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The earliest settlers of Middle Bay were the Buckles. William Buckle originally came from England in the late 18th century and settled in Newfoundland to trap furs. His son, William Buckle II, moved to Labrador and married Johanna Watts. He left Labrador around 1830 and brought his wife and children to the Middle Bay area to hunt seals.
William Buckle II’s son John settled in Belles Amours, about 5 kilometres east of Middle Bay, where he made a living fishing cod and seal.
John Buckle and his Frances (Fanny) Kelson became well known along the coast for their openness and hospitality. During the long winter months, their house was the center of entertainment as people arrived in komatiks, wooden sleds pulled by dogs, to attend “the times” held at the Buckles’ home. The large Belles Amours establishment had a chapel, which Mr. Buckle opened to clergymen from any denomination that traveled along the coast. On August 27 1856, missionary Mr. Carpenter visited and wrote about John Buckle: “Mr. Buckle I like best of all Buckles. He is jovial, hospitable and intelligent.”
An old Buckle family cemetery is found close to the site where the family lived in Belles Amours. In the cemetery are 5 engraved stones, and at least 5 wooden crosses. The engraved stones mark the graves of members of the Buckle family: John Buckle and his wife Frances Kelson, James Buckle and his wife Ann Maria Whiteley Kelson, and Alfred and Charles Whiteley, the sons of Ann Maria and her first husband. Today, many of the family’s descendants still live in the area, and Buckle is the predominant name in the village of Middle Bay.
