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Colony of Placentia

On 13 Jan. 1685 King Louis XIV of France appointed Antoine Parat governor of Plaisance. Immediately he took a census of the French colony in Newfoundland, which numbered at that time 640 people, 474 of whom were indentured employees. Plaisance consisted of just 18 houses; the rest of the population was scattered among some dozen ports along the coast. These posts offered refuge to about 60 fishing boats, which each year took in approximately 140,000 quintals of cod from the Grand Banks. With the ridiculously inadequate means at his disposal, it was not easy for the governor to ensure the safety and to satisfy the needs of a scattered and turbulent population. In 1713 the treaty of Utrecht ended the struggle between France and England but confirmed English possession of all Newfoundland and Acadia. The garrison and settlers of Placentia prepared to move to Cape Breton Island, where a new colony was to be founded.

Related Biographies

AUGER DE SUBERCASE, DANIEL D’
BELLOT, dit Lafontaine
DU PERRON, THALOUR
DURAND DE LA GARENNE
ESPIET DE PENSENS, JACQUES D’
GARGOT DE LA ROCHETTE, NICOLAS
GLEDHILL, SAMUEL
GRAYDON, JOHN
HAMILTON, OTHO
LA POIPPE
L’HERMITTE (Lhermitte, L’Hermite, Lhermite), JACQUES
MONBETON DE BROUILLAN, JACQUES-FRANÇOIS DE
MONIC, JOSEPH DE
MOODY, JOHN
PARAT, ANTOINE
PASTOUR DE COSTEBELLE, PHILIPPE

Other Resources

Castle Hill — Historic Sites Association of Newfoundland and Labrador
Finding Archaeological Evidence of Ferryland-Placentia Conflict - Colony of Avalon
Governors of the Colony of Nova Scotia 1710-1786 | Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia
HistoricPlaces.ca - HistoricPlaces.ca
History of Plaisance
Military History of Newfoundland - Newfoundland and war. Content archived on 29 Apr. 2024
Parks Canada - Role of Placentia National Historic Event
Placentia - Interactive Map - All Aboard! Exploring the Newfoundland Railway
Placentia - The Canadian Encyclopedia. Content archived on 4 Dec. 2024
Placentia | Newfoundland, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada | Britannica.com
Placentia, Newfoundland and Labrador - Wikipedia
The French Settlement of Placentia

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We acknowledge the support of the Government of Canada.


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