But many of the names are just purely Jamaican! Jamaicans enjoy naming things and they call it as they see it, so these place-names might describe an incident that happened there or a particular feeling or sentiment they wanted to convey (Rest-and-Be-Thankful, Me-No-Call-You-No-Come, Bad Times, Broke Neck Gully, Half Way Tree, Putogether Corner, Dump, Shambles, Rat Trap, Poor Mans Corner, Sally’s Delight, Betty’s Hope, Thankful Hill, Boldness, Good Design, Excellent Town, Happy Retreat, Heart Ease, Friendship and Welcome). Yes, those are all the names of real places in Jamaica!
There are stories behind most of these names and it’s quite interesting to learn how they originated! While many of the reasons for the names have been forgotten generations ago, here are some of them:
ABERDEEN, in Saint Elizabeth, named for the area in Scotland where owner, Alexander Forbes, came from.
ACCOMPONG (a Maroon settlement) is in Saint Elizabeth. This name is said to be derived from the Ashanti word, Nyamekopon, which means “the lone one, the warrior”. This name was also given to one of the brothers of Captain Cudjoe, the second Maroon leader. Accompong was established in 1739.
ALPS, in Trelawny, is situated on a major geological fault which crosses the limestone plateau and which marks the western end of the Cockpit Country. The abrupt landscape and the winding road presumably reminded the British colonists of the European Alps.
ANGELS, in Saint Catherine, was Los Angeles of the Spaniards. The last stop of the first railway line in Jamaica was at Angels when it opened in 1845.
AUCHTEMBEDDIE, a north Manchester village, is of German origin. Whether it is named for a person or a place in Germany is unknown.
AUGUST TOWN, in the hills of Saint Andrew, is thought to have been named because freedom came to the slaves of Jamaica on the 1st of August, 1838. Since then, this day has been celebrated as ‘Emancipation Day’.
BALLYHOLLY, in Mandeville, is named after a place in Ireland.
BAMBOO TOWN, in Saint Elizabeth, was named for its abundance of bamboo trees.
BANGOR RIDGE, in Portland, was named after Bangor, Wales.
BANNISTER BAY, in Saint Thomas, is named for Colonel Bannister, Governor of Surinam, who brought English and Jewish colonists from Surinam in 1667.
BATH, in Saint Thomas, was named after its mineral springs (bath).
BENGAL, on the border of Saint Ann and Trelawny, is named after a region in India.
BLACK HILL, in Portland, is the site of an extinct volcano.
BLACKNESS, in Trelawny, refers to the rich color of the soil found in this area. The color is said to indicate the richness of the soil as is the case of the red earth in other parts of the island.
BLENHEIM, in Hanover, is a place-name found also in Manchester, and originates from Bavaria, Germany. Blenheim (in Germany) was a site of a great battle, which no doubt led to use of the name in Jamaica.
BLOODY BAY, in Saint James, is said to derive from the killing of whales there.
BOG WALK, in Saint Catherine, was originally the Boca d’ agua (water’s mouth) of the Spanish, and was corrupted to Bog Walk by the English after their occupation of the island in 1655.
BULL HEAD, in Clarendon, was named for the bull head shape of the 3,600-foot mountain that stands as the parish's highest point.
CALABAR, in Saint Ann, is the name of a place in southeastern Nigeria from which many slaves came.
CANNON BALL GATE, in Saint Andrew, was apparently named after the Cannon Ball monument at the intersection of Arnold Road and South Camp Road. Arnold Road was constructed by 3rd West India Regiment in 1856.
CANOE VALLEY, in Saint Elizabeth, got its name because, for many years, canoes were made from the trees there.
CATHERINE'S PEAK, in Portland, is named for Catherine Long, the wife of famed pirate-turned-governor, Sir Henry Morgan. She is believed to have been the first woman to scale the 5,050-foot high peak.
CINNAMON HILL, near Rose Hall in Saint James, got its name because cinnamon trees once grew there.
COCKPIT COUNTRY has two explanations for its name - it reminded British soldiers of cock-fighting arenas: hot, sweaty, bloody affairs, or because of the large limestone craters or pits found in the area.
CORN PUSS GAP, in Saint Thomas, is named for a legend about a hiker who got lost in the hills, caught a cat, “corned” it and ate it there.
DANKS, in Clarendon, was known as “Danke.” Sir Henry Morgan, former Governor of the island (and yes, the pirate), was the owner until he gave it to his wife of German nationality. She said danke meaning ‘thanks’ in German.
DOLPHIN'S HEAD, in Hanover, is said to be named because, when looked at from east to west, the 1,789-foot mountain resembles a dolphin's nose, face and fins.
DUNCANS, in Trelawny, was originally a property owned by Peter Duncans in 1784.
DUPPY GATE is in Saint Andrew. (Duppy is a Jamaican ghost.) Legend has it that the gate is haunted by the ghost of an officer from the days when the West India Regiments occupied the base. Soldiers have reported visits from a mysterious officer dressed in period uniform with a sword slapping against his leg, who would suddenly vanish as they were ready to report.
FAR ENOUGH, in Clarendon, comes from the phrase "far enough from courts and kings," which is credited to a Scottish landowner.
FAT HOG QUARTER, in Hanover, was named because a large number of hogs used to populate the area.
FLAGAMAN, in St. Elizabeth, reportedly was named by a British Admiral Ebanks who settled above Great Bay, in an area then called Pedro Plains, and renamed it after his ship, the "Flagaman Escania".
GUTHRIE’S DEFILE, in Saint Elizabeth, was named after an officer of the Jamaica Militia, Colonel Guthrie. He was instrumental in formulating the Peace Treaty with the Maroons in the 18th century.
HALF-WAY-TREE, in Saint Andrew, was originally Half-Way-Tree Pen, owned by the Hotchkyn family for 130 years. It is claimed that Half-Way-Tree was named for a cotton tree which was at the junction of four roads. The tree is said to have existed there from before the conquest of the island (1655) and until 1866 it was halfway between two places: Greenwich, a British soldier base, and a fort in Spanish Town. The soldiers always rested at this spot before proceeding to the fort. There are written references to Half-Way-Tree going back to 1696.
HELL BELOW is the name given to a dangerous corner near Dunn’s River where there is a deep plunge into the sea.
IRISH TOWN, in Saint Andrew, was obviously originally settled by the Irish.
JOES HUT, in Trelawny, was named after its first settler, a man named Joe Buckle, who built a hut here (apparently in the 18th century) and it became a local landmark, as in "...two miles from Joe's Hut". In time the hut disappeared and so did the apostrophe! Some generations ago it was proposed that the name be changed to "Joe's Town" but this was refused by the inhabitants.
LLANDOVERY, in Saint Ann, and LLANRUMNEY, in Saint Mary (once owned by Sir Henry Morgan). “Llan” means a yard in Welsh. Morgan was Welsh and both are place-names found in Wales.
LLANTRISSANT is another Welsh place name and is, in fact, the town where the British Royal Mint is located. It was so named by a former owner whose origins may have been Welsh. According to the history of the town, the name also means the Church of Three Saints.
MADRAS, in Saint Ann, is a region in India, a reminder of the number of indentured East Indians who came to Jamaica in the mid-19th century to work on the sugar estates.
MAGGOTTY, in Saint Elizabeth, is a small town near the head of the Black River, named for the sugar estate that was located there. Maggoty Estate is now known as Kenilworth and the 17th century ruins of the sugar factory on this estate are considered the best example of old industrial architecture in the island.
MAHOGANY HALL, in Trelawny, apparently gets its name from the house named and built by a British Captain near a Mahogany tree where he found (and fell in love with) a Spanish senorita who was hiding there during the time the British were chasing the Spanish from the island.
MANCHIONEAL, in Portland, comes from the Spanish Manzanella (little apple) of the Manchineel tree. The large, beautiful but poisonous trees once lined the coast there. The foliage, fruit, trunk and branches ooze a milky sap which causes burning blisters on the skin and kills animals instantly. The Arawak/Tainos used to dip the points of their arrows in the liquid, creating deadly missiles. Legend has it that the British would poison the invading Spaniards who would stop to rest under the shade of the trees. The British cut the tree, letting sap drip on the invaders, which would ultimately lead to their death. There are only one or two trees left in the town and residents identify the trees to visitors to prevent unfortunate mishaps.
ME-NO-SEN-YOU-NO-COME, in the Cockpit country of Saint Elizabeth, has a pretty clear meaning - don’t call us, we’ll call you! The Maroons in exclusive communities like Accompong were apparently not very welcoming towards unexpected visitors.
MILK RIVER, in Clarendon, was the Rio do Manatines of the Spanish. The mineral baths are situated at the foot of a limestone hill. The water, which is extremely saline, comes from crevices in the rock directly into the baths.
MIRANDA HILL, in Saint James, was named for former Spanish governor, Alonzo de Miranda.
MOCHO, in Trelawny (there is also a Mocho in Clarendon, Saint Andrew and Saint James). traditionally means "A place symbolic of remoteness - a rough, uncivilized place". To describe someone as coming from Mocho is to describe that person as backward or, in Jamaican terminology, "dark". The usage probably came from tribal rivalry during the days of slavery. Mocho is derived from Mgboko, a place name of Calabar in Eastern Nigeria, and suggests that the Jamaican Mochos may have been persons of the Ibo tribe.
MONTEGO BAY, in Saint James, has two possible origins. One has it named for the fact that the Spanish slaughtered many hogs there and loaded lard in jars to ship to Columbia. The Spanish word for lard is "mantega." The other has it named after Montego de Salamanca, an early Spanish colonizer.
MOSQUITO COVE, in Hanover, is said to have originated because of the prevalence of mosquitos. Historians insist, however, that the correct name is 'Miskito' Cove, for a tribe of Indians that once inhabited the island.
NUN’S PEN, in Saint Andrew, was also known as “Islington” and “Moringa Park”. It was once owned by a Haitian refugee named Henri D’Aquin. Two of his daughters were determined to become nuns even though he wanted them to marry. He decided to give the land to the Roman Catholic Church and since then it has been known as “Nuns Pen”.
ORACABESSA, in Saint Mary, comes from the Spanish for 'aura' meaning 'air or breeze' and 'cabeza' meaning head, resulting in a phrase that could be read as 'fanciful' (or ‘air headed’!).
PANTREPANT, in Trelawny, is a Welsh name meaning "house in the hollow".
PORUS is a town in Manchester. There are three reasons given for this name: first, that Porus is possibly a confusion between Las Pocas (the pits) and should be called Pocos, or second, that since Porus was referred to by the Spaniards as “the district of Porras”, they must have named it after the brothers who were marooned with Christopher Columbus at St. Ann’s Bay for over a year. The Porras brothers finally mutinied against Columbus. The third, and most well-known, explanation is that market vendors, traveling before the days of cars, rested under a guinep tree in the village, remarking 'poor us' as they removed the loads from their heads.
PUTOGETHER CORNER, near Mandeville, is the spot where market women stopped to put their goods and themselves in order before proceeding to town.
SHOE MYSELF GATE, in Saint Elizabeth, derives from the fact that, when someone in town who was not accustomed to wearing shoes got a new pair, they would carry the shoes over their shoulders until they reached their destination. At the gate, they would “shoe themselves”.
SPANISH TOWN, in Saint Catherine, was founded about 1534 and was once known as Santiago, the name given by Christopher Columbus to the whole island. The English, however, called the city St. Jago de la Vega, or ‘St. James of the Plain’, and that name remained in popular use for some years. Now it is known as Spanish Town.
STETTIN, in Trelawny, was named by Dr. William Lemonius after the city in Pomerania, Germany, from which his family came. Dr. Lemonius was responsible for about 1,000 North German immigrants who arrived in Jamaica between 1834 and 1838.
STONEHENGE, in Trelawny, is undoubtedly a word-play on the owner's name, Reverend Joseph Stoney. It was located near Campbells on the Barbecue Bottom road.
TAN-AN-SEE, in Trelawny, means “stand and see” referring to the view of the beautiful open land. There is a cliff here overlooking the landscape.
TEMPLE HALL, in Saint Andrew, is named for its first landowner, Thomas Temple. Temple Hall is where Sir Nicholas Lawes, Governor of Jamaica from 1718-22, who married Temple's daughter in 1698, introduced the cultivation of coffee to the island in the 1700s.
TIME AND PATIENCE, in Saint Catherine, could be named for the type of crops past residents chose to grow.
TOMMY BUSH, in Westmoreland, is named after Tommy Sinclair who owned the plantation there.
TOM REDCAM AVENUE is named after Tom McDermot, an Irish campaigner against colonialism and slavery, Redcam is sort of a backwards spelling of McDermot.
TRY SEE, in Saint Ann, is a post-emancipation name inspired by the idea of having former slaves who received land "try and see" what they could do with it.
VICTORIA TOWN, in Manchester, was named after Queen Victoria.
VINEGAR HILL, in Westmoreland, was probably originally settled by Irish landowners and named after the Battle of Vinegar Hill, near Enniscorthy, Ireland, during the Irish Rebellion of 1798.
WAI RUA, is Saint Andrew, comes from New Zealand and means 'place by the river.'
WAIT A BIT, in Trelawny, derives its name from the Wait-a-bit thorn, believed to have been brought to Jamaica by African slaves.
WHITE SHOP, in Clarendon, just across the Manchester border, may have been so named because the shop that dominates the village square had once been painted white.
Y.S. ESTATE, in Saint Elizabeth, lies near a bridge over the river of the same name. Some say that the curious name of the river comes from a Welsh word meaning "winding" (on early maps it is written "Wyess") and possibly the form Y.S. was first adopted as the mark stamped on hogs heads of the Wyess Sugar plantation.
YALLAHS, in Saint Thomas, was most likely named for Captain Yallahs, a Dutch pirate who frequented the area in the 1670s.
YTHANSIDE, a village in Portland, is named after a place in Wales. Its first owner, William Espeut, also owned Spring Garden Estate in Portland where he was believed to have bred mongooses (imported from India) to kill rats on sugar plantations.
hi, thank you – most interesting.
Another interesting place name is ‘Nairne’s Castle’ in Clarendon. My Gt-gt-gt-grandfather Alexander Nairne was born there in 1805 – the son of Daniel Nairn b Nairn Scotland 1772 and a free black woman Sarah Williams. If I find out more about ‘Nairne’s Castle’ I will let you know,
regards,
Richard Crowe
Thank you! I love the history of the place names and they seem to get lost as time goes on. I will add it to the page and, if you know any more, by all means let me know. Thanks for visiting!
If any one has any online information about Dublin Castle St. Andrews Blue Mountain, Jamaica it would be much appreciated!
Have you seen the Gleaner article on driving through Dublin Castle? No details really, but he was driving east beyond Gordon Town into the mountains. Dublin Castle appears to have been a coffee estate in St. Andrew in the late 19th Century (listed as owner – Aitkin (Aitken??) and estate lawyer – John McLean). This area would have originally been part of Port Royal Parish which was absorbed into St. Andrew in 1866. The only other clue I found was this excerpt “On the estate called “Greenwich,” for instance, and likewise at Spitzbergen, and Dublin Castle (the latter in the Port Royal mountains), are some old tombs.” The lawyer, John McLean, is listed as the owner of Cold Spring estate and the lawyer for several others in the area – Clifton Mount & Silver Hill. I’d guess these were all formerly part of one very large estate/plantation (probably including Dublin Castle) which was later split up, so I would think they were all in the same vicinity. If you look at the old Esso map and follow the road east from Gordon Town, then north beyond Content Gap, you’ll find St. Peters and Silver Hill (one of the McLean estates). Must be in this area. Hope something helped!! And welcome to KeepItJiggy.com!
Don’t know if that Gleaner link will work so here’s the URL
http://www.caribdaily.com/article/113815/just-tek-it-easy-inna-dublin-castle/
You can go to the Esso map from my Maps page.
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