Smith's Parish is one of the nine parishes of

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. It is named for English aristocrat Sir Thomas Smith/Smythe (1558–1625).

Description

It is located in the northeast of the main island, at the southern end of Harrington Sound, the large lagoon close to the main island's northeastern tip. It is joined to Devonshire Parish in the southwest and

Hamilton Parish Hamilton Parish (originally Bedford Parish) is one of the nine parishes of Bermuda. It was renamed for Scottish aristocrat James Hamilton, 2nd Marquess of Hamilton (1589-1625) when he purchased the shares originally held in the Virginia Company ...

in the northeast. As with most of Bermuda's parishes, it covers just over 2.3 square miles (about 6.0 km² or 1500 acres). It had a population of 5,984 in 2016. Natural features in Smith's include

Spittal Pond Spital or Spittal may refer to: Places Austria *Spital (Weitra), a hamlet in the Waldviertel, Lower Austria, notable for being the origin of some of Adolf Hitler's family * Spital am Pyhrn, a municipality in Upper Austria *Spital am Semmering, ...

, John Smith's Beach, Devil's Hole, Gibbet Island, and Portuagese Rock.

History

Like all of

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 ...

of Bermuda, Smith's was named after one of the nine chief investors of the Somers Isles (Bermuda) Company. In this case, it was named for the Company's first governor, Sir Thomas Smith, who also acted as a governor for the

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Sou ...

and treasurer of the

Virginia Company The Virginia Company was an English trading company chartered by King James I on 10 April 1606 with the object of colonizing the eastern coast of America. The coast was named Virginia, after Elizabeth I, and it stretched from present-day Mai ...

. Smith would go on to invest some £60,000 into Bermuda (only £20,000 less than what he invested in the much larger Virginia). Despite this, his contribution to his stake in the colony was minimal, and the area was briefly known as "Harris' Bay".

Politics

For purposes of national representation, Smith's has been divided into three constituencies (Smith's South, Smith's West and Smith's North), and so has 3 representatives in Parliament. As of 2003, two of these are members of the UBP party, and one is a member of the PLP party.

Education

Schools in the Parish: * Harrington Sound Primary School * Whitney Institute Middle SchoolWhitney Institute Middle School Teacher Vacancy 2011/2012
" Whitney Institute Middle School. Retrieved on September 14, 2016. "59 Middle Road Smith's, Bermuda FL 04"

References

External links

Parishes of Bermuda {{Bermuda-geo-stub