Hanover is located on the northwestern tip of the island of Jamaica. It is a part of the Cornwall County, bordered by St. James to the east, and Westmoreland to the south. Of Jamaica’s 14 parishes, Hanover (177 sq. miles) is Jamaica's second smallest, after Kingston (10 sq miles).
As the birth place of a number of outstanding sons and daughters, Hanover claims The Right Excellent Sir Alexander Bustamante, one of Jamaica's seven National Heroes; retired Governor General, Sir Kenneth Hall; Jamaica’s longest serving Prime Minister, the Most Honourable Percival J. Patterson who served from 1992-2008; and Olympian extraordinaire, Ambassador Merlene Ottey.
Hanover was established on November 12, 1723, and named for the British monarch, George I, from the German House of Hanover. In the early colonial days, Lucea, the main town and port, was busier than Montego Bay's, rising to the point of Free Port.
By the mid-18th century, Hanover was the hub of an important sugar-growing region, and the town was prosperous as a sugar port and market centre. The harbour, although of small dimension is one of the best on the north side of Jamaica. Its entrance is about three cables wide, but within it sweeps around to a beautiful basin about three quarters of a mile in diameter, and is capable of receiving large vessels.
This famous harbour was used to export banana, molasses, and woods for the manufacture of dyes, while imports such as lumber and rice, off loaded there. The harbour was used to export bananas until after the 1960s. Its deep-water pier was built, for the shipping of molasses, an important sugar by-product, until in 1983, when the port closed.
European Jews settled in the parish as merchants, store keepers, haberdashery operators, shoe makers and goldsmiths. In the Lucea Parish Church cemetery many tombstones stand as silent testimony to the significant German heritage the town once had, and one of the town's proud monuments is its Jewish cemetery.
Hanover is comprised of mountainous terrain. The highest point in the parish is the Dolphin's Head, which serves as a landmark for ships at sea. The parish has a number of picturesque waterfalls, and a series of salubrious coves and bays, such as Industry Cove, Pimento Cove, Miskito Cove, and Davis Cove, named after a prominent Hanover family.
After the abolition of slavery in 1834, the free people of Hanover prospered, developing a variety of crops, and supplying produce to much of the rest of Jamaica, among them the famous Lucea Yam.
Among Hanover’s many landmarks is Fort Charlotte. This fort was built probably about the time of the marriage of King George III to Queen Charlotte, in 1761, after whom it is named. It stands on a promontory at the entrance to the harbour and was erected for the defence of the harbor, which for many years served as a shore-leave port for sailors aboard American naval vessels.
In 1862, the English War Office transferred the barracks and fort as a gift to the executive committee for the use of the public of Jamaica. Today, it serves as part of the famous Rusea’s High School, which was founded in 1777, by French refugee, Martin Rusea, who was given and enjoyed tremendous hospitality from the townsfolk.
Hanover's capital town, Lucea is located at latitude 18°25'N, longitude 78°08'W. Lucea is arguably one of Jamaica’s most picturesque parish capitals. In the centre of Lucea stands a clock tower, accentuated by a most adoring Town Hall, which is further adorned by a clock which gives its residents immense pride. It is believed to have been installed about 1817, and is still fully functional.
The parish has an estimated 69,533 inhabitants (2011 Census), 5,739 of which live in its capital town. The large majority of the population is black (92.1%), with 0.8% whites, 3.7% Asians, 2.3% Latinos, and 2.1% identifying as other.
The Great River is the officially recorded river in Hanover. Its valley has been an important agricultural region and is the major source of potable domestic water for the parish.