Bermuda Parishes
Parishes of Bermuda, nine in number, are strewn through out the islands of Bermuda. All of the Bermudian Parishes are named after the great gentlemen “adventurers” – the English aristocrats in the court of Elizabeth and later James I – who helped colonize Bermuda. Initially named as tribes belonging to their respective patrons, they were later fashioned into Bermuda Parishes.
The parishes of Bermuda are the provincial governments of Bermuda. They are responsible for the collection and disbursal of citizen taxes, levies and tolls collected by designated public utilities and services which are provided by the Bermuda Parishes.
The Bermudian parishes are ruled by a Parish council all the members of which are elected. Bermuda Parishes are beautiful and are efficiently maintained by their respective governments. The continuing beauty of these Bermuda Parishes is vital to their economy because a large chunk of their foreign exchange comes from the tourism and hospitality industry.
The nine parishes of Bermuda are:
- Devonshire
- Hamilton
- Paget
- Pembroke
- St George’s
- Sandys
- Smith’s
- Southampton
- Warwick
The Bermudian Parishes have illustrious histories and their names as such are the tokens of memory of a glorious colonial past. The local governance provided by the parishes of Bermuda is the keynote of the development of Bermuda.