Heritage Research and Legal Services

Overview

The legal arm of the Trust provides corporate legal services to the organization and its Board of Trustees. The department declares sites National Monuments and designates sites as Protected National Heritage. Under the Jamaica National Heritage Trust Act of 1985, a site is declared a National Monument if, in the opinion of the Trust, its preservation is a matter of public interest by reason of its historic, architectural, traditional, artistic, aesthetic, scientific or archaeological value.

Similar factors are taken into consideration when designating a site a Protected National Heritage. Areas designated as such usually have group value, particularly where buildings together make up an important architectural or historical unit, for example, Titchfield Hill in Portland and Port Royal, Kingston.

Criteria for Declaring a National Monument or Designated Protected National Heritage

• To have a site declared or designated as a National Monument/Protected National Heritage, it should meet one or more of the following criteria:
• Identify with Jamaican history
• Prominently identified with a great Jamaican personage
• Prominently identified with an important moment in Jamaican history
• Illustrate the culture of the prehistoric people associated with archaeological discoveries
• Identify with an architectural style related to an early master builder/architect
• Possess great antiquity
• Be an example of an important regional or local architectural style
• Be of importance to the public's imagination
• Possess great natural beauty
• Be a place name associated with the above criteria