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Cod and the coast |
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Bench commemorating a merchant fishing vessel
© Geraint Jennings |
Sir Walter Raleigh, Governor of Jersey 1600-1603, took an active interest in promoting Jersey trade in Newfoundland cod as part of his enthusiasm for American colonisation, and later in the 17th Century further links were established when King Charles II donated territories in North America in 1650, and again in 1664, to the Bailiff of Jersey, Sir George Carteret.
A new Jersey
This was in gratitude for having been sheltered in exile in Jersey and having been publicly proclaimed king in the Royal Square in St Helier on 17th February 1649. Jersey was therefore the first territory to recognise the new king after the execution of his father, Charles I. The lands given to George Carteret gave rise to the modern State of New Jersey.
Restored figurehead of the Atlantic trading vessel "Roseau" built by Clarke's Shipyard in St. Helier in 1857
© Geraint Jennings |
Across New England and the coasts of modern Canada, Jersey merchants sought opportunities, made fortunes and employed labour from their homeland. By 1763, Jersey was shipping more Newfoundland cod than any other British port. However, the Treaty of Paris in 1763, by which France lost almost all its North American possessions, left a commercial void into which Jersey merchants moved.
Part of the reason for the success of the Jersey merchants is that they were French-speaking but familiar with English, and were also able to conduct negotiations among themselves in Jèrriais, the Jersey language, using it almost as a secret code among themselves.
By 1767, Jerseymen who had been exploiting the fisheries of the Labrador coast moved south to the Gaspé coast (known in Jersey simply as "La Côte" or the Coast) where they took control for the next 150 years. Charles Robin (1746-1824) became the leading merchant and fish exporter on the Coast, maintaining financial control of the cod trade and importing manpower and supplies from his native Island.
Words: Geraint Jennings
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