of Noel Coward's experience with fireflies (peeny wallies) there one evening, he bought the land, built his house and named it Firefly.

Brimmer Hall: Persons wishing to see how a modern Jamaican plantation works can visit Brimmer Hall a 2000 acre estate near Bailey's Vale, six miles southeast of Port Maria. It produces bananas, coconuts, sugarcane made into sugar elsewhere and citrus for export. The Great House is made of wood and furnished with antiques and oriental rugs and even an original suit of armour. An educational tour reveals the workings of the plantation.