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Bermuda's Town of St. George

An introduction to this World Heritage accredited municipality

By Keith Archibald Forbes (see About Us) exclusively for Bermuda Online

To refer to this web file, please use "bermuda-online.org/seetown.htm" as your Subject.

In conjunction, see American, British, Bermudian, Canadian & European History

Also see the book The Historic Towne of St. George. By British-born Bermudian the late David Raine, of the town, who died in August 2004 at the age of 63.

Introduction

Latest news re municipal future. On January 23, 2010 The Royal Gazette daily newspaper of Bermuda reported that the Bermuda Government will be spending BDA$ 800,000 on reforming the Corporations of Hamilton and St. George's. Minister Walter Roban, who has been tasked with overseeing the reforms, announced that local firm Attride-Stirling & Woloniecki Barristers & Attorneys and the international firm of McKenna Long & Aldridge have been hired as consultants to prepare a detailed review of all aspects of the municipalities. Cabinet will base its decisions on the report prepared by the law firms, which will be completed by June. Mr. Roban said the report would not necessarily be made public but added that he expected the process would be "open and transparent." The announcement came two years after Government pledged to overhaul the corporations in the 2008 Throne Speech, saying their framework was "outdated" and did "not reflect modern good governance." A year later in June, 2009 Government announced it planned to reform the Corporations of Hamilton and St. George's by repealing the Municipalities Act 1923. A letter from Cabinet Secretary Marc Telemaque said Government was to invite private firms to bid for a contract to reform the corporations. An RFP (Request For Proposal) published in the Official Gazette stated: "Cabinet determined that the most practical, efficient and effective reform would be to repeal the Municipalities Act 1923 and transition the operations of the municipalities into the relevant Government departments." Yesterday, Mr. Roban added: "In meetings with stakeholders I have advised that the Government will rely on the report from our consultants on how best to approach this reform effort in terms of the franchise, governance, efficiency, accountability and ensuring the tenets of democracy are available to all in the Municipalities and Bermuda."

However, yesterday Mr. Roban stressed that the Government has no "preconceived notions" and is waiting until the report is complete before making any decisions. And he denied that the Government intends to close the two entities, saying that he had never used those words. McKenna Long & Aldridge is an international law firm with 475 attorneys and public policy advisers. The company is recognized in the US as leaders in the complex field of government reform according to a Government press release.

Welcome to the fifth oldest Northern European municipality in the Western Hemisphere, after St. John's in Newfoundland founded by the British; Annapolis Royal (formerly Port Royal) founded by the French in Nova Scotia, in 1605; Jamestown, Virginia, founded by the British in 1607 and Quebec City founded by the French in 1608. 

All were long after the Spanish founded their empire in the New World and the Portuguese theirs. 

With such British Government help, on November 30, 2000 it became one of the over 890 by December 31, 2009 World Heritage properties (the  list grows each year) in 142 countries on the UNESCO list. Interestingly, on the UNESCO country-by-country listing, it is not shown under "Bermuda " but as one of the World Heritage sites of the United Kingdom (as Bermuda is not politically independent but an Overseas Territory of Britain). These UNESCO sites are deemed important for all humanity rather than just the host nation or island or nation nominating another as happened in this case when Britain recommended its oldest British Overseas Territory, Bermuda. One of the criteria for inclusion on UNESCO's list (with Britain being a UNESCO member, Bermuda is not) is "to represent a masterpiece of human genius." In this case, the genius was the ability of the British ship Sea Venture to reach Bermuda in 1609 albeit by accident not intent under the leadership of British Royal Navy Admiral Sir George Somers and to establish Bermuda as a British Colony with its first settlers all from Britain. Frank Lawrie visited many occasions to help get the town designated a World Heritage site by UNESCO. He is a senior United Kingdom civil servant with Historic Scotland. 

Meet an authentic living and working town. Many old stone buildings still stand today (built from models and drawings originally from England). They were built from Bermuda stone after 1619 for protection against elements and fires. Before that, they were thatched with palmetto. Their external British Bermudian architecture has not varied much in 380 years. The town has remained a port, residential and trading center. It was Bermuda's original official capital until 1815. Many properties have remained in the same families.  

For at least a century now the town is populated by individuals whose ethnicity and heritage are mostly African Bermudian, not European Bermudian. Cobblestones were imported from Wales (as none were available from local materials in Bermuda). There are also a Town Gateway, Town Center Gateway, heraldic signs and a small new public garden. Since the mid-1990s the town’s narrow streets and lanes have, one-by-one, been dug up and re-paved to create a more old world feel to the World Heritage Status town.

Constituency

St. George's North. In the December 2007 General Election Dame Jennifer Smith of the Progressive Labour Party beat the United Bermuda Party's Kenneth Bascome. 

Number of registered voters:

Founded in 1612, incorporated in 1797

From December 2009 businessman Kenneth Bascome is the new mayor of Bermuda’s only town, St. George’s (Hamilton, Bermuda's capital, is technically not a town but a city). St. George's - often called St. George - is Bermuda's second-biggest township, after Hamilton.  St. George's used to be Bermuda's capital until the 19th century after being substantially outgrown by Hamilton. Bascome scored a resounding victory over a former incumbent. Bascome polled 180 votes to 115 for a former mayor and former Town Crier E. Michael Jones. An emotional Bascome, a former opposition United Bermuda Party (UBP) senator who ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the House of Assembly at the last general election in 2007, thanked the St. George’s community following the election. Bascome was congratulated by Hamilton mayor Charles Gosling. The new mayor replaces Mariea Caisey, one of whose final duties as St. George’s Mayor was to welcome Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, during the recent royal visit to the island.

This ancient town began three years after Bermuda was founded in 1609 - by accident- as a British colony in 1609. Nine ships left England under the overall personal command of Royal Navy hero Admiral Sir George Somers. 

He was born and bred in  Lyme Regis, the lovely historic town in Dorset, England from where Bermuda's History began. Lyme Regis has a special section on this unique chapter of Bermuda's earliest colonization history. It can be found at "Lyme Regis and Bermuda."

Under the command of Admiral Sir George Somers, Royal Navy, the fleet sailed from Plymouth in Devon, England. They were bound for Jamestown in Virginia under the first 17th century Virginia Charter of April 10, 1606 - not the Second Virginia Charter of May 23, 1609 as some historians believe, wrongly. But the flagship "Sea Venture" was blown off course and wrecked on the reefs off Bermuda.  Another vessel - the "Catch" - perished in the same tempest. 

Stranded here for 42 weeks, the colonists left Bermuda in 1610 in two small ships and with many local provisions. 

They arrived in Jamestown in time to rescue it from starvation. The town was the first municipality in Bermuda, established before St. George's Parish (in which the town is located).  It was referred to initially as New London. 

It was first populated by British settlers. They arrived in 1609 by accident instead of going to Jamestown in Virginia. 

Dame Jennifer Smith, Premier of the Bermuda Government until 2003, still represents St. George's North, one of the two electoral districts in the Parish. On April 26, 2001 The Princess Royal, Princess Anne, was present in the Old Town, with appropriate formalities and other dignitaries, to mark its World Heritage accreditation.

See Charters between England and Virginia including Bermuda

Town in 1618

The writings in 1609 and 1610 of William Strachey from Lyme Regis have been recorded in local, American and British history. 

It was as a direct result of how the Bermuda colonists rescued Jamestown in 1610 that Bermuda was included by name with Virginia in the Third Virginia Charter of March 12, 1612 and settled deliberately. 

Stachey wrote the main accounts and was described in the original ship's manifest as Secretary Elect to the Deputy Governor of Virginia. 

 Later, Strachey became famous as the author of the first code of laws for Virginia.

Photograph by author Keith A. Forbes

The colonists who arrived in Jamestown included widower John Rolfe (later the husband of Princess Pocahontas) whose first wife and infant child died in Bermuda. 

The women among them were the first ever to be allowed in as voluntary female colonists. 

Goods carried by them included large sea shells like conch, coral for ballast, the original signet ring of Strachey with his family crest and more. 

They are all now preserved by a Jamestown museum. 

Thus this earlier Bermuda town has great importance in early British North America as the catalyst of British colonial development in North America. 

By contrast, not until 1620 did the "Mayflower" - also from Plymouth in England - reach Plymouth in Massachusetts. 

Admiral Sir George Somers wrote his last will and testament at his home in Lyme Regis on April 23, 1609. It was just before he set out for Plymouth in expectation he would reach Virginia but instead was shipwrecked on what is now St. George's Island, Bermuda. 

Shown above is image of Princess Pocahontas, second wife of John Rolfe

Named by Admiral Sir George Somers after St. George of England

In 1609, Admiral Sir George Somers, who founded Bermuda, named the town not after himself but in honor of the Patron Saint of England, St. George.   The admiral's ships all flew the flag of St. George, as ships of the Royal Navy still do today. The Admiral died in Bermuda on April 24, 1610 - a day after the anniversary of his patron saint. But in this British colonial town named after the saint, the Flag of St. George is flown only over St. Peter's Church, not in the town proper, not even on April 23, the official feast day in England of St. George, who died in 304.  Although this saint is no longer in the official calendar of the Catholic Church, he remains a popular figure, particularly with the English. No particulars of his life have survived but veneration of Saint George as a soldier saint is extensive, especially in the east where he was martyred.

It is not known how and why he became the patron saint of England.  But his cult was popularized by crusaders returning from the east, initially led by King Richard of England.   This is why St. George is most often shown wearing a white tabard with the red cross of the crusaders and is the patron saint not only of England but also Boy Scouts (as St. George was a hero of Lord Baden - Powell), various places in Spain and elsewhere. Places in the United Kingdom dedicated to his saintly name and history include St. George's, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales; St. George's Island, Cornwall, England and Ogbourne St. George, in Wiltshire, England. Other places include this town, of course; St. George's Parish in Bermuda; Georgetown in the Cayman Islands, Georgetown of Guyana in South America and St. George's of Grenada in the Caribbean. None are as old as our town. "God for Harry, England and Saint George." Shakespeare, King Henry V, Act 3, Scene 1

William Shakespeare wrote "The Tempest"  because of Bermuda

April 23, 1564 was the birth, at Stratford upon Avon, Warwickshire, England, of  British playwright William Shakespeare. For Bermuda, he has a special claim to fame. His story about Bermuda in 1610 as the still vexed Bermoothes in "The Tempest" where the settlers had been alive and well after all after the sinking of the "Sea Venture" and had succeeded in their journey from Bermuda to Jamestown in Virginia, made the Town of St. George and Bermuda famous. It was because William Strachey wrote the description of the wreck of the Sea Venture in Bermuda in 1609 and the time spent there by the passengers and crew. He spent a year in America before returning to Lyme Regis. It was mostly from his accounts that Shakespeare wrote The Tempest. Except that instead of correctly showing Bermuda, Plymouth and Virginia in his story, he used an Italian island and the people as mythical. 

Yet there are many sections of his play where he originally used the word for word accounts of the epic voyage of the "Sea Venture" ship that ended its days in Bermuda and gave him the inspiration for the drama. He was a friend of the Earl who knew Admiral Sir George Somers well. He was the first famous literary historian of Bermuda. He was the son of John Shakespeare, a highly respected citizen of Stratford, where he held various offices including that of bailiff, or presiding officer, and his wife Mary, the daughter of Robert Arden of the Warwickshire landed gentry, closely related to the ancient Catholic family of Arden. Alas, all versions of "The Tempest" have used the fiction of Shakespeare, instead of the facts and accounts of the "Sea Venture" he was given. 

When he died in 1616 - also on April 23 - at Stratford upon Avon on his 52nd birthday, his dramatic works were of critical importance for the hundreds of compositions they inspired from composers from then to now. At his death, more than half of his plays remained unpublished. They appeared for the first time in the famous First Folio of 1623. 

Other historical or commercial links with St. George

There was once a famous old Bermuda family, the Forbes, of the famous Forbes Clan of Scotland. They emigrated in the mid 1700s to Bermuda from Scotland. At one time, they owned homes both in this town and on Smith's Island, site of Bermuda's first settlement, in the harbor of the town.  A son of the second generation of Doctor George Forbes was Francis Forbes who was Bermuda's first native-born Attorney General. He was so promising that he was sent by the British Government to Canada, as Chief Justice of Upper Canada. His reputation became such that he was sent, as a significant promotion, as Chief Justice of the huge Australian state of New South Wales. He was knighted as Sir Francis Forbes and died in Australia. His family began many Australian Forbeses.

Twinned since 1996 with Lyme Regis

The seaside town in Dorset, England - many centuries older and also a World Heritage site - occupies a unique place in Bermuda and English history. It is because our famous Admiral Sir George Somers - the man who discovered and colonized and is the Father of Bermuda - was born, lived in, represented and was buried there. He was accompanied to Bermuda and Jamestown by other settlers from Lyme Regis. They included scribe William Strachey. 

Lyme Regis was granted its Royal Charter in the year 1284, hence its Latin version of Royal in its name. It was then a prominent English port. Admiral Sir George Somers - born on April 24, 1554 and shown on the left - was one of the sons of John and Alice Somers, both also from Lyme Regis. He became a Freeman, first a Mayor of and then a Member of Parliament for Lyme Regis. He married Joanne Somers - originally Heywood or Hayward. She was also from the town. Once established, they lived in Berne Manor, near Lyme Regis. Much later, Lyme Regis had other famous figures. They include Jane Austen - with her "Persuasion" in Lyme Regis. She wrote many books. Modern author John Fowles established an international reputation with his The French Lieutenant's Woman. He was then the Curator of the town museum. 

In 2009, to celebrate 400 years ago when Admiral Sir George Somers left his native Lyme Regis on the Dorset coast in the flagship Sea Venture intending to sail to Virginia, but became shipwrecked on Bermuda, a traditional civic procession walked through Lyme Regis, along Marine Parade, to the Cobb, where a plaque commemorates Sir George, sometime Mayor and Member of Parliament for the historic town. Mariea Caisey, in her last year as Mayor of St. George's, visited the UK resort to greet Councillor Michaela Ellis, elected Mayor of Lyme Regis only four days before. Her predecessor Sir George Somers had been Mayor in 1604. Police stopped the traffic on the busy bank holiday, so the long procession could walk along the main road, led by the two macebearers and preceded by the Lyme Regis Junior Band and the majorettes. On a hot, sunny day there were many spectators along the route. At the Cobb, on the 13th century harbour wall, Lyme Regis Town Crier Phil Street and St. George's Town Crier David Frith in turn saluted the memory of Admiral Sir George Somers as the flags of both towns were hoisted aloft. Alan Vian portrayed the Admiral, recalling his farewell words as left Lyme Regis. Rev. Stephen Skinner gave the blessing and the mayors returned along the Cobb to the marquee by the Marine Theatre for lunch. A toast to the success of the twinning was drunk with Bermuda Dark 'n' Stormy (rum and ginger beer, the original name of which was the Scapa Flow).

On July 25, 1996 Lyme Regis and this town were twinned, initially in Lyme Regis. Then-Mayor of St. George Henry Hayward and then-Lyme Regis Town Council Mayor Mrs. Barbara Austin signed the documents. A flight of the Royal Air Force's Red Arrows acrobatic team roared overhead. They used smoke to form a heart shaped image over Lyme Regis Bay, in tribute to Bermuda where Admiral Somers in 1610 asked that his heart be buried. Other ceremonial events included the raising of the flags of Bermuda and Lyme Regis in the British town where the body - minus his heart - of Admiral Somers was landed for burial in Lyme Regis after he died in Bermuda in 1610. His remains are interred at the nearby church going back to the 9th century and a brass plaque records how he was buried on July 4, 1611. It was erected by public subscription in 1908.

Special twinning message of congratulations from Her Majesty the Queen to both towns were read and paintings were exchanged by the Mayors. Bermudian guests were taken to see the still standing old Lyme Regis home of Sir George and Lady Somers. The local newspaper, The Lyme Regis News, published an eight page color supplement. Later, Mrs. Austin visited Bermuda. One of her three sons is Kerry Austin. Another is a photographer whose works have been featured in Bermudian and prominent United Kingdom publications.

Another Twinning Ceremony with Lyme Regis was on April 30, 1997, this time in Bermuda. It started at 10:20 am. Organizations present in King's Square for the Blessing by the Rev. Anthony Hollis, Rector of St. Peter's Church, were the Bermuda Regiment Band, Bermuda Sea Cadets and St. George's Volunteer Fire Brigade. At 11:15 am, at the church, there was a solo by Jacklyn Piper of Lyme Regis. From 1 to 5 pm, at King's Square and Ordnance Island, there were performances by Steel Pan Music, Empress Mennin Dancers and The Hayward Gombey Troupe. Concurrently, there was a Fish Chowder Festival and Contest, Rowing Competition, Floral Cycle & Bonnet Pageant and a St. George's Preparatory School Car Boot Sale. At 6:30 pm, sunset, there was the unveiling of the Major Donald H. (Bob) Burns Memorial Park at Ordnance Island, with a Scottish Piper in attendance.

Twinning Committee members from Bermuda for the April 20, 1997 event were then-Mayor J. Henry Hayward; William (Bill) Davis, chairperson; Louise Anfossi; Leslie Barrett; Joan Davis; Nick Duffy; Richard Elsom; Pat Hayward; Harry Ingham; Stanley Kennedy; Graham Maddocks; Bernard Oatley; Lily Oatley; Jill Raine; Larry Jacobs, then Corporation Secretary; Counselor David Raine, ex-officio. 

Guests from Bermuda at the time, in local ranking order at the time, were:

Other local guests specifically invited and in alphabetical order, were:

Lyme Regis members were:

Banana Manor

An historic house. It was built by Dr. The Honorable George Forbes, originally from Strathdon, Aberdeenshire, Scotland and an emigrant to Bermuda, by then a Councilor and member of the Executive Council of the Bermuda Government. In 1759, he also purchased Paget Island  - then called Paget Ford Island and 36.35 acres - in St. George's Parish for sixty pounds sterling.

Bank of Bermuda Building

Modern and a bank, built in the 1970s after a former grocery store was demolished. But the present parking lot is believed to be rich in history. Modern maps don't say that in the town's earliest years - dating back to when Governor Richard Moore began it, was the first Government House in Bermuda - dwelling of the Governor and seat of the British colony. It was noted by Nathanial Butler, Governor 1619-22, as a handsome house built of wood, in the shape of a cross. It was demolished by Samuel Harvey in 1693 after being in disrepair since 1685. When built, it was on part of a sea inlet - no longer there. When the second Government House was built in 1699 nearby by Governor Samuel Day, the area that housed the original Government House became a garden for the second Government House - later, the Globe Hotel. In those days and until 1815, St. George's was the capital of Bermuda. The area may have degenerated into waste land until the 1930s, when John Smith built a grocery shop on the site.  

Bermuda Fire Service

From April, 2007 Bermuda’s three fire departments are unified into a single national fire service. After 76 years of existence the volunteer St. George Fire Brigade became history, along with the Bermuda International Airport fire service. Both are absorbed into the Bermuda Fire Service to form a comprehensive emergency service that will span the Island. The 35 volunteers of the former St. George Fire Brigade have expanded training opportunities using such facilities as the smoke and heat chamber at the Hamilton fire headquarters. They will be trained up as emergency medical service providers, giving the East End a rapid response team able to administer immediate medical assistance to casualties awaiting the arrival of an ambulance. Likewise the full-time staff at the airport’s fire department become part of the national fire service and receive cross-training. The current St. George fire station is also to be replaced with a new facility in the town, most likely in the Tiger Bay area. Volunteer fire-fighters in St. George may find themselves being called upon to deal with emergencies as far away as Dockyard if the need arises. They will also be given “Crash Fire Rescue” training needed to deal with airport incidents.

Bermuda Forts

Technically, the town got World Heritage status not only for its municipality (as a town, not a city by any British or North American definition) because of the former British Army then in Bermuda forts guarding it. Those in this Parish - but not the town although some of the following are very close to it by land or sea - include some of the oldest and most historic, as well as most picturesque in Bermuda. The town has hundreds of British Army and Royal Navy reminders. At one time, the British Army had extensive barracks just up the hill from the town. Its official garrison church was St. Peter's, where regimental flags and pennants used to fly and plaques still in the church show the town's many links with the British Army. And the Royal Navy once had many vessels moored in the harbor.

• Alexandria Battery
• Fort Albert
• Fort George
• Fort St. Catherine
• Fort William
• Fort Victoria
• Gate's Fort
• Governor's and Bremen Islands
• Great Head Battery on St. David's Island
• Paget Island
• Smith's Island

Confederate Museum

Now see under "Rogues and Runners."

Bermuda Police Service

There is a newly-renovated Police Station on Duke of York Stret.

Bermudian Heritage Museum

On York and Water Streets at the foot of Barrack Hill, next to the Somers Gardens and in the historic, brown two-floor Samaritan's Lodge building. It shows the history of the black people of Bermuda and local black history. Telephone 297-4126. Registered charity # 406.

It began on March 8, 1998 and is open Tuesday to Saturday from 10 am to 3 pm. There is an admission charge per person. There are two floors. Of interest are collections of old photographs and sculptures. Notable in the Eagle Room is "Minna, the slave girl" crafted in Bermuda cedar by local artisan Hubert (Cookie) Spence. She was mentioned in the book "Chained on a Rock" by the late author, librarian and historian Cyril Outerbridge Packwood, one of the museum's founding members. Of outstanding interest are the beautiful and intricate Bermuda Cedar animals carved by Bermudian David Ifor Nisbett, a retired master craftsman and former superintendent and manager of one of Bermuda's largest wood-working facilities.

Blacksmith's Hill

A steeply inclined street at the western end of Water Street. It has been re-surfaced with brick paving. Former overhead wires have been relocated  underground. The street takes its name from blacksmith Samuel Adams who opened his Old Town shop in the 1700s while his brother built the Armoury building at the end of the street. The Rev. Richard Tucker acquired the blacksmith's shop in 1852 but it is not known when the shop stopped operating.

Boardwalk

The Corporation built a waterfront boardwalk from Ordnance Island bridge to the Shell gas station at Hunter's Wharf, following a refusal of the Bermuda Government to waive an archaic "Queen's Bottom" fee to property owners because it goes over the water. Only the Corporation can build the boardwalk without penalty.

Bridge House

Behind King's Square, now an art gallery owned by the Bermuda National Trust. The house that stands today is a circa 1700 mansion, on of the earliest in the area, once near a bridge across a creek from the sea to a marsh. The original building which the present house replaced was a timber-frame house erected by planter and shoemaker Roger Bailey, whose father arrived in Bermuda before 1623.  

The present house was once the home of Governor Benjamin Bennett in the early 18th century and later the American Revolutionary War Loyalist and privateer Hon. Bridger Goodrich. He purchased Bridge House for US$1,000 cash from captured American shipping. His ships blockaded Chesapeake Bay and annoyed Thomas Jefferson. Goodrich also captured local vessels, despite appointment to Legislature. 

The house today has apartments, an office and artist's studio. Keith Forbes graphic.

Buckingham

2 King Street, GE 05, telephone 297-1532, fax 297-0062. Near the State House, this venerable building had a 1996 $175,000 restoration project spearheaded by the Bermuda National Trust and supported by the St. George's area Chamber of Commerce and several commercial organizations. The Corporation of St. George's - the municipal agency that runs the town - has offices here.

Bus routes

The Town and Parish are served by the following routes, some for a much longer length of time daily than others. See the schedule available free from the bus terminal in Hamilton and note its times on Monday to Friday, Saturday, and Sunday & Holiday, as well as where the routes go and do not go.
# 1 route (Hamilton to St. George's, via Harrington Sound Road, South Road, Castle Harbor, Harrington Sound Road, The Caves and Grotto Bay).
# 3 route (Hamilton to St. George's via Middle Road, Harrington Hundreds, Knapton Hill,  Harrington Sound Road, The Caves and Grotto Bay).
# 6 route (St. George's to St. David's).
#10 route (Hamilton to St. George's via Palmetto Road, Aquarium and Bermuda Perfumery).
#11 route (Hamilton to St. George's via Black Watch Pass, Aquarium and Bermuda Perfumery).

Bus Terminal

Old Military Road. 

Casino

Water Street. Not a casino as we know it today but a historic building owned and operated by the Bermuda National Trust and open to the public.

Charters between England and Virginia including Bermuda

See this file for good descriptions and links to each Charter.

Corporation of St. George

The British-styled administration of the town is headed by the Mayor, Mariea Caisey, elected January 2006 (prior to that E. Michael Jones, after 2 years and 3 months in office, earlier the Town Crier). Aldermen are Kenneth L. Bascome, JP; Edward Benevides, JP: and Beau Evans, JP.  All matters about the town and Town Criers past and present should be addressed directly to the Mayor and Corporation, at its office, "Buckingham," 2 King Street, St. George's GE 05, telephone 297-1532, fax 297-0062. Full-time officials include a Town Manager and Secretary.

Contact the Secretary, Corporation of St. George, 5 King Street, St. George's, Bermuda. Telephone 297-1532 locally or outside Bermuda 1 (441) 297-1532. Fax (441) 297-0062. Or e-mail corpstg@northrock.bm.

In June 2009 the Bermuda Government announced it wanted to get rid of both the Corporation of Hamilton and Corporation of St. George, the long-term governing bodies of the city and town respectively and parcel out their operations to relevant government departments. Their Mayors Sutherland Madeiros and Mariea Caisey vowed to fight the decision, stating that they would be taking legal advice on how to oppose it. Mr. Madeiros questioned the Government's rationale for abolishing the corporations of Hamilton and St. George's, writing that the reasons cannot be substantiated. The Bermuda Government was asked to explain exactly how the corporations 'compete' with the Government; to provide facts and figures that would explain how abolishing the corporations will lead to practical, efficient and effective reform, particularly since there is no duplication of services and the corporations have never requested subsidies; how the issue of double taxation can be considered a significant issue, when it has already been dealt with; how Government can claim it is unhappy with the manner of electoral reform when it is Government that has stymied the reform process by refusing to discuss changes to the Municipalities Act 1923 that would lead to an expanded franchise, among other things; and why Government never responded to numerous requests to meet with the corporations to discuss reform, having received a paper outlining recommendations eight months ago. The corporations did extensive research, sought input from the public and hired two former senior civil servants to review their proposed changes to the Act.  he wrote. In October 2008, they presented the Ministry of Finance and the Attorney General's office with a 41-page document containing their recommendations, which focused on electoral reform and modern governance. At the same time, they requested consultation, wishing to work in partnership with Government to establish a new Municipalities Act that would reflect best 21st-century practices.

Corporation Tax based on the Land Tax

Under the Bermuda Municipalities Act of 1923, all homeowners and those who lease shops in the municipality have to pay this in addition to the Land Tax, even though no properties have any public-sector-supplied sewage or water included in their real-estate taxes. Instead, some have water supplied by a private company in addition to any roof catchment facilities. Many property owners can vote in municipality elections for the taxes they pay. Other municipality-based taxpayers who are not property owners or renters as shown below cannot vote. Eligibility to register must include the following:

• Own property in the municipality for at least 3 months 
• Rent a commercial or residential unit in the municipality for at least three months
• Pay taxes to the municipality
• Be at least 21 years old
• Be Bermudian by birth or possess Bermudian status

There is an annual revision of the Municipal Register.

Cruise ship berths

See Bermuda's Cruise Ship Season. 

Unfortunately, since the Bermuda Government in 2008 decided to reduce very substantially the numbers of cruise ships in the town, to entice them to Dockyard instead. Almost one in six businesses in St. George' closed in the 18 months ended December 2009. There are around 60 businesses in St. George's at this time but there used to be more than 70. While Bermuda as a whole has suffered because of the downturn of the world economy, the lack of cruise ships in St. George's in particular has caused the town to be particularly affected. From 2008 to 2009 cruise ship arrivals dropped 50 percent, and sales dropped by the same amount. St. George's used to have four cruise ships staying four days," he said. But in 2010 they will be getting one cruise ship for a day and a half.

Until 2008 - from April to October or early November each year, cruise ships up to 700 feet in length, when wind conditions are favorable, docked by pre-arrangement in the town in one of two places, Ordnance Island -  no longer an island, once a British Army military depot and wharf, then a US anti-submarine base during World War 2 - or Penno's Wharf. When wind conditions are not favorable for cruise ships to enter Town Cut to get to St. George's, they are diverted to elsewhere in Bermuda. Both are within easy walking distance of attractions for all who are not severely disabled in a wheelchair or needing a stick or crutches. There is no elevator service for the disabled from the ships to the docks.

There are no areas in the town where large ships anchor and take passengers ashore by tender. 

Deliverance II

Ordnance Island, town centre. Photo: by this author Keith A. Forbes. Open to the public daily from 10 am to 4 pm for an admission charge. A replica of the ship that in 1610 saved the starving colonialists in Jamestown, Virginia. It was rescued thanks to concerned citizens in St. George's, after very nearly  being demolished. Over the past few years, the wooden vessel had fallen into a state of disrepair with rotted planks, structural damage from the elements and a missing mast that was destroyed during Hurricane Fabian in 2003. With demolition on the horizon, the Corporation of St. George's and the St. George's Foundation appealed to the public for financial support. The improvements include an educational exhibit to visually depict the ship's history and voyage from Bermuda to Virginia in 1610. The replica, originally built in 1967 by the Junior Service League of Bermuda, was privately owned since 1995, most recently by Nick Duffy who donated the vessel to the St. George's Foundation.

Future visitors can expect to see a circular tour of the ship with facts about its history on the walls in words. The renovations were completed in time to participate in Bermuda's 2009 400th anniversary celebrations and take a leading role in educating children about Bermuda's history. Persons setting foot upon the restored Deliverance will be able to imagine life aboard it as it travelled to Virginia.

One of the many striking exhibits is the one-of-a-kind talking figure that leads visitors on an audio-visual tour of Bermuda's history. As visitors enter the ship they are greeted by a figure, a sort of robot, of William Strachey, a 1609 passenger on the original Deliverance, whose writings announced the passengers were saved, not lost, and whose words were likely borrowed by Shakespeare when he wrote The Tempest as the true tale of what devised. The replica pays homage to the vessel that sailed from Bermuda to Virginia in 1610 and was credited for saving the struggling colony's starving British inhabitants from their demise. The original Deliverance, which was not saved, was built in 1609 to 1610 by Admiral Sir George Somers and Governor Elect Sir Thomas Gates. The ship allowed them to continue their 1610 journey to Jamestown, Virginia, after 42 weeks in Bermuda. She was constructed at Buildings Bay from spars and timber salvaged from the Sea Venture - and native Bermuda cedar.  She was the larger of the two Bermuda built vessels and had about 80 of the 142 castaways. When the colonists arrived in Jamestown ten days later, they had enough food to buy some time for the Colony of Virginia, then with only about 60 souls remaining from the first two expeditions and those who had come ashore in 1609 as survivors of the seven other ships of the Third Relief Supply fleet also commanded by the Admiral.

Disabled parking & facilities

There is one Disabled/Handicapped Parking space in the town which has 177 other parking spaces. The bathrooms for men and women behind the Town Hall not far from the Disabled/Handicapped Parking space are capable of accommodating persons in wheelchairs - this is good. But disabled parking around the town generally is poor. Unlike in the USA, United Kingdom and North America where certain properties regardless of age or historic registration open to the public must be accessible to the unaccompanied handicapped or disabled, this is not yet a requirement in Bermuda.  There is no legal requirement in Bermuda to have any property comply with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards.

Ducking Stool

On that part of Ordnance Island that was once the separate Ducking Stool Island, this is a ducking stool of the type used for public civil punishment in the 17th and 18th centuries. Troublesome people were immersed into the harbor waters. It cooled them off and terrified them out of their anti-social behavior. Visitors on a Wednesday at noon and at certain other times will see a modern day local lady volunteer for "witch for a day" duties, getting herself ducked according to ancient custom.

Fanny Fox's Cottage

Governor's Alley. Another of the historic premises owned and operated by the Bermuda National Trust.

Ferry Terminal

East of Town Hall at dock. See under "Ferries" in Bermuda Transportation for Visitors. 

Floating Dock

Off Bridge Street, to accommodate dinghies from visiting yachts. The raft is situated in Market Wharf, near the toilet block off King's Square, a listed building. The block dates back to the early nineteenth century and features a non-lapped stone roof and unusual small false chimneys. In the 1870s it housed the McCallan's grocery store and bake house, and in the 20th century it was in turn Annie Beach's restaurant, a tavern, Ernest Smith's tailor shop, plus a jewellery business of George Rankin Sr.  

The Town of St. George (part 2)