The parish of Clarendon was named in honour of the celebrated Lord Chancellor, Sir Edward Hyde, Earl of Clarendon. It is the third largest of the parishes, in terms of its population. Clarendon is bounded by the parish of St. Catherine to the east, Manchester to the west, St. Ann to the north and the Caribbean Sea to the south. There are five main rivers in Clarendon: the Rio Minho, Milk River, Pindar River, Cave River and Thomas River. The topography of the parish is generally low, except in the north and north-eastern parts.

 

The capital May Pen, was established, as a plantation settlement by the British between 1660-1683, on a crossing point of the Rio Minho. It is well located from an administrative point of view, in the centre of a largely agricultural area and as a midpoint between Kingston and Mandeville.