England and Newfoundland : policy and trade, 1660-1783

Inhospitable and unattractive to Company investors and colonists, Newfoundland was unique among England's overseas possessions because it existed merely as a place of trade, not as a colony. The lack of interest of the major English trading ports inevitably led to a seasonal trade conducted principally from the fishing ports of the west country. Monopolizing the trade, the west country merchants, a loosely organized interest group, gained a considerable success with the passing of the 1699 Act in which seasonal traders were guaranteed dominance in the fishery.Trade attracted settlers, and as settlements grew the seasonal traders increasingly depended upon the planters' contribution in the fishery. The need arose for a firmer, more comprehensive administration of the growing population of the island. Short term Governors, and J.Ps with limited authority, were made available, and the British government thereby imposed some measure of control over the island. England and France contested trading rights at Newfoundland, and the fishery became involved in diplomacy, warfare, and peace negotiations. A constant source of friction between England and the northern colonies, the fishery became the focal point for naval warfare during the American rebellion, and a significant matter for English, French, and American negotiators in 1782-3. During the eighteenth century the economy of the west country relied very heavily upon this north Atlantic trade and its outlet, the Mediterranean markets. The fishery provided a stimulus to the shipping industry, a constant source of profit to the nation, and a trade from which the west country ports derived much wealth.