Hamilton & the Parishes
by Roger Crombie

The visitor who travels though the parishes might sense only the physical differences. The long beaches of Warwick are indeed different from the urban scene in Pembroke or even the more rugged beaches of the North Shore. The 'land's-end' feeling in St. George's and Sandys parishes is entirely different from the more suburban feel of, say, Smith's or Devonshire. Although most parishes have golf courses and the architecture is largely of a piece throughout, each parish has its own mood and activities.

The Bermuda islands were divided into what are now the parishes before 1620. The land packets, an average of little more than two square miles of land apiece, were first known as 'tribes'. The old-fashioned use of the word lingers to this day in the Tribe Roads in Bermuda. The right to inhabit and exploit Bermuda was granted by King James I of England to the shareholders of the Virginia Company. One of their number, Sir George Somers, was en route to Virginia on the Company's business when his vessel, the Sea Venture, was caught on Bermuda's coral reef en route to Virginia in 1609. Virginia was England's first colony and Bermuda became the second.

In 1612, the Plough brought Bermuda's first 50 permanent settlers from the shores of England, and with them the Island's first Governor, Richard Moore. Within a couple of years, some of the Virginia Company shareholders had purchased a separate Bermuda Company for the sum of £2,000 – then a king's ransom. The new owners of Bermuda expected to make money from the Island by selling, pearls and ambergris – a whale substance used in perfume. In the early going, they were disappointed.

The land was divided among the shareholders and each tribe took the name of its most prominent owner. As shares changed hands, or key shareholders were ennobled, the names of some of the parishes changed before they settled, in the middle of the 17th century, into the set of names in use today. Hamilton is the Island's second capital. The town of St. George's was the first. Incorporated in 1793, Hamilton has been Bermuda's capital since January, 1815.

Bermudian architecture is unique and instantly recognisable. Some local building work, notably the Dockyard in Sandys Parish and the later forts, are based on other peoples' models, but Bermudian housing, certainly, is ubiquitous and reasonably uniform. It is one reason - the light is another - why Bermuda is one of the few places in the world that looks exactly like its picture postcards.

The pastel colours, the stepped roofs designed to catch as much water as possible, the shutters and the 'eyebrows' above the windows; this mix of detail is not found anywhere else in the world. Only recently has the Island begun to import building materials for local housing. For many years, slabs of limestone were quarried for use in construction.

The visitor to Bermuda who arrives at the airport has landed in the eastern parishes. St. George's Parish was named for Bermuda's founder, Sir George Somers (1554-1610), a friend of Sir Walter Raleigh.

St. George's parish contains the town of St. George's, a historic settlement containing the oldest church in the Western hemisphere. St. George's parish also encompasses the island of St. David's. Long physically separate from the rest of Bermuda, St. David's Island is often considered a distinct community within the larger Bermudian whole, not least among the St. David's Islanders.

Giant cruise ships, taller than the buildings in town, make St. George's their own for several days a week. St. George's is one of the two venues for Cup Match – the annual cricket classic, that quintessentially Bermudian celebration. St. George's also has some of the Island's most attractive small beaches.

Heading into town, as you cross the causeway you make landfall in Hamilton Parish on the Island's North Shore. Hamilton Parish extends to the South Shore and is home to some of the Island's most exclusive real estate, in Tucker's Town. The multi-million dollar properties are mostly owned by former Prime Ministers and leading global industrialists.

Hamilton Parish was named for James Hamilton, the second Marquis of Hamilton (1589-1625), the largest shareholder in the original Hamilton tribe and one of the Scottish peers who accompanied King James VI of Scotland when he became King James I of England, uniting the thrones, on the death of Queen Elizabeth 1 in 1603. Hamilton Parish is best-known for its deep water limestone caves, where impressive stalactites and stalagmites mark subterranean passages.

The central parishes come next. Smith's Parish, which has a suburban feel, begins at Flatts Village, the home of an excellent aquarium and slightly off-beat zoo, where the summer sunsets are simply spectacular.

Smith's was named for Sir Thomas Smith (1588-1625), a haberdasher's assistant who became a nobleman through hard work and integrity. Smith was the first Governor of the East India Company and, later, British Ambassador to the Russias. Smith's is home to historic Verdmont, the National Trust property, and Spittal Pond, a nature reserve.

Devonshire Parish also crosses Bermuda from the North Shore to the South. Devonshire has a number of Bermuda's larger estates, a few of which, most notably Palm Grove Gardens on the South Shore, are open to the public at certain times.

Devonshire Parish was named for William Cavendish, the first Earl of Devonshire (1552-1626). Cavendish took his title from the southern English maritime county, first mentioned in the 9th century. He was a member of the Council of the Virginia Company and the lead investor in the tribe named for him - Cavendish Parish, later renamed Devonshire.

Still heading east to west, the parishes divide now, with Pembroke Parish and the City of Hamilton to the north of Hamilton Harbour.

Pembroke Parish, more or less in the centre of the Island, runs up to the North Shore. It was named for the third Earl of Pembroke (1580-1630). He was one of Britain's wealthiest men, but took his title from the market town of Pembroke in Pembrokeshire, Wales. The Earl was a noted patron of the arts and another member of the council of the Virginia Company.

Although Pembroke Parish extends all the way to Spanish Point, the central feature of Pembroke is the City of Hamilton. The city measures 177 acres and is home to about 1,100 people, less than two percent of the total population. Near the harbour, where the cruise ships are lined up all summer long, the City is comprised mostly of office buildings, retail space and such gems as the National Library and City Hall.

Bermudians who live in the City live further north, in the area known locally as "back of town". The colourful Court Street area is considered Bermuda's most interesting by many. The food is a little spicier and the jazz a little hotter, back of town.

The centre of Hamilton is almost entirely offices and retail space. A number of good restaurants, and a couple of great ones, dot the alleyways and side streets which run up and down the city's hills. But at night, Hamilton has a quiet and languid feel entirely the opposite of its busy daytime bustle.

Bermuda, and more specifically Hamilton, is the world's premier international business centre. Five days a week, 12,000 people make their way into Hamilton, which has something of the pace of a much bigger town. Billions of dollars change hands every day in Hamilton and you can feel it in the air.

Across the harbour from the City is Paget Parish, which runs from scenic Harbour Road down to some of the Island's best beaches. The parish was named for William, the fourth Lord Paget (1572-1629). The residential parish is also the home of Bermuda College.

To its west is Warwick Parish (which rhymes with Yorrick in this case). Warwick was named for Robert, the second Earl of Warwick (1587-1658). In his most swashbuckling adventure, in 1628, Warwick sailed with other privateers to the East Indies to interrupt Spanish trade routes.

Warwick parish contains Spicelands horse-riding centre and Warwick Long Bay, considered one of the Island's best beaches.

Southampton Parish is where Bermuda starts to be known as "up the country". Although the western parishes are only a few miles from Hamilton by road, they enjoy a somewhat detached feel. The parish was named for Henry, the third Earl of Southampton (1573-1624), a great friend and champion of William Shakespeare. Cup Match the annual cricket classicis held outside the town of Somerset, in Southampton parish, in alternate years.

Southampton gives way to the westernmost of the parishes, Sandys Parish, named for Sir Edwin Sandys (1561-1629), the second son of the Archbishop of York. In his time, Sandys was suspected of nonconformist sympathies and encouraging republicanism in Virginia.

The former Royal Naval Dockyard in Sandys is being reinvented as a visitor's paradise, with shops, historical buildings and the Bermuda Maritime Museum within the keep.