Theory of settlement

Looking into Ferryland from beyond the rocks at the entrance to the harbour

Today I had an enjoyable paddle from Calvert to Ferryland with the plan to visit the archaeoligic dig there. Always intended to visit the site and today I took the chance to visit it by boat.

Ferryland is the site of a colony founded by George Calvert in 1621. He picked a site on the eastern most edge of Newfoundland that is for all intents, open to the North Atlantic. Next stop, Ireland.

The colonists set about constructing buildings to settle in. It was thought there was a potential for a fishery plus production of other goods such as timber, salt, hemp, tar and iron. Reports from the colony spoke favourably of the climate as "being better and not so cold as England". By the middle of the decade there were about 100 people in the colony. But life was not easy for the colonists and in 1626 Arthur Aston, Gouvernor of Avalon at the time, returned to England with all the colonists.

In 1828 Calvert, then Lord Baltimore, sailed to Newfoundland with his wife and family and 40 more colonists. But he became disenchanted with the woeful conditions in the colony and in 1632 obtained a new charter form the king for a colony in Chesapeake Bay, the site of the modern City of Balitmore, which was named for him.

So, Lord Baltimore's association with the Colony of Avalon was over. But, there are maps of Ferryland dating from 1693 indicating settlement continued and there was in fact a French raid on the colony in 1696 when the archaeological history ends. The original colony was forgotten and lay undisturbed for centuries until Dr. James Tuck started digging there in the 1970's.

I got out to take some pictures and thought that visiting the site by kayak was fitting. The Colony of Avalon was settled by people who came in boats so today I have that in common with those 17th century adventurers.

Tony :-)

Excavations at the Colony of Avalon. I found it interesting that the original colonists set up shop here in this location when you can see that modern day inhabitants of Ferryland have decided to build further back. There was no one on duty today to charge me admission. Understandable as who would expect visitors in March?

The excavation goes right down to the water. This must be where the colonists constructed a sea-flushed privey.

Stop for lunch. The wind was forecast to be light from the west but on the way back from Ferryland it seemed to come from an easterly direction, which made for a bit of surf.

What's a winter paddle without a picture of icicles? There's been lots of rain this year that seems to have fed a lot of icicles.

End of the paddle, wash up in fresh water. At this time of year I look for take-outs where there's fresh water nearby so that I can wash up "in the field". I find it a lot easier than having to get the hose out home.