St. James is a suburban parish, located on the north-west end of the island of Jamaica in the county of Cornwall. Its capital is Montego Bay (derived from the Spanish word manteca (lard) because hogs were cultivated there, from which lard was made). Montego Bay was officially named the second city of Jamaica, behind Kingston, in 1981, although Montego Bay became a city in 1980 through an act of the Jamaican Parliament. The parish is the birthplace of the Right Excellent Samuel Sharpe (died 1833), one of Jamaica's seven National Heroes.

History

When the Spanish occupied Jamaica, Montego Bay was an export point for lard, which was obtained from wild hogs in the forests. In many of the early maps of Jamaica, Montego Bay was listed as "Bahia de Manteca" (Lard Bay). The parish was given the name "St. James" in honour of King James II by Sir Thomas Modyford, the island's first English Governor. At the beginning of the English rule, the parish was one of the poorest; it had no towns, few inhabitants and little commerce, except for the exported lard. However, after the treaty with the Maroons in 1739, St. James became one of the most important sugar-producing parishes. Annually, more than 150 ships arrived in Montego Bay bringing slaves and supplies, and taking sugar. Commerce developed as wealthy merchants and planters erected many elaborate town houses. In 1773, Montego Bay had the only newspaper outside of Kingston - The Cornwall Chronicle.

Fire, in 1795 and again in 1811, destroyed much of Montego Bay. After being rebuilt, it was again destroyed in 1831 by a rebellion led by Sam Sharpe. This rebellion was as a result of slave owners' reluctance to free the slaves, even after England proposed an end to slavery. Sam Sharpe had advocated passive resistance but this was met by violence. As a result, a group of slaves responded in turn with and began setting fire to buildings and the surrounding plantations and cane fields. As a result of being the main planner of the rebellion, Sam Sharpe was hanged in the Montego Bay market place, which is today known as Sam Sharpe Square.

After emancipation in 1834, the fortunes of the town and parish declined until the banana trade was promoted by J. E. Kerr and Co. This prompted the start of tourism in Jamaica. A Freeport was constructed in the 1960s, and later, a cruise ship terminal was opened. Montego Bay was accorded city status on 1 May 1980. The Sangster International Airport, the busiest airport in Jamaica and the Anglophone Caribbean and one of two international airports on the island, is located in Montego Bay.

Geography

The parish is bordered by Trelawny in the east, St. Elizabeth in the south and Hanover and Westmoreland in the west. It covers an area of 594.9&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>, making it one of the smallest parishes in Jamaica. The population was 184,662 in 2012.

  • Old Fort was built in 1774 to protect the town. The old cannon is still pointing out to sea.
  • The Cage was a jail for recaptured runaway slaves. It is now used as a tourist information centre and museum.
  • St. James is noted for its fine beaches, which include Greenwood, Rose Hall, Ironshore, Mahoe Bay, Aquasol Theme Park, Doctor's Cave, Cornwall Beach, Montego Freeport and Spring Gardens.

Notable people

  • Alia Atkinson, multiple time Olympian in swimming.
  • Kenneth Baugh, Jamaican politician and surgeon, who served as Jamaica's Minister of Health.
  • Yohan Blake, Jamaican sprinter (as of September 2011) the second fastest man over 200 metres in history behind fellow Jamaican Usain Bolt.
  • Jimmy Cliff, ska and reggae singer, musician and actor; inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010.
  • Howard Cooke, former Governor-General of Jamaica.
  • Abdullah el-Faisal, Muslim cleric who preached in the UK until imprisoned for stirring up hatred; deported to Jamaica in 2007.
  • Tony Hart, Jamaican businessman, philanthropist, and politician.
  • Andre Haughton, Jamaican economist and politician.
  • Herbert Eldemire, Jamaican politician and medical doctor. former Minister of Health
  • Vincent HoSang, Businessman and Philanthropist.
  • Rowland Phillips, Jamaican judge, former Chief Justice of Jamaica from 1963 to 1968.
  • Max Romeo, Jamaican reggae musician.
  • Garth Taylor, Jamaican ophthalmologist, professor, and humanitarian.
  • Donnette Zacca (1957), Jamaican photographer, lecturer, and artist.
  • Jourdaine Fletcher, Jamaican professional footballer.

References

  • Parish Information
  • The parishes of Jamaica
  • St. James