PARISH INFORMATION

GENERAL

SIZE AND POSITION

Manchester is located in the south-west section of the island. It is the sixth largest parish with an area of 831.0 square kilometres (320.5 square miles) It has three mountain ranges - the Carpenters Mountains, the May Day Mountains and the Don Figuerero Mountains. The highest point is 2770 feet above sea level in the Carpenters Mountains.

Over 90% of the parish's surface is limestone so there is an abundance of cockpits, sinkholes, caves and underground passages. The Oxford Cave in upper Manchester is the largest of 20 known caves in the parish. Rivers are not as obvious as in other parishes. There are Alligator Hole River, Alligator Pond River, Crambie River, Gut River, Hector's River, Two Rivers and Swift River. Hector's River runs along the border of Manchester and Trelawny, sinks at Troy where it flows underground for approximately six kilometres
and rises below Oxford Cave as One Eye River.

Manchester has large bauxite deposits.

BRIEF HISTORY

Evidence of Taino/Arawak occupation was established when in 1792 a surveyor found two carvings believed to be Amerindian zemes, in a cave in the Carpenter's Mountains. They are now at the British Museum.

The parish of Manchester was formed in 1814 by an Act of the House of Assembly from parts of the parishes of St Elizabeth, Clarendon and Vere. It was done in response to a petition from the inhabitants of Mile Gully, May Pen and Carpenters Mountain who complained that they were too far away from an administrative centre. It was named in honour of the Duke of Manchester who was then Governor of Jamaica. He was governor for 19 years setting the record as the longest serving Governor of the island. The chief town Mandeville, established in1816, was named after his eldest son, Lord Mandeville.

Manchester never had sugar estates. Slaves worked on coffee plantations so the harsh sugar plantation system never took root there. After emancipation the ex-slaves became independent coffee farmers. The irish potato was first introduced to Jamaica at Bethany in the parish. Citrus became an important crop as in 1920 the citrus fruit ortanique, a cross between the orange and tangerine, was developed by Charles Jackson. It is a very popular fruit that is exported.

Manchester boasts a number of significant initiatives. In 1865 the Manchester Horticultural Society was formed and is one of the oldest in the world. The Manchester Golf Club was started in 1868 and is the oldest sports club in the Caribbean. Mandeville Hotel, one of the oldest in the Caribbean, began operations in 1875. The first "Free Library" in Jamaica was established in 1938 and is the oldest Parish Library.

Today Mandeville is a favourite location for returning residents, attracted no doubt by the salubrious climate. The town is growing rapidly as a result. In 2000 a new hospital was opened which local persons have named 'the hotel' as it looks so attractive. There are no ghetto areas in Mandeville.

The growth of the town was given a substantial stimulus when Alcan Bauxite Company opened operations there. It built houses for its then mostly expatriate staff. The relatively high wages lured many educated Jamaicans there

POPULATION: 185,900 (1999)

CAPITAL: Mandeville

MAJOR TOWNS: Christiana, Devon, Mile Gully, Newport, Porus, Williamsfield.

MAJOR INDUSTRIES/SOURCES OF EMPLOYMENT

Agriculture: Bananas, irish pototoes coffee, cocoa, citrus, cash crops
Main industries: Bauxite mining, Pickapeppa Sauce, chocolates, toys
Livestock rearing: Mainly Grove Place

MAJOR HISTORICAL/CULTURAL/RECREATIONAL/ECOLOGICAL SITES

Mandeville Court House: This was built in the town centre in 1820. It is an impressive building of cut limestone with a horseshoe staircase and a raised portico supported by Doric columns.

Kirkvine Works: Alcan Jamaica, was the first and largest of the four multinational bauxite companies operating in Jamaica. It is a joint venture between the Jamaican Government and the Aluminium Company of Canada Ltd. It is the largest single contributor to the Jamaica Government coffers. The processing factory at Williamsfield was completed in 1957 and is also the largest in Jamaica. The processed ore is taken by conveyor belt to Port Esquivel at Old Harbour Bay for shipment to Canada and Scandinavia. Once the ore is mined the land is restored with pasture and forests. About 8,000acres are given to citrus and livestock and 23,000 acres are farmed by almost 5,000 tenant farmers.

The Rectory: The Rectory in Mandeville to the left of the courthouse is the oldest home in the town. It too was completed in 1820. The first rector gained a considerable income from selling baptismal certificates. He also caused an outcry by renting out the building as a tavern. Later it became a hotel and is now a private home.

Marshall's Pen Great House and Bird Sanctuary: This eighteenth century great house is perhaps Mandeville's most impressive historical building. It is in the midst of a former coffee plantation that is now used for cattle breeding. It boasts a beautiful garden beneath huge fig trees and is a nature retreat. More that 100 species of birds have been recorded here including 25 of the 27 species endemic to Jamaica.

Martin Hill Orchid Sanctuary: This is to the south of Christiana. Jamaica has several orchid species and more than 100 of them can be seen and photographed at this orchideum. Most of the 25 Jamaican endemic orchids are found here.

Another orchid sanctuary is maintained by Alpart on Spur Tree.

Gourie State Park: This is a forest reserve of candlewood, pines, mahogany and mahoe with orchids growing profusely. It is about one mile northwest of Coleyville. There are good hiking trails. About half a mile from the Forestry Department cabins is the entrance to Jamaica's longest cave system. An icy river runs for 15 miles underground to the west to Oxford, a section of this cave system

Roxborough: This was the birth place of the Rt. Excellent Norman Washington Manley National Hero. Fire recently destroyed the house. Mr Manley's father purchased about 200 acres of this 1811 estate and reared cattle and did farming on a small scale. The family left Roxborough at the turn of the 20th century.