Maroon History

When an Enlgish expedition captured weakly defended Jamaica in 1655, several slaves escaped from the forced plantation labour system of the Spanish by fleeing to the hills and mountains. These formed the nucleus of a people who resisted all efforts at their recapture. To maintain that freedom, they moulded themselves into a most effective and disciplined fight force, always under astute leadership. Some of those leaders are indellibly etched into the minds and folklore of Jamaica. For example  -  Grandy Nanny, (featured on the J$500 bill), Accompong, and Johnny - siblings and commanders of the western and eastern (Windward and Leeward Maroons respectively) parts of the country. One of the most outstanding of all Maroon military leaders was Cudjoe, a short, deformed military genius who routinely defeated British forces, frequently in devastatingly one-sided encounters.

At last, after 140 years of heavy losses, the British had "had enough" and initiated separate peace treaties first with the Leeward and then Windward Maroons at the time under the leadership of Grandy Nanny.