The Anglican Deanery of Kingston: St. Peter's Church, Port Royal. - Noel Reid
By Noel Reid,The Spectator
THE ANGLICAN church came to Jamaica with the English and quickly reached Port Royal. With the appointment in 1661 of Edward D'Oyley as the first Governor of Jamaica, the establishment of the church began in earnest. D'Oyley's commission included instructions to "encourage ministers that Christianity and the Protestant religion, according to the Church of England, might have due reverence and exercise". Jamaica, like all the American colonies, belonged to the Sec. of London and successive governors reported to the Bishop of London on the state of the church in Jamaica. As early as 1671, Sir Thomas Lynch ordered that a lot of land for a new church should be surveyed and laid out next to the original one, but work did not start until 1679. In 1680, a visitor reported that Port Royal had a 'mean house for the King and worse church. But in Sir Thomas Lynch's time, diverse gentlemen contributed towards building a good one and they are about it". One of the gentlemen were Sir Henry Morgan. On May 18, 1661, he wrote:
The Church is now almost finished but the plastering of the chancel, which will be done next year and the rest of the windows glazed. Soon afterwards, he had the fashionable congregation at the dedication of the new church of St. Paul and heard the Rector of Port Royal, the Reverend John Longworth, preach on the text 'Take thy shoe from thy feet, for the place where thou standest is holy ground'.
St. Peter's Anglican was 'completed' in 1726 to replace the original Parish Church sank below the waves in 1692. It is a single elegant brick cruciform building situated close to the 1710 town wall. Solidly constructed, it was unlike its predecessors survived many earthquakes, fires, hurricanes. Its walls have been rendered with concrete and marked to simulate stone construction. The black and white floor tiles are original.
The building of the church was supervised and directed by the famous Lewis Golding and John Clark, church wardens at the time. A plaque near the vestry door indicates Mr. Golding's remains can be found in the churchyard.
The installation of unique items such as the beautiful organ loft, the three supporting pillars, the brass chandeliers and the altar table and railing are notable.
St. Peter's also houses a silver communion set including a chalice, a platter, and a flagon, and these were presented to the church at this time. These were probably made in the reign of George the Second (1727 -1760) in one of England's American colonies...perhaps Jamaica itself. Legend has it that it was taken from the church of the golden altar by Henry Morgan during the sacking of Panama.
One Spanish relic, however, did hang in several of the Port Royal churches...the great bell from the cathedral of St. Jago de la Vega. It hung in St. Paul's and was rescued from the sea after the earthquake.
The interior walls of the church are testimony to this long naval connection, with memorial plaques and monuments to sailors high and low from officers of aristocratic lineage to boys of thirteen and fourteen (victims of drowning or active service or the dreaded Yellow Fever).
The founding of the Sec of Jamaica in 1824 severed the long connection with the Bishop of London. In 1926, the church celebrated its bicentenary with a great service of thanksgiving on St. Peter's Day, June 29 in the presence of the Archbishop of the West Indies.
St. Peter's is a part of the St. Boniface Cure. Its rector is the Reverend Father Leslie Hoo Sang. This ancient town has been neglected for a long time. Plans have now been finalise to restore the historic sites, and cruise ship facilities are to be built. Basically a sleepy fishing town reeking with history, outdoor cafes and residents selling fish and bammy boating excursions to the outlying cays are among other activities that add to the mystique of this town. St. Peter's is the jewel in the Kingston Deanery.
