In August 1610, English colonists, sent out by the London and Bristol Company and led by prominent Bristol merchant John Guy, arrived in Cupids (then Cupers Cove) on the north side of Conception Bay on Newfoundland’s Avalon Peninsula. There, they marked the start of British overseas expansion by establishing the first English settlement in what would become Canada and one of the earliest European settlements in North America. Evidence of the original colony was uncovered in 1995, during a survey led by the Baccalieu Trail Heritage Corporation’s chief archaeologist William Gilbert. Since then, five early-17th century structures (some of the oldest European buildings in North America) and more than 145,000 artifacts have been unearthed.
This August, Canada Post will celebrate the 400th anniversary of this historic settlement with a commemorative stamp. The stamp features a portion of a 17th century map of the Avalon Peninsula, compiled by John Mason (1586 – 1635). It’s the first English map of Newfoundland produced from first-hand observation and the first to show Cupids’ location. The stamp comes out on August 17, 2010.
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