NAME OF FEATURE | THE GLEANER | MONDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2022 11 jamaica at THE NUMBER of original English parishes in Jamaica was seven. That was in 1664. The research revealed that itwasThomasModyford, governor from 1664-73, who first divided the island into parishes, a series of church enclaves. Six years later, they grew to 12, which included St Elizabeth. The land west of St James and north and east of St Elizabeth was unnamed. Between1673and1692, therewere 15parishes. St Elizabethgot apieceof that unnamed territory mentioned above. The number grew to 17when in 1703, the unnamed land east of St James and parts of St Elizabeth became Westmoreland. Manchester was created fromVere, Clarendon, and St Elizabeth in 1814. St Elizabeth is now located to the west of Manchester, to the east of Westmoreland, and to the south of St James and Trelawny. It covers an areaof 1212.4km2,making it Jamaica’s second-largest parish, smaller only than Saint Ann’s 1212.6 km2. It has threemajormountain ranges: Nassau Mountains to the north-east, the LacoviaMountains to thewest of the Nassau Mountains, and the Santa Cruz Mountains. A large part of the lowlands is covered bymorass. It has evolved into a prosperous pa r i sh wi th agriculture, bauxite, and fishing being major income earners. It was the first parish to get domestic electricity in Jamaica. Because of its extensive farming activities, especially in the south, it is referred to as the‘breadbasket of Jamaica’. The main river in the parish is the Black River, and measuring 53.4 kilometres (33.2 miles), it is one of the longest rivers in Jamaica. It is navigable for about 40 kilometres (25 miles) and is supported by many tributaries, includingYS, Broad, Grass, and Horse Savannah. The town of Black River became an important seaport from which large quantities of sugar, molasses, and logwood were exported. It has been on the decline for several decades now and is partially propped up by the tours up the river. Other places of interest are the St Elizabeth Parish Church, the Black River Courthouse, Lovers’Leap, Lovers’ Leap Lighthouse, Bamboo Avenue, Appleton Railway Station, Appleton Estates, BalaclavaRailwayStation, and the LacoviaTombstones. But how much do you yourself knowabout theparishof St Elizabeth? Find out by answering the following questions: 1. How did St Elizabeth get its name? 2. Where did the name Lacovia come from? 3.Whosename is inscribedonone of the tombstones at Lacovia? 4.What is the original name of the town of Black River? 5.Whodesigned the townof Black River? 6. How long is the Black River? 7. Is theBlackRiver the longest river in Jamaica? 8. When did Black River become thepermanent capital of St Elizabeth? 9.What is called Invercauld? 10. In what year did Black River become the first town in Jamaica to be lit by electricity? 11. What was Waterloo House before it became a guest house? 12. Onwhichmountain range is the district of Malvern located? 13.Whowere the twomenwhose money funded the establishment of MunroCollegeandHamptonSchool? 14. When was Munro College founded? 15. When was Hampton School founded? 16. How did Holland Bamboo get its name? 17. Why was bamboo planted in the area? 18.Whenwas the parish church of St JohnThe Evangelist built? 19. What is the name of the monument erected in honour of Africanswhowere thrownoverboard for insurance purposes? 20. Which of the following is not a town in St Elizabeth? Newell, Maggotty, Porus, and Siloah. 21.What isMiddleQuarters famous for? 22. Who was the first owner of YS Estate? 23. Which Maroon community is situated in St Elizabeth? ANSWERS 1. Itwasnamedafter Elizabeth, Lady Modyford, wifeofThomasModyford, governor of Jamaica 1664-71. 2. FromtheSpanishword, la caoba, which is the original Taino word for mahogany. 3. Thomas Jordan Spencer. 4. Gravesend. 5. The Leyden brothers from England. 6. 53.4km 7. It is the longest navigable, but not the longest. 8. 1773. 9. Agreat house inBlack River built by Patrick Leyden. 10. 1893. 11. The residence of the Leyden brothers 12. Santa Cruz 13. Hugh Munro and Caleb Dickenson. 14. 1856. 15. 1858. 16. FromHolland Estate. 17. To break the force of strong winds. 18. 1837. 19.TheZongMassacreMonument. 20. Porus. 21. Shrimp and crayfish. 22. Thomas Scott. 23. AccompongTown. Holland Bamboo in St Elizabeth on June 28, 2017. File ST BESS TRIVIA: HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW YOUR PARISH? JAMAICA AT 60: ST ELIZABETH
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