What Is The Early History Of Nova Scotia?

Nova Scotia was 'discovered' by John Cabot in 1497 and initially claimed, ironically enough, for England. But this vast province in the Canadian North West, or Arcadia as it was once dubbed, was later seized by Captain Argyle in the name of James IV.

Nova Scotia was for a while the first permanent North American settlement north of Florida, when Scotsman, Sir William Alexander was granted a charter from King James IV in 1621. Officially named Nova Scotia, the province became a haven for Scots. A large group of Ulster Scots were among those to arrive, as well as thousands of Highlanders evicted from their homes by their lairds, Jacobites fleeing Culloden in 1746, loyalists escaping the American Revolution and many more economic migrants hoping for a better life.

There was no let up in the migration to Nova Scotia and elsewhere in Canada during the 19th Century; between 1871 and 1901, 80,000 Scots emigrated to Canada.

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