An isotopic investigation of the diet and origins of 18th- and 19th-century individuals from Newfoundland and Louisbourg, Nova Scotia

• Main Author: Garlie, Megan Elizabeth
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: Memorial University of Newfoundland 2022
• Subjects: The Fortress; Newfoundland
• Online Access: https://research.library.mun.ca/15764/; https://research.library.mun.ca/15764/3/converted.pdf

The forced migration of French colonists from Placentia, Newfoundland, to what would become the Fortress of Louisbourg, Nova Scotia, following the Treaty of Utrecht connects the two sites historically. To investigate this link, isotopic analyses involving carbon (δ¹³CVPDB), nitrogen (δ¹⁵NAIR), and strontium (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr) were conducted to evaluate the diet and geographic origins of individuals from archaeological sites in Newfoundland, including St. Paul’s Anglican Cemetery in Harbour Grace, Foxtrap-2 in Foxtrap, and St. Luke’s Anglican Cemetery in Placentia, as well as the Block 3 cemetery at the Fortress of Louisbourg. Isotopic analyses (δ¹³CVPDB and δ¹⁵NAIR) were also conducted on faunal remains from Placentia and the Fortress of Louisbourg to establish local isotope baselines for comparison. While there was variability in human δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values from all the sites, these data were interpreted to indicate a mixed C₃ terrestrial and marine diet. The ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr data suggest most individuals could have originated in coastal regions of either Western Europe or North America. This research contributes to the growing isotopic data for the historic period in North America, especially the Atlantic Canadian region, and more specifically provides isotopic evidence of the historical connection between Placentia and the Fortress of Louisbourg.