Beersheba Primary School (Government Leased) Alumni, Honorary BOSA Members, Friends, and Well-wishers and other readers of BOSA Newsletters, will recall that in Volume 9 page 11 of 16 through 16 of 17 which featured James “Dick” Richards (1872 – 1965), Beersheba Primary School Alumnus, Soldier, Self-made Businessman, and Philanthropist under the heading MEET THE ACHIEVERS AND TRAILBLAZERS, mention was made that Mr. Richards built a house in Carr District, New Market, Saint Elizabeth, or his brother “Doxie” Gayle which he named “Del Cottage.”
Although “Del Cottage” in which the Dennis Family resided after the death of “Doxie” Gayle and his marriage to his second wife and widow Estena “Miss Tena” to Nathaniel Dennis “Mass Keitie” has been demolished and the property has been sold, the Secretary/Treasurer Beersheba Old Students Association (BOSA) held a site meeting with Anthony “Tony” Tatham, the present owner on September 02, 2012 to discuss the possibility of reinventing “Del Cottage.” Tony Tatham informed the Secretary/Treasurer of his commitment to the project which would include the involvement of his Architect to design a building resembling “Del Cottage” that is to be constructed on the site where the original “Del Cottage” was located.
In addition to discussion that was held to reinvent “Del Cottage”, the Secretary/Treasurer Beersheba Old Students Association (BOSA) and Tony Tatham is of the view that based on the historic importance of “Del Cottage” – which includes the graves of “Doxie” Gayle and his first wife “Sister Gally” that are located in the rear of the property – heritage tourism, a museum, and cottage industry could be the spin off from reinventing “Del Cottage.”
Editor’s Note: The belief is held for many years – included the years when as a barefoot hungry lean impoverished boy born to Simeon and Margaret Samuels, poverty stricken peasant farmers at “Mount Ease”, Flint Valley, Saint Elizabeth – I attended school in the rickety board building which housed Beersheba Elementary School at the benevolence of then Principal Clifford I. Chang, where other students and myself had to shift our ink well desks all over the classroom when it rained – that “Del Cottage” is located at Beersheba. However, primary and secondary research completed by the Secretary/Treasurer Beersheba Old Students Association (BOSA) has revealed that Beersheba is not the name of a district but the name that early Moravian Missionaries who built and owned the Elementary School gave to the school which was established like other schools in Jamaica to educate children of slave ancestors.
Since Beersheba is the name of the Elementary School that was built and owned by early Moravian Missionaries, what is the name of the district in which “Del Cottage” is located? The name of the district and geographical area in which “Del Cottage” is located and where James “Dick” Richards was born to parents whose names up to now remains unknown is Carr District.
Whereas Bermuda Biographies, a website owned by Meredith Ebbin, Contributor to BERMUDA SUN Newspaper, Bermuda, as well as other websites and newspapers in that country list the birthplace of James “Dick” Richards as Beersheba, this icon and legend was actually born at Carr District where he is not only revered and fondly remembered as “Bermuda King”, research has revealed that he actually had biological relatives residing in the district.
It is the bonding of James “Dick” Richards with Carr District, New Market, Saint Elizabeth his birthplace, that he used his own money to purchase the land on which the wooden building that housed The Salvation Army Carr Corp in which I attended Sunday School as a youngster was built. For several years, The Salvation Army Carr Corp displaying its Blood and Fire Standard (Banner) from the wooden platform near the pulpit, was the oldest and only place of worship – with the exception of Carmel Moravian Church that was situated quite some distance away – that served residents in the districts of Carr, Happy Hall, Long Ground, Flint Valley, New Savannah, Ruinit, Glenbournie, Jack’s Gate, and Cool Retreat.
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