Chapter I: Preface

In the year 1900 the present writer published a small volume entitled “Studies in Jamaica History,” giving the records of certain historic sites in the colony.

In its issue of October 27, 1908, the Editor of the “West India Committee Circular,” commenting on the appointment of a Royal Commission to enumerate and report upon the historical monuments in England, drew attention to the need for the preservation of historic sites and buildings in the West Indies, and stated that a letter on the subject had been addressed by the West India Committee to the Colonial Office. On November 24 he was able to state that the Secretary of State for the Colonies (the Earl of Crewe) sympathised with the object of the West India Committee and had forwarded their representations to the governors of the various West Indian colonies, recommending them to their consideration.

In Jamaica the present writer, at the request of the Governor (Sir Sydney Olivier) and with the consent of the Board of Governors of the Institute of Jamaica, undertook to prepare a list, parish by parish, of historic sites, buildings and monuments, stating in each case the nature of its interest and the name of its owner. This list was published as a special supplement to the “Jamaica Gazette” on December 23, 1909; and in November 1912 it was reprinted as part of a report relating to the preservation of historic sites and ancient monuments and buildings in the West Indian colonies presented to Parliament.

In the meantime the present writer had commenced a series of articles in the “West India Committee Circular” dealing with historic sites and monuments in Jamaica, which appeared from October 1909 till October 1914.

At the suggestion of various persons interested in the subject it was decided to reprint these articles. In doing this it has been thought well to arrange them parish by parish and to add a few words of general history, taken in part from the writer’s contributions to the “Handbook of Jamaica,” and of descriptions of sites and monuments which have not been treated of individually.

It is hoped that the following notes may not only serve the double purpose of evoking interest in the history of the colony in the minds of its inhabitants and proving a source of information to visitors, but may be the means of steps being taken to preserve old buildings and other monuments alike from decay and the hand of man.

A list of works consulted in the compilation of the notes embodied in this volume would comprise almost all the books in the Jamaica section of the West India Library of the Institute of Jamaica, some 1400 in number.

My thanks are due to Mrs. Lionel Lee for making the illustrations and to Mr. Algernon E. Aspinall for kind assistance in seeing the work through the press.

F. C.

KINGSTON, JAMAICA. 1915.

CONTENTS

PAGE

LISTS OF OFFICIALS

Governors, Presidents of the Council, Speakers of the
Assembly, Chief Justices, Attorney-Generals, Naval
Commanders-in-chief at Jamaica, Agents for Jamaica in
Great Britain xiii

INTRODUCTION

Aboriginal inhabitants, Arawâks: physical features,
language, beliefs, habitations, implements, name of
Jamaica, other Arawâk names: Spanish occupation, hatos,
towns, buildings, names: English possession, ancient
monuments, buildings, slavery, politics, forts, religion,
agriculture, education, printing, maps, parishes,
counties, place-names, Jamaica overseas 1