Martin Henry

Just in time for Cricket World Cup, LMH Publishers has released Carey Robinson's book, The Rise and Fall of Falmouth, Jamaica. I had the privilege and pleasure of reading the manuscript and thought it very well worth publishing.

I have mostly just driven through Falmouth on my way to or from somewhere else. But the 'fall' of the town which Carey Robinson writes about came home to me when I first saw the town's courthouse standing in derelict grandeur still inhabited by an RM court of the Government of Jamaica, the Trelawny Parish Council - and a mad man, who has left his marks around.

The shiny new stadium in neighbouring Greenfield, built at such great expense to host the CWC opening ceremony and some matches, is expected to inject some new life into the badly neglected town. And I see where the Port Authority has launched a feasibility study to assess the suitability of what was once one of Jamaica's leading shipping ports, as a cruise ship destination. It is one thing for the big ships to get into the harbour navigating the shallows. What disembarked passengers would find of interest to do and to spend their money on in a decaying Georgian town, is another matter. The Highway 2000 bypass could do further damage to the fortunes of the town.

When Montego Bay and Ocho Rios were mere fishing villages, Falmouth was one of Jamaica's foremost sugar shipment ports and Trelawny Parish one of the leading sugar and tax paying parishes. Merchants flourished. The town had multiple newspapers and had a piped water supply before any town in North America.

Falmouth's dilapidated Water Square, where the reservoir was renovated, as we usually do things, not for its intrinsic value but for visitors expected for CWC. On January 11, 1801, ?20,000 was raised by public subscription in one hour to finance the water scheme. The Falmouth Water Company, a corporate body established by an Act of the Legislature was given powers totax those who benefited from the piped water supply.

Parish of trelawny created

Trelawny, named after Governor William Trelawny, was created a separate parish from St. James in 1771 with Martha Brae as capital. In about 1790 Falmouth, which was originally a little fishing village named Martha Brae Point was renamed after the Governor's birthplace to become the capital. Falmouth took off as a sugar shipping port filled with ships and sailors. In 1794 the Vestry felt it necessary to pass a resolution that all sailors found in grog shops or loitering on the streets after six in the evening be locked up and brought before a magistrate next day. The 'Cage', still standing, was built in 1803 for the purpose.

Falmouth was custom-built around its suitable harbour on lands donated by the famous Barrett family to which the English poet Elizabeth Barrett-Browning was connected. She was anti-slavery but several of her influential male relatives fought bitterly against the Emancipation campaign.

Several persons unfortunately lost their lives in a recent 'before day' traffic accident involving higglers heading to Falmouth from elsewhere. Way back in 1798 town merchants petitioned the House of Assembly to impose a 'transients tax' on traders who came in and were able to dispose of their goods on lower terms than resident traders who were subject to taxes and rent.

A magnificent Georgian courthouse with a grand ballroom was completed and began to be used on April 7, 1817. Regarded as the best in the island, it became the heart and nerve centre of the town and parish. More than a century later on August 12, 1926, the courthouse burned.

It was rebuilt [the present structure], but not to its former glory. "In a way," Carey Robinson writes, "the burning of the Court House symbolised the decay of Falmouth." What will restore the faded glory of this historically rich Jamaican town?

Robinson deftly brings to life a cast of characters and events in a light, easy-to-read popular history. As the introduction announces, "This is an intimate story of the town and people of Falmouth in their brief days of glory" - and then the decline. "The story contains dashes of humour, mystery, drama, and tragedy." It is a strong addition to the local stories of the Jamaican people.