The Naval State in Newfoundland, 1749-1791
This article challenges the conventional view that a colonial state did not exist in eighteenth-century Newfoundland. It rejects the traditional notion that the island's legal system was necessarily illegitimate or ineffective. It argues that despite the limited institutions allowed under statu...
| Published in: | Journal of the Canadian Historical Association |
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| Format: | Text |
| Language: | English |
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The Canadian Historical Association/La Société historique du Canada
2000
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.7202/031130ar http://id.erudit.org/iderudit/031130ar |
| Summary: | This article challenges the conventional view that a colonial state did not exist in eighteenth-century Newfoundland. It rejects the traditional notion that the island's legal system was necessarily illegitimate or ineffective. It argues that despite the limited institutions allowed under statutory law and official imperial policy, an effective system of governance, based on local customs adopted under the rubric of English common law, developed to meet the needs of those in power. The Royal Navy was the engine of law and authority-in early Newfoundland. A series of major reforms undertaken in 1749 precipitated the rise of a “naval state”, which formed the basis on which local government was administered. By exploring the operation of this legal system prior to the Judicature Act of 1791, this article points to the need for historians to rethink the chronology of politico-legal development in Canada. The case of Newfoundland demonstrates that pre-industrial state formation cannot be relegated to merely an ancillary role in the dominant narrative of the rise of the “colonial leviathan” in mid-nineteenth century Canada. L'article de Jerry Bannister remet en question l'idée généralement admise qu 'il n'y ait pas eu d'État colonial à Terre-neuve au XVIIIe siècle. Il rejette la notion traditionnelle selon laquelle l'organisation judiciaire de l'île aurait conséquemment été illégitime ou inefficace. L'auteur démontre qu'en dépit du nombre limité d'institutions autorisées par les lois et par la politique impériale officielle, il se développa, pour répondre aux besoins de ceux qui exerçaient le pouvoir, un système efficace de gouvernement fondé sur les coutumes régionales, elles-mêmes inspirées de la common law. Au début de la colonisation de Terre-neuve, la Royal Navy assurait le pouvoir et maintenait l'ordre. En 1749, l'introduction d'importantes réformes solidifia l'instauration d'un « État naval », qui servit de cadre administratif au gouvernement local. L'auteur analyse le fonctionnement de cette organisation ... |
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