Located further south down the peninsula, there is something "odd" about this name.
If it was actually a "Frenchman" naming the cove why didn't he name the cove after himself (e.g., Benoit's Cove or Pouch Cove)? And to further add to the mystery, there are two Frenchman's Coves on the island, miles apart. One Frenchman's Cove is on the south side of the island, on the Burin Peninsula west of Marystown, whereas the other is on the west coast of the island, on the south side of the Bay of Islands, on the shores of Humber Arm.

Frenchman's Cove (Burin Peninsula): Located on the west side of the Burin Peninsula in Fortune Bay, the Frenchman's Cove appears on Captain James Cook's maps that date back to the mid 1760s, however it is not known who first named it.

The earliest known documentation, that actually records the existence of the community with the name "Frenchman's Cove", the Census of 1836, at which time, according to the information presented in the ENL there were twenty-two residents living in three dwellings.

The most recent Census (2016) showed a community of 169 individuals, a drop from 172 recorded in 2011.

While nobody knows how the community got its name "officially", local folklore points to English fishermen naming it after Frenchmen who were known to fish the area; this is supported by the fact that some of the original settlers had the family name "Cleuetts" and were known to be of French origin.

Nearby is Frenchman's Cove Provincial Park which is a favorite of both bird watchers and campers. There are a total of 51 hectares (126.0 acres) of varied habitat, including beaches, marsh and stream, and a large coastal barachois.

FRENCHMAN'S COVE PROVINCIAL PARK: Located on the west side of the Burin Peninsula near Marystown, Frenchman's Cove Provincial Park is comprised of 51 hectares of varied habitat that will fascinate the visitor.

Frenchman's Cove park opened to the public for the first time in June 1967. The park takes its name from nearby Frenchman's Cove

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/FrenchmansCoveGarnish