Westmoreland Parish, Jamaica

Westmoreland
Parish
Westmoreland in Jamaica
Country	Jamaica
County	Cornwall
Capital	Savanna-la-Mar
Area
• Total	807 km² (312 sq mi)
Area rank	8
Population (2012)
• Total	144,817
• Density	180/km² (460/sq mi)

Westmoreland is the westernmost parish in Jamaica, located on the south side of the island. It is situated to the south of Hanover, the southwest of Saint James, and the northwest of Saint Elizabeth, in the county of Cornwall. The chief town and capital is Savanna-la-Mar. Negril, a famous tourist destination, is also situated in the parish.

The earliest inhabitants of Westmoreland were the Arawak and Ciboney Indians. The Ciboney were first to arrive from the coast of South America around 500 BC. Known as "cave dwellers," they lived along the cliffs of Negril. The labyrinth of caves and passageways beneath what is now the Xtabi Hotel in Negril are one of the first known settlements of Ciboney Indians in Jamaica.

Christopher Columbus stopped at what became Westmoreland on his second voyage when he landed in Jamaica. One of the first Spanish settlements was also built at present-day Bluefields in this parish.

The English took over the island from Spanish rule in 1665. Colonists named the parish Westmoreland in 1703, as it was the most westerly point of the island. In 1730, Savanna-la-Mar, a coastal port, was designated to replace Banbury as the capital of the parish. A fort was built in the 1700s to defend the port against pirates. Today it is one of the historic sites of the parish.

The name Westmoreland appears to stem from Dr John Drummond (1744-1804) who had several plantations on the island (foremost being the Drummond Estate) plus vast lands at Savanna-la-Mar which had been owned by his parents. He was surgeon to the Westmoreland Regiment of Foot from 1784. This British Regiment were officially on the island from 1802 to 1813 but the name appears to pre-date this as John Drummond refers to his "Westmoreland estate" in his will of 1793.

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