Caplin Bay in the early 1900s
Much as it would have looked when the Morrys arrived in the late 1700s

Caplin Bay, which was renamed Calvert in honour of George Calvert (Lord Baltimore) in 1922, was in use as a seasonal fishing harbour before the time the Morrys arrived in the mid to late 1700s. Considering its obvious advantages as a tidy little harbour from which to fish, it is somewhat surprising that it was considered a secondary harbour next to Ferryland. It had deep water, broad beaches on which to set up fishing rooms and stages, an excellent source of fresh water as well as a freshwater pond in which to shelter boats at the head of the bay. What it lacked, however, was any easily fortified defence positions to stave off what were then incessant attacks by the French, by pirates like Peter Easton and even the occasional raid by the Dutch. Ferryland had this advantage, despite the difficult approach through the rock strewn harbour mouth and the lack of protection from prevailing winds and storms. On the other hand, the difficult approach made it hazardous to attack and thus formed part of Ferryland's natural defences.

For these reasons and others, the early fish merchants and fishing admirals failed to capitalise on the excellent fishing amenities in Caplin Bay by securing them in their name. Each year when the vessels arrived from England in search of cod there would have been a "first come, first served" rush for the best positions for shore installations. In the meantime, in neighbouring Ferryland, large tracts of land had been granted to favoured merchants since the time of Lord Baltimore and with them came the assumed right to use the adjacent shoreline as they saw fit. No one challenged this system, for the merchants were the law. The well-known system of law enforcement on the Newfoundland coast, whereby the first captain to arrive in a port at the start of the season became the "Fishing Admiral", with powers to settle disputes, and for that matter with the power of life over death, still prevailed in those days. But he would have been more the agent of the merchant class rather than a threat to their assumed rights. The general rule was that no one, with the exception of these chosen few who held ancient land grants from the Crown, was entitled to set up permanent premises along the shore and this rule was firmly enforced by the Fishing Admiral.

Matthew Morry may well have been the first person to challenge that rule by applying to the Governor, John Campbell, for a grant to have the right to establish permanent fishing premises in Caplin Bay in 1784. His petition was supported by an influential businessman from Ferryland, Robert Carter. There can be no doubt that there were excellent business reasons for his offering his support, though later there would have been reasons connected to inter-marriage, since Matthew took Robert Carter's daughter as his second wife when Mary Graham died.

Here is a photocopy of the original petition of Matthew Morry to Governor Campbell in 1784. That document is now protected in the Morry papers at the Provincial Archives of Newfoundland and Labrador and Fredris Mercer Caines holds a certified original copy made at the time of the granting of the original request.

Here is an account, published by Gerald L. Pocius, a professor at Memorial University of Newfoundland, on how Matthew Morry came to acquire his property in Caplin Bay (now Calvert). It puts in context the issue of land tenure and ownership in the Newfoundland of the time. (Matthew Morry's Land Grant - MS Word 34 Kb).

The foremost authority on the early settlement and the families of Caplin Bay (Calvert) is Kevin Reddigan of Mount Pearl, Newfoundland. Kevin was born and raised in Calvert and has made it his life's work to unravel the convoluted trail of evidence and often contradictory lore and published "history" of this part of the Southern Shore. His website (http://ca.geocities.com/kreddigan/) absolutely must be visited by anyone who is truly interested in the people, the land and the significant events that form the history of Calvert.

The Pocius book also contains a reproduction of a post card showing the family home of Matthew Morry in Caplin Bay, known as Athlone, which eventually passed to his great granddaughter Elisabeth Morry (Lizzie).

Morry House (Athlone) on Caplin Bay Northside

The Morrys lived or at least conducted business out of Caplin Bay for about half a century before essentially moving down the shore to Ferryland. When in that period they actually took up permanent residence is a matter of some conjecture but it would appear likely this occurred after the death of Matthew's wife Mary Graham in 1796. During that time, they owned land on all sides of Caplin Bay and similarly occupied many residences there. Their business partners included the Sweetlands, who may or may not have predated them somewhat in residing in Caplin Bay. As was usually the case among the merchant class in Newfoundland in those days, there were numerous intermarriages between the sons and daughters of these two families, as there were between the Morry's and their other major business partners, the Le Messuriers. When the Sweetlands departed this area, first for parts further west in Newfoundland and then for the United States, their houses and lands reverted to the Morrys, whether through purchase or inheritance is unclear.

Sweetland House, also eventually occupied by Morrys

Caplin Bay wasn't completely abandoned by the Morrys. One family, that of Matthew Morry II, the son of the emigrant Matthew, stayed on in a house known as Athlone on Caplin Bay's north side until the death in 1930 of his eldest daughter, Elizabeth Ann (Lizzie). She remained a spinster until she died. At some time during the last years of her mother's life (Elizabeth Coulman), a neighbours child, Alfred Canning, who was somewhat younger than Lizzie, was taken in as an unofficially adopted son. His descendants eventually inherited Athlone from Lizzie but the structure itself was soon taken down. Their own home was built nearby on the same property and they would have had no use for this large and probably difficult to heat old building.

Though the house itself is long gone, as noted, the Cannings built on the same property and still live there. In fact, one of the great granddaughters of Alfred, Anita, has built a cottage in Calvert with her husband, Ken Kelland, and called it Athlone II .

"Miss Lizzie" Morry
Photo taken outside her home, Athlone, sometime in the 1920s

Family of Matthew Morry II and Mary Graham