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Newfoundland Tourism Region : Western
Quirpon: It is believed that Breton fisherman (Bretons being a Celtic ethnic group and people native to historical region Brittany, located in Western France) named this community Quirpon because the harbour reminded them of Le Kerpont, in Saint- Malo in the Brittany area of France, where many of them came from.
In the past the community's name has been spelt a number of ways, Carpon, Carpunt and Karpoon. Today it is pronounced as if Quirpon rhymed with harpoon (i.c., kar-poon).
As early as the 16th century, French migratory fishermen fished the grounds less than 5 km from shore; they continued to fish in the area into the 19th century.
In the 1856 "List of Resident Population on the French Shore from Cape John to Ferolle, including St. John's Island" (first document found with reference to population counts) reported that there were 9 dwellings, and a population 61 (51 Protestant, 10 Roman Catholic).
In 2016, the population of Quirpon was 643, a 10.1% decrease from in 2011. According to the NP website, the town is now made up of three smaller communities, L'anse au Bauld (Cape Bauld), Grassy Cove and Little Quirpon. Of particular interest in the Quirpon is the home of William Henry, now a National Registered Heritage Structure.
From the Heritage Newfoundland and Labrador Website comes this description:
This timber frame, five bedroom dwelling house is known locally as "Uncle Bill Pynn's House." It was constructed by William Henry Pynn and Henry Bartlett in 1892 and is the oldest surviving house in Quirpon.
The roof boards and clapboard are fir, cut locally, as was the wood for the flooring, which was sawn by Mr. Pynn. Today, there is not a single tree left in the community. The house sits on the site of a former Pynn house, built by William Henry Pynn's grandfather, Henry Pynn.
Born in 1796, he moved to Newfoundland around 1820, and was the first Englishman to settle permanently in Quirpon. The windows and some of the boards used in the current house were salvaged from the previous building.
The high pitch roof is typical for houses of the period. The back kitchen was reduced in size in the 1940s. The house originally had a verandah, or bridge which ran around two sides of the building to the north and cast.
One of the bedroom doors came from the wreck of the SS Beothic, a steamer which was lost on December 8, 1940, near Griquet, not far from Quirpon.
The house is situated by itself in Pynn's Cove. At one time there was a large stage and wharf 200 feet to the north, with fish flakes and outbuildings. The premises also included a large bunkhouse for up to 20 sharemen who came from as far away as Trinity Bay and Bonavista Bay. For many years, the Pynns had nine codtraps in the water at the same time and worked four fishing crews.
The house was known as a safe haven for visitors, including Cape Bauld's lighthouse keepers if stranded in a storm while visiting neighbouring communities. William Henry Pynn's son, Gilbert Joseph Pynn, was the only wharfinger ever appointed by the Newfoundland government for its wharf in Quirpon, and coastal boat passengers often went to visit and pass the time while waiting for their departure.
Before Confederation, William Henry signalled ships into Quirpon Harbour with coloured signal flags. The flagpole used is still atop a knoll directly behind the house, and flew the Union Jack on special occasions.
In the 1920s, Dr. Wilfred Grenfell visited the property while on his way to Battle Harbour, pausing to administer medicine to a young Gilbert Joseph, then suffering a severe case of the croup.
In 1929, two young girls drowned in Quirpon Harbour during Christmas, and were laid out in the living room until the water drained from their clothes, a story immortalized in Wayne Bartlett's book Grandpa, Tell Me a Story (1997).
The building housed the first post office and the first telephone in Quirpon. The Pynns also had one of the first battery-operated radios in the community. According to local tradition, the radio was such a novelty that people would gather at the house to listen even when there was no reception, quite content to sit and listen to static.
The present owner, John Pynn, is the grandson of William Henry. The building is remarkable for its age, and is one of the older buildings remaining along that portion of the [Great] Northern Peninsula.
Cape Bauld: Today when one hears reference to Cape Bauld, the reference is to the "Cape" of the same name, in other words, the actual "headland" on the tip of Quirpon Island as there is really no actual "community" of Cape Bauld still in existence.
What "remnants" there, as pointed above, are considered to be part of Quirpon. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) for many years ran a series of "documentaries" entitled "Land and Sea" that highlighted various parts of the island. In an episode, aired in 1987, entitled, "Land and Sea: A Visit to the Former French Shore", the host, Dave Quinton visits some of the communities on the tip of the Northern Peninsula, including Cape Bauld.
The photography is amazing, and one gets an excellent idea of what life was like back in the days that it was a major fishing
area.
Located on the headland on the north side of Quirpon Island, Cape Bauld is best known for its lighthouse, the original one having been constructed in 1884.
The light keeper's duplex, which was built in 1920 was declared a provincial Heritage Structure in 2004. Research efforts failed to uncover the derivation of the name of the Cape.
In Old French, the adjective baut (bald, balt, bault) meant "happy, hull of delight and ardour" however, it is unlikely this "craggy" cape would be described as such.
There is a Saint Bauld in central France, but research could not find anything about "who Saint Bauld was, nor if there was any connection.
Today there is really no community of "Cape Bauld" and the island is basically deserted excepted for a few buildings tha are remnants of ancient sod huts.
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/Quirpon