1758: The Jamaican ports of Montego Bay and Port Antonio were officially designated as ports of entry alongside Kingston and Savanna-la-Mar. This administrative status provided them with proper courts and customs apparatus…

1758: The Jamaican ports of Montego Bay and Port Antonio were officially designated as ports of entry alongside Kingston and Savanna-la-Mar. This administrative status provided them with proper courts and customs apparatus to manage growing commercial traffic. These northern ports became busy staging areas for smugglers and frequent ports of call for vessels from Cuba and Saint-Domingue. Despite their commercial success, officials remained wary of the region’s vulnerability to Spanish depredations and its proximity to maroon territories.