NAME OF FEATURE | THE GLEANER | MONDAY, MAY 30, 2022 10 JAMAICA T 60: TR L WNY Paul H.Williams/GleanerWriter ONEOF theearliest parishes in Jamaica, St James, was founded about 1664-1665. This northwesternparishwas sprawling and poor for many decades. Some of the settlers started to complain about its vast size. The rich sugar planters in the east of the parish maintained that getting to the capital,Montego Bay, todobusinesswas very challengingat times, so theywrote theAssembly (the thengoverning body) requesting that the parish be divided. In April 1733, the governor, Major General RobertHunter, told theAssembly that theparish was in fact divided.Yet, it took 37 years, in1771, before the Government published a formal writ declaring the division of the parish. The new parish, Trelawny, was named afterWilliam Trelawny, the then governor. Initially, the main town was Martha Brae, not far from which there was a seaside village called Martha Brae Point, which was renamed Falmouth. About 1790, Falmouth, with about 200houses, replacedMarthaBrae as the capital ofTrelawny. Built on land thatwas bought from Edward Barrett, it was laid out as a grid. The townwas established at a timewhen the sugar industry was booming, with the parish being one of the biggest sugar-producing regions in the island. Because of the activities at the busy port, Falmouth began to grow rapidly, and at one point was rivalling the social and economic importanceof Kingston. Itwas overrunby sailors who waited for the ‘right’ wind to depart the island in their sailboats. Things got so chaotic that itwasdecreed that these rowdy sailors could not be seen in the town after 6 p.m. Theadvent of the steamship into Jamaicawas to be the beginning of the end of Falmouth’s glory days. The harbour was too small to accommodate these larger vessels. They sailed insteadtootherports, thus significantly lessening activities at the port Also, the train service from Kingston to Montego Bay, established in 1894, meant that traffic was diverted fromFalmouth, which was now being bypassed. By the turn of the century, Falmouth, as a commercial port, was dead. Today, despite its richhistory,Trelawny isoneof the least populatedparishes in the country. It has only twopolitical constituencies. Agreatmajority of the parishioners lives in the northern half, as the south and central regions are straddled by the rugged Cockpit Country, whose hill-andgully topographymakes habitationchallenging. In the southeast, there is a string of idyllic villages perchingmainly on ridges that connect the hills and hillocks, at the foot of which are basins (cockpits). The air is clean, and the land green.While farming is themainstay formost of the residents,manymoreareemployed inhotels in this and other north coast parishes. Places and things of interest in the parish of Usain Bolt and Veronica Campbell-Brown include: Falmouth Parish Church, Kettering Baptist Church, Falmouth Presbyterian Church, Falmouth Baptist Church, Falmouth Court House, Falmouth Police Station, Fort Dundas, GoodHopeGreat House onGoodHope Estate, GreenGrottoCaves, Granvilledistrict, Falmouth Square, Stewart Castle, RioBueno, JamaicaSafari Village, Luminous Lagoon, Martha Brae rafting, Westwood High School, and the Falmouth Wharves. Now, find out how much you know about Trelawnyby answering the followingquestions: TRIVIA TRELAWNY 1. Apart from St James, which other parishes surround Trelawny? 2. Where was the first commercial seaport in Trelawny located? 3. Which village is not located in Trelawny? Clarks Town, Sawyers, Aucthembeddie or Alps. 4. What is the style of architecture of the buildings in Falmouth? 5. What was the name of the village that was renamed Falmouth? 6. How did Falmouth get its name? 7. Name the geographical region that makes up most of Trelawny. 8. Who was Martha Brae? 9. What is Martha Brae River famous for? 10. What was Ulster Spring well known for? 11. What is the name of the square in Falmouth? 12. When was the reservoir built in Falmouth Square? 13. What ground provision is Trelawny known for? 14. On which day of the week is ‘Bend Down market held in Falmouth? 15. Which high school in Trelawny is named after a Baptist missionary? 16. In which town is Westwood High School situated? 17. Which international event took place in Trelawny in 2007? 18. True or false? Duncans was once the capital of Trelawny. 19. Who is the current mayor of Falmouth? 20. Who is the current custos of Trelawny? ANSWERS 1. St Elizabeth, Manchester and St Ann. 2. Rock. 3. Auchtembeddie. 4. Georgian. 5. Martha Brae Point. 6. From Falmouth, England, the birthplace of William Trelawny, governor of Jamaica. 7. The Cockpit Country. 8. She was said to be a Taino princess. 9. Rafting. 10. Its general hospital. 11. Water Square. 12.1798. 13. Yellow yam. 14. Wednesday. 15. William Knibb Memorial High School. 16. Stewart Town. 17. Cricket World Cup. 18. False. 19. Councillor Colin Gager. 20. Hugh Wayne Gentles. Three marks for each correct answer: 15 marks and below, poor; 16-30, fair; 31-45, average; 46- 50, good; 51-55, very good; 56-60, excellent. jamaica at
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