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HISTORY
Hector was a ship famous
for having been part of the first significant migration of
Scottish settlers to Nova Scotia in 1773. The replica of the
original ship is located at the Hector Heritage Quay, a heritage
center run by local volunteers, in Pictou
History
A full rigged Fluyt, Hector (built in the Netherlands before
1750) was employed in local trade in waters off the British
Isles as well as the immigrant trade to North America, having
made at least one trip c. 1770 carrying Scottish emigrants to
Boston, Massachusetts.
In 1762 the earliest of the Fuadaich nan Gàidheal (Scottish
Highland Clearances) forced many Gaelic families off their
ancestral lands. The first ship loaded with Hebridean colonists
arrived on "St.-John's Island" (Prince Edward Island) in 1770,
with later ships following in 1772, and 1774. In 1773 a ship
named The Hector landed in Pictou, Nova Scotia, with 189
settlers, mostly originating from Lochbroom. In 1784 the last
barrier to Scottish settlement – a law restricting
land-ownership on Cape Breton Island – was repealed, and soon
both PEI and Nova Scotia were predominantly Gaelic-speaking. It
is estimated more than 50,000 Gaelic settlers immigrated to Nova
Scotia and Cape Breton Island between 1815 and 1870.
Her famous voyage took place in 1773 with a departure date
around the second week of July, carrying 189 Highlanders who
were immigrating to Nova Scotia. The vessel's owner, Mr. John
Pagan, along with Dr. John Witherspoon, purchased three shares
of land near Pictou, Nova Scotia. Pagan and Witherspoon hired
John Ross as a recruiting agent for settlers willing to
immigrate to Pictou with an offer of free passage, 1 year of
free provisions, and a farm. The settlers (23 families, 25
single men) were recruited at Greenock and at Lochbroom (Rossshire)
with the majority being from Lochbroom. The settlers that
boarded Hector were poor, "obscure, illiterate crofters and
artisans from Northern [Scotland], who spoke Gaelic." The school
teacher, William McKenzie was one of the few passengers on the
Hector to speak both Gaelic and English.
Hector was an old ship and in poor condition when she left
Europe. The arduous voyage to Pictou took 11 weeks, with a gale
off Newfoundland causing a 14-day delay. Dysentery and smallpox
claimed 18 lives amongst the passengers. The vessel arrived in
Pictou Harbour on September 15, landing at Brown's Point,
immediately west of the present-day town of
Pictou.
The year's free provisions never materialized for the passengers
of Hector. They had to hurry to build shelter without those
provisions before winter set in and starved them.
Replica
During the late 1980s and early 1990s, heritage officials in
Nova Scotia sought to commemorate the Hector's contribution to
Nova Scotia's Scottish history. In 1992, the Ship Hector
Foundation was formed from a group of volunteers in Pictou
County and elsewhere who began to raise funds for the
construction, maintenance and operation of a replica of Hector.
The Hector Heritage Quay, along with the Ship Hector Company
Store were opened on the Pictou waterfront in the ensuing years.
The marine architect firm J.B. McGuire Marine Associates Ltd.
was commissioned to research the particulars of the original
Hector and to develop blueprints for an accurate replica. Scotia
Trawlers of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia were
commissioned to complete phase one and two of the construction
at the Hector Heritage Quay, which allowed visitors to the
Pictou waterfront to observe the ship's progress, making it an
important local attraction. After several years of construction,
the replica Hector was launched with great fanfare and media
coverage on September 17, 2000. The date had been
delayed due to poor weather on the 16th.
The Quay, opened May to October, offers a three story
interpretive centre, along with blacksmith, carpentry, and
rigger shops.
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