Trinity is a small town located on Trinity Bay in

Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the populatio ...

. The town contains a number of buildings recognized as Registered Heritage Structures by the

Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador The Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador (HFNL) or Heritage NL is a non-profit Crown corporation of the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador established in 1984 by the Historic Resources Act (Newfoundland and Labrador), Historic R ...

History

The harbour at Trinity was first used by fishing ships around the 16th century. The Portuguese explorer

Gaspar Corte-Real Gaspar Corte-Real (1450–1501) was a Portuguese people, Portuguese Exploration, explorer who, alongside his father João Vaz Corte-Real and brother Miguel Corte-Real, Miguel, participated in various exploratory voyages sponsored by the Portuguese ...

named the location "Trinity" as he arrived on

Trinity Sunday Trinity Sunday is the first Sunday after Pentecost in the Western Christianity, Western Christian liturgical year, liturgical calendar, and the Sunday of Pentecost in Eastern Christianity. Trinity Sunday celebrates the Christian doctrine of the ...

, 1501 although another account gives his arrival as 1500. Fishermen from the West Country of England began using Trinity as a summer station in the migratory fishery in the 1570s. Summer fishermen continued to be primarily from the

Channel Islands The Channel Islands are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They are divided into two Crown Dependencies: the Jersey, Bailiwick of Jersey, which is the largest of the islands; and the Bailiwick of Guernsey, ...

, especially

Jersey Jersey ( ; ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey, is an autonomous and self-governing island territory of the British Islands. Although as a British Crown Dependency it is not a sovereign state, it has its own distinguishing civil and gov ...

, and Weymouth in

Dorset Dorset ( ; Archaism, archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, t ...

until a permanent settlement was established. Trinity was settled by merchants from

Poole Poole () is a coastal town and seaport on the south coast of England in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole unitary authority area in Dorset, England. The town is east of Dorchester, Dorset, Dorchester and adjoins Bournemouth to the east ...

, England during the 18th century, citing reasons such as the easily defensible harbour and abundance of shore space for fishing premises. Trinity was the site that Sir Richard Whitbourne held the first court of Admiralty in 1615, establishing the first court of justice in North America. The merchant trade in Trinity was significant and dominated the social and economic life from Baie Verte to White Bay (Newfoundland and Labrador). At times, merchants in Trinity exported upwards of 30-40% of cod, train oil, and seals produced in Newfoundland. By the late 18th Century, the merchant firms in Trinity were operatoring 35 ocean-going ships, exporting 100,000 quintals of dried cod and supplying about 6,000 inhabitants. A fort was established at Admiral's Point near Trinity in order to protect the assets of the merchants. Due to Trinity's prominence in the British-Newfoundland trade, it was attacked and twice captured by the French in the

Anglo-French Wars The Anglo-French Wars (1109–1815) were a series of conflicts between the territories of the Kingdom of England (and its successor state, the United Kingdom) and the Kingdom of France (succeeded by a France, republic). Their conflicts spanned t ...

of 1696–1713, first in 1696 and again in 1705. Both times, the properties of the residents were burnt. Trinity was again captured by the French during the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...

by Admiral de Ternay. Trinity was the site of medical research, including the introduction of the

smallpox vaccine The smallpox vaccine is used to prevent smallpox infection caused by the variola virus. It is the first vaccine to have been developed against a contagious disease. In 1796, British physician Edward Jenner demonstrated that an infection with th ...

to the new world in 1798 by John Clinch, a boyhood friend and medical colleague of

Edward Jenner Edward Jenner (17 May 1749 – 26 January 1823) was an English physician and scientist who pioneered the concept of vaccines and created the smallpox vaccine, the world's first vaccine. The terms ''vaccine'' and ''vaccination'' are derived f ...

. Religious activities in Trinity date back to the early years. The first parochial church was built in 1729 and Rev. Robert Kilpatrick, the first missionary of the Society for Propagation of the Gospel, arrived. During a tumultuous time in Trinity's history, a visiting

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

preacher, John Hoskins, was tarred by sailors in 1780 - a resident Methodist preacher did not arrive until 1816. Construction on a new

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...

began in 1820 and housed the Rev. Aubrey Spencer who later became the first

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...

bishop of the diocese of Newfoundland and

Bermuda Bermuda is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. The closest land outside the territory is in the American state of North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. Bermuda is an ...

. In 1827, St. Paul's Church in Trinity was consecrated by Bishop Inglis of

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

. For this occasion, the hymn "We Love the Place, O Lord" was composed by Rev. William Bullock and has since gained widespread use. The decline of Trinity began in the mid-19th century as major firms reduced their direct overseas trade and began to rely on commercial links with St. John's. The Ryan brothers of King's Cove and Bonavista continued their retail and general supply trade on the Lester-Garland Plantation until 1947. The Trinity Record, a weekly newspaper, was in print in Trinity from 1886 to 1900. Trinity was incorporated as a town in 1969. On September 6, 1996 an F2 tornado touched down in the town, damaging homes and a shipyard building. According to the 2016

Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; ), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and culture. It is headquartered in ...

Census, the population of Trinity increased 23.4% from 2011 to 2016 and had 132 dwellings.

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by

, Trinity 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.

Arts and culture

Trinity is home to the Rising Tide Theatre Festival, founded by Artistic Director Donna Butt.

Popular culture

Trinity was used as a filming location for the 2001 film '' The Shipping News'' and for the 2002 television

miniseries In the United States, a miniseries or mini-series is a television show or series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. Many miniseries can also be referred to, and shown, as a television film. " Limited series" is ...

'' Random Passage''. Trinity is the birthplace of Bob Fowler, an olympic runner who competed at the

1904 Events January * January 7 – The distress signal ''CQD'' is established, only to be replaced 2 years later by ''SOS''. * January 8 – The Blackstone Library is dedicated, marking the beginning of the Chicago Public Library system. * ...

and 1906 olympic games. In 1909, Fowler set the

world record A world record is usually the best global and most important performance that is ever recorded and officially verified in a specific skill, sport, or other kind of activity. The book ''Guinness World Records'' and other world records organizatio ...

for fastest time in a marathon, finishing in 2:52:45.4 at a race in

Yonkers, New York Yonkers () is the List of municipalities in New York, third-most populous city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and the most-populous City (New York), city in Westchester County, New York, Westchester County. A centrally locate ...

. File:NLE Trinity2 tango7174.jpg, Church of the Most Holy Trinity File:NLE Trinity3 tango7174.jpg, Parish Hall File:Historical Building - Courthouse, Gaol, General Building (Trinity, Trinity Bight, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada).jpg, Courthouse, Gaol, General Building File:Lester-Garland Premises and the Rising Tide Theatre (Trinity, Trinity Bight, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada).jpg, Lester-Garland Premises and the Rising Tide Theatre

References

External links

Text and Music of the Hymn "We Love the Place, O Lord", Written in Trinity
*
Trinity Train LoopRestoration of the Lester-Garland House

Restoration of the Lester-Garland House
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