A rural drinking establishment in Ferryland: life in eighteenth-century Newfoundland

Abstract

Archaeological investigations in Area E, Ferryland, Newfoundland uncovered the remains of an eighteenth-century earthfast timber-framed structure with a stone gable-ended chimney. The building measured roughly 4.6 m by 10.8 m (15' by 35') and consisted of a two-roomed layout. In later years, the building was renovated and a linhey was added. The artifact assemblage and historical record date the structure between ca.1697 and 1765. -- Occupied year-round, the structure was employed as both a residence and tavern. Given the rural setting, tavern guests were served meals along with their drink, and overnight accommodation may have been afforded. The clientele comprised mostly fishers, who consumed more expensive wines and spirits, ales, beer, punch and tea. -- The proprietor was of middling status able to purchase the fashionable items of the day and adopt the new ideologies. The material evidence also illustrates Ferryland's early trade connections with North Devon and Plymouth, and later shift to the ports of Bristol and/or Liverpool.