Clarendon's History

Jamaica 55 posted information about Clarendon on it's website

https://jamaica55.gov.jm/clarendon/clarendon-history/

and the Jamaica Heritage Trust gives some further details of Heritage Sites

Click on the site and you can check these out.

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General notes

May Pen serves as the bustling commercial capital of Clarendon, one of Jamaica's oldest parishes established in 1664. [1]

Indigenous and Early Roots

Taíno Settlement: “Prior to the arrival of the Spaniards and the English, the Tainos, Jamaica's indigenous people, lived on Portland Ridge [now called Portland Point].”, as noted by Jamaica Information Service. They also inhabited riverbanks along the Rio Minho and Milk River.
Naming: The parish honors Sir Edward Hyde, the Earl of Clarendon and Lord Chancellor of England under King Charles II.
Parish Formation: Clarendon merged from older administrative regions, including St. Dorothy's, Vere, and the original Clarendon proper. [1, 2]

Colonial Era and Plantations

Sugar and Labor: During the 18th century, flat alluvial plains supported extensive sugarcane estates like the Clarendon Park Plantation. Powerful dynasties and families, such as the Pennants, operated prominent sugar operations and livestock pens here for centuries. [3, 4]
Sutton’s Rebellion: Sutton’s plantation in Clarendon became the site of “the first rebellion of importance, on record, [which] happened in the year 1690.” -- [Visiting Lucky Valley, Longville and Sutton's Plantations in ...].

Evolution of the Capital

The Cross was one of the early colonial sites, then Chapelton took over and initially served as the inland capital due to its central location in the upper division.
May Pen: Grew from two roadside inns along the Rio Minho into a vibrant commercial center, officially replacing Chapelton as the parish capital in 1938. [1, 5, 6, 7]

[1] https://www.youtube.com
[2] https://jis.gov.jm
[3] https://www.spanglefish.com
[4] https://www.jamrockmuseum.com
[5] https://jamaica55.gov.jm
[6] https://www.berjamaica.com
[7] https://www.facebook.com