Great Brehat: Located a few miles further south, Great Brehat, is pronounced by the locals as "Great Breha".

Le Messurier (1916) was of the opinion that it was named by Jersey men, from the Channel Islands, who named it after a stretch of land on the Normandy coast where they were known to shelter their boats in the winter due to limited places on the islands themselves.

However, the ENL cited the historian E.R. Seary, in stating that Great Brehat referred to the islands and shoal off the Brittany Coast. While the two coasts are both on the west side of France, Normandy is actually further north than Brittany and they are considered to be two separate regions.

To support Seary's notion that it was the Britons and not the Jersey men, the ENL entry continued on by stating that "according to Seary (p. 18) and H.A. Innis (1954, pp. 15-16), a document dated December 14, 1514 referred to an agreement between the inhabitants of the Isle of Brehat (near Plencuf, France), and the monks of Beauford Abbey providing that tithes could be collected on cod and other fish from Newfoundland.

From at least the Eighteenth Century, Great Brehat was reported to be a French fishing station on the French Shore". Regardless of who actually named it, obviously it was named by French fishermen from somewhere on the west coast of France!

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/GreatBrehat