Prince William Henry at the Court in Placentia:

Perhaps the most notable event in the judicial system at Placentia occurred when Prince William Henry, the future King William IV of England arrived on July 1, 1786 and left on September 5, spending most of his time as a surrogate court judge. This was Prince William's first naval assignment as a commander of the 28-gun frigate Pegasus. During his stay in Placentia Prince William is recorded as a noble benefactor who provided an education for a local lad by bringing him back to England and providing an education for him. He also was recorded for making a generous contribution to build a chapel for the Church of England congregation in Placentia. Besides being touted as champion of justice for the mistreated, he is also reported as a sinister Anglican partisan who deprives Roman Catholic employees of their livelihood and attacks prients and prelates. This folklore is perhaps indicitive of the ethnic and religious conditions of that time.

At the time of Prince William's visit, Placentia was the second most important establishment in Newfoundland, with a population between 1,500 and 2,000, "a quiet well behaved people, principally Irish and Roman Catholics". Placentia at that time had a governor (but not during the Prince's stay) and a eight-man contingent from the Royal Artillery. Prince William Henry noted as "more decent than any we have seen in Newfoundland". He also noted that the chapel for which the Irish had recevied a building permit by Governor Campbell was to be completed by the fall of that year. The houses the Prince saw were, "tolerably good and clean". Prince William became friends with the local merchant Mr. Saunders of Poole. The Prince wrote his father, King George III telling him that Mr. Saunders' venture capital was 50,000 pounds.

During his stay in Placentia, the Prince officiated at the funeral service of William Eddy. He also celebrated his twenty-first birthday in Placentia. He is alleged to have celebrated his coming of age with his officers below deck. The entire party was dead drunk, and when the Prince managed to crawl up to maindeck, he was "recognized by the seamen, all nearly as drunk as himself, who with unfeigned, irrestible loyalty, mounted him on their soulders and ran with him violently from one end of the deck to the other." In the process "his head passed within an inch of the skids several times, and one blow at the rate they were going would inevitable have killed him."

The Prince's performance as surrogate judge was an effective one. He demanded careful evidence...only written pleas were considered..and followed punctiliously the acts he had received. In an accident case he even decided against the most powerful merchant in town, for no one dared to question his judgements. The majority of cases concerned property disputes and disagreements over the right to use the beach. In his decisions he followed the new act strictly, guarding against permanent settlement and maintaining the rights of the seasonal fishing fleet. He also issued liquor licenses, dealt with wage disputes, petty theft, and the momentous crime of Constable Christoper St. Croix who was charged and convicted of having shot Mary Mercer's pig which had repeatedly invaded St. Croix's vegetable garden. The fine "for illegally killing Mary Mercer's pig" was ten shillings and six pence. For more serious cases the Prince consulted the governor and relied on the advice of the customs officers.

An event documented by the Prince in the Placentia Court records was a riot that broke out on August 6. Although the nature of the case is not specified, it led to an abuse of the magistrate and the constables. At this time the Royal Artillery was absent from the garrison and this complicated matters. Major Huddleston and his men had left for St. John's but the replacements under Lieutenant Wright did not arrive at Placentia until just before Prince William's departure from Placentia. The Prince was called to control the 300 rioters who had pelted the constables with rocks and stones. He apprehended what appeared to be the ringleader and ordered eighty lashes, since more could not be endured by the man who was to have received one hundred. According the Magistrate Alexander Willson, the Prince sentenced the major culprits "to serve on board of one of His Majesty's ships of war" and in a speech to the inhabitants he commended the magistrate for his part in quelling the riot and promised "promptly to afford every protection to the civil power." After the riot the Prince considered it also appropriate to have all male inhabitants of Placentia, Little Placentia, and Point Verde twelve years and over appear in court and affirm their loyalty to the King by swearing oaths of allegiance.

The conflict between Prince William and the Catholics of Placentia may have stemmed from so many Church of England congregations using the services of the Catholic clergy and deserting their own church. Prince William forbade the Catholic priest, Edmund Burke, to make proselytes or officiate at Protestant marriages, ordered him not to use the court house for Roman Catholic services, prohibited the use of the Anglican graveyard by Roman Catholics and relieved Roman Catholics who held public office, of their duty. Although these tactics were legal, they put a great strain on the intergrity of civic life as the riot of the 300 suggests. It is not known if these restrictions of the Catholic population were the basis for the riot. But the riot occured after the dismissal of one of the Roman Catholic constables.

To foster the Anglican faith the Prince did attempt to reestablish a church in Placentia. He read a divine service to the local Anglicans and admonished all Protestant inhabitants to remain faithful to their church. The magistrates were ordered to continue with church services until an Anglican priest arrived. The Prince initiated a subscription for a chapel and contributed more than 50 pounds and set up a fund to pay a future minister. In his letter to the governor he requested permission to build a church in Placentia, but was not successful in reactiviating an older scheme to guarantee its funding, taxing of each shoreman to the sum of two shillings and six pence. The governor did not think that such a tax could be collected since no one was authorized to "leving...taxes upon any occasion whatever in this island". Prince William suggested voluntary contributions and added: "I trust and flatter myself, Mr. Willson's account of the liberality of the Protestant inhabitants of Placentia that there will be no necessity for taxing the shoremen.." But he did forward to the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in London, the subscription of the Prince as well as the testimonials of local Anglicans.

The Prince left Placentia on the Pegasus on the afternoon of September 5. His gifts to the the Church - the Silver Communion Service and the Court - the Coat of Arms of his father George III and the Baliff's Tipstaff are reminders of his Royal visit.