Members of the Brotherhood of St Andrew on Sunday marked the 184th anniversary of the birth of the organisation’s founder Archbishop Enos Nuttall with a wreath-laying ceremony at his grave at St Andrew Parish Church Cemetery in Half-Way-Tree.

The ceremony was held after St Andrew Parish Church’s 8:00 am service during which the organisation, founded by Nuttall, also celebrated its 130th anniversary.

National Library of Jamaica archives state that Nuttall, who gave 50 years of outstanding service to Jamaica and the Church of England, arrived in the island in 1862 as a Wesleyan lay missionary. He joined the Church of England and was ordained a priest in 1866.

He was appointed curate of St George’s Church on East Street in Kingston.

On October 28, 1880, Nuttall was consecrated in England as bishop of Jamaica, a post which gave him responsibility for directing the affairs of the Church of England in Jamaica.

He was elected primate of the West Indies in 1893 and in 1897 the position was renamed archbishop, making him the first archbishop of the West Indies.

Throughout his years in Jamaica Nuttall was a very prominent figure in the country’s social history. He became significantly involved with matters related to education and social welfare to aid in uplifting the majority black population who existed in a dire state of poverty.

According to the National Library archives, between 1866 and 1880 Nuttall was most actively involved with the Sailors Home and the Medical Relief Committee which later became the Kingston Dispensary.

He eventually became a member of the Sailors Home board and was also involved with Kingston Savings Bank, “which was a somewhat charitable organisation designed to promote values of thrift among the working classes”.

He also helped to found Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA).

In September 1898 Nuttall used his money to rent a premises at East Street Kingston to open a nursing home.

“He was eventually able to lease the house and land on 116 East Street in 1908 in order to get the project off the ground. He eventually bought the property in 1911.

On May 31, 1916, Nuttall died at the age of 74 after a long battle with shingles. He was buried a day later — June 1, which was also Ascension Day.

Following his death the nursing home was renamed Archbishop Nuttall Nursing Home.

In 1923 a new hospital on Caledonia Avenue was built and opened as Nuttall Memorial Hospital.

Archbishop Nuttall’s service to Jamaica included the significant role in played in the restoration of Kingston after the 1907 earthquake as chairman of the Earthquake Relief Committee. He was also a member of the relief committee established after a hurricane destroyed several sections of Kingston in 1880.