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Newfoundland Tourism Region : Central
Greenspond: Located in the northeast coast of the island, on the northwest side of Bonavista Bay, approximately 1 km (.6 mi) offshore, this community (yes, it is a town, not a body of water) has been continuously inhabited since the early 1690s (making it one of the earliest outports that was settled in Newfoundland) and was at one point known as the "Capital of the North" due to its proximity to the main sea lanes.
Original inhabitants were from the West Country of England.
Greenspond is actually an "island community" composed of a number of contiguous islands, not all of which are inhabited. The largest island is Greenspond Island (6.4 km in circumference); smaller islands, that are inhabited include Batterton and Ship Islands; uninhabited islands include Newell's Wing's, Pig, Maiden, Groat's and Puffin Island.
Interesting, the town's name may not have had anything to do with a body of water, instead it is believed that the town was named after two of the earliest settler families; the Greens and the Ponds, who settle there in the late 1690s.
Not all agree with this theory though: another theory suggests that at the time of settlement the harbour basin resembled a pond and that it was surrounded by evergreen trees.
A third, and very different theory suggests that at one point Greenspond was referred to as "Grin d'Espagne", meaning "a little bit of Spain", which according to the French Colonial Office could, according to Wikipedia contributors "have subsequently been pronounced Greenspond by the English settlers".
In 2016 the community Greenspond has a population of 266, a 12.8% decrease from the 305 recorded in 2011.
GREENSPOND ISLAND and other Nearby Islands:
The islands are generally flat masses of weathered granite supporting little soil suitable for agriculture.
At the time of the first settlement, in the late Seventeenth Century, Greenspond Island had a fairly good coniferous cover, but most of this was stripped away by early settlers for fuel and construction, and consequently much of the shallow soil was gradually eroded by the elements.
Topsoil from the nearby mainland has since been sometimes brought in to facilitate limited gardening. Enterprising residents have thus usually been able to maintain small kitchen gardens, patches of lawn and a few shrubs and small trees. But the terrain is probably best described as barren of significant vegetation.
It is also deficient in good harbours.
The main one, on Greenspond Island, while providing adequate shelter, is very small, capable of accommodating only five or six fishing vessels at a time. Its entrance, morcover, is treacherous to approach and navigate.
Yet it was as a strategically situated fishing-station that Greenspond first came to be settled in the 1690s, a fact that makes it one of the oldest continuously inhabited outports in Newfoundland. The early settlers were predominantly of English, mainly West Country, stock.
The following, from the same source, gives information on how the island, and the community may have received its name:
The approximate date of first settlement is probably established by a letter written by one William Cock, a fishing captain at Bonavista, in 1697.
Cock says that at least two fishing captains, Wyng and Nowill by name, had in recent years been crossing to the north side of the Bay to fish in an area much more abundant in cod than the waters around Bonavista at the time, and that others planned to do likewise in the following year.
Since the names Wyng (or Wing) and Nowill (or Newell) were perpetuated in the names of two islands of the group it is reasonable to assume that the reference in Cock's letter was to the place that was shortly to be called Greenspond.
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/Greenspond