by Elaine Spurrell
In earlier days the area classed as Great Heart’s Ease encompassed several communities including Southport (originally Fox Harbour), Heart’s Ease Beach, Gooseberry Cove, George’s Cove and Butter Cove. People who are not familiar with this area often think it’s Little Heart’s Ease that is being referred to when they come across an older document that states someone was from Heart’s Ease. Even Private Richard Spurrell when he enlisted in the Newfoundland Regiment during WWI gave his hometown as Heart’s Ease, although he lived in Butter Cove.
We know that it was at Heart’s Ease Beach that the first people came to this area. French Basques fishermen are believed to have frequented here in the early 1500’s. By the late 1500’s the English migratory ships were fishing out of here. Sir Richard Whitbourne recorded an incident in the late 1500’s in which a band of Beothucks raided an English ship from Devon and stole some of the fishermen’s equipment. In 1615 Sir Richard Whitbourne sent his own ship, the Seraphine, of Devon with 48 men to fish out of Heart’s Ease Beach. Heart’s Ease Beach was so well known that it appeared on an early 1621 English map as ‘Heart’s Ease’. The recent discovery of three slate headstones at Heart’s Ease Beach likely dates to the 1600’s and maybe even, the 1500’s when the migratory fishermen lived there during the summer fishery and returned home to Europe in the fall. If one of these fishermen died during the summer this is most likely where he would be buried.
Of course, the history of Heart’s Ease Beach goes back much further. What is the evidence that people resided at Heart’s Ease Beach centuries ago? In 1991 Maritime Archaic Indian stone tools were found there that confirmed that these people lived there over 4000 years ago.
There were no permanent residents at Heart’s Ease Beach until the family of John Baker (more commonly referred to as Jack Baker) and his wife, Grace, moved from Trinity to there. The 1753 census shows them living at Heart’s Ease Beach along with their two boys and two girls. Also living there at the time was a Michael Dunphy and fishermen working for Lawrence and DeGrish, who were merchants out of Trinity. John and Grace Baker stayed on in Heart’s Ease Beach and made it their permanent home. With the absence of any church in the area these early settlers would have travelled back to Trinity for baptisms, marriages and burials. The earliest recorded death of anyone at Heart’s Ease Beach was in 1788 when James Pinsent died there and his body was taken back to Trinity to be buried. Without a doubt, there were other deaths there before that time. It is believed that John and Grace Baker died there before that time and was likely taken back to Trinity for burial. The next official record of a death states that on April 17, 1789, an Indian (no name given) who was a servant to Mr. John Jeffrey fell overboard near Heart’s Ease and unfortunately drowned before anyone could get to him. By 1836 there were 35 individuals in 8 houses living at Heart’s Ease Beach.
Over the 1753-1800 period several church records related to Heart’s Ease Beach residents appear in the Trinity church records. It is not certain when the first Church of England cemetery in Heart’s Ease Beach was consecrated but it’s possible that it occurred over the 1825-1850 period. This cemetery was located under Jack Baker’s Hill and overlooking Heart’s Ease Beach. It was located behind and above the first school chapel built there in 1859.
The first recorded baptism is of Thomas, son of John and Mary Baker who was born at Heart’s Ease Beach on May 9, 1794. Trinity church records indicate that John and Mary had several children born at Heart’s Ease Beach between 1794-1807. It is highly likely that these children were taken to Trinity to be baptized. The earliest baptisms with reference to Gooseberry Cove were two baptisms that took place on August 25, 1837, with the baptisms of Johanna, born July 6, 1837, to William and Ellen Seward and that of Mary, born on July 15, 1837, to Thomas and Mary Langer.
The earliest recorded marriage is of Mark Seward and Grace George of Gooseberry Cove who were married at Trinity on May 22, 1840. In 1859 a school was built at Heart’s Ease Beach. The school also served as a church for the area with George Vardy of Claypits as both the teacher and the lay reader. In 1880 a church (called St. Alban’s), along with a school and a rectory were built at the crossroads (area between Southport and Gooseberry Cove). The first recorded priest is Rev. J. S. Sanderson who came with his family in October 1880 and settled at the rectory. Prior to the completion of the church all services were held in the school chapel. On October 10, 1880, Rev. Sanderson conducted two baptisms at the school chapel, that of Joshua, son of Joseph and Olivia Spurrell of Butter Cove and Thomas, son of Solomon and Emma Langer of Gooseberry Cove. The first recorded burial from St. Alban’s school chapel was that of 28-year-old Eli Dodge of Heart’s Ease Beach who was buried on October 19, 1880. It was not until November of 1886 that we find a record of the church being used instead of the school chapel. It was on November 28, 1886, that Stephen Dean, a widower from Southport and Lydia Soper of House Cove were united in marriage in the newly opened St. Alban’s with Rev, Llewellyn Romilly as priest in charge. The first confirmation service, which was held on October 7, 1884 would have been conducted at the St. Alban’s school chapel. It was at this time that Bishop Llewellyn Jones confirmed 46 people, ranging in age from 14 years to 63 years. Of the 46 confirmed, 33 were adults. The bishop returned 6 years later on September 28, 1890 to confirm 74 people ranging in age from 11 years to 83 years. The 83-year-old being Edward Seward. This time 35 of those confirmed were adults. At the next confirmation on September 1, 1895 it seems that all adults of the Church of England faith in the area had already been confirmed, except for one young woman who had recently married. At this time St. Alban’s Church served those of the Church of England faith in the neighbouring communities of Southport, Gooseberry Cove, Heart’s Ease Beach, George’s Cove, Butter Cove, Clay Pits, Little Harbour and St. Jones Without. The parish, which included all Church of England parishioners in the Southwest Arm and Random Island, was called the Parish of Random. Prior to 1880, clergymen visited from Trinity, Heart’s Content and New Harbour.
In the late 1920’s it was decided that a new St. Alban’s Church needed to be built at Gooseberry Cove. Rev. S. R. Shepherd conducted the last service, Evensong, in the former St. Alban’s Church on May 23, 1928. Mr. Bryant began taking down the church the next day, May 24th. The cornerstone of the new church was laid on Wednesday, September 5, 1928, at 2 pm by Rev. Shepherd, assisted by lay reader, Malcom Pitcher of Gooseberry Cove. The old school near the church was used for services during the building of the new church. From 1928 to 1932 many couples wishing to be married travelled to Hodge’s Cove where the ceremony was conducted in the church there. It appears that the two-storey rectory was sold to Mr. Flynn around 1928. The new rectory was then built in Hodge’s Cove, which was more central to the parish. On May 15, 1932, the new St. Alban’s Church was declared officially open for the first time by Rev. Sparshott. During this service the first baptism was conducted in the new church when Andrew Malcolm Smith, son of John B. and Gladys Smith of Gooseberry Cove was received into the church. The first funeral was on August 27, 1932, for baby Clayton Spurrell, son of Alexander and Olive Spurrell of Butter Cove, who died less than an hour after he was born. The first marriage took place on November 2, 1933, when Martin Joseph Seward, son of Peter and Amelia Seward of Gooseberry Cove, was united in marriage to Rebecca Ivany, daughter of Caleb and Elizabeth Rebecca Jane Ivany of Southport.
The new church was consecrated by Right Reverend Philip Abraham, Lord Bishop of Newfoundland at 3 pm on Wednesday, October 22, 1947. He was attended by the parish clergyman, Rev. M.C.M. Jones.
The church was built with free labour by the members of the congregation, except for a Mr. Harrison Bryant of New Perlican who was contracted to finish the exterior and build the tower to the saddle of the roof. The following spring a Mr. George Pittman of New Perlican completed the tower to its height. Mr. Moses Martin, a well-known carpenter from Little Hearts’ Ease, took on the daunting task of building the interior of the church. Using the hand tools of the day, he worked meticulously to shape the archways, entrances, pillars, windows and the chancel. His work is still preserved today and is admired by all who visit the church. The money to build the church was raised by picking berries and selling them to merchants, catching and selling fish and making and selling hoops for barrels. Lumber was cut in the area, and a makeshift sawmill was put into operation on the site. Flour barrels were used for forms and shores and can be seen today in the basement of the church. The pews, reading desk, lectern and altar from the old St. Alban’s church was given to St. Peter’s Church congregation in Little Harbour for their church. The font was kept for the new St. Alban’s. New pews, lectern, pulpit, reading desk, and altar were all bought and installed.
In 2006 a Restoration Committee was formed. Through fundraising and funds received from Service Canada work was completed in building an extension which included a kitchen and a washroom. An easily accessible entrance with a ramp was built, the spire was restored with an aluminum cap and cross. Additionally, 23 more new windows were installed to add to the 7 new ones that had been installed previously.
With such a large parish in the earlier days the priest could not conduct regular Sunday services. In fact, he usually only visited every four weeks. However, St. Alban’s was able to have services every Sunday with the help of lay readers. One of the earliest lay readers at St. Alban’s was William Balsom of George’s Cove, who conducted at least 56 burials from 1883-1903. After his death, at the age of 59 in 1905, Charles Pitcher became lay reader, and he conducted at least 58 burials between 1905-1925. In 1925 his son, Malcolm Pitcher of Gooseberry Cove became lay reader at St. Alban’s. A more recent lay reader was Uncle Sandy Spurrell from Butter Cove who lay read, buried people and baptized infants from 1927 until he left the area in 1964. Another recent dedicated lay reader at St. Alban’s was Andrew Peddle who conducted services there until his death in 2021.
A St. Alban’s 50th anniversary service was held on August 26, 1979, at 6:30 pm by the rector, Rev. Robert Eadie, assisted by Rev. Joseph Taylor and Rev. Gordon Ethridge. Following the service a reception was held at the SUF lodge. The cake was cut by 89-year-old Mr. Benjamin Smith, who was the eldest member of the congregation at that time. On September 6, 2008, an 80th anniversary service was held at St. Alban’s with the celebrant being the Right Reverend Cyrus Pittman, Lord Bishop of Newfoundland and Labrador. Rev. Nelson Chatman, the clergyman at the time, along with the longest serving clergyman to the parish, Rev. Gordon Ethridge, who served from 1958 to 1967, also participated in the service.
Over the years, St. Alban’s Church has been kept in good repair, and it is the oldest church in the area. In 2028 it will celebrate its 100th anniversary.
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Posted October 17, 2026
Transcriptions may contain human errors. As always, confirm these as you would any other source material.