Cape Island, Newfoundland and Labrador
Encyclopedia
Cape Island is the name of both an island
and a community in the Canadian
province of Newfoundland and Labrador
.
Cape Island is situated off the eastern tip of Cape Freels
in Bonavista Bay
, along the northeast coast of the island of Newfoundland. A small fishing community was settled in the late 18th century by fishermen and trappers from nearby settlements such as Greenspond
and Bonavista
.
The 1836 Census of Newfoundland show that there were 100 people living at Cape Island during this time. The inhabitants made their living through small-boat inshore cod fishery, catching capelin, and participating in the seal hunt
. However, with an already fluctuating population, a decline in the inshore fishery and changes brought on by salt and fresh-frozen processing resulted in the resettlement
of the community. Between 1948 and 1950 the community of Cape Island was abandoned.
and two were Roman Catholic. When the population was 69 in 1857, 65 of them were of the Church of England. Although Cape Island never had a Church of England church, ministers would visit the community on occasion for services, marriages, baptisms, and burials. For example, Rev. Nathanial Coster, the first resident Church of England minister in Greenspond, visited Cape Island in June 1831 and 1855. The Rev. Julian Moreton mentions Cape Island and the visits he made there in his journal from 1855 to 1859. The Rev. Goodacre Cragg also visited Cape Island, for example in 1865, he conducted 12 services at Cape Island. By the 1860s Methodism
had come to Cape Island; in 1869, 28 of the 82 people in the community were Methodist. By 1874, there were 31 people belonging to the Church of England, while 63 were Methodist. The first church on Cape Island was a Methodist church built in the 1870s.
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
and a community in the Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
province of Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...
.
Cape Island is situated off the eastern tip of Cape Freels
Cape Freels
Cape Freels is a headland on the island of Newfoundland and the location of a community of the same name.The cape was named Ilha de Freyluis as early as 1506. The Portuguese translation is a derivation of the island of Brother Lewis. The area around the cape is the location of a Beothuk camping site...
in Bonavista Bay
Bonavista Bay
Bonavista Bay is a large bay located on the northeast coast of the island of Newfoundland in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It opens directly onto the Atlantic Ocean....
, along the northeast coast of the island of Newfoundland. A small fishing community was settled in the late 18th century by fishermen and trappers from nearby settlements such as Greenspond
Greenspond, Newfoundland and Labrador
Greenspond is one of the communities that comprise an area on the northeast coast of the Island of Newfoundland, called Bonavista North. These communities have a shared history in that they were settled by people from England, predominantly from the West Country - Dorset, Devon, Somerset and...
and Bonavista
Bonavista, Newfoundland and Labrador
Bonavista is a town on the Bonavista Peninsula, Newfoundland in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Unlike many Newfoundland coastal settlements, Bonavista was built on an open plain, not in a steep cove, and thus had room to expand to its current area of 31.5 square...
.
The 1836 Census of Newfoundland show that there were 100 people living at Cape Island during this time. The inhabitants made their living through small-boat inshore cod fishery, catching capelin, and participating in the seal hunt
Seal hunting
Seal hunting, or sealing, is the personal or commercial hunting of seals. The hunt is currently practiced in five countries: Canada, where most of the world's seal hunting takes place, Namibia, the Danish region of Greenland, Norway and Russia...
. However, with an already fluctuating population, a decline in the inshore fishery and changes brought on by salt and fresh-frozen processing resulted in the resettlement
Resettlement (Newfoundland)
Resettlement in Newfoundland and Labrador terms was an organized approach to centralize the population into growth areas. Three attempts of resettlement were thrust upon outport residents and whole communities between 1954 and 1975 which resulted in the abandonment of 300 communities and nearly...
of the community. Between 1948 and 1950 the community of Cape Island was abandoned.
Church history
According to the 1836 Census, 98 of the 100 inhabitants at Cape Island belonged to the Church of EnglandChurch of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
and two were Roman Catholic. When the population was 69 in 1857, 65 of them were of the Church of England. Although Cape Island never had a Church of England church, ministers would visit the community on occasion for services, marriages, baptisms, and burials. For example, Rev. Nathanial Coster, the first resident Church of England minister in Greenspond, visited Cape Island in June 1831 and 1855. The Rev. Julian Moreton mentions Cape Island and the visits he made there in his journal from 1855 to 1859. The Rev. Goodacre Cragg also visited Cape Island, for example in 1865, he conducted 12 services at Cape Island. By the 1860s Methodism
Methodism
Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother...
had come to Cape Island; in 1869, 28 of the 82 people in the community were Methodist. By 1874, there were 31 people belonging to the Church of England, while 63 were Methodist. The first church on Cape Island was a Methodist church built in the 1870s.
Census Information
| 1836 | 1845 | 1857 | 1874 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| population | 100 | 79 | 69 | 94 |
| houses | 11 | 9 | 9 | 12 |
| Church of England | 98 | 79 | 69 | 31 |
| Methodist | 0 | 0 | 0 | 63 |
| total fishing boats | 9 | 9 | 10 | 5 |
| fishing rooms | n/a | n/a | 5 | 9 |
| seal nets | n/a | 29 | 27 | 35 |
| seals caught | n/a | n/a | 46 | 290 |
| potatoes produced | 276.5 (bushels) | 39 (barrels) | 140 (barrels) | 115 (barrels) |
| cod fish cured | n/a | n/a | 1150 qtls | 1440 qtls |
Interesting facts
- Cape Island had 29 seal nets in 1845 and 27 from 1857 to 1869.
- Cape Island had 2 large boats for sealing in 1836, and 4 in the years 1845 and 1869.
- In the Greenland Disaster of 1898, Cape Island lost three men: Alexander Andrews, Edwin Hunt, and John Vincent.
- Thomas Mellindy is recorded in the Hutchinson's Newfoundland Directory 1864-1865, as a planter on Cape Island.