Witless Bay: Located approximately 35 km south of St. John's, Witless Bay is a small, scenic "traditional" outport community dating back to the 17th century.

The usual meaning of "witless" is to refer to a person who is either foolish or stupid. It can also refer to a situation in which one cannot thing clearly or rationally.

Both of these usages definitely give the term with "negative" connotation. However, it is very unlikely that Cook named the community because there were a group of "witless" people living there.

Again, when one digs deeper, confirmation that Cook even had a role in naming the community is scarce. There appears to be at least two possible derivations for the name - take your pick!

The first comes from the ENL.com website: "Folklore states that one of the original European inhabitants of the area was a Captain Whittle and his family from Dorsetshire, England.

The area was originally named after them, Whittle's Bay. Upon the death of Captain Whittle, his widow and her children decided to return to England. Hence, the remaining settlers referred to Whittle's Bay as Whittle less Bay and eventually, Witless Bay".

However other possibilities are outlined in the ENL where it is written: The origin of the unusual place name has been the subject of some speculation.

M.F. Howley thought that it might derive from a shrub, the northern wild raisin (also known as witherod or wittle), while E.R. Seary suggested that it could have been either a reference to the crazy, rolling motion of the sea or to a Dorsetshire family name (Whitle).

In 1836, the first official census put the population of Witless Bay at 542. By 2016, the population was recorded as being 1619, and increase of 38.7% from the 1,167 recorded 2011.

Such an increase is a rarity in terms of the province's population trends, making it the fastest growing town in the whole province!

Its close proximity to St. John's has resulted in many people living in the community so that they can commute easily to the capital to work. Regardless of its origin, The Widless Bay Ecological Reserve is not to be missed.

From May to August, the area around the bay, and the four islands in the bay are teeming with thousands of different species of birds.

In addition, there is a puffin colony that has over 250,00 mating couples, making it the largest in North America.

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/WitlessBay