"Where the old fort was": archaeological mapping and metal detector survey of the Vieux Fort (ChAl-04) in Placentia (Plaisance), NL

Abstract

This thesis is focused on the organisation of the Vieux Fort in modern-day Placentia, Newfoundland. The fort served as the main defensive structure in the French colony of Plaisance from 1662 to 1690 but was abandoned following its destruction during an English raid. As the town's only fort, the Vieux Fort served a substantial role in overseeing the safety of its residents and ensuring security for French fishers participating in the cod fishery. Previous archaeological work concerning the Vieux Fort has been almost completely localised to the barracks building, and while this was the central domestic structure on the site and quite possibly the most significant, many features associated with the fort have remained uninvestigated. Understanding more comprehensively the roles that additional structures may have played in the organisation of the fort is crucial to a thorough interpretation of the Vieux Fort and the daily activities that would have taken place within it. In the course of this project, drone-based mapping, metal detector survey, and targeted test pitting of a wide area around the site has been carried out to investigate the aspect and spatiality of the Vieux Fort. Comparative analysis with other contemporaneous French forts and consultation with historical records has guided interpretations concerning the range of activities potentially afforded by the various structures around the site. Improved knowledge of the fort's layout, coupled with artifacts recovered during the course of the research, provides important insight into the lifeways of the fort's inhabitants.