John Badcock

- Bef 1800

• Name	John Badcock
  Born	Devon, England   [1]
  Gender	Male
  Research Overview	1770	Brigus South, Newfoundland   [2]
  It is generally agreed that the surname Badcock (later Battcock) of Brigus South is English in origin and that the first Badcock settler there probably originated from West Country, England. Family lore also holds that the Brigus South Battcocks were from Devon, England. Of course, it is not known if they came from there to Brigus South directly, or via Conception Bay (North). The earliest mention of John Badcock's name at Brigus South is in the Colonial Office Papers of 1770 (GN 2/A/1, Volume 4, p.263). In a complaint, registered at St. John's on October 6, 1770, Dennis Tobin of Brigus accused John Badcock and his wife of stealing about 8 quintals of fish (about 800 lbs.) from him while he was away at sea. The key witness for Tobin was Darby O' Brien, one of Badcock's own servants, who claimed he was ill and unable to go out working with the other servants that day. He states that he saw Badcock remove four barrows of fish belonging to Tobin and transfer it to the beach. Another issue in the complaint was that Badcock and Tobin had entered into an agreement whereby Badcock was supposed to have kept Tobin in bait and looked after the curing of the salted codfish caught by Tobin. Tobin claimed that Badcock had not lived up to this part of the business agreement either, having left him short of bait at the peak of the fishing season and, due to neglect, Badcock had let some of Tobin's fish spoil. It seems that Darby O'Brien was a very willing witness for Tobin, since his testimony against Badcock was self serving. We learn in the complaint that because he was ill and unable to work, John Badcock, his master, had refused to pay him his wages. Of course, O' Brien felt he was still entitled to his wages and in Tobin's complaint this issue was also put forth on O' Brien's behalf. Although we don't know the outcome of this complaint in regards to Tobin's accusation, the directive in respect to O'Brien's wages was clear. Badcock was required to pay him all wages owed unless the illness was proven to be false or as a result of drunkenness. The reference to this John Badcock and his wife in 1770 strongly suggests that they were the preceding generation to the famiy of Badcocks who were enumerated at Caplin Bay 30 years later. It seems highly unlikely that this John Badcock and his wife were the parents of children born in the 1890s; more than likely they were their grandparents.
  Died	Bef 1800	Brigus South, Newfoundland   [3]
  Buried	Bef 1800  [3]
  Person ID	I4071	Families of Calvert (Caplin Bay), Newfoundland
  Last Modified	1 Mar 2021

  
  

  Children	1. John Badcock,   b. Abt 1765, Brigus South, Newfoundland ,   d. 9 Dec 1837, Brigus South, Newfoundland  (Age ~ 72 years)
  Last Modified	10 Apr 2015
  Family ID	F1131	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Event Map		Born - - Devon, England Research Overview - 1770 - Brigus South, Newfoundland Died - Bef 1800 - Brigus South, Newfoundland  = Link to Google Earth
  Pin Legend	: Address       : Location       : City/Town       : County/Shire       : State/Province       : Country       : Not Set

  
  

• Sources

  [S63] Family Tradition, (Information passed down orally through generations of descendants). [S66] Individual Sources Notes., Reddigan, Kevin, (Information from various notes, comments, and observations recorded during research or provided in e-mails from other researchers). [S90] Approximate date based on another recorded event, Reddigan, Kevin, (A date calculated by using a recorded date and a person's age, or by estimating the most likely date, based on other recorded life events).