On February 25, 1690, 45 privateers, commanded by Herman Williamson, invaded Placentia by land. After killing two soldiers, they seized the whole settlement, then pillaged and plundered everything in sight: furniture, weapons, cod-fishing boats, ships, and fishing gear. They threw four cannons into the sea, disabled four others, and imprisoned the settlers in the local church for six weeks. On April 5, the invaders departed, taking all of the colony's provisions with them.
The next year, Governor de Brouillan reported another English attack on Placentia on the nights of August 24 and 25. This offensive failed and the English retreated, leaving behind a placard bearing England's coat of arms and the phrase, "In time, I shall endeavour to settle here."
The English were convinced that a French colony posed a threat to their trade in Newfoundland , and they again tried to destroy Placentia in the fall of 1692. The attack was led by Commodore Francis Williams with over 700 men. Placentia was defended by only 50 French Soldiers, bolstered by a few Basque fishermen. Despite the sizeable difference in the number of troops, the French colony fought off the invaders once again. According to Baron Lahontan, who was present at the attack, the enemy just " wasted his shots".
In 1693, for the fourth year in a row the English made another attempt to take Placentia,
equally unsuccessful.
