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Thousands of movie goers,
whether they saw Errol Flynn or Johnny Depp, or any other actor in
between, would be greatly disappointed if they visited Port Royal today;
a postage stamp size fishing village with narrow streets, ramshackle
houses, a coast guard station on the very tip and dozens and dozens of
ruins. Well, me hearties, 'tis the ruins that tell the tales as Port
Royal has one of the most colourful histories of any place on Earth.
Let's start 350 years ago.
In 1655, English forces
under Admiral Penn and General Venables captured Jamaica from the
Spanish. Jamaica sat right in the middle of Spanish territory and had
one of the most perfect harbours in the world and at the tip of this
harbour lay Port Royal. Ships travelling from anywhere in the Spanish
Main had to pass there. Location, location, location!
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Admiral Sir Henry Morgan |
At the time
pirates hid out in Tortuga but once the English had captured
Jamaica, the government turned a blind eye when they sailed into
Kingston Harbour to sell their booty and patronise the local
businesses. After all they were looting vast treasures from the
Spanish and Jamaica was alone in the middle of Spanish
territory. In time some of the pirates, such as Henry Morgan,
were issued Letters of Marque which "legalised" them and allowed
them to attack the enemies of the King. Riches beyond measure
flowed into Port Royal and more of everything was available
there than in the greatest cities of Europe. Real estate
cost more than in the heart of London and ultra expensive
restaurants and retail establishments flourished. |
In 1671 Spain made peace
with England and there was no more need of privateers. When Henry Morgan
returned to Jamaica as Lt Governor in 1674 there was none more zealous
in capturing and hanging pirates. However a lot of wealth still flowed
in, not least from the now booming slave trade. By the end of the
seventeenth century Port Royal was the largest city in the British
Colonies, with Boston a close second.
On the morning of 16th
June 1692, the earth began to shake, cracks opened up and the earth
turned to water. Port Royal was after all, a sand spit. A tsunami
followed. In the short space of about 2 minutes, two thirds of the
land and a third of the population of the Wickedest City on Earth were
washed into the sea. The survivors fled to Kingston where possibly
another two thousand died of illness and injury. And Port Royal was no
more.....
Bellin's 1764 map of
Port
Royal |
Until 1735 when a
fort was again built on the end of the spit to defend England's
interests, this time against the French and Dutch. The town again grew as a
naval station. By the time of the American Revolution Port Royal
was again in a perfect position for British ships to repair and resupply. By 1777 the fort was under the Command of no less a
personage than Horatio Nelson. Nelson spent a lot of time here
both as a young lieutenant and later as Admiral of the Navy.
Nelson's brief on
his many tours at Port Royal was to defend Jamaica against the
French, Dutch and later the Spanish (again) as well as the young
United States. |
Vice Admiral Horatio
Nelson |
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War turned to
peace and then trade; the new code of "Freedom of the Seas" came
into being. The new capital of Kingston grew and Port Royal
declined.
Numerous
hurricanes, smaller earthquakes as well as the Great Earthquake
of 1907, have battered Port Royal,. silt has once again
collected and Port Royal is configured differently now than it
was either before or after the 1692 earthquake that destroyed
the Wickedest City on Earth.
At left of our
masthead is an aerial photograph of Port Royal as it looks
today. |
View of Pt Royal, Paton 1758 |
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