THE UNOFFICIAL BONAVISTA BAY HERITAGE SITE

JOHN BERRY'S
1675 CENCUS

In July of 1675, Sir John Berry, Convoy Commander of the English fleet, arrived in St. John's bearing an Order-in-Council from King Charles II, 'that all planters (resident boatkeepers) voluntarily return home or remove themselves to any of the other English colonies in the West Indies and New England'. In issuing the order `in all the harbours, bays, creeks' as far as 'Capes Bonavista and de Race' (the English Shore), Berry also ordered a comprehensive census of the planters' names with an account of their concerns. It includes the names of the planters living in the communities between Cape de Raze (Cape Race) and Cape Bonavista, numbers of women and children in each family, the number of men each planter employed for the fishery and the number of boats, stages, and cattle each had for that year.

Berry, together with John Downing and several others, was sympathetic toward the settlers and argued on their behalf in England. Through Berry's efforts an order was given in May 1677 'that the Planters in Newfoundland be continued in possession of their Houses and stages according to the usage of the years, until further orders'.

THE FIRST SIX 'OFFICIAL' NFLD CENCUS
1675 CENCUS JOHN BERRY'S FIRST OFFICIAL CENCUS OF NFLD
1676 CENCUS CAPT RUSSELL'S 1676 ACCOMPT
1677 CENCUS HOSTED AT GENWEB
1681 CENCUS 1681 REQUIRED
1684 CENCUS PENDING
1708 CENCUS CHECK YEAR

THE UNOFFICIAL BONAVISTA BAY HERITAGE SITE

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