Petit-de-Grat is a small

Acadian The Acadians (french: Acadiens , ) are an ethnic group descended from the French who settled in the New France colony of Acadia during the 17th and 18th centuries. Most Acadians live in the region of Acadia, as it is the region where the de ...

community in the

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

province of

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

, located in

Richmond County Richmond County may refer to places: Australia *Richmond County, New South Wales, a cadastral division Canada *Richmond County, Nova Scotia United Kingdom *Richmondshire, the original Richmond County in Yorkshire, England United States ...

Petit-de-Grat Island Petit-de-Grat Island is a Canadian island off the coast of Cape Breton Island, in Richmond County, Nova Scotia. The island's main community is Petit-de-Grat. The first settlers came from the Basque region of Spain in 1714. Petit-de-Grat Island is ...

. Its name comes from the

Basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous co ...

word "dégrat" which means "fishing station" or "whaling station".

History

The community was first populated by French fishermen in 1718 after they arrived from

Canso, Nova Scotia Canso is a community in Guysborough County, on the north-eastern tip of mainland Nova Scotia, Canada, next to Chedabucto Bay. In January 2012, it ceased to be a separate town and as of July 2012 was amalgamated into the Municipality of the Di ...

having survived a raid by New Englanders. The community was made up of 10 to 20 merchants who each owned a few shallops and employed about a dozen men. Petit de Grats was home to 173 people, including 8 women and 20 children. The community was a permanent, year-round village, whereas Canso hosted only seasonal fishing camps.Robinson, p. 56 On August 8, 1720, a group of 60 Mi'kmaq joined the French from Petit de Grat and attacked Canso. In the battle, two New Englanders were shot to death and one drowned. The New Englanders took 21 prisoners which they transported to

Annapolis Royal Annapolis Royal, formerly known as Port Royal, is a town located in the western part of Annapolis County, Nova Scotia, Canada. Today's Annapolis Royal is the second French settlement known by the same name and should not be confused with the n ...

. This raid on Canso was significant because of the involvement of the Mi'kmaq and it precipitated a course of events that would lead to

Dummer's War Dummer's War (1722–1725) is also known as Father Rale's War, Lovewell's War, Greylock's War, the Three Years War, the Wabanaki-New England War, or the Fourth Anglo-Abenaki War. It was a series of battles between the New England Colonies and the ...

. In 1745, the village was destroyed by New Englanders, led by Captain

Jeremiah Moulton Jeremiah Moulton (b. York, Massachusetts (now in York, Maine), 1688, d. York, 20 July 1765) was a New England militia officer and member of the Massachusetts Council. As a boy, during King William's War, Moulton's parents were killed and he was ta ...

under the Command of Colonel

William Pepperell Sir William Pepperrell, 1st Baronet (27 June 1696 – 6 July 1759) was a merchant and soldier in colonial Massachusetts. He is widely remembered for organizing, financing, and leading the 1745 expedition that captured the French fortr ...

, during the aftermath of the

Siege of Port Toulouse A siege is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition, or a well-prepared assault. This derives from la, sedere, lit=to sit. Siege warfare is a form of constant, low-intensity conflict characterized ...

. During the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...

, on September 22, 1776, Canso, Nova Scotia was attacked by American privateer

John Paul Jones John Paul Jones (born John Paul; July 6, 1747 July 18, 1792) was a Scottish-American naval captain who was the United States' first well-known naval commander in the American Revolutionary War. He made many friends among U.S political elites ( ...

- the Father of the American Navy. The privateer sailed on the

USS Providence USS ''Providence'' may refer to: *, a 12-gun ship originally named ''Katy'', taken into service in 1775 and destroyed in 1779 to forestall capture by the British *, launched in 1776 and captured by the British in 1780 *, built in 1776, fought duri ...

and destroyed fifteen vessels, and damaged much property on shore. There he recruited men to fill the vacancies created by manning his prizes, burned a British fishing schooner, sank a second, and captured a third besides a shallop which he used as a tender. Jones then pillaged Petit-de-Grat and

Arichat, Nova Scotia Arichat is an unincorporated place in the Municipality of the County of Richmond, Nova Scotia, Canada. It is the main village on Isle Madame on the southeastern tip of Cape Breton Island. Toponym The name derives from a Mi'kmaq word meaning ...

Isle Madame, Nova Scotia Isle Madame is an island off southeastern Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia. It is part of the Municipality of the County of Richmond. Once part of the French colony of Île-Royale, it may have been named for Françoise d'Aubigné, marquise ...

and then returned to Boston.

Provincial Park Reserve

The Petit-de-Grat Provincial Park Reserve is located on the west side of Petit-de-Grat, near Boudreauville. It covers 646.20 hectares of land, and includes the Great Barachois, Mackerel Cove, Presqu'ile Cove. Its southern end is marked as a significant habitat for migratory birds.

Library

The Petit-de-Grat Library is one of three in the Richmond County, and one of 10 in the Eastern Counties Regional Library network. The library in Petit de Grat, which provides library service and a large collection of both French and English materials, was officially opened on June 26, 1982. In December 1996, the branch relocated to the La Picasse Acadian educational and cultural centre. Circulation per month ranges from 774 (October 2016) to 3256 (May 2013).

References

*Robison, Mark Power. Maritime Frontiers: The Evolution of Empire in Nova Scotia, 1713–1758. Unpublished Doctorate Thesis. Department of History. University of Colorado. 2000

External links

Petit-de-Grat on Destination Nova ScotiaJohn Paul JonesRaids Arichat.pdf
{{Coord, 45, 30, 21.55, N, 60, 57, 26.27, W, name=Petit-de-Grat, Nova Scotia, display=title, region:CA-NS_scale:100000 Communities in Richmond County, Nova Scotia General Service Areas in Nova Scotia 1718 establishments in the French colonial empire