Chronology of Selected
Historical Events

1579: Richard Whitbourne fished in Trinity Harbour as a crewmember of a ship from Southampton. Cotton, Master.

1615: Trinity, Sunday, June 4th Whitbourne under a Commission arrives from Exeter, Devon to hold “the first Court of Admiralty... that ever was...”

1675: Berry’s census records the name of planters: Tho. Carman & wife, David Horton & wife, Edward Horton, James Horton and Tho. Gabriell-(probably from the Channel Islands & settled in Pease Cove, now Trinity East).

1696: H.M.S Bonaventure of the Admiralty convoy, put into Trinity Harbour for repairs.

1697: April 2-3, French forces burn two settlements at Trinity Harbour. Captured 6 men in one; all flee from other.

1700: Capt. Thomas Cleasby RN of H.M..S  Mary Galley made a “draft of Trinity Harbour” and “The Draught... of Mr. William Taverner’s Roome...” The latter is the oldest extant sketch of a fishing plantation or a Room in Newfoundland. The Taverner family moved to Trinity from Bay de Verde.

1702-05: Poole Merchants trading to Newfoundland petition for the fortification and defence of Trinity Harbour.

1705: Settlement destroyed again by the French (de Montigny) from Placentia.

1719-29: Capt. John Moors, a trader from Christchurch, Hampshire, acts as a lay minister of the Church of England at Trinity, English Harbour, Hant’s Harbour and Old Perlican. He preached the sermon at the funeral of Jonah Newell, 1724. Newell’s headstone is still standing in Trinity East.

1720: Local net seal fishery well established by planters and servants.

1723: Brig Joseph of 100 tons was the first ship known to be built at Trinity by Poole Quaker merchant Joseph White.

1729: The first parochial church was built by Jacob Taverner.  Jacob Taverner and Francis Squibb were appointed the first Justice's of the Peace. Rev. Robert Kilpatrick first missionary of the Society for Propagation of the Gospel (SPG) arrives and Elizabeth Tight (Tite) was the first woman (whose first name is known) to sign a petition.

1730s: The Quaker Whites built the ships Charlton (200 tons), Willing Mind (90 tons), Adventure (90 tons), Samuel and Dove (70 ton) and Speedwell (40 ton). Shipbuilding was placed on firm footing.

1739: The Missionary Kilpatrick reported that most families of Trinity Bay re-moved ‘up the bay’ during the winter.

1746: A fort was constructed on Admiral’s Point, later known as Fort Point.

1747: Missionary Rev. Henry Jones reported Trinity as “ye Centre of Trade, not only for this Bay but all ye Northern Harbours.”

1753: Census records following population numbers:
 

1762: July17- August 1.  French military forces occupy Trinity. Benjamin Lester, was the chief hostage. There was selective destruction of ships and stages. The French engineer, Marc Antoine Sicre de Cinq Mars, a cartographer, produced skillfully drawn maps of Trinity Harbour and Fort Point.

1764-66: Poole merchant, Benjamin Lester, built a large two-and-a half storey Georgian house on the Taverner Plantation. He also enlarged his shop and counting house to three storeys. Both structures are still in evidence [The Lester- Garland house and Garland's (Ryan's Shop)].

1764-74: Period of Rev. James Balfour, SPG Missionary - varied bitter disputes with merchants and inhabitants - reports of lawlessness, disorder, quarreling, fighting, drunkeness, murder and other vices. The offshore bank fishery was established.

1766: Ship owners ordered to return unemployed servants to Ireland.

1770: Balfour noted "Trinity being the principal port of this northern part of the Land, I have
a decent audience every Sunday during the summer season of above three hundred people..."
Summer populations of this period reach levels of 1500-1700 people.

1774: Balfour reported that Samuel White, "a Rich Miser Quaker" . . .built a huge flake. . . "over part of the Garden . . . which Flake obstructed the Smoke of my Chimmney, Darkened my Windows, and rendered my House hardly Habitable . . ." White was ordered to remove the flake.

1778: A Court House and gaol were built with "a tax of one shilling on all servants for building..."

1780: Methodist preacher, John Hoskins, tarred by English sailors at Trinity.

1783: Arrival of Dr. John Clinch. Clinch became J.P and SPG missionary.

1791: Clinch appointed stipendary Magistrate.

1791-92: Clinch records Beothuk vocabulary from Indian girl named Oubee and possibly from John August, another native who fished for the firm of Jeffery and Street at Catalina in the summer and reportedly went back to his people during the winter.

1799: Dr. John Clinch experimented successfully with smallpox vaccination sent from London by his boyhood friend and medical colleague, Edward Jenner. This was a major milestone in world medical history.

1802: Benjamin Lester of Poole , Trinity’s principal merchant, died.  His Property and Trade was acquired by his son-in-law, George Garland.

1804: Robert Slade of Poole established trade on former premises of Joseph White and Jeffery & Street towards Hog’s Nose on Northwest Arm.

1810-20: The seal fishery, using schooners, established at Trinity.  This was a period of rapid growth and expansion of the permanent population.  It probably marked the heyday of Trinity as a port and place of commerce.

1812: Loyal Trinity Volunteer Rangers formed (a local militia force under Wm. Kelson).  Fort rebuilt.

1815: October. The first recorded visit by a Roman Catholic priest. The Rev. Fr. J. Sinnott was stationed at  King’s Cove.

1816: The first resident Methodist preacher was Rev. John Haigh.

1819: Rev. Dr. Clinch dies. He served in Trinity for over 35 years.

1819-21: John Bingley Garland & brother George rebuild Benjamin Lester's Georgian house, making it a three-storey salt box type.

1820: Construction of a new parish Church began. It was later consecrated as St. Paul’s.The Rev. Aubrey Spencer, later the first Church of England Bishop of Nfld., became incumbent missionary at Trinity.

1822: October 15 "horrendous gale..."

1825-26: The Newfoundland School Society school was established. Benjamin Fleet the first teacher.

1826: Methodist Meeting House built - it was cottage shaped structure.

1827: June 12. St.Paul’s Church was consecrated by Bishop Inglis of Nova Scotia.  The hymn "We Love the place, O God" was composed by Rev. Wm. Bullock for the occasion. The hymn later gained widespread use in Christendom.

1832: October 19, John Bingley Garland was elected the Member for Trinity in the House of Assembly in Representive Goverment. He was later elected first speaker.

1833: Building of a small Roman Catholic Church, The Church of the most Holy Trinity.  Original structure still standing with bell tower added in 1880.

1834: August 9, John Bingley Garland quits Trinity. Returns to Dorset.

1835-36: A Road Board was established to improve the road network. Road names were assigned, largely reflecting street names in Poole.

1849: John Bingley Garland ceases trade at Trinity ending a century and a half of family businesses dating to the Taverners c1700, the Lesters 1748-1802, and the Garlands 1802-49.  He leased the property, "Garland Plantation", to Robinson & Brooking of St. John's.

1861: Robert Slade & Co. bankrupt.

1866: Renowned citizen William Kelson Sr, agent and partner of Robert Slade, died.

1867: First streamer S.S Wolf dispatched to the ice from Trinity by Grieve & Co., with Capt. George Gent and a crew of 103.

1869: Walter Grieve & Co. of St.John’s established trade on both the Slade & Garland Plantations.

1872-80: S.S. Lion (229 tons) went to the Ice each spring, Capt. Frank Ash.

1875: Arrival of Capt. Edward Murray Cooksley, son-in-law of John Bingley Garland. He attempts to re-develop Trinity's economy.

1877: A new Methodist Chruch built (demolished in 1935).

1877: Trinity, Catalina and Bonavista was connected by telegraph.

1881: Hiscock House built for Richard Hiscock, blacksmith.

1882: January 6, mysterious dissappearence of S.S Lion, off Grate’s Cove with loss of Capt. Patrick Fowlow, crew of ten, and about 20 passengers.

1886: Trinity Record, newspaper, founded. It was published unitl 1900.

1892: February 27. The Trinity Bay Disaster. A blizzard struck suddenly with c. 215 men & boys from Trinity Byte area sealing on the ice in the bay.  Over two dozen (mostly from English Harbour and Ship Cove) perished.

1893: Trinity connected by a wagon road (40 miles) to Shoal Harbour via Goose Bay, Bonavista Bay.

1894: November 13. Current St.Paul’s Church consecrated by Bishop Jones who labelled it "the Gem of the Diocese".

1899: The Parish Hall was under construction.

1900: Bankruptcy of R.S. Bremner, chief merchant in Trinity from 1866, he was the last tenant of the Garland Plantation.

1906: The Ryan brothers of Bonavista & Kings Cove purchased the Garland Plantation, it became the base for the Labrador fishery.

1908: The newspaper Enterprise was published by F.J. Brady (Breddy).

1910: The construction of Bonavista Branch Railway begins.

1911: The Trinity Loop built.

1924: Trinity Enterprise was first published.

1951-55: Liquidation of assets of the Ryan Brothers took place, thus completing the abandonment of the ancient Taverner-Lester-Garland-Ryan Premises.

1964: Trinity Historical Society established originally as Historic Sites Committee to preserve historic buildings.

1969: Trinity was incorporated as a community.