| Spaniard's Bay | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| — Town — | |||
| The Holy Redeemer Anglican Church overlooking Conception Bay | |||
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| Coordinates: | |||
| Country | Canada | ||
| Province | Newfoundland and Labrador | ||
| -- Settled -- | 1705 | ||
| Incorporated (town) | June 8, 1965 | ||
| Government | |||
| • Mayor | John W. Drover | ||
| • MLA | Roland Butler (LIB) | ||
| Population (2006) | |||
| • Total | 2,540 | ||
| Time zone | Newfoundland Time (UTC-3:30) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | Newfoundland Daylight (UTC-2:30) | ||
| Area code(s) | 709 | ||
| Website | www.townofspaniardsbay.ca | ||
Spaniard's Bay is a town in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Spaniard’s Bay is located on the northwest side of Conception Bay and consists of Vokey’s Shore, Northern Cove, Mint Cove, Green Head, and Goddenville. The names of towns and places in Newfoundland are perhaps the most unusual collection in the world and the origins of these names are a fascinating study by itself. Places such as “Come by Chance” or “Right in the Run Island” displays the Newfoundlanders’ humor. Other places describe the rugged and harsh coastline, like “Bad Bay”, “Misery Point”, or “Bleak Island”. Some places reflect the varied origin of the area, such as “Frenchman’s Cove”, “English Harbour”, and of course “Spaniard’s Bay”. The name Spaniard’s Bay came from the Basque and Portuguese fishermen who frequented the port in the 16th century and 17th century, and were referred to by the English as ‘Spaniards’.
Occupation of the area was seasonal at first, as with most of Newfoundland, but gradually English fishermen began to make permanent homes in Spaniard’s Bay around 1776. American Traders were visiting Spaniard’s Bay before 1776 and they exchanged salt, rum, and tobacco for cod. By 1805, there were 400 people living in the area and according to the 1871 Lovell’s Directory, the population would rise to 1,182 in less than seventy years. The majority of the settlers were English and had Dorset origin, but there was a strong Irish population. By the end of 1991, the population would be close to 2,200.
The initial settlement at Spaniard’s Bay centered around Mint Cove and Northern Cove. Some of the people living in Mint Cove before 1800 were Jonathan Sheppard, John Warford, Timothy Collins, and William Chipman. William Gosse and Robert Gosse, Jr. had a dockyard in Northern Cove in 1790, while Thomas Noseworthy and William Porter were living at Green Head in 1796. The Smith and Barrett families occupied Bread and Cheese Cove (Bishop's Cove), with the Smiths claiming to have been in possession of the land since 1625. There were 400 people in 38 families occupying 36 registered properties in Spaniard’s Bay. Some of the family names included Peddle, Kelly, Neil, Besom, Brown, Forter, Phelan, Seymour, Vokey, Butt, Baggs, Baker, and Menchions.
Spaniard's Bay is also home of violinist Luke Welsh.