Home/Auctions/Fall Auction/Lecture: Ancient St.John's by H W LeMessurier Esq. Grenfell Hall 1915
Back to Catalog

Lecture: Ancient St.John's by H W LeMessurier Esq. Grenfell Hall 1915

Lot Number:3214
Completed
Start Time:19/9/2025 9:30:00 PM
End Time:29/9/2025 10:13:50 PM
Bid Count:26
Winning Bidder:5248
Starting Bid:$0.01
Bid Increment:$1.00
Current Bid:$31.00
Bidding complete
Watching:7

Lecture: Ancient St.John's by H W LeMessurier Esq. Grenfell Hall 1915

What it is

  • Title: Ancient St. John’s by Henry William LeMessurier (H. W. LeMessurier), Esq. 

  • Lecture delivered: May 10, 1915 at Grenfell Hall, St. John’s, Newfoundland. 

  • Publication: Appears as a monograph published by Herald in St. John’s, circa 1915. 

  • Format: 20 pages, printed in double columns; size about 23 cm. 

What it covers (Contents / Themes)

While I don’t have the full text’s detailed summary, the metadata and context suggest:

  • A historical account of old St. John’s (Newfoundland), focusing on its origins, early settlement, perhaps landmarks, important events, and how the town evolved. “Ancient St. John’s” suggests a retrospective on the city’s past—architectural, civic, ecclesiastical, maybe social history. 

  • LeMessurier likely discusses early inhabitants, perhaps the colonial era, significant buildings or sites (church, public buildings, old streets), possibly divergences between old and modern St. John’s (circa 1915).

  • Given that the lecture is 20 pages, not extremely long, it may provide sketches of old families, old customs, the geography of early town layout, perhaps anecdotes or memories from older residents.

  • Might include commentary on preservation or the importance of memory — standard in local history lectures of that period.

Where to Access It

  • Digitally via Canadiana: The monograph Ancient St. John's is available in image form, with full‑document download as PDF of ~20 pages. 

  • The original is held (or was used) by the National Library of Canada (since Canadiana notes that their copy was filmed from that collection) 

Significance / Why It Matters

  • Provides a snapshot (in 1915) of how St. John’s people of that time thought about their city’s past — what was considered “ancient,” what landmarks were still standing, what histories were valued.

  • Useful source for local history / heritage studies: for mapping the older built environment, comparing what was then preserved vs what later changed, perhaps even buildings that no longer exist.

  • May include LeMessurier’s insights or original sources (oral histories, older maps, older documents) which might not be preserved elsewhere.

No donations for this lot

Fall is around the corner. Time to start squirrelling away everything that is valuable to get us through the darker days. What better to stash away for safe keeping than some new (to you) gold and silver coins, Newfoundland books and memorabilia, stamps and much, much, more.

This auction will have new lots added throughout the 10 days so be sure to check back to see what great finds appear. 

The following terms are agreed to by entry and bidding in this Auction

Bidding:

  • East Coast Coins, Auctions and Collectables reserves the right to refuse bids if there were obvious errors in auction listings or software glitches.
  • In placing a successful bid, You are agreeing to purchase the winning Lot at your winning bid.
  • At times, secondary bids may be promoted to the winning bid. (Non-Payment, error, etc). In these cases, the secondary bidder will be notified that they are the winner bidder.
  • Closing times appear once the items on auction have started
  • Successful bidders will be notified by email at Lot close.

Auctions

  • This is a online only auction sale.
  • This is a Soft Close auction
  • Auction viewing is available from 11-3 on day of auction close
  • Generally, our Auctions are 3 day or 10 day auctions, Friday thru Monday.

Payments

  • Invoices will be emailed to winners within 24 hours of auction close. Payment links will be provided in the invoice.
  • TAX! No tax on fine silver and gold, other items are taxable in Canada. No tax for US buyers that are shipping to the US.
  • Payment Methods:
    • We accept PAYPAL* or ETF (E-Transfer) online at payments@eastcoastcoins.ca, any Credit Card* or cash at our store.
    • *PAYPAL and Credit Cards payments are charged a 3% surcharge on all products.
  • No added auction fees.
  • All sales in CDN funds
  • Payment must be made within 3 days of auction close. If payment is not made or arranged, the Lot is awarded to the next highest bidder.
  • ALL LOTS MUST BE PAID FOR IN FULL PRIOR TO DELIVERY.

Shipping

Due to the Canada Post Strike and ongoing US tariff dispute, the following shipping options have been implemented:

  • Free local pickup

  • $40 shipping by FedEx (we will pay additional*). *Heavy orders exception - we will split shipping 50/50. Note: FedEx does not deliver to PO Box. Street Address is required.

  • Buyers option to wait until Canada Post strike ends and continue to pay $20 rate.

  • USA buyers must pay tariffs which we can quote before shipping.

  • We do not ship outside of Canada and US. US shipping is at East Coast Coins, Auctions and Collectables discretion.

PLEASE CONTACT US IF YOU REQUIRE FURTHER EXPLANATION.

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
Canada