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Newman Wine Vaults Provincial Historic Site
About the Vaults | Restoration Project | Newman Family & Company Manning Award | Visitor Information | Links of Interest | Recipes | Events About the Newman Family & Company The history of the Newman Family and the company that bears the Newman name is as flavorful as their internationally renowned port. To learn the story of this family, we must travel back in time to Dartmouth, Devonshire, England to the 14th century. As far back as 1395, this particular corner of the world was home to the Newman family. The Newman family has always been noted for their trading activities, dealing mostly in cloth, but also dabbling in French wines in the 1400's. As the New World was discovered, tales of the profitable and seemingly inexhaustible fishing grounds off John Cabots' newly discovered island began to spread. At this time many European trading families, the Newmans numbered among them, began to ship dried salt codfish from Newfoundland to European countries such as Portugal. The Newman family eventually set up an operations base in Newfoundland, with facilities in St. John's, Harbour Breton and in several other places along the south coast of Newfoundland. By 1700, the Newman trading plantations had become a permanant fixture in Newfoundland. The Newmans trading in Newfoundland as individuals combined together in Newfoundland as Newman & Co. Newfoundland. The business consisted mostly of the trade of salt cod fish and stores, as well as whaling and sealing expeditions to Greenland, carried out as early as 1744. In about 1835, one of the staff of Messrs. Newman's plantation, whose name was Matterface, died; his body was preserved in a puncheon of rum for it's conveyance to England. By the 19th century, the trade of Newman's port between Newfoundland and the rest of the world had been firmly established, as had the excellent reputation of the port itself. So renowned was the port that the Officers of the H.M.S. Bellerophon may have toasted the surrender of Napoleon Bonaparte on board the ship on 15 July, 1815 with Newman's Port. Up to the time of Prohibition in 1917, shipments of port were made from Newfoundland to the different British Regiments in Africa, India and other parts of the world.
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As
a part of the Cabot 500 celebrations in 1997, Newman's port once again
traveled overseas as ballast, accompanying the Matthew, with several bottles
for the crew and some special bottles marked "Not to be opened until July
13th, 1997, upon arrival at Harbour Breton. Bon Voyage!" The
Newman brothers, Peter (left) and Richard, flew to Newfoundland to meet
the shipment of port in Harbour Breton. They also paid a visit to
the Newman Wine Vaults in St. John's for the start of the restoration project
on this historic building.