Barry Gaulton and Matthew Carter

Introduction

Placentia is located on the west shore of the Avalon Peninsula approximately 60 miles from St. John’s. Like many other communities located on the Avalon Peninsula, Placentia is very rich in history and has excellent archaeological potential. Beginning with early occupations by seasonal Basque fishermen and French colonists and continuing up to the English takeover after 1713, Placentia has been inhabited by peoples originating from a number of different nations. As a result, excavations should reveal a wide range of material culture spanning over a vast period of time.

From October 26th to November 9th 1996, an archaeological survey was conducted in a number of locations in both Placentia and Jerseyside. The survey revealed several promising sites, most notably that of Mount Pleasant and the Murray property. Test-pitting on Mount Pleasant revealed a 17th century Basque and/or French component with associated stone features. Survey of the Murray property uncovered various artifacts which are likely related to an 18th century blacksmith shop. Other sites in the Placentia area that were surveyed were either devoid of artifacts or contained artifacts originating from a disturbed context. All of the aforementioned sites will be described in further detail later in the report.

Background History

Since the beginning of the sixteenth century, Placentia has played a vital role in the Newfoundland fishery. The fact that this area offered an excellent harbour, nearby sources of fresh water, and a wide beach for drying cod helped Placentia assume the role as one of the most important harbours in all of Newfoundland.

Placentia Bay was first explored by Gaspar and Miguel Corte Real in the year 1501, during which time the first map of Newfoundland appears (McCarthy n.d.a:43). These Portuguese explorers described many areas along the eastern and southern coasts of Newfoundland, one of which fits very closely with that of Placentia. It is interesting to note that on a map dating back to 1504 the Placentia area is referred to as ‘Insulae Cortrealis’ (McCarthy n.d.b:43).

Placentia Bay was also frequented by Spanish fisherman during the first half of the sixteenth century. This is evident in the Kallard map of 1547 which names Placentia as the ‘Isle de Plaziencia,’ a name given to the area by the Spanish (McCarthy n.d.b:43).

Even though the records show that French, Spanish and Portuguese fishermen all frequented Placentia during the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries, it was also a main centre for the Basque fishery. In 1594, two English captains noted that over sixty ships were using Placentia Harbour that year and most of the ships were from the Basque port of St. Jean de Luz. In 1655 a number of Basque fisherman together with some Englishmen became worried about French encroachment in Placentia and as a result constructed their own ‘earthen’ fort (Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada 1962:3).

After the English started their colonizing attempts at such places as Cupids and Ferryland in the early seventeenth century, the French government became increasingly worried about the security and continuation of their fishing interests in Newfoundland. It was then decided that their best course of action would be to set up a colony of their own at Placentia (Plaisance), thus deterring English expansion and ensuring themselves a piece of the lucrative Newfoundland fishery. Plaisance was strategically located in that it flanked the Cabot Strait, which was the main avenue of seaborne communication between France and her North American colonies, thereby providing a port of call for Canada bound vessels and security of the Strait during times of war (Humphreys 1970:5).

In 1655 the French King Louis XIV appointed Sieur de Kereon to become the first French Governor of Newfoundland (McCarthy n.d.a:44). Unfortunately for de Kereon, Basque and English settlers had already fortified Placentia and thus prevented him from establishing himself (O’Shea 1972:1). In 1660 the French King appointed Nicholas Gargot de la Rochette as governor. As a result of a controversy which arose over his appointment, Gargot appointed Sieur du Perron to act as the governor of Plaisance. It was not until two years later that a group of fifty settlers and thirty soldiers finally arrived at Plaisance (Holwell 1996:1). During this first year of settlement the protection of Plaisance was considered so important that the French built a number of different fortifications around the harbour, including a fort on the plateau just north of the town which was referred to as ‘le Vieux fort.’ O’Shea states that it is possible that de Perron took over the fort that had already been built by the Basques and English settlers on Mt. Pleasant (O’Shea 1972:1).

The early colonists found life at Plaisance to be difficult, since cultivating the land proved to be a very labourious task. Many also became distressed with Sieur de Perron and his lack of leadership. In the fall of 1662 the resentment between the colonists and the governor culminated in an uprising, resulting in the murder of Sieur de Perron by some of the residing soldiers (Holwell 1996:1). In the spring of 1663 Gargot arrived at Plaisance and found the settlement near the point of starvation. After being told of the atrocities that happened the previous spring and winter, Gargot caught the soldiers involved and sent them to Quebec where they were later found guilty and executed. Later that year Gargot sent fifty Basque settlers and twenty more soldiers to Plaisance along with the new governor, Bellot de Lafontaine.

Over the next fifty years a number of defensive structures were built around the settlement including a palisade that surrounded the town, the bastioned Fort St. Louis (which was first picketed and then stonewalled) located on the Jerseyside of the gut, a small dry-stoned fortification known as Fort Royal (also referred to as the Castle), a small redoubt known as Le Gaillardin and a number of other small batteries and entrenchments around the harbour (Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada 1962:2). In addition to these fortifications a number of domestic and other buildings existed in the community, which by 1687 had a total population of 256 people (Humphreys 1970:7). The French continued to have control of this area until 1713 when they gave up their right to this territory in the treaty of Utrecht. As a result, Placentia and all other French possessions in Newfoundland came under English control.

Soon after the English took over at Placentia they moved a great portion of their military force there, since the forts at St. John’s were still damaged by earlier French attacks (Historic Sites and Monuments of Canada 1962:6). Much as the French did earlier, the English also began fortifying certain areas around the harbour. The first structure was built about 1720 at the southern shore area of the gut and was referred to as Fort Frederick. It was comprised of a picketed work with a stone semi-circular battery, barracks and brick guardhouse (ibid:6). Another structure that was being constructed around the same time as Fort Frederick was a fort on the former site of Fort St. Louis. This building was a square structure having bastions with the sides facing the sea up to 30 feet thick and reinforced with masonry. Unfortunately, it seems that this fort was never fully completed since historic documents mention that platforms for the cannons were never built (ibid:6).

After the French took control of St. John’s in 1762, the English at Placentia decided it was of the utmost importance to rebuild the former French stronghold of Fort Royal. The new fort, which was called ‘Castle Graves,’ had stone curtain walls up to 15 feet in height with a dry-stone wall around the perimeter. Inside the fort was a blockhouse along with wooden platforms on which cannons were mounted. This fort was considered very important since it overlooked the whole area and offered protection to the other defensive structures located on the shore of the gut. Ten years after it was constructed, it was stated that the new fort was in ruin (Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada 1962:7). Beyond the eighteenth century, Placentia played a very limited role for the English and consequently there was a reduction in trade. The end result was that both the settlement and many of its buildings fell into a state of ruin.

Excavation Background

Placentia played a prominent role in shaping the early history of Newfoundland. It is therefore surprising to find that with the exception of excavations carried out at Castle Hill and a brief excavation/survey in 1972, no other meaningful archaeological work has been done in the area.

In 1965 excavations began at Castle Hill under the direction of Roger Grange. Castle Hill was the site of a redoubt constructed by the French in the late seventeenth century, which was later taken over and modified by the English in the mid-eighteenth century (Grange 1971:3). During these excavations, a large number of artifacts representing both the French and English occupation were recovered. In addition to archaeological research another objective of this project was to stabilize and restore some of the remaining walls of the fortifications (Morton 1970:1). (For a detailed description of the Castle Hill excavation, see Grange 1971.)

On May 22, 1972 an archaeological project/survey under the guidance of William O’Shea was initiated in areas located in Placentia, Jerseyside and Point Verde (O’Shea 1972:1). Beginning on May 31 the archaeological team commenced work on the Jerseyside ballfield with the expectation of locating the ‘French Graveyard.’ During these excavations a number of test trenches were dug which resulted in the discovery of a skeleton and a variety of other artifacts such as iron spikes and nails, ceramics and pipe fragments. Excavation of the skeleton proved to be very difficult since it was found to be in a poor state of preservation. Consequently, the crew decided to postpone the dig at this location until the assistance of a trained archaeologist could be obtained (O’Shea 1972:6). For the remainder of the field season a number of locations around the Placentia area were surveyed by ground search in order to record their archaeological significance.

Methodology

The first step in preparation for the 1996 archaeological investigation was to conduct a walking survey in all areas to determine which would be feasible for test excavations. To do this it was necessary to get assistance from the town to determine which areas have undergone extensive alterations due to road and water/sewer construction. Once the testable areas were established, the next step was to obtain permission to dig on these various properties. The owners were contacted and permission to survey their land granted, before any digging could be done. Selective test-pitting was then conducted in promising areas. The actual process of digging a test pit involved the removal of the sod layer in a half-metre square and excavating down through any visible stratigraphy until all cultural layers were recorded. Once the cultural material was removed and the test pit recorded, the pit was refilled and the sod replaced. This assured those whose property we surveyed that no damage was done to their land. After completing the survey, all the artifacts were conserved and stored for later cataloguing and analysis.

Figure 1. Map of Placentia showing archaeological sites found during survey.

Survey Results

Seven locations were tested during the period of the two week field survey (Oct. 29th – Nov. 9th). Five of these were on privately owned lots/gardens and on land belonging to the town of Placentia. Brief testing was also conducted on the ballfield in Jerseyside. The most promising site was on Mount Pleasant, a prominent hillside directly east of Riverside Drive, providing a commanding view over Placentia (Figure 1).

Mount Pleasant (ChAl-4)

Three days were allocated for testing several areas on Mount Pleasant. The expansive surface area comprising this hillside made it difficult for us to decide which areas were to be surveyed and which ones to leave out. Needless to say, only a small percentage of the area was tested. The results were very positive, with many of the test pits containing a variety of 17th century material culture. A brief walking survey, conducted nearby the test pits, revealed many stone features including a well, several walls and a number of unidentified circular stone mounds.

Even though only a small area of Mount Pleasant was tested, a brief analysis of the artifacts was conducted. The sample of pipes recovered is not large enough to be very persuasive statistically (n = 9) and the mean pipe stem bore date of 1660 (Binford 1978) should be considered very cautiously. The ceramic collection, which includes many samples of tin glaze ceramic and French Saintonge earthenware, supports a 17th century date range. Given such a date it is conceivable that these artifacts represent a Basque and/or French occupation.

O’Reilly House (ChAl-5)

The first series of test pits excavated in the town of Placentia were conducted at the O’Reilly House property. Now the site of the Placentia Museum, this heritage home is located along Riverside Drive and was chosen for survey in the hope that an undisturbed French and/or English colonial component would be revealed. Unfortunately, the stratigraphy proved to be poor, with one recent occupation/fill layer, a thick layer of mixed soil, cobbles and numerous artifacts ranging from a variety of periods, and below that a level of larger cobbles with few artifacts that appears to be in an undisturbed context.

The four test pits excavated on the O’Reilly House property exhibit only a few different stratigraphic layers with distinct variations depending upon the excavation unit. The basic interpretation is as follows:

The most recent layer encountered could easily be dated to the 20th century, likely deposited during the occupation of the O’Reilly House itself. The light brown soil identified only in Test Pit #1 next to the house was probably dumped in for fill during the house construction. The most uniform deposit over the site was the thick brown/black soil with cobbles and artifacts. Both the thickness and richness of the soil in this layer suggests that this was not an undisturbed primary deposit. We have been told by the Placentia Area Historic Society that some of the Irish settlers who came to Placentia in the 18th and 19th centuries had earth brought with them (likely as ballast in the ships) to plant gardens, due to the poor soil in the town. Maybe this deposit is an indirect representation of that event. The two deepest test pits also contained a layer of large cobbles and scattered artifacts. Whether this lowest layer represents the original beach with early refuse from the seasonal Basque fishermen and/or French colonists, it should provide us with the earliest artifactual evidence from this site.

Playground Area

Further south of the O’Reilly House and just west of the old Placentia hospital is a parcel of land on Mount Pleasant Street used for a children’s playground. Two test pits were excavated on opposite sides of the playground. Additional testing was not necessary because the perimeter of the playground had just recently been fitted with a wire and steel post fence by the town council. The post holes had penetrated to a depth of 60+ cm with only recent cultural material encountered.

Survey in this area was both disappointing and at the same time hopeful. Testing revealed no visible stratigraphy and no cultural material earlier than 20th century artifacts. It is possible that this single layer encountered could be nothing more than a fill layer that was dumped to fill in and level off the land. Considering the intensive occupation of Placentia by French, English and later settlers, one would think that at least some evidence would be present. Further research on the Placentia playground needs to be undertaken before we can determine the possible viability for continued excavation.

Open Field between the Placentia Post Office and the Murray Property

North of the O’Reilly House is a small strip of land closed in between the Murray property, the post office and Manning’s Pharmacy. A large storm drain pipe runs through this property in an east-west orientation, no doubt causing a great deal of disturbance. No more than two test pits were necessary to assess this area.

This area seems to have been disturbed by the drain pipe and/or filled in with the beachy matrix mentioned above.

Murray Property (ChAl-6)

Just east of this open field we decided to try out a series of test pits on the Murray property. We were skeptical from the start due to the nature of the previous test pits and the fact that we were moving closer to the water. Surprisingly, some of the testing on this land proved to be fruitful, going to show how drastically different one location can be from the next.

The only significant stratigraphic layer contained in the test pits on the Murray property was that of the undisturbed black deposit mentioned earlier. The nature of this deposit, the brick, iron and slag fragments, suggests that these are the remains of a nearby blacksmith shop or similar work station. Considering the great thickness of the layer (approx. 40-45 cm), it would not be unreasonable to assume that we cut across a section of the refuse heap. Unless what we have located is a secondary deposit, the forge and associated work areas should be nearby.

Analysis of the ceramics and pipe fragments from this area provided a date range within the 18th century (mean date 1717). Documents pertaining to the English colonization of Placentia during the 1720s indicate that the firm of Sweetman and Saunders operated a blacksmith shop nearby, in the vicinity of the present day Murray property (Proulx 1979a:122).

Jerseyside Ballfield

Two test pits were excavated along the southern perimeter of the Jerseyside ballfield in hopes that we would uncover some sign of Fort St. Louis, which was initially constructed by the French in the 17th century and later modified by the English in the 1720s. We avoided the ballfield itself and further north where skeletal remains were uncovered in the 1970s. Both test pits produced recent material down to a depth of between 30-40 cm. Just below this was a concentration of tightly packed rocks with very little to no soil around them. This fact, in addition to time constraints, prevented us from probing any deeper. What is needed here is a larger excavation unit (a trench or 2 x 2 m square) to truly assess this location by determining if the rock concentrations are associated with either French and/or British fortifications, along with uncovering any deeper cultural deposits which may be preserved.

The Power Property

Directly north across the street from the present day Catholic Church is a large privately owned back garden. Owing to the proximity of both the O’Reilly House and old church grounds, we determined that this area was a good location to conduct some testing. A series of three test pits were excavated in selected locations around the property recovering nothing earlier than 19th-20th century artifacts.

Figure 2. Three gunflints found during excavations at Mount Pleasant.

Summary of Results

As stated previously, seven locations were tested during the two week survey period. Five of the test areas revealed either inconclusive results or disturbed stratigraphy, preventing any firm conclusions as to the nature or period of any early cultural deposits. These include the O’Reilly House property, the Placentia playground, the open field between the post office and the Murray property, the Jerseyside ballfield and the Power property. In contrast to these locations, two more sites were tested with very positive results. Excavations at both Mount Pleasant and the Murray property uncovered an undisturbed stratigraphic sequence in association with numerous cultural remains.

During the three days testing the Mount Pleasant site, several stone walls and other stone features were recorded along with a variety of 17th century artifacts including such items as gunflints (Figure 2), tin glaze ceramics, stoneware, French Saintonge earthenware, glass fragments, faunal remains and many well-preserved iron objects. All indications point to the remains of fortifications constructed during the 17th century, possibly by the Basque fishermen and/or later French colonists. Because of the undisturbed context of the stone features and excellent preservation of the artifactual remains, this site warrants further survey and excavation.

The main point of interest on the Murray property was an undisturbed thick, hard-packed, black deposit filled with brick, iron fragments, slag and a variety of 18th century material culture. The presence of this type of deposit indicates that a blacksmith shop or similar work station was located nearby. Documentation from the 18th century English occupation reports that the company of Sweetman and Saunders operated a blacksmith shop in the town of Placentia (Proulx 1979a:122, 1979b). Further work in this area may reveal the exact location and state of preservation of this blacksmith shop, its range of occupation and the presence of other associated structural remains.

Recommendations For Future Work

During the course of the Placentia survey it was determined that the areas of Mount Pleasant and the Murray property hold the greatest archaeological potential. Excavations at both of these areas uncovered undisturbed cultural layers containing numerous artifacts, most of which were in a remarkable state of preservation. As stated previously, excavations at Mount Pleasant turned up a very high number of artifacts which can likely be attributed to the Basque and/or French occupation of Placentia, starting in the second half of the seventeenth century. Found in association with these artifacts were a number of stone walls, circular stone features and a well. These excavations proved to be so productive that future work would undoubtedly unearth a wealth of new information. If work continued in this location, we would set up datum points and establish a grid system. The first task would be to map and record all the stone walls and features mentioned previously. A more thorough and expanded survey would also help to determine the parameters of this site, while continued excavations would concentrate on 2 x 2 m squares and/or test trenches to reveal a larger picture of the activities and occupation on Mount Pleasant. This site is important not only because it is one of the first French fortifications constructed in Newfoundland, but because it also remains in an undisturbed context, providing archaeologists with an open window into the early life of the first French colonists and soldiers who were settled on the Island. Future work on Mount Pleasant may help to answer a number of important questions:

• Is there a pre-1662 occupation (pre-French) at Mount Pleasant? Is there any evidence to suggest that this is the location of the Basque/English ‘earthen’ fort constructed in 1655?
• Are the stone walls discovered at Mount Pleasant part of a 17th century fortification or are they associated with some other type of feature?
• Are there any domestic structures on Mount Pleasant?
• What exactly are those round stone features recorded during the survey?
• If in fact the stone features found at Mount Pleasant can be attributed to the French occupation, then how long were they in use? How do these stone structures compare to other French fortifications built in colonial North America during the 16th and 17th century (i.e. in terms of construction technique, size, layout, etc.).
• What can the high proportion of tin glaze ceramic discovered during the survey at Mount Pleasant tell us about the people who resided in this area? Is this ceramic ware more common on French colonial sites than in contemporary English settlements?

The survey at the Murray property also uncovered many artifacts that seem to suggest it was once the location of a nearby blacksmith shop. Further work at this site would also require a grid system and systematic excavation to fully assess this theory and other questions stated below.

• Is the refuse deposit encountered a primary or secondary deposit? If it is a primary deposit, then where is the blacksmith shop located?
• If it is discovered, then will it be possible to determine the various work stations inside the blacksmith shop?
• What date was the blacksmith shop constructed and how broad is its range of occupation?

References

Grange, Roger T.

1971 – “Excavations at Castle Hill.” Manuscript Report Number 46. National and Historic Parks Branch. Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development.

Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada

1962 – “Placentia, Newfoundland.” Agenda Paper.

Humphreys, John

1970 – “Plaisance.” Publications in History, No. 3. National Museums of Canada, Ottawa.

McCarthy, M.J.

n.d.a – “A History of Placentia.” Reproduction of an unpublished text, Department of Education, Newfoundland.

n.d.b – “The French Colony at Placentia.” Copy of paper given to Newfoundland Historic Society.

O’Shea, William A.

1972 – “Committee’s Report on the Field Work and Survey at Placentia.”

Proulx, Jean-Pierre

1979a – “The Military History of Placentia: A Study of the French Fortifications.” History and Archaeology 26, National Historic Parks and Sites Branch, Parks Canada, Environment Canada.

1979b – “Placentia, 1713-1811.” History and Archaeology 26, National Historic Parks and Sites Branch, Parks Canada, Environment Canada.