St. Jacques: According to the Central Newfoundland website, the original settlers to the St. Jacques area came from Ireland and were subsequently joined by settlers from Dorset, Somerset, and Devon in England, as well as from the Channel Islands.

However, long before it was settled it was used, probably as far back as the early 1600s as a fishing harbour by the European fishermen (French, Spanish, etc.).

It is believed to be named after St. Jacques le Majeur (St. James the Major or St. James the Great, one of Christ's original twelve apostles) who is the patron saint of Spain, so perhaps it was Spanish fishermen, rather than French (who are best known for naming towns in this area of Newfoundland) who gave the town its original name, however, research failed to find a definitive link.

From the local school website, the French connection is clearly delineated:

The first settlers to come to the shores of St. Jacques were the French. They came over to Newfoundland to work on the lucrative fishing grounds and settled in the community because of its well-sheltered harbour, its ideal location for curing fish, and the depth of the waters surrounding it that made loading fish aboard vessel for export easier.

It was also near a supply of fresh water, which was convenient because the only way to get water in those days was to carry it in buckets from the nearest lake or pond.... After the signing of the Treaty of Utrecht, the French settlers abandoned the settlement and it was taken over by English immigrants from Dorset, Devon, Somerset and the Channel Islands, as well as immigrants from Ireland.

St. Jacques grew quickly when the English came to settle our shore, and they kept the French name. A reference was made to St. Jacques, in fact, in the log of Captain James Cook in 1762.

In an interesting blog, posted by Alex Hickey on his website on Feb. 17, 2013 in his article "What is this place we call St. Jacques?" he wrote the following:

What is it about this place, St. Jacques, which so many of us we call home? The answer lies within one of the first questions that fall from the lips of most of my countrymen upon meeting a visitor, Where are your from?' This is often followed by When did you get here?' and 'How long are you staying?' All three of these encapsulate our inordinate need to belong to some place and to know who share that place with us....

St. Jacques was home to sixteenth century fishermen from Europe who saw in their meager subsistence-living, freedom, independence, and rejection of a class system which had kept many of their forefathers in servitude. The sheltered harbour also welcomed those who sought their employ.

All told, they were our ancestors; all told, they planted the seed that has travelled centuries and today still inspires so many of us to call St. Jacques home.

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/StJacques