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Davyton United Church is situated on a hill about two miles up from the Williamsfield main road. The Church site commands the entire view of Mandeville and surrounding areas. Eastwards one looks straight out to Carlisle Bay and also on to the plains of Vere in Clarendon.
In 1835 the Rev. William Slatyer, one of the six Missionaries sent out to Jamaica by the London Missionary Society, took up his abode in Porus. He was eager to do pioneering work in the spreading of the Gospel so he travelled to Mandeville and before long set up a station. Later, he went to Bellefield (near to Davyton) where he started a preaching station on a coffee plantation belonging to one Mr. W. Davy. At that time, Mr. Davy was a Deacon at Ridgemount Church and so he became active in both places. Soon thirty to fifty people were travelling from Bellefield to Ridgemount to attend Sunday Services.
In January 1837, Rev. Slatyer moved from Porus to Mandeville. Deacon Davy was instrumental in persuading the Rev. Slatyer to start Sunday Services at Bellfield instead of just visiting occasionally on a week day. Rev. Slatyer thought the idea was a good one so a house called “Tellus” was rented for the purpose in 1839. A congregation and a school came into being and a Mr.J. Gibson was sent to be the Teacher and Catechist, supervised by Rev. Slatyer. The work prospered and the congregation grew so “Tellus” was then too small so Mr. Davy generously gave a piece of land to build a Chapel.
Rev. Slatyer thought a proper church should be formed so in 1843, 29 members then at Ridgemount but who were from Bellefield, left to start Davyton as they decided to call the church in honour of the donor of the land. In time Davyton got its own Minister. Mr. Gibson, the Teacher, was prepared and ordained and took full charge of the church. So the Rev. J. Gibson was the first resident Minister : 1844 – 49. The church was dedicated to the service of God on August 29, 1845. Materials for the church building
came mostly from Mr. Davy’s property at Belleayre and Bellefield.
It was a very significant year in that the North Street Church in Kingston was opened and the railway service from Kingston to Spanish Town was also opened. It is interesting to note that the district which was then called “Williamsfield Property,” gradually took the name of Davyton after the church was built. After Rev. Gibson left for Four Paths in 1849, Peter Lillie who was a Teacher at Ridgemount, was sent to Davyton. He spent four years there after ordination then left for Morant Bay in 1853 where he died soon after from a fever. His body was taken back to Davyton and was buried by the now Church Hall beside his three children.
On the church’s 150th Anniversary in 1993, a Souvenir Booklet was prepared/published with a complete list of the many Ministers (British and Jamaican) who had served the church from its inception. Also, the tremendous growth which had taken place: the building of a Manse for the Ministers, a Cemetery, a Church Hall which has been extended in recent years and now serves as a popular venue for Wedding Receptions, Meetings and other get-togethers; a Basic School for children from communities served by the church and a number of other outreach programmes. The purchase of an electric organ in 1967.
Davyton United Church is situated on a hill about two miles up from the Williamsfield main road. The Church site commands the entire view of Mandeville and surrounding areas. Eastwards one looks straight out to Carlisle Bay and also on to the plains of Vere in Clarendon.
In 1835 the Rev. William Slatyer, one of the six Missionaries sent out to Jamaica by the London Missionary Society, took up his abode in Porus. He was eager to do pioneering work in the spreading of the Gospel so he travelled to Mandeville and before long set up a station. Later, he went to Bellefield (near to Davyton) where he started a preaching station on a coffee plantation belonging to one Mr. W. Davy. At that time, Mr. Davy was a Deacon at Ridgemount Church and so he became active in both places. Soon thirty to fifty people were travelling from Bellefield to Ridgemount to attend Sunday Services.
In January 1837, Rev. Slatyer moved from Porus to Mandeville. Deacon Davy was instrumental in persuading the Rev. Slatyer to start Sunday Services at Bellfield instead of just visiting occasionally on a week day. Rev. Slatyer thought the idea was a good one so a house called “Tellus” was rented for the purpose in 1839. A congregation and a school came into being and a Mr.J. Gibson was sent to be the Teacher and Catechist, supervised by Rev. Slatyer. The work prospered and the congregation grew so “Tellus” was then too small so Mr. Davy generously gave a piece of land to build a Chapel.
Rev. Slatyer thought a proper church should be formed so in 1843, 29 members then at Ridgemount but who were from Bellefield, left to start Davyton as they decided to call the church in honour of the donor of the land. In time Davyton got its own Minister. Mr. Gibson, the Teacher, was prepared and ordained and took full charge of the church. So the Rev. J. Gibson was the first resident Minister : 1844 – 49. The church was dedicated to the service of God on August 29, 1845. Materials for the church building
came mostly from Mr. Davy’s property at Belleayre and Bellefield.
It was a very significant year in that the North Street Church in Kingston was opened and the railway service from Kingston to Spanish Town was also opened. It is interesting to note that the district which was then called “Williamsfield Property,” gradually took the name of Davyton after the church was built. After Rev. Gibson left for Four Paths in 1849, Peter Lillie who was a Teacher at Ridgemount, was sent to Davyton. He spent four years there after ordination then left for Morant Bay in 1853 where he died soon after from a fever. His body was taken back to Davyton and was buried by the now Church Hall beside his three children.
On the church’s 150th Anniversary in 1993, a Souvenir Booklet was prepared/published with a complete list of the many Ministers (British and Jamaican) who had served the church from its inception. Also, the tremendous growth which had taken place: the building of a Manse for the Ministers, a Cemetery, a Church Hall which has been extended in recent years and now serves as a popular venue for Wedding Receptions, Meetings and other get-togethers; a Basic School for children from communities served by the church and a number of other outreach programmes. The purchase of an electric organ in 1967.
