Oldest church in North America

Evan Jones, a researcher at the University of Bristol, may have discovered the geographical location of the oldest church in North America. According to an article in Historical Research, the remains appear to be located beneath the ground in Carbonear, Newfoundland.

Jones' discovery, however, appears to have been a brilliant stroke of luck.

Incredibly, the story begins with Alwyn Ruddock, a historian at the University of London and expert of the explorer John Cabot's voyages. Ruddock passed away in 2005, and according to her will, all her research was destroyed, "including 40 years' worth of work for a book about the many mysteries surrounding Cabot's maligned 1498 expedition" to Newfoundland.

Yet, a book proposal and some e-mail correspondence between Ruddock and her publisher remained in the public domain. This allowed Jones to continue Ruddock's work and legacy with respect to the 1498 voyage.

According to Jones, "It appears that Ruddock believed the Newfoundland church was named after San Giovanni a Carbonara...the locative element 'a Carbonara' presumably being carried across because it was key to the congregation's identity." While the book proposal and e-mails do not include any documented evidence, this information will be of great help to historians.

Why did Ruddock destroy her work in the first place? There doesn't appear to be answer. Jones was quoted as saying, "Even if all the documents she claimed to have found do come to light eventually, the mystery of why she sought to suppress her own basic research may never be resolved."

If anyone wants to read Jones' entire article on Ruddock's work, it is available - for free - online at the Historical Research website. Follow this link, and look for the article entitled "Alwyn Ruddock: 'John Cabot and the Discovery of America.'