How Jamaica’s Parishes Got Their Names

Jamaica is divided into fourteen (14) parishes, including the breadbasket of St. Elizabeth, the unspoilt beauty that is Portland, and Kingston – the island’s geographical and commercial capital. However, what you may not know is how exactly Jamaica’s parishes were named, some as far back as during the British takeover of the island.

After the Spanish surrendered control of Jamaica to the British in 1664, Sir Thomas Modyford divided the island into seven (7) administrative units: St. Andrew’s, St. David’s, St. Katherine’s, St. John’s, St. Thomas in the East and Port Royal. These administrative units are what we know as parishes today, and they were located mostly in the mid to south-eastern end of the island. By 1683, the number of parishes rose from seven to fifteen (15) as St. Ann’s, St. Dorothy’s, St. Elizabeth’s, St. George’s, St. James, St. Thomas in the Vale and Vere were added. Kingston was formed in 1693 by way of earthquake survivors fleeing across the harbour, bringing the total number of parishes to sixteen (16).

At one point, Jamaica recorded up to 22 parishes in the mid-nineteenth century. However, some parishes became melded into others, leaving the final number at 14. Most parishes were named after governors of Jamaica, their wives or Kings of England.

The parishes of Cornwall

St. Elizabeth: Named for Elizabeth, wife of Sir Thomas Modyford who was Governor of Jamaica in the seventeenth century.
Trelawny: Formed in 1770, Trelawny was named for Sir William Trelawny who died in Jamaica in 1772.
St. James: Named for the Duke of York, who subsequently became James II.
Hanover: Formed c. 1725-26 from parts of Westmoreland and St. James, was named for the then-reigning family in England; plans for it to be named St. Sophia (after George I’s mother) were scrapped.
Westmoreland: The name may simply have come from it being the westernmost parish in Jamaica.

The parishes of Middlesex

St. Catherine: Formed in 1867, St. Catherine was named for Charles II’s Queen, Katherine (and it was once spelled as such).
St. Mary: May have been named either for the Spanish port Santa Maria, or for Modyford’s daughter, Mary.
Clarendon: Named for Cromwell, the Lord Chancellor.
St. Ann: Known as the garden parish for its beauty, the parish was named for Ann Hyde, James II’s wife.
Manchester: Formed from Clarendon, Vere and St. Elizabeth in 1814, named after the Duke of Manchester, Governor of Jamaica at its formation.

The parishes of Surrey

St. Andrew: Initially called Liguanea after the Liguanea Plain in which it lies,the parish of St. Andrew was formed in 1867.
St. Thomas: May have derived its name from Thomas, Lord Windsor, Governor of Jamaica in 1662.
Portland: Named for the Duke of Portland, Governor in 1723, the year the parish was formed.
Kingston: The parish was called Beeston for Sir William Beeston, Lieutenant-Governor of Jamaica from 1693-1700. No one knows how Kingston was named, although a letter from Port Royal (dated July 3, 1693) referred to it being known by some as Kingston; others, Killcown. Kingston was officially made a parish in 1713.