Sligoville

After emancipation in 1834 the Baptist missionary James Phillippo bought land in the hills above Spanish Town and sold plots to freed people, so that they could live and vote without depending on the estates. Sligoville, named for the Marquess of Sligo who was governor at the time, was the result, and it is recognised as the first free village in Jamaica. The Baptist church, the school and the layout of smallholdings on the hillside come from that settlement.

History

On 10 July 1835 the Reverend James Phillippo, an English Baptist minister and campaigner against slavery, bought 25 acres for £100 and set up the first free village in the West Indies, divided into quarter-acre lots that freed people could buy for £3 each. First called Highgate, it was renamed on 12 June 1840 after the Marquess of Sligo, governor in 1834, the year of emancipation (Wikipedia, Sligoville).

The main sights

• The Baptist church - the mission church at the centre of the settlement.
• The village layout - smallholding plots laid out on the hillside from 1835.
• The hill setting - cool high ground above the Saint Catherine plain.
• The free village history - the first settlement of its kind in the country.

When to go

December to April is drier and the most comfortable. Emancipation Day on 1 August brings commemorations. The hill roads are difficult in heavy rain.

Practical notes

There is little formal interpretation and the significance is historical rather than visual. Facilities for visitors are minimal. The roads up from Spanish Town are narrow and rough in places.

Nearby

Spanish Town is south, and Bog Walk gorge is west.

Key facts