The Victoria Community Development Corporation

Cupids Museum and Archaeological Site Learning Resources

Cupids Museum and ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE

John Guy's Colony

In the West Country of England there were many merchants and ship owners who thought they could make good profits by sending ships to Newfoundland. We now call these men the "Western Adventurers".
There were many people in England who thought the fishermen could catch more fish if they lived in Newfoundland all year round. But the Western Adventurers did not want settlers year round for a number of reasons. They knew that settlers would take the best fishing places, the best harbours, and the best sites for flakes and stages. They also believed they would begin to build their own boats and make their own ropes, nets, hooks, lines, anchors, and other things needed for the fishery, thus eliminating many jobs in England.
King James 1 was approached to ask for his support. The King wishing to please both groups gave permission to a group of merchants from London and Bristol to start a colony in Newfoundland. King James ordered them not to interfere with the fishermen who came in the summertime.

In 1610, The London and Bristol Company, chose a man named John Guy, to be the first Governor of Newfoundland. Guy set sail from Bristol, England in July, 1610 along with 39 other
settlers and arrived in Cupers Cove (or Cupids) in August. Cupid was chosen as the first official English Colony in Canada based on the findings of John Guy's previous voyage to Newfoundland in 1608.

One of the first things they did upon arrival was dig "a saw-pitt hard by the sea side, and put a timber house over it" They then set to work cutting timber to use for construction of the plantation and to load aboard their vessel for shipment back to England. Guy mentions that one of the ‘pine' trees was "above tenne feete about at the butt" and that another "thirtie feet longe is eight feete about". This information is taken from Guy's letter to Sir Percival Willoughby written October 6th, 1610.

John Guy wrote a letter to John Slaney dated May 11th, 1611. He was able to report that their cattle, swine, goats, and poultry had survived the first winter. In this letter Guy describes the Colonists activities over the winter of 1610-1611.

"From the first of October until the sixteenth of May our company had bin imployed in making of a store-house to hold our prouisions, and a dwelling house for our habitation, which was finished about the first of December; with a square inclosure of one hundred and twenty feet long and ninety foot broad, encompassing these two houses, and a work house to work dry in; to make boats and any other work in out of the raine; and three pieces of ordinance are work out of the raine; and three pieces of ordinance are planted there to command the harboroughs, upon a platform made of great posts, and railes, and great poles sixteen foot long set upright round about, with two plankers to scoure the quarters. A boat, about twelve tons big, with a deck, is almost finished to saile and row about the headlands: six fishing boates and pinnesses: a second saw-pit at the fresh lake two miles in length and the sixth part of a mile broad standing within twelve score of our habitation, to saw the timber to be had out of the fresh lake, in keeping two pairs of sawyers to saw planks for the said buildings, in ridding of some ground to sow corn and garden seeds: in cutting of wood for the collier, in coiling of it: in working at the smith's forge iron workers for all needful uses: in coasting both land or sea to many places within the Bay of Conception: in making the frame of timber of a far greater and fairer house, then that which as yet we dwell in which is almost finished, and diuors other things".

In 1611, Governor Guy proclaimed a series of laws, most of which remained in effect for the next 200 years. His laws against lighting fires in the woods and dumping ships' ballast in harbours are still valid today.

Guy sailed to England in the Fall 1611 and returned to Cupids in the Spring of 1612. He brought an additional group of settlers, including skilled artisans and 16 women; bringing the total to 62 people. The wife of colonist Nicholas Guie (Guy) bore a son on March 27, 1613; this was the first recorded birth of an English child in Newfoundland and may have been the first in Canada.

During the Summer of 1612, the colony was disrupted by pirates, notably Peter Easton who was operating out of nearby Harbour Grace. In the fall of 1612, Guy lead an exploratory journey with two small ships (both were built at Cupids). They traveled up Conception Bay and down into Trinity Bay, meeting and trading with the native Beothuk Indians at several locations in the south of Trinity Bay. An overland trail was made between Cupids and Trinity South but proved unnecessary as an escape.

Guy returned to Bristol in 1613; Captain John Mason was appointed Governor of the Cupids colony in 1616. Mason was Governor for 5 years before departing and becoming one of the co-founders of what later became the State of New Hampshire.

In 1618, during Manson's tenure at Cupids, the Patuxet Indian Squanto (or Squantum) resided at Cupids. Squanto was returning to Massachusetts following his capture in 1614. He later was of great assistance to the Colonists at Plymouth following their arrival on the Mayflower in
1620.

The formal Colony declined after Mason, although census reports of 1675 indicates year-round occupation. Some of the original Cupids Colonists relocated to ‘Mosquito' and other parts of the new world.
Records of Canada's first English Colony are still in existence. Journals and letters of John Guy and other Colonists are located at Nottingham University in England. In recent years, text of these have been published.

Fishing and subsistence farming were the mainstays of Cupids economy. Cupids has had a long-standing tradition of the Labrador Fishery. Early in the nineteenth century schooners from Cupids began their annual voyage to Coastal Labrador. This traditional fishery continued for about 100 years.

During the nineteenth century Cupids played a prominent role in the Newfoundland Seal Fishery. In 1838 there were 16 vessels and 365 men sealing, while 1863 saw 9 vessels and 497 men. Shipbuilding and related industries such as lumbering, black-smithing, and barrel making grew in support of fishing and sealing.

The seafaring way of life was not without tragedies. In March of 1831, the schooner, AZARIAH, sailed out of Cupids for the seal fishery with 22 on board. They went aground on Baccalieu Island; all but 4 men were lost. The rescue vessel JOSEPH was also from Cupids.

1910 marked the Tercentennial Celebrations of the founding of the first colony in Newfoundland. At Cupids the celebration was a four day event; the monument to John Guy was erected by the Newfoundland Historical Society with help from a local committee and the people of Bristol. A large flagstaff was erected in Cupids and a large Union Jack flag donated by expatriate of Cupids living in Toronto. A replacement for the original flagstaff and a new giant flag were raised by Cupids Historical Society in 1983.

In 1995, Archaeologist William Gilbert began excavation of the actual site of John Guy's Plantation at Cupids. The site was discovered by using clues contained in original letters and diaries written by the people who settled there. These clues were: the plantation was 12 score (or 240 paces) from Cupids Pond, near a stream and on the landward side of the salt water pond at the bottom of Cupids harbour.

At Guy's Plantation Site of the 1620, to date archaeologist, Bill Gilbert, and crew have uncovered three 17th century structures and a fourth which may also be of 17th century origin. Also uncovered at the site are approximately 80,000 artifacts, including pottery, glass fragments, trade beads, cobblestone flooring and even a silver coin.

Extension:

Archaeology: The dictionary describes archaeology as the scientific study of historic and prehistoric people and cultures by analysis of their artifacts, monuments, etc.. This process involves research, excavation and careful analysis.

Cataloguing and Conserving Artifacts:

Cataloguing is very meticulous and precise work. The first step is to wash the artifacts in clear water and place them out to dry, then they are assigned a catalogue number. This catalogue number ( eg. CjAh-13 69,875) is made up of the site number CjAh-13 and sequential number 69,875. Clear nail polish and a special fine point pen are used to secure the catalogue number in place on each artifact. They are then measured with calipers and all the appropriate information is entered into a computerized data base. When possible artifacts are reassembled using a water based glue.

All iron artifacts that are removed from the ground must undergo conservation. They are placed in water at the excavation site and later at the laboratory are treated with a sodium hydroxide solution for a period of two years. Next the artifacts are immersed in hot water and after being "hot washed" are stored at room temperature for two weeks to stabilize. In some cases the objects are coated with tannic acid or silicone gel.

Old English word translations and/or meaning:

bin - been
imployed - employed
prouisions - provisions
raine - rain
ordinance law - (artillery or battle stations were set up to watch the harbour)
harborough - harbour
railes rail - (a long thin tree trunk used to make a fence or railing)
planker - a long flat piece of timber, thicker than a board
scoure - secure (not liable to fail; as a support or fastening)
boates - boats
pinnesses - pinnace (a light sailing boat)
score - twenty (a group or set of 20 i.e. 12x20)
ridding - clearing
collier - a ship for carrying coal (coal refers to a piece of charred or burned wood)

Discovery Questions:

1. Why did some merchants and ship owners want settlers in Newfoundland all year round?

2. Why were others opposed to this idea?

3. When King James I gave permission to start a colony, what was one of his specific order?

4. What animals did John Guy and his crew bring to Newfoundland?

5. Name some other possible provisions they may have brought that would have been necessary?

6. As Governor could J. Guy make laws governing the new colony? If yes, name two laws that he put in place. If no, why not?

7. Who was governor at Cupids after John Guy?

8. What is archaeology?

9. Define the word ‘calipers'. What are they used for?