The Forts of New France in Northeast America 1600–1763

Plaisance (Placentia)

French fishermen from Brittany are recorded in Newfoundland as early as 1504, but it was not until 1660 that a permanent settlement was attempted at “Plaisance” (renamed Placentia by the British) on the island’s sSouth coast. Little is known of this first failed attempt, which did have a stockade fort armed with four cannons. Two years later, some settlers escorted by 30 soldiers landed to “replace” the initial group. This time, the settlement was successful, and another fort was built, apparently on the same site as the previous one. The new fort, made of earth and logs, was obviously larger as it had 18 guns in 1662–-1663 and 32 in 1667. According to a plan of the 1670s, it had a polygon plan layout with five small bastions. The colony was much neglected during most of the 1670s and 1680s and had no garrison; the fort consequently fell into disrepair.

A small regular garrison of colonial troops was posted in Placentia from 1687, but substantial fortifications were not built. On 25 February 25, 1690, a strong party of English corsairs easily took Plaisance after a short fight and looted the place. A few reinforcements were sent in 1691, and the a stockade “Fort Louis” with seven guns was put up in two weeks. During the following year, the Gaillardin redoubt was started on what is now the aptly named Castle Hill and a four gun shore battery built bellow. In September 1692, an English fleet bombarded Plaisance by shooting some roughly 2,000 cannonballs, but no landing was attempted. Improvements on the fortifications continued in the following years, notably by building a new redoubt on Castle Hill named Fort Royal. In late August 1693, British ships from the West Indies arrived off Placentia, were quickly fired upon when they approached, and finally sailed for England on 3 September 3. The redoubt of Fort Royal was built on a square plan with four half -bastions, its walls reveted with masonry. By 1701, Placentia was protected by Fort Louis near the shore with many adjoining small shore batteries, the masonry Fort Royal on top of Castle Hill with its nearby wooden Gaillardin redoubt. In March 1703, Placentia was blockaded by British ships, but these soon quit the place. Placentia was the base for French raids made by land onto the British settlements in Newfoundland. These raids were,"", on the whole,"", quite successful, and even St. John’s was taken in 1709, an action that basically expulsed the British from Newfoundland. They kept up an fairly effective blockade on the French in Placentia until the Treaty of Utrecht was signed in 1713. By that treaty, all of Newfoundland, including Placentia, was ceded to Great Britain. It was the end of the French presence in Newfoundland, and Placentia’s garrison and many of its inhabitants moved to Cape Breton Island.