Middlesex County, Jamaica Explained

Middlesex
Settlement Type:County
Native Name Lang:jam
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:Jamaica
Subdivision Type1:County town
Subdivision Name1:Spanish Town
Established Title:Established
Established Date:1758
Named For:Middlesex, England

Middlesex is the central of the three historic counties into which Jamaica is divided. It has no current-day administrative significance. It covers 5,041.9 km2 and has a population of 1,183,361[1] (about 45% of the island's area and population) giving it the largest area and population of the three counties. It includes Spanish Town, the island's original capital.

The county of Middlesex is shown in pink.

History

Jamaica's three counties were established in 1758 to facilitate the holding of courts along the lines of the British county court system.[2] Middlesex, the middle of the three, was named after an English county of the same name. It was chosen in Jamaica presumably because of its central position. Spanish Town was its county town.

Parishes

Middlesex County
On
map
ParishArea
km2
Population
Census 2011
Capital
6Clarendon1,196.3237,024May Pen
7Manchester830.1185,801Mandeville
8Saint Ann1,212.6166,762Saint Ann's Bay
9Saint Catherine1,192.4482,308Spanish Town
10Saint Mary610.5111,466Port Maria
  Middlesex County5,041.91,183,361
  Jamaica total10,990.52,607,631Kingston

Notes and References

  1. 2001 census
  2. Book: Higman . B. W. . Hudson . B. J. . Jamaican Place Names . Mona, Jamaica . 2009 . University of the West Indies Press . 31 . 978-976-640-306-5 .