Early Newfoundland Inhabitants

Conception Bay North ~ Brigus

Newfoundland Census: 1675 - 1684

1675 Census - Captain Sir John Berry, of HMS Bristol.

( Colonial Office 1.35 Folios 150 - 156 )

The names of the English Inhabitants with the number of their boats, men, wives and children.

There are belonging to His Majesty’s Subjects here 543 head of cattle.

There are women and children, 231.

Their servants are 1022.

The planters themselves, 114.

Brigus by North

John Gifford & wife. 1 male children, 1 female. 2 Boats, 8 Men, 1 Stage.

Mathew Garter 1 male children, 1 female. 2 Boats, 8 Men, 1 Stage.

Richard Webb & wife. 2 male children. 2 Boats, 7 Men, 1 Stage.

Cupids

Stephen Atkins. Keeper of Mr. Butler’s cattle.

1675 Fishing Ship Census - Captain Sir John Berry, of HMS Bristol.

( Colonial Office 1.35 Folios 137 - 148 )

( Ship census data includes: Vessel name if known_Port of origin_ Nationality_Master's name )

Brigus

Charles, Bristol, Thomas Edwards

?, Dartmouth, John Dyer

Cupids

John & Francis, Southampton, John Wale
John & Francis, Southampton, John Wall

1676 Fishing Ship Census - Captain Russell of HMS Reserve.

( Colonial Office 1.38 Folios 222 - 224 )

Brigus

?, Bristol, William Ashton

Cupids

?, Dartmouth, Marke Towell

1676 Census - Captain John Wyborne’s Planter Census.

( Colonial Office 1.38 Folios 239 - 242 )

Brigus

Matthew Gaskin 2 Boats.

Isaac Gifford 2 Boats.

1677 Inhabitant_Planter Census - Captain Sir William Poole, of HMS Leopard

( Colonial Office 1.41 Folios 157 - 166 )

Barron Harbour, Bay Bulls, Bay de Verde, Bay Roberts, Bonaventure, Bryants Cove, Brigus, Caplin Bay, Carbonear,

Clowns Cove, Crockers Cove, Cupids Cove, English Harbour, Fermeuse, Ferryland, Harbour Grace, Harbour Main,

Irelands Eye, Little Harbour, Mosquito Bay, Muskets Cove, St. John’s, Trinity, Trinity Harbour, Witless Bay.

Inhabitants, wives, children, servants_male/female, dwelling houses, storehouses, lodging for servants, gardens, Boats, Stages.

*****Servants are male unless otherwise noted.

Beregues ( Brigus ) North

Matthew Gastrell 6 servants, house, 2 storehouses, 1 Boat.

John Gifford Wife, 1 son, 2 daughters, 7 servants, house, 2 storehouses, 2 Boats.

Richard Webb Wife, 2 sons, 1 servant, house, 1 storehouse, garden, 1 Boat.

Notable: Matthew Gastrell had 12 cattle. Richard Webb had 10 hogs.

1677 Fishing Ships - Captain Sir Robert Robinson, of HMS Assistance

( Colonial Office 1.41 Folios 168 - 172 )

Brigus

The Simon Peter, Dartmouth, British, Simon Skerne

1680 Anon Census

( Colonial Office ?, Folio 121 )

212 English Planters in Newfoundland

97 vessels fished in the English ports in Newfoundland.

1681 Census - Captain James Story of HMS Antelope

( Colonial Office 1.47 Folios 113 - 122 )

Brigus

Dolphin, Dartmouth, British, Richard Towell

Mathew Gostafe - Planter

John Gifford - Planter

Henry Marshall - Planter

Richard Webb – Planter

1684 Census - Captain Sir Francis Wheeler of HMS Tiger

( Colonial Office 1.55 Folio 257 )

Brigus South, 8 Boats

	Endnotes:


*How many of these early Newfoundland folk listed, were English, Irish, or Channel Island, merchant Factors?  Planters?



*****The reader is advised to always check with the original Census material for possible correction
of names of individuals contained in this file.  The originals are very faded, in cases.  Sourced 
Census material, appears mixed on some LDS microfilm.  Other typed transcripted sourced material may 
contain surname spelling errors.  Since the info within this file is derived from plural sources over
many years, often not being of original material transcription, a caution flag must be thus placed.

P.S.  The author for the earlier posted 1675 Newfoundland Census file here in this Early NL Census has realized 
some 1676 Census individuals, are included with the 1675 folk.  The reason being, the LDS microfilm sourced; 
contains mixed Census info for 1675 and 1676.  This current file, will be considered a correction to any
discrepancy noticed in the former posted file, when compared withoriginal Census materials.

----

*Seventeenth
century references to early Newfoundland Census materials. These originals reside in a variety of repositories in 
Newfoundland.  The following list comes from the NEHGS publication Handbook for Atlantic Canada Research. 


1675 – Sir John Berry Census –
list of planters from Cape de Razo to Cape Bonavista; names planters
for thirty harbours.

1676 – Capt Russell’s Census
– account of English inhabitants between Bonaventure and Petty
Harbour; includes names in 18 settlements.

1677 – Sir
John Berry Census – Cape Race to Cape Bonavista; names each
community, inhabitants, numbers of wives, children, servants, houses,
boats, stages, animals, and pasture land.

1677 – Sir
William Poole’s Census – Cape Bonavista to Trepassey;
names inhabitants, number of wives, sons, etc., covering 28
settlements.

1675-1677 – A short list of planters at
Renews in 1663, and a list of 19 planters in St. John’s in 1669
by John Yonge.

1681 – Captain James Story’s Census
– planters from Trepassey to Bonavista to Fair Island.

1682
– Captain Daniel Jones’ Census.

And there are
census returns for 1691 and 1693.

----

Early Newfoundland Census

----

1708	List of inhabitants Names, and the number of their families, in 28
settlements from Ferryland to Bonavista.  

CO 194/4.  Pages 253-6.

----

A
History of Newfoundland from the English, Colonial and Foreign
Records, by D. W. Prowse.  Page 199.
*Bay Bulls a convoy destination in 1682?  Captain Daniel Jones, R.N., H.
M. S. Diamond.

----

The Bristol Registers of Servants: Sent to Foreign Plantation 1654-1686. 
By: Peter Wilson Coldham.  ( 1663 - 1679 )

Page 349.  March 8, 16??
Lawrence Tanner to Thomas Harris, 7 years Newfoundland by "Olive Branch".

William Allen to Thomas Edwards.  5 years Newfoundland by "Olive
Branch".

Thomas Boone to Thomas Edwards, 7 years Newfoundland by "Olive Branch".

Page 374.
Robert Stephens of Bridport, Dorset, to Richard Downe, 3 years Newfoundland
by "Supply"

Henry Chapman of Sutton, Dorset, to Shadrach Burt, 4 years Newfoundland by
"Jeremy"