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Port Royal

1518 establishments in the Spanish EmpireBuildings and structures in Kingston, JamaicaDestroyed citiesNeighbourhoods in Kingston, JamaicaPiracy in the Caribbean
Pirate dens and locationsPopulated places established in 1518Port RoyalPrivateeringSubmerged placesTourist attractions in Kingston, JamaicaUse Jamaican English from March 2019
Old Port Royal Project Gutenberg eText 19396
Old Port Royal Project Gutenberg eText 19396

Port Royal is a village located at the end of the Palisadoes, at the mouth of Kingston Harbour, in southeastern Jamaica. Founded in 1494 by the Spanish, it was once the largest city in the Caribbean, functioning as the centre of shipping and commerce in the Caribbean Sea by the latter half of the 17th century. It was destroyed by an earthquake on 7 June 1692, which had an accompanying tsunami, leading to the establishment of Kingston, which is now the largest city in Jamaica. Severe hurricanes have regularly damaged the area. Another severe earthquake occurred in 1907. Port Royal was once home to privateers who were encouraged to attack Spanish vessels, at a time when smaller European nations were reluctant to attack Spain directly. As a port city, it was notorious for its gaudy displays of wealth and loose morals. It was a popular homeport for the English and Dutch-sponsored privateers to spend their treasure during the 17th century. When those governments abandoned the practice of issuing letters of marque to privateers against the Spanish treasure fleets and possessions in the later 16th century, many of the crews turned pirate. They continued to use the city as their main base during the 17th century. Pirates from around the world congregated at Port Royal, coming from waters as far away as Madagascar. After the 1692 disaster, Port Royal's commercial role was steadily taken over by the nearby town (and later, city) of Kingston. Plans were developed in 1999 to redevelop the small fishing town as a heritage tourism destination to serve cruise ships. The plan was to capitalize on Port Royal's unique heritage, with archaeological findings from pre-colonial and privateering years as the basis of possible attractions.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Port Royal (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Port Royal
Church Street,

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Wikipedia: Port RoyalContinue reading on Wikipedia

Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 17.9375 ° E -76.841111111111 °
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Address

St Peters Church

Church Street

Jamaica
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Old Port Royal Project Gutenberg eText 19396
Old Port Royal Project Gutenberg eText 19396
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Fort Augusta Adult Correctional Centre

Fort Augusta Adult Correctional Centre, formerly Fort Augusta Prison, is Jamaica's only prison for women. It was built to accommodate 250 female inmates but has held over 280 on occasions. It has been known to run short of food.It is operated by the Department of Correctional Services for the Ministry of National Security. Fort Augusta was originally an ocean side fortress built by the English in the 1740s to provide the main defence for Kingston Harbour’s west side. It was completed in the 1750s and named Fort Augusta in honour of the mother of King George III. In 1763 lightning struck the fort and its three thousand barrels of gunpowder causing an explosion that broke windows 17 miles away and killed three hundred people. The shocks created a crater which had to be filled before reconstruction could begin. During the American Revolution the fort was occupied by the Duke of Cumberland's Regiment. The remains of the fortress now consists of massive crumbling walls of brick that have been fortified with other materials (including barbed wire).Some years ago, the DCS sold the land on which Fort Augusta sits to the Port Authority of Jamaica. At the time, the DCS had plans to build a 5000 inmate prison that would accommodate both males and females and relieve the overcrowding faced by most prisons in Jamaica. However, while the new facility is long in coming a move is still anticipated so no one is willing to do any renovations to Fort Augusta.On March 2, 2017 Fort Augusta inmates were relocated to the south camp rehabilitation center. In April 2020 it was announced that the Jamaican government intends to use Fort Augusta as a half way house and counselling center for returning deportees.