Brig Bay: Located south of Plum Point, the name, Brigg Bay (note the double "g") first appeared on Captain Cook's 1766 map. According to E.R. Seary (cited in the ENL) "the bay was probably named after the ship known as a "brig", or, less likely, the town in Lincolnshire, England".

The NP website is emphatic that the community was "named after the French fishing ships that used Bag Bay as a port during the time of the French Shore".

According to Wikipedia contributors, a brig is not the same as a brigantine: A brig is a sailing vessel with two square-rigged masts.

During the Age of Sail, brigs were seen as fast and maneuverable and were used as both naval warships and merchant vessels. They were especially popular in the 18th and early 19th centuries.

Brigs fell out of use with the arrival of the steam ship because they required a relatively large crew for their small size and were difficult to sail into the wind. Their rigging differs from that of a brigantine which has a gaff-rigged mainsail, while a brig has a square mainsail with an additional gaff-rigged spanker behind the mainsail.

According to ENL contributors, because of its deep, sheltered harbour, which is almost landlocked by Front Point to the north, and Woody Point to the south, Brig Bay was used by French fishermen in the 1800s.

The first settler, who arrived there in 1872 was a French man who was known as Louis Garreau. Born in St. Malo, France he lived in Brig Cove for 49 years until he died on March 12, 1905 at the age of 72. His headstone, along with those of a number of early French settlers can be found in the town's cemetery.

Used with permission from "Uncovering the Origin of 1001 Unique Place Names in Newfoundland and Labrador" 2021 Jennifer Leigh Hill

Address of this page: http://nl.ruralroutes.com/BrigBay