Haddersfield, also known as Huddersfield, is a small town located in the
St. Mary parish of
Jamaica
Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...
. It is located at 18°24' N, 77°1' W, close to the small town of 'Retreat' and the mouth of the 'Rio Nuevo', some 10 kilometres east of
Ocho Rios
Ocho Rios (Spanish for "Eight Rivers") is a town in the parish of Saint Ann on the north coast of Jamaica, and is more widely referred to as ''Ochi'' by locals. Beginning as a sleepy fishing village, Ocho Rios has seen explosive growth in the ...
. It lies at an altitude of 164 metres above sea level.
History
During the periods 1822-1832 the
33rd Regiment of Foot, recruited from
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. It is an inland and upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in the moors of the Pennines. West Yorkshire came into exi ...
, was stationed in Jamaica. At the end of the tour 142 men chose to remain in Jamaica, having married and raised families, some of which may have originated from
Huddersfield
Huddersfield is a market town in the Kirklees district in West Yorkshire, England. It is the administrative centre and largest settlement in the Kirklees district. The town is in the foothills of the Pennines. The River Holme's confluence into ...
, thereby originating the name. Over 560 officers and men died and were buried in Jamaica during this period, from
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...
diseases. On 18 June 1853 the regiment formally became known as "The 33rd (or Duke of Wellington's Regiment)." The regiment's second battalion was again posted to Jamaica (Newcastle Camp) from 18 March 1891 to 10 April 1893.
References
External links
BBC Voices - Audio recording Huddersfield, England residents who have roots in Jamaica talk about storytelling traditions and the generation language gap.
Populated places in Jamaica
{{Jamaica-geo-stub