Old Perlican is a

fishing village A fishing village is a village, usually located near a fishing ground, with an economy based on catching fish and harvesting seafood. The continents and islands around the world have coastlines totalling around 356,000 kilometres (221,000 ...

on the Avalon Peninsula,

Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic Canada, Atlantic region. The province comprises t ...

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 ...

. Incorporated in 1971, it is one of the oldest fishing communities in Newfoundland; it served as the major fishing station in Trinity Bay for migratory

fisherman A fisher or fisherman is someone who captures fish and other animals from a body of water, or gathers shellfish. Worldwide, there are about 38 million commercial and subsistence fishers and fish farmers. Fishers may be professional or rec ...

from England in the 17th century.

History

Its name was recorded as "Parlican" as early as 1597, with the "old" being added sometime later to distinguish it from

New Perlican New Perlican is a town in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. The town had a population of 200 in the Canada 2021 Census. Geography Black and gray shales of the Precambrian era underlie the town. The main soil is a stony l ...

further up the bay. It was settled by at least 1640. A "planter" (an early settler or colonist) named John Barrett (1654-1714) lived there after arriving from Poole, England in 1711. One of, if not, the oldest recorded English land transaction in Newfoundland archives is between John Barrett and John Carter in 1711 in Old Perlican. The original is in the St. John's archives and a photocopy hangs in the Old Perlican Town Hall.

Timeline

* 1597 - Old Perlican was first mentioned as "Parlican". At this time, Old Perlican is a summer fishery station for migratory fishermen. * 1675 - First Newfoundland Census lists fourteen planters. * 1697 - (February) - French under D'Iberville capture Old Perlican. They report that there are "19 houses, several stores, more than thirty head of horned cattle, and a number of sheep and pigs". During

King William's War King William's War (also known as the Second Indian War, Father Baudoin's War, Castin's War, or the First Intercolonial War in French) was the North American theater of the Nine Years' War (1688–1697), also known as the War of the Grand All ...

, the village was destroyed in the Avalon Peninsula Campaign. * 1729 - Old Perlican is one of 11 harbors in Newfoundland to warrant the appointment of justice of the peace. * 1856 - Way Office established. * 1883 - First Postmaster was George Tuff.

Demographics

In the

2021 Census of Population The 2021 Canadian census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population with a reference date of May 11, 2021. It follows the 2016 Canadian census, which recorded a population of 35,151,728. The overall response rate was 98%, which is sli ...

conducted by Statistics Canada, Old Perlican had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.

Attractions

* Old Perlican Harbour Authority * Beckett Heritage Property * Historical Graves * "The Captains Inn" bed and breakfast * Trinity South D'Iberville Trail (Northern Terminus)

Notable people

Marilyn Churley Marilyn Churley (born May 7, 1948) is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. She was a New Democratic member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1990 to 2005 who represented the downtown Toronto ridings of Riverdale and Toronto—Danfor ...

, former Ontario MPP *

William James Herder William James Herder (1849–1922), publisher, born Old Perlican, Newfoundland Colony, was the founder of Newfoundland's first daily newspaper, '' The Evening Telegram''. Herder was educated at Methodist Academy and in 1863 had apprenticed as a pr ...

, founder of Newfoundland's first daily newspaper

References

External links

The Ballad Of George Alfred BecketOld Perlican - Encyclopedia of Newfoundland and Labrador, vol. 4, p. 164-165.
{{fishing history, expanded=villages Populated coastal places in Canada Towns in Newfoundland and Labrador Fishing communities Fishing communities in Canada