View of Cupids, Newfoundland, Canada - Philatelic Photographs on Waymarking.com

The year 1910 marked the 300th anniversary of the arrival of John Guy and 39 colonists on the shores of Conception Bay. As representatives of the Newfoundland Company, a consortium of Bristol and London merchants, their main goal was to establish a settlement to ensure the safety and well-being of the fishing trade. To celebrate this tercentenary, Newfoundland issued a set of stamps picturing portraits of some of the personalities involved, Guy’s ship, the “Endeavour,” a couple of views, some modern resources and, of course, King Edward VII. (As a Johnny-come-lately, a stamp featuring King George V was added as Edward VII died while the stamps were being printed.)

Although the colony was ultimately unsuccessful, having largely dispersed by the early 1620s, it did represent the beginning of a permanent English presence in Newfoundland. The shareholders of the Bristol and London Company liquidated their assets through subdivision which resulted in several more permanent settlements springing up in different parts of the Avalon Peninsula including St. John’s.

The place where John Guy and his colonists established their settlement was called Cuper’s Cove. Although the colony disbanded in the 1620s, there’s evidence of continued settlement into the eighteenth century. Today, the small town of Cupids is believed to be at the same location as the original settlement, in fact, there’s little evidence to suggest that the area was ever completely abandoned. Recent archeological excavations have revealed the remains of several seventeenth-century structures, but these may have been used by migratory fishermen and not the colonists.

Despite the debate on the colony’s exact location, the stamp definitely shows Cupids as it appeared in the early twentieth century. The one building that can be seen on the stamp that’s still standing today is the United Methodist Church just across the water. The historical sign located on the main road into town, even shows the photograph on which the stamp’s design was based as well as the entire set of 1910 stamps.

Stamp Issuing Country: Newfoundland Date of Issue: 15-Aug-1910 Denomination: 5c Color: ultramarine Stamp Type: Single Stamp Relevant Web Site: Not listed

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