COLONIAL OFFICE RECORDS

Letter from John Roope to The Lords of Trade
March 15, 1706
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To the R.t Hon.ble ye Lords Com.rs of trade
& Plantations & ca

May itt please y.r Lords.ps

In obedience to y.r Lords.ps commands to gett ye names of what English prisoners were taken in Newfoundland & still detained in Plasentia & ye places adjacent & of those y.t are sent to Quebeque.

By concurring advices there are between 60 & 70 men y.t are yett there, y.t is in Plasentia, Quebeque, & some entred in Shipps as saylours as by mr Arthur Jeffrys letter doeth appeare.

Mr. George Sciffinton who is lately come to toune sayeth y.t there are between 30 & 40 English subjects still in Plasentia y.t have taken service, some few as soldiers ye rest as servants in ye fishery, & y.t about 20 are sent to Quebeque, some of y.m given to ye indians, they are all young men & youths, some Mons.r Subercass keepeth in his house for his owne service; ye above mr Sciffinton was carried to Plasentia under pEtence y.t ye contribution agreed on, for saveing ye houses & ca att Buena vista, & under ye same pEtence they comitted severall barbarrity's in Trinity bay, killing 9 men there calling them out one by one, of ye house y.t they were kept in, & killing y.m as they came out, att Buena vista they killed 9 men & 2 childeren, Mr. Sciffinton doeth nott know ye names of more y.n those here under mentioned, butt there is one Ricotts y.t believe knoweth more hope to find him to day.

Ye names of those are. Mr Arthur Jeffrys, Abraham <space>, John Dicker, Thomas Thorpe, Peter Wiles, Nicholas Goodwin att Plasentia. Robert Duffet, Nicholas Plomly a smith carried to Quebeque March 15.th 1705/6