Posted on 03/29/2008 2:26:02 PM PDT by blam
Silver cross reveals a piece of Acadian history
Jill St. Marseille, Canwest News Service
Published: Saturday, March 29, 2008
Experts hope a small piece of Acadian history that offers a rare glimpse into pre-deportation Canada may open a wider window on that sore point in the country's past.
The three-centimetre silver cross was discovered in Grand Pre, N.S., during an archeological dig by Saint Mary's University in 2006.
Its physical properties and 250-year-old grave mark it as part of an important historical era - the deportation of thousands of Acadians in 1755.
The tiny cross may even have links to the much-sought after Church of St-Charles-des-Mines. The church, which was used as a prison for hundreds of Acadian men and boys awaiting deportation, has never been located, but the cross may offer some insight into where it stood.
"It's a plain looking, Greek-style cross (with) arms of equal length," said Jonathan Fowler, project leader and professor of archeology at Saint Mary's in Halifax. "That style of cross was quite common as an adornment on top of various types of church silver, particularly in the period of the very late 1600s and early 1700s."
Fowler speculated that it probably sat atop a chalice lid or ciborium, two common items in a Roman Catholic service.
He speculated the cross, which was found in the stone ruins of a building, would have been covered over either during an attack on Grand Pre by New England soldiers in 1704 or around the time of the deportation.
Either way, it went unnoticed by New England settlers who later covered the site with earth and stone.
Treasure hunters scoured the area early in the 20th century, but also overlooked the cross.
"These aren't the types of objects that just go missing," Fowler said. "It's been on the site for 250 years and has been missed by at least these two other groups."
The deportation of the Acadians came some 40 years after the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713 gave French land claims - including Acadia - to Britain.
In all, about 10,000 Acadians were uprooted and sent to British colonies across North America.
Archeological teams are set to return to the site, near Wolfville, N.S., in May to continue digging.
My wife’s family comes from the area. She has relatives who were deported to France, some who died in Acadia, and others who just disappeared. Interesting article, thanks!
What’s this ‘Acadian’ stuff?
Your spell check didn’t come up with ‘Cajun’? It mus be broke Boudreaux!
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Thanks Blam. |
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