Hugh Bonfoy (c. 1720 – 12 March 1762) was a naval officer and colonial governor of
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 ...
.
Naval career
Bonfoy entered the
Royal Navy in 1739 and was promoted to
lieutenant in 1744 and to
captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
in 1745. He was captain of the
fourth-rate HMS ''Augusta'' and then of the
third-rate HMS ''Berwick''.
He became governor of Newfoundland in 1753.
[ The common perception on the island was the uncertainty about the loyalty of Irish ]Roman Catholics
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
in Newfoundland. Bonfoy did not allow Irish Catholics to worship stating that:
"Liberty of Conscience is allowed to all Persons except Papists."[
]
See also
* Governors of Newfoundland
* List of people from Newfoundland and Labrador
References
External links
Biography at Government House ''The Governorship of Newfoundland and Labrador''
Governors of Newfoundland Colony
Royal Navy officers
1720s births
1762 deaths
Year of birth uncertain
18th-century Royal Navy personnel
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