St. George's Island, Bermuda

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St. George's Island
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Somers Isles Map by John Speed 1676 - Parish of St George.jpg
St. George's and St. David's Islands
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St. George's Island
Geography
Coordinates 32°23′05″N64°40′40″W / 32.38472°N 64.67778°W / 32.38472; -64.67778
Administration
Bermuda

St. George's Island is one of the main islands of the territory of Bermuda and lies within St. George's Parish (originally designated the General Land, in distinction to the other eight parishes subdivided as private shares) at the East End of the archipelago (actually the northeast of the territory). St. George's Town, the original colonial capital, is located on the southern shore near the eastern end of the island. The island covers 703 acres (284.5 hectares), and is one of the six principal islands of Bermuda.

Contents

Originally called King's Island, it was the first part of Bermuda to be extensively colonised, and the town of St. George's contains many of the territory's oldest buildings. Notable among these are St. Peter's Church, and the State House. The island also is the site of the St. George's Garrison and many forts, including Burnt Point Fort, Coney Island Fort, Ferry Point Martello Tower, Gate's Fort, Alexandra Battery, Fort Victoria, Fort Albert, the Western Redoubt, Fort George, and Fort St. Catherine's, the last of which is at St. Catherine's Point, the island's (and the archipelago of Bermuda's) northernmost point, and is a 19th-century construction built upon a 17th-century base. It is beside Gates' Bay, where the first English settlers ship wrecked in the Sea Venture in 1609.

The island is separated from St. David's Island to its south by the St. George's Harbour, and from Coney Island and the Main Island to the south-west by a channel known as Ferry Reach. Bridges and a causeway connect it with the main island via St. David's Island.

The island is nearly split in two by the deep indentation of Mullet Bay, with the western part of the island connected to the rest by a narrow isthmus.

Education

Schools on the island:

Notable people

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. George's, Bermuda</span> Town in Bermuda, United Kingdom

St. George's, located on the island and within the parish of the same names, settled in 1612, is the first permanent English settlement on the islands of Bermuda. It is often described as the third permanent British settlement in the Americas, after Jamestown, Virginia (1607), and Cupids, 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sandys Parish</span>

Sandys Parish ( "sands") is one of the nine parishes of Bermuda. It is named for English aristocrat Sir Edwin Sandys (1561–1629), and hence there is no apostrophe in the name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southampton Parish, Bermuda</span>

Southampton Parish is one of the nine parishes of Bermuda. It is named for Henry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton (1573-1624).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warwick Parish</span>

Warwick Parish is one of the nine parishes of Bermuda. It is named after Robert Rich, 2nd Earl of Warwick (1587-1658).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pembroke Parish</span>

Pembroke Parish is one of the nine parishes of Bermuda. It is named after English aristocrat William Herbert, 3rd Earl of Pembroke (1580–1630).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Devonshire Parish</span>

Devonshire Parish is one of the nine parishes of Bermuda. Originally named Cavendish Tribe and later Devonshire Tribe, for William Cavendish, 1st Earl of Devonshire (1552–1626). Devonshire Redoubt, on Castle Island, one of the Castle Harbour fortifications of St. George's Parish, was also named after him.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hamilton Parish</span> Parish of Bermuda

Hamilton Parish is one of the nine parishes of Bermuda. It was renamed for Scottish aristocrat James Hamilton, 2nd Marquess of Hamilton (1589–1625) when he purchased the shares originally held in the Virginia Company by Lucy Russell, Countess of Bedford.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. George's Parish, Bermuda</span>

St. George's Parish is one of the nine parishes of Bermuda. It is named after the founder of the Bermuda colony, Admiral Sir George Somers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hamilton Harbour, Bermuda</span>

Hamilton Harbour is a natural harbour in Bermuda which serves as the port for the capital, the City of Hamilton. It is an arm of the Great Sound, and forms a tapering wedge shape of water between Paget Parish and the peninsula which forms Pembroke Parish, and upon which the capital sits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Castle Harbour, Bermuda</span>

Castle Harbour is a large natural harbour in Bermuda. It is located between the northeastern end of the main island and St. David's Island. Originally called Southampton Port, it was renamed as a result of its heavy fortification in the early decades of the Seventeenth century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. George's Harbour, Bermuda</span>

St. George's Harbour is a natural harbour in the north of Bermuda. It serves as the port for the town of St. George's, located on St. George's Island, to its north. To its south is St. David's Island. The harbour and both islands lie within St. George's Parish. It was for two centuries the primary harbour of the British Overseas Territory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ferry Reach, Bermuda</span>

Ferry Reach is a three mile long channel in the north-east of Bermuda, which lies between St. George's Island in the north and St. David's Island in the south south-west of the town of St. George's.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. David's Island, Bermuda</span> One of the principal islands of Bermuda

St. David's Island is one of the main islands of the British Overseas Territory of Bermuda. It is located in the far north of the territory, one of the two similarly sized islands that make up the majority of St. George's Parish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Castle Islands Fortifications, Bermuda</span> Historic site in Castle Harbour, Bermuda

Several of the islands strung across the South entrance of Castle Harbour, Bermuda were fortified in the early days of the territory, hence the harbour's name. When official settlement of the archipelago by England began in 1612 the first permanent town, St. George's was placed on the North side of St. George's Harbour. St. George's Harbour could be accessed directly by channels from the East. Those channels, however, were shallow, suitable, originally, only for small ships. As a consequence, and despite any major settlement on its shores, Castle Harbour was an important anchorage in the early years of the colony, with its main entrance, Castle Roads being an important route in from the open Atlantic for shipping. It was also a weak point, as it was remote from the defences of St. George's Harbour, and difficult to reach. It was quickly fortified and garrisoned by a standing militia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bermuda Garrison</span> British military post

The Bermuda Garrison was the military establishment maintained on the British Overseas Territory and Imperial fortress of Bermuda by the regular British Army and its local militia and voluntary reserves from 1701 to 1957. The garrison evolved from an independent company, to a company of Royal Garrison Battalion during the American War of Independence, and a steadily growing and diversifying force of artillery and infantry with various supporting corps from the French Revolution onwards. During the American War of Independence, the garrison in Bermuda fell under the military Commander-in-Chief of America. Subsequently, it was part of the Nova Scotia Command until 1868, and was an independent Bermuda Command from then until its closure in 1957.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Historic Town of St George and Related Fortifications, Bermuda</span> UNESCO World Heritage Site in British Overseas Territories, United Kingdom

The Historic Town of St George and Related Fortifications is the name used by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's (UNESCO) World Heritage Committee to identify collectively as a World Heritage Site St. George's Town, founded in 1612, and a range of fortifications, batteries, and magazines built between 1612 and 1939, the last of which was removed from use in 1953.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Victoria, Bermuda</span> Historic site in St. Georges Island, Bermuda

Fort Victoria is a disused British Army fort, built to house coastal artillery atop Retreat Hill, within St. George's Garrison, at the North-East of St. George's Island, in the British colony of Bermuda.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. George's Garrison, Bermuda</span> British military post

St. George's Garrison was the first permanent military camp of the Bermuda Garrison established in the British colony and Imperial fortress of Bermuda, with construction of Old Military Road and the original Royal Barracks commencing during the war between Britain and France that followed the French Revolution. It would remain in use until 1957, when it was transferred to the civil (colonial) government with most of the other Admiralty and War Office properties in Bermuda.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort George, Bermuda</span>

Fort George is a square fort built on the crest of Mount Hill to the west of St. George's Town, near to, but outside of the boundaries of the original main British Army camp in the Imperial fortress colony of Bermuda, St. George's Garrison.

References

  1. Home. St. George's Preschool. Retrieved on September 14, 2016.
  2. Home [ permanent dead link ]. St. George's Primary School. Retrieved on September 14, 2016. "A fantastic little school in the heart of the historic town of St. George's, Bermuda."
  3. Home. East End Primary School. Retrieved on September 14, 2016.