The parishes of Jamaica are the main units of local government in Jamaica. They were created following the English settlement of Jamaica in 1655. This administrative structure for the Colony of Jamaica developed slowly. However, since 1 May 1867, Jamaica has been divided into the current fourteen parishes. These were retained after independence in 1962. They are grouped into three historic counties, which no longer have any administrative relevance. Every parish has a coast; none are landlocked.
List
Parish Capital Areakm2 PopulationCensus 2011 Cornwall County Savanna-la-Mar3,939.3600,581 1Hanover Lucea 450.4 69,533 2Saint Elizabeth Black River 1,212.4 150,205 3Saint James Montego Bay 594.9 183,811 4Trelawny Falmouth 874.6 75,164 5Westmoreland Savanna-la-Mar 807.0 144,103 Middlesex CountySpanish Town5,041.91,183,361 6Clarendon May Pen 1,169.3 245,103 7Manchester Mandeville 830.1 189,797 8Saint Ann Saint Ann's Bay 1,212.6 172,362 9Saint Catherine Spanish Town 1,192.4 516,218 10Saint Mary Port Maria 610.5 113,615 Surrey CountyKingston2,009.3823,689 11Kingston Parish Kingston 21.8 89,057 12Portland Port Antonio 814.0 81,744 13Saint Andrew Half Way Tree 430.7 573,369 14Saint Thomas Morant Bay 742.8 93,902TotalJamaicaKingston 10,991.02,697,983
History
Early history Following the English conquest of Jamaica the first phase of colonisation was carried out by the Army, with a system of Regimental plantations. These were drawn up on the southern flat lands, with the Regimental commanders charged with ordering their men to plant provisions.
Certain key figures such as Luke Stokes (1656) and Thomas Modyford (1664)Jamaica Gleaner "Jamaica and the Atlantic Slave Trade (Part II)" 26 March 2006 brought substantial numbers of colonists from other English colonies. In 1662 the first census was carried out. There were no parishes and the division of the island into ten districts.
District Men Women Children BlacksArmsAcres in cultivation 1In the precinct of Port Moranto 168 60 37 126 120 446 2In the precinct of Morant 122 14 17 53 75 129 3In the precinct of Yealoth (Yallahs) 207 36 25 54 72 355 4In the precinct of Legene 553 149 125 54 300 549 5The town of Angelo Delvega (St Jago de la Vega) 207 52 42 53 100 100 6Between Black River, Bower Savanna and thereabouts 178 22 12 27 120 200 7In the Angles Quarters 100 20 14 46 56 170 8In the Seven Plantations, Macaria, Quathabeca (Guatibacoa) 275 50 20 50 150 250 9In the quarters Quanaboa (Guanaboa Vale) and Quardalena 390 42 26 39 330 700 10Upon Point Caugway (Cageway, i.e. Port Royal) 400 200 90 50 300 ... Total 2,600 645 408 552 1,523 2,917
Creation of the parishes
Under Governor Modyford the island was divided into precincts and parishes and he commissioned a map of the island featuring these. The first parishes were:
Saint Catherine Clarendon Liguanea (St Andrew) Saint Thomas Port Royal Saint John Saint David
By 1675, the following parishes had been added:
Vere (separated from Clarendon in 1673) Saint George Saint Thomas in the Vale Saint Dorothy Saint Ann Saint Elizabeth Saint James Saint Mary
In 1677, An Act for Regulating the Parishes fixed the boundaries of each parish.National Archives of Jamaica. lancaster.ac.uk Retrieved 28 June 2019.
The Grant reforms
The crisis highlighted by the Morant Bay rebellion led to the dissolution of the House of Assembly of Jamaica, and the colonial administration being turned into a crown colony. John Peter Grant was appointed Governor arriving in August 1866, and he set about instituting a number of reforms, including the administrative framework of the parishes. He introduced the by which the 22 existing parishes to 14 through the A Law to Reduce the Number of Parishes (1867/No. 20). Parishes have been a feature of local administration in Jamaica since the island was captured by the English in 1655. The number has varied over time and some no longer exist having either been absorbed into or divided between neighbouring parishes. At the peak, 1841–1865, there were 22 (the current 14 plus those listed below).
The current set of parishes was established in 1866 with the elimination of the 8 listed below (roughly by county):
Surrey: Port Royal (now divided between Kingston and Saint Andrew) Saint George (now divided between Saint Mary and Portland) Saint David (now part of Saint Thomas)
Middlesex: Metcalfe (now part of Saint Mary) Saint Dorothy (now part of Saint Catherine) Saint John (now part of Saint Catherine) Saint Thomas in the Vale (now part of Saint Catherine)note that the current Saint Thomas used to be named "Saint Thomas in the East" to differentiate between the two parishes at the time. Vere (now part of Clarendon)
Counties of Jamaica
Jamaica is divided into three historic counties, though they have no administrative function today. They were established in 1758 to facilitate the holding of courts along the lines of the British county court system.
The three counties are named for the English historic counties of Cornwall, Middlesex, and Surrey. Cornwall County was named for being the westernmost county, just like its namesake. Middlesex County was named for its location on the middle third of Jamaica. Surrey County was named for the English county in which Kingston upon Thames is found, because Kingston was its county town.
County Population (Census 2011) Area in km2 County town Cornwall County 600,581 3,939.3 Savanna-la-Mar Middlesex County 1,183,361 5,041.9 Spanish Town Surrey County 823,689 2,009.3 Kingston Jamaica 2,607,631 10,990.5 Kingston
See also Government of Jamaica ISO 3166-2:JM List of Caribbean first-level subdivisions by total area
References
External links
Jamaica Parishes, a concise description of the parishes in Jamaica. Maps of the parishes of Jamaica
Jamaica now has 15 parishes and that was made known by the Portmore Municipal Court on February 11, 2025