Pembroke Parish: History
Bermuda was settled by the English in the early 17th century when the Virginia Company brought slaves and shipwrecked people to the island. The island was subsequently colonized and divided into parishes, named after investors of the Somers Isles Company. Pembroke Parish is one of Bermuda's original nine parishes, established early in the island's colonial history, and was named after William Herbert, 3rd Earl of Pembroke (1580–1630). The parish grew in importance with the establishment of Hamiton as the capital city in 1815.