St. Thomas, Jamaica
| Saint Thomas | |
|---|---|
| Parish | |
 Saint Thomas in Jamaica |
|
| Country | Jamaica |
| County | Surrey |
| Capital | Morant Bay |
| Major towns | Port Morant, Yallahs, Bath, Seaforth, Golden Grove |
| Area | |
| • Total | 742.8 km2 (286.8 sq mi) |
| Area rank | 9 |
| Population (2012) | |
| • Total | 94,410 |
| • Density | 130/km2 (330/sq mi) |
Saint Thomas, once known as Saint Thomas in the East, is a suburban parish situated at the south eastern end of Jamaica, within the county of Surrey. It is the birthplace of the Right Honourable Paul Bogle, designated in 1969 as one of Jamaica's seven National Heroes. Morant Bay, its chief town and capital, is the site of the Morant Bay Rebellion in 1865, of which Bogle was a leader.
Representative George William Gordon, a wealthy Brown (mulatto) businessman and politician from this district, was tried and executed in 1865 under martial law on suspicion of directing the rebellion. Governor Eyre was forced to resign due to the controversy over his execution of Gordon and violent suppression of the rebellion. Gordon was designated in 1969 as a National Hero.
Saint Thomas was densely populated by the Taíno/Arawak when Christopher Columbus first came to the island in 1494. The Spaniards established cattle ranches at Morant Bay and Yallahs. In 1655, when the English captured Jamaica, the Crown invited residents from other British colonies to settle here. About 1600 colonists, mainly from Nevis – including the Governor of Nevis, his wife, children – settled there. In a short time, however, two-thirds of them died of tropical fevers. The colony began to rebuild. They imported African slaves to work the sugar cane plantations developed in the area.
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