[1] Ferryland was originally established as a station for migratory fishermen in the late 16th century but had earlier been used by the French, Spanish, and Portuguese.

In 1620 the territory was granted to George Calvert, 1st Baron Baltimore who had obtained the holdings from William Vaughan.

Dated 7 April 1623 it created the Province of Avalon on the island of Newfoundland and gave Baltimore complete authority over all matters in the territory.

The town was destroyed by New France in 1696 during the Avalon Peninsula Campaign of King William's War.

Virtually forgotten for centuries, excavations of the original settlement began in earnest in the late 1980s and continue to this day.