455 A. E. Verrill—The Bermuda Islands. 43 
with great peeces, and men to defend them.” It is also spoken of 
by Capt. John Smith (History of Virginia, etc., 1624) as ‘“ Gurnets 
Head.” He says of Governor Tucker, 1616, that he “appointed 
Master Stokes, Lieutenant of the Kings Castle at the Gurnets Head.” 
By some unexplained error, or confusion of terms, the name came 
to be applied later to the headland at the southern extremity of 
Cooper’s Island, where Governor Moore built in 1614 a fortification 
called Pembroke Fort, doubtless of heavy cedar timber. On most 
modern maps the latter is still erroneously called Gurnets Head.* 
The “ Gurnard Head,” as used by the Company, is only the more 
modern form of the same word. In the narratives of various voy- 
ages of about that period, certain headlands are said to be shaped 
“like the head of a gurnet,” or “gurnard.” It was a common com- 
parison at that time. Doubtless one or the other (or both) of these 
Bermuda headlands, as seen by approaching sailors, had a fancied 
resemblance to a gurnards head, but the resemblance may have now 
disappeared by erosion.t 
Hughes’ “ Letter from the Summer Islands,” 1615, and Capt. John 
Smith’s History, ed. I, 1624, are the earliest books in which I have 
foundthe name. Governor Butler’s Historye, which contains numer- 
ous references to the place, antedates the latter, but though written 
in 1619-26, it has only recently been published (1882), except those 
parts of it borrowed and printed by Capt. John Smith in 1624. 
The name does not occur on Norwood’s map of 1663 (at least not 
on the editions that I have seen), though it does occur on his map of 
1622. But the name is placed on the latter so far away from land 
replace the one built by Moore on the same site, and burned in 1619. These 
were the ‘‘three forts”” mentioned. 
* The old writers do not give any clue as to the reason for the application of 
the name, but the same name has been given to high headlands in other coun- 
tries, as for example, ‘‘ Gurnet Head” on the north shore of Massachusetts Bay. 
“‘Gurnet” is simply an old form for gurnard—the name of several species of 
English market fishes having large, rough, angular heads. 
+ Viewed from the shore ledges on the south side, there is a very striking 
human profile to be seen near the base of the cliffs under the old ‘‘ Kings 
Castle.” (See fig. 21.) 
{ On this map both Latin and English names are given to many places. The 
Latin name of Gurnets Head is given as ‘‘ Hyrcae promont.” Precisely what 
this means is uncertain. It may be bad Latin for ‘‘ Hirci Prom.” The name 
on the map is even outside of ‘‘ Gurnet Head Rock,” for which he may have 
intended it. But the fault may have been due to the Dutch engraver. In his 
map of 1663, the rock is correctly named. The use of the name ‘ Gurnett 
Head” was well established before Norwood’s first map was made. 
