The

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

of Saint Lucy ("St. Lucy") is the northernmost area in the country of

Barbados Barbados, officially the Republic of Barbados, is an island country in the Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies and the easternmost island of the Caribbean region. It lies on the boundary of the South American ...

. Saint Lucy is the only parish of Barbados out of the eleven to be named after a female

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, Eastern Orthodoxy or Oriental Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, fa ...

, Saint Lucy of Syracuse. Saint Lucy's shape also resembles a

peninsula A peninsula is a landform that extends from a mainland and is only connected to land on one side. Peninsulas exist on each continent. The largest peninsula in the world is the Arabian Peninsula. Etymology The word ''peninsula'' derives , . T ...

, surrounded on three sides by the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

to the north, east and west. The Harrison Point Lighthouse is located in Harrisons, Saint Lucy between Great Head and Norse's Bay, also in Saint Lucy. To the south lies the neighbouring Parish of

Saint Peter Saint Peter (born Shimon Bar Yonah; 1 BC – AD 64/68), also known as Peter the Apostle, Simon Peter, Simeon, Simon, or Cephas, was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus and one of the first leaders of the Jewish Christian#Jerusalem ekklēsia, e ...

. Saint Lucy is the most distant part of Barbados from the capital city

Bridgetown Bridgetown (UN/LOCODE: BB BGI) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Barbados. Formerly The Town of Saint Michael, the Greater Bridgetown area is located within the Parishes of Barbados, parish of Saint Michael, Barbados, Saint Mic ...

, located in the parish of

Saint Michael Michael, also called Saint Michael the Archangel, Archangel Michael and Saint Michael the Taxiarch is an archangel and the warrior of God in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. The earliest surviving mentions of his name are in third- and second- ...

Grantley Adams International Airport Grantley Adams International Airport (GAIA) is an international airport at Seawell, Christ Church, Barbados, Christ Church, Barbados, serving as the country's only port of entry by air. The airport is the only designated port of entry for ...

in Christ Church. Saint Lucy remains one of the less populated parts of the island because of its remote location. The closest major town to Saint Lucy in Barbados is

Speightstown Speightstown (), also known as ''Little Bristol'', is the second largest town in Barbados. It is situated north of the capital city of Bridgetown, in the northern parish of Saint Peter. The area is named after William Speight, a member of Barba ...

located in the parish of

. Saint Lucy is the birthplace of Barbados's first Prime Minister,

Errol Barrow Errol Walton Barrow (21 January 1920 – 1 June 1987) was a Barbadian statesman and the first prime minister of Barbados. Born into a family of political and civic activists in the parish of Saint Lucy, he became a WWII aviator, combat vet ...

. It is also the birthplace of two

cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

ers;

Charlie Griffith Sir Charles Christopher Griffith, KA, SCM (born 14 December 1938) is a West Indian former cricketer who played in 28 Tests from 1960 to 1969. He formed a formidable fast bowling partnership with Wes Hall during the 1960s, but experienced a ...

and Manny Martindale. The historic Parish church St. Lucy is located in the center of the parish, near Nesfield. There is a second Anglican church, St. Swithun's at Greenidge, and a third one, St. Clement's, near Lowlands.

Geography

Populated places

The parish contains the following villages and hamlets: Smaller settlements are Avis Town, Blacksage Alley, Free Hill, Friendly Hall, Half Moon Fort, Maycock, Mount Gilboa, Pickerings, Roaches, Shermans, Sutherland and Swampy Town. The police station and the cricket ground are situated in Crab Hill, the post office is in Benthams. There are four Primary Schools, at Clinkett (West), Content (North), Lowland (East) and Trent (Central). The Daryll Jordan Secondary School is in Trents too.

Parishes bordering Saint Lucy

- ''South''

Defined boundaries

*With St. Peter: – Starting from a point on the seashore directly west of the junction of Highway IC and the public road leading from Shermans to Half Moon Fort, the line travels eastwards to the centre-line of the said road junction; then in a north-easterly direction along Highway 1C to its junction with the private (estate) road leading to Alleynedale Hall; then along this private road and diverting along the northern branch of this road so as to leave the plantation buildings in St. Peter to meet the public road called Highway A leading from Rose Hill to St. Lucy's Church; then northwards along Highway A to its junction with the public road called Luke Hill; then along this public road in a north-easterly and northerly direction to the junction with the unclassified road leading to Castle Plantation; then along this road in an easterly and south- easterly direction to a point opposite the monument (B.l) placed on the eastern side; then in a north-easterly direction along the line joining this point and another monument (13.2) situate on the western side of an unclassified road at Lamberts and to the centre line of the road; then along this road in a north- westerly and north-easterly direction to its junction with the public road leading from Lamberts to Graveyard; then along this public road in an easterly, north- easterly and northerly direction to its junction with the unclassified road leading to Boscobelle; then along this road in a north-easterly, south-easterly and north- easterly direction to the centre of the bridge situate at the point just before the road turns to a south-easterly direction; then in a north-easterly direction (30" 16') to the sea.

Historical Use

Saint Lucy was the location of a United States Naval Facility (NAVFAC), a shore terminal of the Sound Surveillance System (SOSUS), adjacent to the Harrison Point Lighthouse. NAVFAC Barbados was in commission 1 October 1957 to 31 March 1979. The Barbados array made undersea surveillance history on 6 July 1962 when it made the first detection of a Soviet nuclear submarine that was transiting off the coast of Norway entering the Greenland-Iceland-United Kingdom (GIUK) gap.

References

External links

* * {{Authority control Parishes of Barbados