Sheila NaGeira
Encyclopedia
The legend of Sheila NaGeira, the Irish Princess, claims that she was the first European
woman to give birth in Newfoundland and quite possibly North America
. This is based on the mistaken idea that there is no evidence of Vikings giving birth at their settlement at L'Anse aux Meadows
(see Snorri Thorfinnsson). She is sometimes claimed to have been the island's first schoolteacher, midwife and herbal doctor.
Popular belief has it that in 1602 Sheila was a young Irish
noblewoman on her return trip sailing from France
, where she had been studying in a French convent run by her aunt, an abbess
. She was captured by a Dutch
privateer
in the English Channel
and subsequently rescued by Peter Easton
, an English
privateer loyal to Queen Elizabeth I. At the time Easton's fleet was on their way to Newfoundland to protect the English fishing fleet there and took with them their rescued prisoners to Newfoundland
. While a passenger aboard Easton's vessel she fell in love with his lieutenant, Gilbert Pike and they eventually married. Pike had left Easton's employ and they both settled in a place called Mosquito Cove, now Bristol's Hope
. In 1611 they moved to nearby Carbonear
to escape the return of Easton who by that time became a much feared pirate under the reign of James I
.
It has been suggested that NaGeira is an epithet
meaning the beautiful, and that her actual name was O'Connor the daughter of a claimant to the Irish throne
of Connacht
.
in 1982 had confirmed that the alleged burial place for Sheila showed a crumbling stone of a John Pike, but no mention of a Sheila.
The mythology of Shelia NaGeira seems to have first been recorded in print at the beginning of the twentieth century, there is no mention of her in any of the histories of the island or its folk beliefs prior to that. It is possible a local legend pre-dates that, but no evidence has been found to date.
European ethnic groups
The ethnic groups in Europe are the various ethnic groups that reside in the nations of Europe. European ethnology is the field of anthropology focusing on Europe....
woman to give birth in Newfoundland and quite possibly North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. This is based on the mistaken idea that there is no evidence of Vikings giving birth at their settlement at L'Anse aux Meadows
L'Anse aux Meadows
L'Anse aux Meadows is an archaeological site on the northernmost tip of the island of Newfoundland in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Discovered in 1960, it is the only known site of a Norse or Viking village in Canada, and in North America outside of Greenland...
(see Snorri Thorfinnsson). She is sometimes claimed to have been the island's first schoolteacher, midwife and herbal doctor.
Popular belief has it that in 1602 Sheila was a young Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
noblewoman on her return trip sailing from France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, where she had been studying in a French convent run by her aunt, an abbess
Abbess
An abbess is the female superior, or mother superior, of a community of nuns, often an abbey....
. She was captured by a Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
privateer
Privateer
A privateer is a private person or ship authorized by a government by letters of marque to attack foreign shipping during wartime. Privateering was a way of mobilizing armed ships and sailors without having to spend public money or commit naval officers...
in the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
and subsequently rescued by Peter Easton
Peter Easton
Peter Easton was a pirate in the early 17th century who operated along the Newfoundland coastline between Harbour Grace and Ferryland from 1611 to 1614...
, an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
privateer loyal to Queen Elizabeth I. At the time Easton's fleet was on their way to Newfoundland to protect the English fishing fleet there and took with them their rescued prisoners to Newfoundland
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...
. While a passenger aboard Easton's vessel she fell in love with his lieutenant, Gilbert Pike and they eventually married. Pike had left Easton's employ and they both settled in a place called Mosquito Cove, now Bristol's Hope
Bristol's Hope, Newfoundland and Labrador
Bristol's Hope is the modern name of a community in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It is located on Conception Bay between Carbonear and Harbour Grace....
. In 1611 they moved to nearby Carbonear
Carbonear, Newfoundland and Labrador
Carbonear is a town on the Avalon Peninsula in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. As of 2006, there are 4,723 people living in Carbonear, down from 4,759 in 2001.-History:...
to escape the return of Easton who by that time became a much feared pirate under the reign of James I
James I of England
James VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...
.
It has been suggested that NaGeira is an epithet
Epithet
An epithet or byname is a descriptive term accompanying or occurring in place of a name and having entered common usage. It has various shades of meaning when applied to seemingly real or fictitious people, divinities, objects, and binomial nomenclature. It is also a descriptive title...
meaning the beautiful, and that her actual name was O'Connor the daughter of a claimant to the Irish throne
Kings of Connacht
The Kings of Connacht were rulers of the cóiced of Connacht, which lies west of the River Shannon, Ireland. However, the name only became applied to it in the early medieval era, being named after The Connachta.The old name for the province was Cóiced Ol nEchmacht . Ptolemy's map of c. 150 AD...
of Connacht
Connacht
Connacht , formerly anglicised as Connaught, is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the west of Ireland. In Ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for...
.
Controversy
The official record for a European child born in Newfoundland was on March 27, 1613 to a Nicholas Guy and his wife, whose name was not recorded. There are no historical records of a Sheila NaGeira existing, let alone having given birth, or being married to a Gilbert Pike. The Canadian Conservation InstituteCanadian Conservation Institute
The Canadian Conservation Institute is a special operating agency of the federal Department of Canadian Heritage. CCI provides information and services on conservation and preservation issues nationally...
in 1982 had confirmed that the alleged burial place for Sheila showed a crumbling stone of a John Pike, but no mention of a Sheila.
The mythology of Shelia NaGeira seems to have first been recorded in print at the beginning of the twentieth century, there is no mention of her in any of the histories of the island or its folk beliefs prior to that. It is possible a local legend pre-dates that, but no evidence has been found to date.
External links
- New novel, NaGeira, with Sheila NaGeira as central character
- Princess Sheila NaGeira Theatre website
- Rogues and Heroes, book of biographies of Newfoundland and Labrador historical figures, including Sheila