The London and Bristol Company came about in the early 17th century when English merchants had begun to express an interest in the Newfoundland fishery. Financed by a

syndicate A syndicate is a self-organizing group of individuals, companies, corporations or entities formed to transact some specific business, to pursue or promote a shared interest. Etymology The word ''syndicate'' comes from the French word ''syndicat ...

of investors John Guy, himself a

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

merchant, visited Newfoundland in 1608 to locate a favourable site for a

colony In modern parlance, a colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule. Though dominated by the foreign colonizers, colonies remain separate from the administration of the original country of the colonizers, the '' metropolitan state' ...

. Upon his return to

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

40 people applied for incorporation as ''the Tresurer and the Companye of Adventurers and planter of the Cittye of london and Bristoll for the Collonye or plantacon in Newfoundland''. The company was known as the London and Bristol Company or simply the Newfoundland Company. The company was granted a charter by

James I James I may refer to: People *James I of Aragon (1208–1276) *James I of Sicily or James II of Aragon (1267–1327) *James I, Count of La Marche (1319–1362), Count of Ponthieu *James I, Count of Urgell (1321–1347) *James I of Cyprus (1334–13 ...

on May 2, 1610, giving it a monopoly in agriculture, mining, fishing and hunting on the Avalon Peninsula. They retained exclusive rights until 1616 when the Crown began to grant lands to others. The new grants were then initiated by the Bristol Society of Merchant Ventures. The Merchant Ventures were made up of many who had been members of the London and Bristol Company. Among some of the other prominent members of the London and Bristol Company,

Henry Cary, 1st Viscount Falkland Henry may refer to: People *Henry (given name) * Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portugal ...

became a supporter of the venture. Cary had influence in the company through his wife, daughter of Sir Laurence Tanfield, one of the leaders of the company.

References

External links

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Canadian Encyclopedia
{{DEFAULTSORT:London And Bristol Company 1610 establishments in England Defunct companies of Newfoundland and Labrador Culture of Newfoundland and Labrador Companies established in 1610 Chartered companies Economy of Stuart England

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