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40
FERRYLAND
Fifty miles from St. John's on the southern shore =
of
the Avalon peninsula is a settlement called Ferryland that has no resemblan=
ce
whatever to the Maryland metropolis of Baltimore.
Yet both were founded by members of the Calvert fa=
mily
and their histories are firmly linked.
Big George Calvert, who became Lord Baltimore befo=
re
his death, pioneered the colony in Newfoundland. And when his dreams for
Ferryland did not materialize, he obtained another land grant which enabled=
his
son, Cecil, who succeeded to the title, to make good in Maryland.
The story of Ferryland plantation forms an engross=
ing
chapter in the history of England's oldest colony.
It began in September of 1621 when Captain Edward
Wynne and a party of 12, chiefly from Wales, arrived under Calvert's auspic=
es.
A letter by Captain Wynne describes the erection of the dwellings, store-ro=
oms
and other buildings, the cultivation of wheat, barley, oats and peas and
vegetables. Also the digging of a well.
In July of 1622 another party of 22 arrived under
Daniel Powell, a west countryman, who wrote as follows:
"The land whereon our governor hath planted is so good and com=
modious
that for the quantity I think there no better land in many parts of
England."
Calvert himself, who had been created a baron in 1=
625,
did not visit the colony until 1627. He stayed but a few weeks. Returning in
the following year, however, he brought with him his wife and children and =
his
son-in-law, Sir R. Talbert.
At Ferryland, Prouse says, they lived in a substan=
tial
stone house only a quoit's throw from the shore: and it was an interesting =
part
of the coast at that, having previously served as a hideout for the notorio=
us
pirate, Peter Easton.
The tiny settlement did not remain long in isolati= on. Baltimore had scarcely arrived when the neighboring settlement of Cape Broy= le was attacked by three French ships and 400 men under De La Rade. The French boasted of a victory but Baltimore sent out two ships and there was little trouble from them afterwards.
The coldness of the climate and the privations tha= t no pioneer may avoid, however, soon took toll on health and morale. Many of the original settlers died.
In August of 1629 Baltimore complained to King Jam= es of the plight of Ferryland, accusing Charles I of treachery and ingratitude= in persuading him to take over the colony. He prayed then for a precinct of la= nd in Virginia on which he might place some 40 persons and redeem his reputati= on and fortunes as a colonizer.
As a result Baltimore's Newfoundland holdings were transferred to Sir David Kirke, Duke of Hamilton, and others. Sir David bro= ught his wife and children and 100 men. By force of arms they turned Captain Wil= liam Hill, Baltimore's deputy, out of the mansion house "where the said Lord Baltimore had at the time divers things of good value" as well as "divers cattle and horses."
An old sea dog who had distinguished himself at Quebec, Sir David proved a tyrant. He tried by every means to exploit not o= nly the colonists but the visiting seamen in various settlements. He charged re= nt for stage room, issued tavern licenses, and, says Prouse, made every French= man and foreigner pay him a commission on catches of fish. Naturally charges we= re made against him and his regime was of short duration. He was supplanted in 1640 by John Downing, a London merchant.
For 54 years the settlement followed a rugged but peaceful existence. Then several prisoners of war, held by the French at Placentia, escaped and warned Captain William Halman that an attack was bei= ng planned.
The captain lost no time in mounting all available guns on the headlands. When a superior French fleet appeared it was pounded= so roughly that it fled, leaving anchors and cables behind. A French attack in= 1705 by Montigny destroyed much property but another in 1708 was repulsed by batteries on the Isle of Buoys.
Lieut. Chappel, Royal Navy, who visited the settle= ment in 1813 gave this description: "The inner part of this port is as secu= re from winds and waves as a harbor or dock, and is therefore called by the inhabitants, the pool; the harbor mouth is narrow, but not dangerous. The t= ides rise three, four sometimes five feet.
"There is sufficient depth of water for large merchant vessels, and even ships of war. The settlement is fairly prosperou= s, with fine homes, churches and business establishments. The residents are descendants of hardy Irish and French settle= rs who remained long after Baltimore and Kirke and others had abandoned the pl= ace.
"In natural beauty Ferryland is not as appeal= ing to the eye as other settlements along the shore. But a walk along the downs= to see the trees planted by Baltimore and the house and the piece of cobble&sh= y;stone road, probably the oldest of its kind in the new world, will well repay the visitor."
Dr. Stanley Truman Brooks of Pittsburg, an admirer= of Ferryland, once wrote:
"On the beach of the Howard Morry premises you may see the old granite markers of the Holdsworth estate. The first Holdswo= rth in Newfoundland was an admiral of the port of St. John's. His descenda= nts held the Calvert house before it was torn down.
"It would be well worth your time to visit th=
is
shore. Stand on the same land on the same rock with Calvert, Easton, Kirkc =
and
Treworgil. Feel the fresh breeze from the Isle of Buoys and the thundering
surf. Perhaps you would like to get just a little bit pixilated with some of
the pixies I know you will find along Hangman's Hill."
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