Saint Mary Cayon is one of 14 administrative
parishes
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...
that make up
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Kitts and Nevis (), officially the Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis, is an island country and microstate consisting of the two islands of Saint Kitts and Nevis, both located in the West Indies, in the Leeward Islands chain of ...
. It is located on the main island of
Saint Kitts
Saint Kitts, officially the Saint Christopher Island, is an island in the West Indies. The west side of the island borders the Caribbean Sea, and the eastern coast faces the Atlantic Ocean. Saint Kitts and the neighbouring island of Nevis cons ...
and the parish capital is
Cayon
Cayon is a town on the northeast coast of Saint Kitts in the Caribbean. It is the capital of Saint Mary Cayon Parish. The estimated population in 2010 was 2,500
Cayon is home to the campus of Windsor University School of Medicine. St Mary's Par ...
.
Land
The parish's offer forest-draped mountains in the northern interior, with the more scrub-like covered Canada Hills near the southern interior borders. The coastline is marked by the beautiful (but dangerous due to Atlantic waves) black-sand beach of Hermitage Bay on the North Coast. Sheer cliffs dominate the rest of the coastline, but to the extreme South of this lies a long continuous strip of sand that stretches from Saint Mary Cayon, into
Saint Peter Basseterre
Saint Peter Basseterre is one of 14 administrative parishes that make up Saint Kitts and Nevis. It is located on the main island of Saint Kitts and the parish capital is Monkey Hill.
Land
The parish's consists of forest-covered rugged hills a ...
and eventually into
Saint George Basseterre
Saint George Basseterre is one of 14 administrative parishes that make up Saint Kitts and Nevis. It is the largest parish on Saint Kitts and the second largest parish in Saint Kitts and Nevis (after Saint James Windward). It is by far the most p ...
, the sands lightening in hue as one descends southward. The beaches of Saint Mary Cayon are used by
Leatherback turtles to lay their eggs. The town of Cayon dominates the central portion of the parish, with the smaller villages of Lodge and Ottley's to the North. All the lands surrounding these villages are covered in peasant farms and abandoned sugar cane estates, up to above sea level, when forests take over.
There are many notable ravines in the parish, indicating that it may be one of the oldest parts of island, after the
South East Peninsula
South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west.
Etymology
The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþaz' ...
. Lodge ghaut is the largest ghaut on St. Kitts and is home to the Lodge Rail bridge, the highest bridge in the federation, nearly above the ghaut floor. The Cayon river, around which the town of
Cayon
Cayon is a town on the northeast coast of Saint Kitts in the Caribbean. It is the capital of Saint Mary Cayon Parish. The estimated population in 2010 was 2,500
Cayon is home to the campus of Windsor University School of Medicine. St Mary's Par ...
is situated, is one of only four year-long watered rivers on the island, and the only one on the island's East Coast (the other three being Wingfield River and East River in
Saint Thomas Middle Island
Saint Thomas Middle Island is one of 14 administrative parishes that make up Saint Kitts and Nevis. It is the third largest parish on the island of Saint Kitts, and fourth largest in the federation. The parish capital is Middle Island.
Land
The ...
and Stone Fort River in
Trinity Palmetto Point
Trinity Palmetto Point is one of 14 administrative parishes that make up Saint Kitts and Nevis. It ranks 6th in terms of size of all the parishes on Saint Kitts. The parish capital is Trinity.
Land
The coastline of the parish consists of small ...
). The water systems around Cayon however, like those on the East Coast, have been tapered off for local consumption. The Southern border of the parish is marked by Key Ghaut, which essentially splits the village of keys over two parishes (St. Mary's and St. Peter's).
Town/Villages
The parish capital is the town of Cayon. Other villages are Key's, Ottley's and Lodge. There are all located near the main road in the parish central zone. The fertile farmlands are also in the zone.
Capital -
Cayon
Cayon is a town on the northeast coast of Saint Kitts in the Caribbean. It is the capital of Saint Mary Cayon Parish. The estimated population in 2010 was 2,500
Cayon is home to the campus of Windsor University School of Medicine. St Mary's Par ...
Other Villages:
*Lodge
*Ottley's
*Little Italy
*Spooner's
*Keys
Economy
The Saint Mary Cayon Parish was historically one of the main industrial areas in Saint Kitts, home to the island's
cotton gin
A cotton gin—meaning "cotton engine"—is a machine that quickly and easily separates cotton fibers from their seeds, enabling much greater productivity than manual cotton separation.. Reprinted by McGraw-Hill, New York and London, 1926 (); a ...
nery, which was opened in 1901. It made history as its home estate,
Spooner's Estate, became the first one in the Caribbean to successfully change from sugar production to cotton. The factory remained open until its acquisition by the government in 1970, shortly after which it was closed down. Since then, no significant industrial development has taken place in the parish, despite Cayon being a sizeable town.
Agriculture dominates today's parish economy. The main crops produced are fruits and
ground provisions Ground provisions is the term used in West Indian nations to describe a number of traditional root vegetable staples such as yams, sweet potatoes, dasheen root (taro), eddos and cassava. They are often cooked and served as a side dish in local cui ...
, with livestock production in the parish being especially high. The second industry of the parish is tourism. A mile inland from Ottley's village lies Ottley's Plantation Inn, a former plantation house and one of the premier hotels on the island. The parish is also noted for its large water stores, which supply much of the East Coast.
Education
*
Windsor University School of Medicine
Windsor University School of Medicine is a private offshore medical school located in Cayon, Saint Mary Cayon Parish, Saint Kitts and Nevis in the Caribbean. Windsor confers upon its graduates the Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree. The university ...
Community festival
There is the famous Green Valley Festival which is celebrated from May to June. The festival is mainly held in Cayon. This festival is one of the many village community festivals held all around St. Kitts, but is largely considered to be one of the best. The festival normally ends with J'ouvert
References
{{Authority control
Parishes of Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Kitts (island)