The Atlantic Provinces
The Emergence of Colonial Society 1712-1857
Ken notched the ends of our freshly cut saplings
and attached string to make the bow. The arrows were thin kindling sticks
with a hen feather stuck in the end.
We quickly became members of Robin Hood’s band as we tramped through our
imaginary Sherwood Forest, which actually was the back yard. But the aroma
of pancakes and sausages signaled the end of play and beckoned us to the house
for supper.
As we entered the outside porch, Gramp asked us, “How many trees did the
broad arrows of Sir John Wentworth’s men mark today?’
I think that man delighted in making comments that we didn’t have a clue
what they meant.
According to “The Atlantic Provinces - The Emergence of Colonial Society
1712 - 1857" by W. S. MacNutt, Sir Andrew Snape Hammond, the Comptroller
to the Navy Board searched the St. John River Valley for suitable trees for
masts. Sir John Wentworth’s Broad Arrow became a familiar mark, as his deputies
laid out reserves for the navy from the ungranted lands of New Brunswick.
In 1788 the firm of Hunter, Robertson and Forsyth made a contract to supply
great masts for a period of six years. These were sent to Halifax, Antigua,
Jamaica and Britain.
Many a settler became quite upset when finding pine trees on his property
had been marked with the broad arrow with the silent “Hands Off” message.
In 1790, instructions arrived from London, forbidding any further free grants
of land. These restrictions were in effect for seventeen years. Settlers worked
the soil and built their homes without the privilege of a clear title.
Although the majority of the settlers of New Brunswick were not involved
in politics, the decisions and actions taken by politicians and government
representatives affected them both negatively and positively.
The conflicts in religion, government, trade, quitrents, crown land, banking
monopoly, railway construction, reforms and more are revealed by W. S. MacNutt
in “The Atlantic Provinces - The Emergence of Colonial Society 1712 -
1857" which can be found in several research institutions in New Brunswick.
The reading of this publication makes us aware of the uncontrollable factors
that influenced the lives of our ancestors - from the Plaster Act to the bloodless
Aroostook War.
