Jamaican Parishes in Middlesex Quiz

Answer: Firefly

Oracabessa is a small town on the northern side of the island with a population of fewer than 5,000 people. It is located in the parish of St. Mary, Middlesex, and lies 10 miles (16 km) east of the popular town of Ocho Rios.

Sir Noel Coward, playwright, actor, director, and composer built Firefly on a property that was originally owned by the infamous privateer/pirate, Sir Henry Morgan. In the late 1600s Morgan used the property as a lookout because it afforded a commanding view of the St. Mary harbour. Sir Noel made extensive renovations to Morgan's old stone house and used it as his home until he built the main house. Sir Noel died there in 1973 and is buried on the property. The Firefly site is now operated by the government as a museum.

Goldeneye was built in 1946 by author Ian Fleming (creator of the legendary superspy James Bond). He wrote 14 of his novels there and the property was used as a setting for some of the films based on his books. Supermodel Naomi Campbell owns a villa built on the Goldeneye estate.

Golden Clouds was originally built in 1910 by Ruth Bryan Owen, the first female U.S. ambassador to the island. Ownership of the property has changed hands several times over the years and it is now operated as a private luxury resort.

The resort cottages at Round Hill are not located in the County of Middlesex.

Answer: Plain of Vere

Clarendon, in Middlesex, is the third largest parish in the country. The capital, May Pen, is a significant commercial centre with its share of historic buildings. Its picturesque court house which was built in 1820 attracts many visitors each year.

Monymusk Sugar Estate started operating in 1901 and it is the oldest sugar plantation on the island that still functions as one. The flat land of the Plain of Vere facilitates the use of machinery in the large-scale cultivation process. In its heyday, Monymusk contributed about 17% of the island's sugar output and provided employment for more than 1,000 workers.

Liguanea Plain, Pedro Plain and Georges Plain are not located in Middlesex. There is another great plain in Middlesex, St. Jago Plain, but Monymusk is not located there.

Answer: Flat Bridge, St. Catherine

Flat Bridge is located in the beautiful Bog Walk Gorge and has been a challenge to users ever since it was built. The bridge can accommodate a single lane of traffic only, has no guard rails and access in either direction is controlled by traffic lights. When the Rio Cobre floods each year, the bridge is closed to traffic and at these times motorists must make lengthy detours.

The parish of St. Catherine has its own place in Jamaica's history. It was the site of the second Spanish capital on the island - Santiago de la Vega. Santiago de la Vega later became known as St. Jago de la Vega. In its turn, St. Jago de la Vega became known as Spanish Town. Spanish Town is located on the south side of the island and is the present capital of St. Catherine.

While in Middlesex, the Dover Castle Bridge does not cross the Rio Cobre. Harbour View Bridge and Fairfield Bridge are not in Middlesex.

Answer: Mandeville is located on a plateau that is 2,061 ft. (628 m) above sea level.

Mandeville is the capital of the parish of Manchester. Manchester is well known for its cool, refreshing climate and this has influenced many residents returning from the U.K. and North America to build large homes there. The parish is known as the "Bread Basket" of Jamaica due to the large quantities of high-quality agricultural products that it supplies to the rest of the island.

The town of Mandeville is built on a plateau at a higher altitude than any other parish capital. It is located almost 15 miles (24 km) away from the coast whereas all other parish capitals lie within 5 miles (8 km) of the coast. It is also the only parish capital in Jamaica that is not located on a major river.

The air distance between Mandeville and Montego Bay is 40 miles (65 km) while the distance between Mandeville and Kingston is 45 miles (72 km).

Mandeville is a major commercial centre and the opening of the Kirkvine bauxite works in 1957 placed Mandeville on the map internationally. Its Mandeville Hotel which opened in 1875 is the oldest hotel in the Caribbean.

Answer: Norman Washington Manley, Manchester

Norman Manley was a brilliant scholar, athlete and a prominent barrister. His numerous achievements include successfully advocating for universal adult suffrage in Jamaica; winning self-government for the country; and founding the country's first political party. He became Chief Minister of Jamaica in 1955, a position he held until 1959. From 1959 until 1962 he was Premier of the country. In 1961, he led the team that negotiated Jamaica's independence from Britain and chaired the committee that drafted its constitution.

Roxborough is now a small community in the parish of Manchester, but at the time of his birth, it was an estate that was partly owned by his father, Thomas Manley. After his father's death in 1903, the family moved to Guanaboa Vale, St. Catherine. The house at Roxborough was destroyed by fire in 1968, but the foundations still stand. The Jamaica National Heritage Trust maintains the site and work to restore Norman Manley's birthplace has begun.

The Order of National Hero, established in 1969, is the highest honour that Jamaica confers on any Jamaican or naturalised citizen who has rendered the most significant and distinguished service to Jamaica. Recipients of this honour are styled, The Right Excellent. Monuments honouring each of the National Heroes can be found at the National Heroes Park in Kingston.

Answer: St. Mary

The Battle of Rio Nuevo was the largest battle fought after England captured the island from Spain in 1655. In 1658, a well-equipped Spanish contingent set sail from Cuba intending to invade the island and arrived stealthily at Rio Nuevo. Alerted to their presence, the English attacked and after a fierce two-day battle, the Spanish were routed. Spain later ceded its claim to Jamaica in the 1670 Treaty of Madrid.

A monument has been erected at the site of the battle and is dedicated to all those who fought valiantly against the Spanish.

St. Mary and Port Maria, its capital, are located on the island's north coast. St. Mary is one of the country's smallest parishes.

The offshore area to the west of Rio Nuevo is one of the best scuba-diving sites around Jamaica. The Rio Nuevo Wall is a much explored coral reef which abounds with tropical marine life in its coral formations.

Portland and Trelawny are not parishes in the County of Middlesex.

Answer: Discovery Bay, St. Ann

Discovery Bay is a small town of about 2,700 residents and its economy is dependent on tourism and bauxite mining.

St. Ann is nicknamed the "Garden Parish" of the island because of its beautiful flowers. Its capital is St. Ann's Bay. The resorts, entertainment and beaches of Ocho Rios, a town in St. Ann, draw visitors from all parts of the world and make St. Ann the island's second most popular tourist destination.

Marine biologists from the University of the West Indies have operated the Discovery Bay Marine Laboratory since 1965. The lab is not only a teaching institute for UWI students but hosts researchers from around the world. The lab focuses on marine science, coral reef biology and tropical coastal processes.

Sevilla la Nueva, now called Seville, was established in 1509 as the first Spanish settlement and became the first capital of the island. Seville is located not far from the present parish capital of St. Ann's Bay and Seville Heritage Park which Jamaicans consider to be a place of outstanding universal value is located there. Relics of the Taino/Arawak people dating around 600-650 A.D. have been found at Seville which attest to the area's pre-Colombian occupation. Archaeological exploration is ongoing. The Park is now a national landmark and is operated as a cultural and educational facility.

The waterfall found at the mouth of the Dunn's River is the best known of Jamaica's many waterfalls. This popular natural attraction is located near Ocho Rios. The Battle of Las Chorreras in which the English defeated a Spanish expeditionary force from Cuba in 1657 was fought at the place where the waterfall enters the Caribbean Sea. A monument at the site commemorates this victory.

Answer: Denbigh Agricultural Show, Clarendon

The show grounds are located on 72 acres (29 ha) of land near May Pen, the capital of the parish of Clarendon. Before Jamaica attained independence from Britain in 1962, the show opened on August 1 each year. Post-1962, the show is held over the weekend before Independence Day which is the first Monday in August.

The Denbigh show is an extremely popular affair and in 2012 nearly 80,000 patrons attended the three-day event. The best that Jamaica offers in agriculture, livestock, horticulture and related industries is showcased. The show also promotes the work of women in agriculture.

The St. Mary Agri Expo, while held in Middlesex, is much smaller in size than Denbigh. The Hague and Montpelier shows are smaller shows than Denbigh and are not held in Middlesex.

Answer: Liberty Hill Great House, St. Ann

Liberty Hill Great House is privately owned and has been fully restored and enhanced with all modern amenities. The owner now offers the property as a destination for retreats, conferences, weddings, and other social events.

The spectacular view from the verandah at the front of the house extends from the original Spanish settlement of Seville to Port Maria in the east.

The property, consisting of 25 acres (10 ha), was a working plantation during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries with labour supplied by enslaved Africans. The chief crop cultivated on the plantation was pimento (allspice) and minor crops included cotton, coffee and plantains.

In 1912, artifacts that show evidence of Taino occupation were recovered on the property and they are now on display at the Institute of Jamaica in Kingston.

Answer: Port Esquivel, St. Catherine

Port Esquivel was named after Juan d'Esquivel, a former Spanish Governor of the island. There is a small settlement at Port Esquivel, but when the name is used, people more often mean the modern deep-water port created by Alcan Jamaica Limited, than the settlement. Alcan Jamaica was a subsidiary of Alcan Aluminum of Canada.

In the early 21 century, the port handled over 1 million tons (1.02 million tonnes) of cargo per year made up of grain imports, bauxite, alumina and molasses exports, as well as domestic cargo. There are also oil storage facilities at the port. The former Alcan mining operations in Jamaica, including Port Esquivel, are now owned by UC Russal.

Both sides of the entrance channel of the port are close to reefs therefore pilots are required to guide all ships in and out of the channel.

Old Harbour Bay is located on the island's south coast and although it is found in Middlesex, Reynolds Bauxite Pier is located on the island's north coast. This port is used for the export of bauxite products.

Falmouth Pier and the Port of Kingston are not located in the County of Middlesex.