The London and Bristol Company came about in the early 17th century when English merchants had begun to express an interest in the

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the population ...

fishery. Financed by a

syndicate A syndicate is a self-organizing group of individuals, companies, corporations or entities formed to transact some specific business, to pursue or promote a shared interest. Etymology The word ''syndicate'' comes from the French word ''syndic ...

of investors John Guy, himself a

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

merchant, visited Newfoundland in 1608 to locate a favourable site for a

colony A colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule, which rules the territory and its indigenous peoples separated from the foreign rulers, the colonizer, and their ''metropole'' (or "mother country"). This separated rule was often orga ...

. Upon his return to

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

40 people applied for incorporation as ''the Tresurer and the Companye of Adventurers and planter of the Cittye of london and Bristoll for the Collonye or plantacon in Newfoundland''. The company was known as the London and Bristol Company or simply the Newfoundland Company. The company was granted a charter by

James I James I may refer to: People *James I of Aragon (1208–1276) * James I of Sicily or James II of Aragon (1267–1327) * James I, Count of La Marche (1319–1362), Count of Ponthieu * James I, Count of Urgell (1321–1347) *James I of Cyprus (1334� ...

on May 2, 1610, giving it a monopoly in agriculture, mining, fishing and hunting on the

Avalon Peninsula The Avalon Peninsula () is a large peninsula that makes up the southeast portion of the island of Newfoundland in Canada. It is in size. The peninsula is home to 270,348 people, about 52% of the province's population, according to the 2016 Ca ...

. They retained exclusive rights until 1616 when the Crown began to grant lands to others. The new grants were then initiated by the Bristol Society of Merchant Ventures. The Merchant Ventures were made up of many who had been members of the London and Bristol Company. Among some of the other prominent members of the London and Bristol Company,

Henry Cary, 1st Viscount Falkland Henry Cary, 1st Viscount Falkland, KB, PC (c. 1575 – September 1633) was an English landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1601 to 1622. He was created Viscount Falkland in the Scottish peerage in 1620. He was Lord D ...

became a supporter of the venture. Cary had influence in the company through his wife, daughter of Sir Laurence Tanfield, one of the leaders of the company.

References

External links

Baccalieu Trail Heritage Corporation Archaeology Digs

Canadian Encyclopedia
{{DEFAULTSORT:London And Bristol Company 1610 establishments in England Defunct companies of Newfoundland and Labrador Culture of Newfoundland and Labrador Companies established in 1610 Chartered companies Economy of Stuart England

See also

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