Labour Contracts and Deserters

It was common for Irish workers to come to Newfoundland on a labour contract. These workers agreed to work for an employer for an agreed upon wage and length of time. But sometimes the workers broke their contracts. They found the work too hard or the wages too small. Sometimes the workers were badly treated. Shipowners sometimes lied about how long the passage to Newfoundland would take. This let them charge more money for food. Many workers left their jobs before their contracts were finished. If they did this they were considered "deserters." Employers placed ads in local newspapers to try and find these deserters. Here is an example taken from the Royal Gazette on Thursday, June 9th, 1814:

Deserted:
From the Service of Thomas Bulley &Co. on Saturday last the 21st instant:
John Murphy—23 years of age, fair complexion, brown hair, 5 feet 4 inches high—a native of Ireland.
William Mulves—24 years of age, fair complexion, dark hair, with foxy whiskers, 6 feet high—a native of Ireland.
The above named Deserters, arrived here in the Brig Thomas, Thomas Bulley, Master, from Waterford. A reward of Three Pounds for each man, is hereby offered to any person or persons who will apprehend the above named deserters, or either of them, or give such information as will lead to their apprehension.

Masters of Vessels and others are hereby cautioned not to harbor, conceal, or carry off the above named deserters, as they will be prosecuted to the utmost rigour of the law.

St. John's, 26th May, 1814¹⁵

Sometimes workers who came to Newfoundland did not pay their passage before they left. When this happened someone Ireland would agree to act as a "surety" for the worker. If the worker did not pay his passage after an agreed upon time, the person in Ireland would have to pay. Here is a notice about this that appeared in a St. John's newspaper in 1816: