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St. George's | |
|---|---|
 St. George'sharbour and town, seen fromFort George | |
 Flag | |
  St. George's Location within Bermuda | |
| Coordinates:32°22′55″N64°40′37″W / 32.38194°N 64.67694°W /32.38194; -64.67694 | |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Overseas territory |  Bermuda |
| Settled | 1612 |
| Population (2016)[1] | |
• Total | 1,527 |
| Time zone | UTC−04:00 (AST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−03:00 (ADT) |
| Climate | Af |
| Official name | Historic Town of St. George and Related Fortifications, Bermuda |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | iv |
| Designated | 2000(24thsession) |
| Reference no. | 983 |
| Region | Western Europe (and North Atlantic) |
St. George's (formally theTown of St. George orSt. George's Town), located on theisland and within theparish of the same names (and on the northern side ofSt. George's Harbour), settled in 1612, is the first permanent English (and later British) settlement on the islands ofBermuda. It is often described as the third permanent British settlement in the Americas, afterJamestown, Virginia (1607), andCupids, Newfoundland (1610), and the oldest continuously-inhabited British town in the New World, since the other two settlements were seasonal for a number of years.
Bermudian convention, where atoponym contains the name of a person, is to render the person's name in thepossessive form. The place is rarely treated as equivalent to the person.
Among many examples of such place names in Bermuda areSt. David's Island,Bailey's Bay,Smith's Parish (named for aristocrat SirThomas Smith),Sandys' Parish (named forSir Edwin Sandys), Skeeters' Island (often mistakenly rendered "Skeeter's Island", it is named forEdward Skeeters and is also known asBurt's Island),[2][3]Gibb's Hill,Barr's Bay,Ackermann's Hill,Nelly's Island,Cooper's Island,Darrell's Island,Paynter's Vale,Abbot's Head (orAbbot's Cliff),[4] andFort St. Catherine's (on St. Catherine's Point). The possessive form is also used for titles, as withCollector's Hill (named for theCollector of Taxes). Maps of Bermuda have most often been produced by non-Bermudians and names given on them do not always conform to Bermudian practice.
The use of the possessive form is not exclusive, however, as exemplified by place names such as the names of most of the parishes (which – other than St. George's Parish – all commemorate historical people), such asHamilton Parish (named forJames Hamilton, 2nd Marquess of Hamilton), Devonshire Parish (named forWilliam Cavendish, 1st Earl of Devonshire), and Paget Parish. Some of these exceptions may have originated with changed syntax, asDevonshire Parish may originally have beenThe Parish of Devonshire. This is seen with theCity of Hamilton (named forHenry Hamilton, a formerGovernor of Bermuda). Whereas the City of Hamilton is commonly referred to asHamilton, The Town of St. George, St. George's Parish, St. George's Island, and St. George's Harbour (and any other toponym usually containing a person's name in the possessive form) always remains possessive when shortened, such as in theSt. George's Foundation.[5]
Originally calledNew London, St. George's was first settled in 1612. This was three years after the first English settlers landed on St. George's Island on their way toVirginia. Led byAdmiral Sir George Somers and Lieutenant-GeneralSir Thomas Gates, they had deliberately steered their ship,Sea Venture, onto a reef to escape a storm. The survivors built two new ships, theDeliverance andPatience, and most continued their voyage to Jamestown, but theVirginia Company laid claim to the island.
Two men remained behind to maintain the company's possession of the archipelago (a third stayed when thePatience returned later that year). By the Virginia Company's Third Charter in 1612, the boundaries of the new colony were extended out to sea to include Bermuda. The company sent a party of 60 new settlers to Bermuda to join the three men left behind by theSea Venture. After a brief period on neighbouringSt. David's, the settlers started building structures at St. George's, located in a sheltered sound that kept ships protected from bad weather.
In 1615, the shareholders of the Virginia Company created a second company, theSomers Isles Company. It administered Bermuda separately until the company was dissolved in 1686. (The Virginia Company was dissolved in 1624).
This small town was the capital of Bermuda until 1815; it was linked to the history of colonial America. Ten thousand Bermudians emigrated, primarily to Virginia and theAmerican Southeast, before United States independence made them citizens of separate nations. Branches of wealthy Bermudian merchant families dominated trade in the area's ports. Bermudians settled towns in the South, and contributed greatly to the make up of the populations of several US states.
As Bermuda's population centre, and only true port during this period, St. George's was connected to development in the North American colonies. During theAmerican War of Independence, at the request ofGeorge Washington, Bermudians assisted the American rebels in stealing much-neededgunpowder from a St. George's magazine, which supplied the forts protecting the port. The powder was carried over the hill toTobacco Bay, from where boats transported it to an American ship that lay offshore.
During theAmerican Civil War, some British from St. George's evaded coastal blockades to provide supplies and munitions to the desperateConfederates. This trade was based in St. George's.
King's Square forms the centre of St George's, where regular 17th-century re-enactments are held throughout the year. Excavations carried out byBristol University and the Bermuda National Trust discovered the foundations here of the original 1612 governor's house. The Bermuda National Trust Museum is located on the square.[6]
Ordnance Island inSt. George's Harbour, is situated south of King's Square. It holds a replica ofDeliverance (one of the two ships built by the survivors ofSea Venture), and a life-sized statue of Admiral of the Virginia Company, SirGeorge Somers, by Desmond Fountain. Somers, along with SirThomas Gates, had led the survivors of the 1609 wreck.
The town has numerous historical sites, such as the oldState House from 1620. Other than fortifications, this was the first stone building in Bermuda, built to house theParliament. It is the oldest building on the island. Others of note are the Unfinished Church, the Old Rectory,St. Peter's (the oldest survivingAnglican and oldest continuously occupiedProtestant church in the Western hemisphere), the Tucker House, the Bermuda National Trust Museum, and the St. George's Historical Society Museum and theFeatherbed Alley Printshop museum (both in the Mitchell House).
In 1996, the town was twinned withLyme Regis, inDorset, England, the birthplace of Admiral Sir George Somers. In 2000, the town, together with numerous surrounding fortifications, including theCastle Islands Fortifications, was designated as aUNESCOWorld Heritage Site, formally known as theHistoric Town of St George and Related Fortifications.
St. George's Colts andHamilton Parish football clubs play their games at the Wellington Oval, which also serves as a cricket ground.
St. George's Preschool serves the area.[7]
St. George's Primary School is in the community.[8]
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