Saint Thomas Parish, Jamaica

Saint Thomas is a suburban parish that is situated at the south eastern end of Jamaica, in the county of Surrey. It is the birth place of The right Honorable Paul Bogle, one of Jamaica's seven National Heroes. Morant Bay, its chief town and capital, is the home of the Morant Bay Rebellion, of which Bogle and George William Gordon were leaders.

Brief history

Saint Thomas was densely populated by the Tainos/Arawaks when Christopher Columbus first came to the island in 1494. The Spaniards established cattle ranches at Morant Bay and Yallahs. In 1655, when the English captured Jamaica, residents from other British colonies were invited to settle here. About 1600 colonists, mainly from Nevis —including the Governor of Nevis, his wife, children — settled there. In a short time, however, two-thirds of them died of fevers.

In 1674, the French Admiral Du Casse, sailed from Santo Domingo and landed at Morant Bay on June 17. For a month, he wrought havoc on the settlers there, killing many and carrying off their slaves. Later, bands of Maroons settled in the mountains of St Thomas and they eventually joined with the Maroons in Portland to form the Windward Maroons.

The Morant Bay rebellion

St Thomas is also the home of the famous Morant Bay Rebellion, in 1865. The ex-slaves all over Jamaica were discontented about the injustices being meted out to them, particularly on the question of land tenure. Paul Bogle led a delegation of small farmers that walked 45 miles to present their grievances to Governor Eyre in Spanish Town, but they were denied an audience. On October 11, Paul Bogle and his followers armed with sticks and machetes went to the Court House where a vestry meeting was being held. The Riot Act was read, but was virtually ignored. A few people began to throw stones at the volunteers, who fired into the crowd killing seven people. Later the mob reorganized and returned, setting fire to the Court House and nearby buildings. When the custos Maximillian von Ketelhodt and others tried to leave the burning building, they were killed by the mob.

George William Gordon, who was in touch with Paul Bogle, tried to improve the lot of the workers by speaking out in the House of Assembly. However, he was taken by boat to Morant Bay, where he was tried for conspiracy and hanged on October 23. The following day Bogle was captured by the Maroons, handed over to the authorities, and hanged.

Over 430 people were killed or executed by soldiers in the rebellion, and over 1,000 homes were burned to the ground. Public outcry led to the appointment of a Royal Commission to investigate the events. In 1969, the Right Excellent Paul Bogle was named a National Hero, along with George William Gordon, Marcus Garvey, Sir Alexander Bustamante and Norman Washington Manley.

Geography and Demography

Saint Thomas is located at latitude 18°05'N, longitude 76°40'W, to the south of Portland, and the east of St. Andrew. With an area of 742.8 square kilometres (286.8 square miles), it ranks as Jamaica's ninth largest parish. It is a very mountainous parish, and the ranges include the Port Royal Mountains, stretching from above Newcastle in St Andrew, to Albion in St Thomas; the Queensbury Ridge, between Yallahs and Negro River; and to the extreme south, an isolated ridge called Yallahs Hill, with its highest elevation 2,394 feet above sea level. Its northern border is the Blue Mountains.

There are large wetland areas, which include the coastal area between Morant Bay and Hector's River. There are also many cliffs and beaches.

There are three main rivers in the parish; the Yallahs River, 36.9 kilometres (22.9 miles long, the Morant River, 21.9 kilometres (16.1 miles), and the Plantain Garden River, 34.9 kilometres (21.9 miles) long. The latter is the only one in the island to flow eastward. One of the two famous spas in Jamaica

Saint Thomas is divided into the following: 88.2% black, 7.6% Asians, 3.2% whites and 1% others

Commerce

Agriculture plays a vital part in the economy. Sugar and bananas are the main items produced for export. Most small farmers produce domestic and orchard crops and this is the main source of employment. Serge Island Dairies is also found in the parish. St. Thomas also has many factories for food processing and electrical equipment. Current efforts are being made by Upliftmentjamaica.org to create, support and provide opportunities to the people of St. Thomas, and continue on going transformation in the community and the country as a whole. Over 10,000 people benefit annually from this organization, via year round projects and events, with numbers rapidly increasing daily.

ee also

*Morant Bay Rebellion
*Paul Bogle
*George William Gordon
*Aeolus Valley

References

* [http://www.jamlib.org.jm/stthomas_history.htm Parish Information]
* [http://www.statinja.com/ The statistical Institute of Jamaica]

External links

* [http://www.discoverjamaica.com/gleaner/discover/geography/polgol.htm Political Geography]