From Shinbones to Featherbeds …
From bruises to bedtime – how did St. George’s laneways get their names?
It’s a question we hear surprisingly often while guiding visitors through the UNESCO World Heritage Town of St. George’s.
Founded in 1612, the town’s maze of narrow lanes and winding alleys has been an essential part of daily life for more than four centuries. Unlike many colonial settlements that were carefully planned on paper, St. George’s evolved organically. Its streets followed the well-trodden footpaths created by settlers, sailors, merchants and soldiers as they sought the quickest routes between homes, wharves, shops and fortifications.
Many of the names given to these lanes preserve colorful pieces of local folklore and history.
Take Shinbone Alley, for example. During the years when British troops were stationed in St. George’s, soldiers were frequent patrons of the town’s taverns. According to local tradition, the journey back to their barracks after an evening of drinking was not always a graceful one. More than a few are said to have stumbled – or even crawled – along the rough dirt lane, waking the next morning with bruised and battered shinbones.
Just around the corner lies Featherbed Alley. Its exact origin has been lost to history, but one enduring piece of Bermudian folklore suggests that travelling along the lane in a horse and cart was said to feel “as soft as a featherbed.” Whether fact or folklore, the name has delighted residents and visitors alike for generations.
Perhaps the most historically significant of the town’s passageways is Barber’s Alley, just off Water Street.
The alley honors Joseph Hayne Rainey, who was born into slavery in South Carolina but gained his freedom as a young man. During the American Civil War, he and his wife escaped to Bermuda aboard a Confederate blockade runner, where he established a successful barber shop in St. George’s.
When the war ended, the Raineys returned to South Carolina, where Joseph entered politics and made history by becoming the first Black person elected to the United States House of Representatives.
There are many more hidden lanes and passageways waiting to be discovered throughout St. George’s. Exploring them isn’t simply about admiring centuries-old architecture – it’s about uncovering the stories woven into the fabric of the town itself – reminding us that history is often hidden in plain sight!
See this location come to life: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/kravzpZiJUg
Learn more about touring Bermuda: Best Bermuda Shore Excursions – Bermuda Heritage Tours