Map of fortification in 1750 Carbonear Island or "Stoners Island" as one may call it is a small uninhabited island on the

Avalon Peninsula The Avalon Peninsula (french: Péninsule d'Avalon) is a large peninsula that makes up the southeast portion of the island of Newfoundland. It is in size. The peninsula is home to 270,348 people, about 52% of Newfoundland's population, according ...

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. It is located at the mouth of

Carbonear Carbonear is a town on the Avalon Peninsula in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It overlooks the west side of Conception Bay and had a history long tied to fishing and shipbuilding. Since the late 20th century, its economy has changed to emphasi ...

harbour. It became a strategic haven for the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

settlers of Carbonear fending off the raids by the French and became known for a time as the "

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...

of Newfoundland". While there is some evidence that the island may have at some time been occupied by First Nations people, the first documented reference to Carbonear Island was by Thomas Oxford of St. John's in 1679 when he requested that a fortress be erected on the island.''Encyclopedia of Newfoundland and Labrador'', Volume One, (p 346) In 1696 when

Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville (16 July 1661 – 9 July 1706) or Sieur d'Iberville was a French soldier, explorer, colonial administrator, and trader. He is noted for founding the colony of Louisiana in New France. He was born in Montreal to French ...

had raided most of the settlements in

Conception Bay Conception Bay (CB) is a bay on the southeast coast of Newfoundland, Canada. The population (in 2011) of people living in municipalities (or unincorporated census subdivisions) located along the coast of Conception Bay was 90,490 making it on ...

and Trinity Bay, the residents of Carbonear and surrounding towns took refuge on the Island. During the Battle of Carbonear the abandoned town was burned but, thanks partially to fortifications they had erected with their own funds, the earth works walls of which are still evident, the residents were successful in defending the island from capture. The second major attack came in 1705 led by

Daniel d'Auger de Subercase Daniel d'Auger de Subercase (February 12, 1661 – November 20, 1732) was a naval officer and the French governor of Newfoundland and later Acadia. Subercase was baptised a Protestant to Jean Daughter, a rich merchant and bourgeois who had ...

. After failing an attack on St. John's, he moved on to destroy every town in Conception and Trinity Bays, with the exception of Carbonear Island. A period of almose sixty years of peace followed, but finally, for a brief period in the summer of 1762, the island was attacked and fell under the control of Count Joseph Louis Bernard de Clairons d'Haussonville, the fortifications burned and abandoned. The English quickly recovered the area and realized the need to develop their fortifications there. Carbonear Island continued to be an important refuge for settlers in the region during subsequent attacks from the French and later by American privateers until the early 19th century. In 1878, a lighthouse and residence for year-round occupancy was erected on the northeast end of Carbonear Island and was maintained until c. 1928, when the lighthouse was staffed mainly by the Forward families. Subsequently, an automated light station was installed which is still in use. The Island is now a protected bird sanctuary sheltering various breeds of birds, including the

bald eagle The bald eagle (''Haliaeetus leucocephalus'') is a bird of prey found in North America. A sea eagle, it has two known subspecies and forms a species pair with the white-tailed eagle (''Haliaeetus albicilla''), which occupies the same niche as ...

. The Carbonear Islands' military importance was recognized in 1954, when they were designated a site of national significance, and in 1981, when they were declared a site of a nationally historic event. The first of a series of excavations began on the island in 2010 to learn more about its role in protecting British North America, and approximately 1300 artifacts were found in the first summer's dig.

External links

Town of Carbonear website

www.islandchartertours.com

References

{{Authority control , additional=Q111848020 Uninhabited islands of Newfoundland and Labrador