Morant Bay

Morant Bay
Town
Morant Bay
Coordinates: 17°52′55″N 76°24′27″W / 17.8819°N 76.4074°W / 17.8819; -76.4074
Country	Jamaica
Parish	St Thomas

Morant Bay is a town in southeastern Jamaica and the capital of the parish of St. Thomas, located about 40 kilometres east of Kingston, the capital. The parish has a population of 94,410.

During the nineteenth century, the parish was an area of sugar cane plantations, with a majority of black enslave descendant after the abolition of slavery. The Morant Bay Rebellion started on October 11, 1865, with a march by hundreds of people from the parish to the court house to protest poor conditions in the parish. After seven men were shot and killed by volunteer militia, the people burned the court house and other nearby buildings; a total of 25 people died on both sides in this confrontation.^[1]

Over the next two days, hundreds of Jamaican people took control throughout the parish. The governor ordered troops to arrest and suppress the revolutionists; they killed more than 400 persons outright and arrested more than 300, in both cases including many innocent people.^[1] Many of those arrested were executed, flogged or sentenced to long terms. This was the only major revolt (as distinguished from slave rebellions and worker uprisings), in Jamaican history. The court house was rebuilt. It stood until 2007, when it was burned down. Court functions were held in other facilities before a new court house was completed and opened in 2014.^[2]

Morant Bay's sister cities are Uxbridge, Ontario, Canada and Hartford, Connecticut, United States.

Morant Bay is the birthplace of Miss World 2019 Toni-Ann Singh.