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Saint Thomas Parish, Jamaica

Saint Thomas,once known asSaint Thomas in the East,is a suburbanparishsituated at the south eastern end ofJamaica,within thecountyof Surrey. It is the birthplace ofPaul Bogle,designated in 1969 as one of Jamaica's sevenNational Heroes.Morant Bay,its chief town andcapital,is the site of theMorant Bay Rebellionin 1865, of which Bogle was a leader.

Saint Thomas
Parish
Saint Thomas in Jamaica
Saint Thomas in Jamaica
CountryJamaica
CountySurrey
CapitalMorant Bay
Major townsYallahs,Morant Bay,Seaforth,Port Morant,Bath,Golden Grove
Area
• Total
742.8 km2(286.8 sq mi)
• Rank9
Population
(2018)[1]
• Total
94,939
• Density130/km2(330/sq mi)

RepresentativeGeorge William Gordon,a wealthymixed racebusinessman and politician from this district, was tried and executed in 1865 under martial law on suspicion of directing the rebellion. Governor Eyre was forced to resign due to the controversy over his execution of Gordon and violent suppression of the rebellion. Gordon was designated in 1969 as a National Hero.

Brief history

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Saint Thomas was densely populated by theTaíno/ArawakwhenChristopher Columbusfirst came to the island in 1494. TheSpaniardsestablishedcattleranchesat Morant Bay and Yallahs. In 1655, when the English capturedJamaica,they organised their new territory into a number of parishes. This was when Saint Thomas Parish was established, administering part of what is nowPortland Parish,which was not established until 1722, and excluding what is now the western part of the parish, which was in the historicSaint David Parish.The Crown invited residents from other Britishcoloniesto settle here. About 1600colonists,mainly fromNevis– including the Governor of Nevis, his wife, children – settled there. In a short time, however, two-thirds of them died of tropicalfevers.The colony began to rebuild. They forcedenslavedAfricansto work the sugar cane plantations developed in the area. In 1674, the FrenchAdmiralDu Casse, sailed fromSanto Domingoand landed at Morant Bay on 17 June. For a month, he raided local settlers, killing many and carrying off their slaves. Later, bands ofMaroonssettled in the mountains of St. Thomas.

Saint Thomas in the East

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In 1676, whenSaint Thomas in the Vale Parish,the parish became known as "Saint Thomas in the East Parish".[2]It retained this name until 1 May 1867 when the parish system of colonial administration was reformed by GovernorJohn Peter Grantwho introducedA Law to Reduce the Number of Parishes (1867/No.20).

In the 18th century they joined with the Maroons inPortland parishto form theWindward Maroons.

Slaves long constituted the majority of the population of the parish. In 1834 the British government abolished slavery, ending it fully in 1838 after a four-year "apprenticeship." But decades later, freedmen struggled to gain land to cultivate and generally worked at very low wages. As they generally could not afford to pay thepoll tax,so were excluded from voting.

Morant Bay Rebellion

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Main article:Morant Bay rebellion

In October 1865, the Morant Bay rebellion took place in St Thomas.Formerly enslavedpeople and their descendants all overJamaicawere discontented about the social injustices, particularly on the question of landtenure.Baptist deacon and preacherPaul Bogleof St. Thomas parish led a delegation of small farmers who walked 72 kilometres (45 mi) to present their grievances toEdward John EyretheGovernorof Jamaica in the capitalSpanish Town,but they were denied an audience.

Angered after a case in which a peasant was convicted of trespass on a long-abandoned plantation, on 11 October, Paul Bogle and his followers, armed with sticks andmachetes,marched to the Court House in Morant Bay where avestrymeeting was being held. The authorities read theRiot Act,but the protestors ignored it. A few people began to throw stones at the volunteermilitia,who fired into the crowd and killed seven people. Later themobreorganized and returned, setting fire to theCourtHouse and nearby buildings. When the custos, Maximillian von Ketelhodt, and others tried to leave the burning building, the mob killed them. A total of 25 people died on both sides that day.

During the next two days the peasants took over St. Thomas parish. The governor declaredmartial lawin the parish and ordered troops to suppress the rebellion. More than 430 people were killed outright by soldiers in suppression of the rebellion, and more than 1,000 homes were burned to the ground, leaving thousands of people homeless. They arrested more than 300, executing some and punishing many innocent people.[3]

RepresentativeGeorge William Gordon,who was in touch with Paul Bogle, spoke out for the workers in theHouse of Assemblyin Kingston. The governor ordered him arrested and returned to Morant Bay, where he was tried under martial law forconspiracyandhangedon 23 October.[3]The following day Bogle was captured byJamaican MaroonsfromMoore Town,handed over to the authorities, and hanged.

A public outcry in Great Britain led to the appointment of aRoyal Commissionto investigate events. Although Eyre was forced to resign and twice charged with murder, his case never went to trial.[3]

In 1969, Paul Bogle was named aNational Hero of Jamaica,as were George William Gordon and three others.

Geography and demography

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Saint Thomas is located atlatitude18°05'N,longitude76°40'W, to the south ofPortland,and the east ofSt. Andrew.With an area of 742.8 square kilometres (286.8 sq mi), it ranks as Jamaica's ninth-largest parish. It is very mountainous, with ranges that include the Port Royal Mountains, stretching from above Newcastle in St Andrew, to Albion in St Thomas; the Queensbury Ridge, between the Yallahs and Negro rivers; and to the extreme south, an isolated ridge called Yallahs Hill, with its highest elevation 730 metres (2,394 ft) abovesea level.TheBlue Mountainsform the northern border of the parish.

The parish contains largewetlandsareas, comprising 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, measuring 36.9 kilometres (22.9 mi) long; the Morant River, measuring 21.9 kilometres (13.6 mi) long; and thePlantain Garden River,measuring 34.9 kilometres (21.7 mi) long. The latter is the only eastward flowing river in the island.

The total population of the parish is 94,410. The ethnic makeup of Saint Thomas is 88.2% Black, 7.6% Asian, 3.2% White, and 1% Other.

The parish has a relatively youthful population. Approximately 54.7% of the parish’s population was 29 years or younger: children under 0-14 years accounted for 27% of the population, youths of 15 to 29 years accounted for 27.7%. The working-age population (15-64 years) accounted for 64.1%, reflecting the national distribution. The elderly, 65 years and over, accounted for 8.9%; this figure is lower than the national proportion of 11.1% reported by the Economic and Social Survey Jamaica (2010).[4]

Commerce

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Agricultureplays a vital part in theeconomyof Saint Thomas.Sugarandbananaswere the main items produced forexport.The St. Thomas Parish sugar mill Golden Grove closed in July 2019.[5]Most small farmers produce domestic and orchard crops, which provide the main source of employment. Serge Island Dairies is located in the parish. St. Thomas also has manyfactoriesfor food processing and electrical equipment.

Current efforts are being made byUpliftment Jamaicato create, support and provide opportunities to the people of St. Thomas, and to encourage economic and social transformation on a community and county-wide basis. Over 10,000 people benefit annually from this organization, via year-round projects and events, with numbers rapidly increasing.

Transportation

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Roads

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The coast of St. Thomas is skirted by theA4,which runs fromKingstontoAnnotto Bay.The primary secondary road runs east to west along the foot of the Blue Mountains fromGolden GrovetoRichmond Vale,with north-south connecting roads linking it to the A4 atPleasant Hill[verification needed],Port Morant,Morant Bay,Church Corner,Belvedere,Yallahs,AlbionandEleven Mile.[6]

Rail

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Rail transport in St. Thomas was formerly limited to estate light railways, such as the one serving the former Bowden banana shipment port.[7]All have ceased operation.

Sea

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TheMorant Point Lighthouseguards the easternmost tip of the parish and the island.

Attractions

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Education

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St. Thomas is home to several secondary institutions of education.Morant Bay High School,established in 1961, was the first of its kind in the parish of St. Thomas. High schools in St. Thomas include:

Politics

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Saint Thomas Parish consists of twoparliamentary constituencies:Saint Thomas EasternandSaint Thomas Western.

Notable people

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See also

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References

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  1. ^"Population by Parish".Statistical Institute of Jamaica.Retrieved12 February2020.
  2. ^"Parishes of Jamaica".nautarch.tamu.edu.Center for Maritime Archaeology and Conservation.Retrieved11 June2019.
  3. ^abcClinton Hutton, "Review:'The Killing Time': The Morant Bay Rebellion in Jamaicaby GAD Heuman,Social and Economic StudiesVol. 44, No. 1 (MARCH 1995), pp. 191–205, published by Sir Arthur Lewis Institute of Social and Economic Studies, University of the West Indies; via JSTOR; accessed 13 July 2016
  4. ^"Morant Bay/St. Thomas Parish Council, Jamaica",Prime Business Destinations, 2016; accessed 13 July 2016
  5. ^Jamaica Gleaner:20190607:Golden Grove sugar factory to close in July
  6. ^Esso 1:400,000 Road Map of Jamaica, 1967.
  7. ^Aerial view.
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17°54′N76°26′W/ 17.900°N 76.433°W/17.900; -76.433

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