Pike House (Carbonear)
Pike House (Carbonear)![[Pike House: Image]](023.jpg)
The folk history of Carbonear associates this house with the legendary Irish princess, Sheila Na Geira who was captured by and fell in love with the pirate, Gilbert Pike. They later settled in Carbonear and many feel the old stone in the back garden of this house marks the graves of Pike and the princess. Residents of the area feel that the house is well over 200 years old and this could very well be the case. The old plantation book for Conception Bay indicates that the Pike family had extensive holdings in the area in the late 18th and early 19th century. The plantation of Francis Pike recorded in 1783 comprised 5 houses, a stage, 2 flakes, one beach, 4 gardens and a meadow. Other Pike plantations listed in 1795 and 1800 indicated four more plantations including ten houses and various other buildings and facilities. It is possible that the Pike house illustrated was one of these. The large number of Pikes listed in the Registry of Deeds, however, makes it difficult to trace any one piece of property and place a definite date on the construction of this particular house.