Tour Jamaica

Clarendon

Clarendon is the third largest parish in Jamaica. It is located between the parishes of  St. Catherine and Manchester. The parish was created in 1723 and was named after Sir Edward Hyde, the 1st Earl of Clarendon, an English statesman and Lord Chancellor. Portland is noted for its lush green vegetation, beautiful beaches, picturesque coves and caves, and abundant rainfall.

Portland became a prosperous parish with the rise of the banana trade in the 1880s. Port Antonio, its capital, could be described as Jamaica's first tourist resort town. In the 1950s, it became a popular resort for famous writers, movie stars, such as Errol Flyn, and tycoons, who stayed at the Titchfield Hotel and the glamorous Frenchmans Cove Hotel.

Portland is known as the home of "Jerk Meat", particularly, its famous jerk pork. The annual Jerk food festival is held in the month of June at the Great Folly House, in Port Antonio. There is also the annual International Blue Marlin fishing tournament, held in the same town.

OVERVIEW OF PARISH

1. Name Orign : The Parish was named after Sir Edward Hyde the 1st Earl of Clarendon, an English statesman
2. Capital : May Pen
3. Size : 1,196 sq km - or 461.9 sq. miles
4. Population : Estimated, 216,000
5. Main Commercial Activities : Bauxite Mining and Agriculture
6. Main Towns : Chapleton 
7. Attractions/Places of Interest : Milk River Bath, Rio Minho, Halse Hall Great House and Vernan Field.