4 . ▁ ▁Though ▁T il ting ▁was ▁located ▁on ▁the ▁" F rench ▁Sh ore " ▁area ▁of ▁New found land , ▁and ▁was ▁likely ▁visited ▁by ▁French ▁fish ing ▁cre ws ▁in ▁the ▁early ▁ 1 6 th ▁century , ▁there ▁is ▁no ▁evidence ▁that ▁the ▁French ▁ever ▁settled ▁in ▁T il ting . ▁The ▁style ▁of ▁fish ery ▁pract ised ▁by ▁the ▁French ▁did ▁not ▁require ▁them ▁to ▁have ▁permanent ▁bases ▁on ▁land , ▁but ▁they ▁did ▁use ▁temporary ▁shore ▁stations ▁to ▁process ▁fish . ▁The ▁French ▁also ▁spent ▁time ▁on ▁shore ▁in ▁order ▁to ▁collect ▁wood ▁and ▁water , ▁to ▁wait ▁out ▁storm s , ▁and ▁to ▁repair ▁their ▁fish ing ▁craft . ▁Local ▁or al ▁history ▁indicates ▁that ▁T il ting ▁was ▁a ▁French ▁har bour ▁before ▁becoming ▁a ▁ven ue ▁of ▁Irish ▁settlement . ▁This ▁is ▁highly ▁likely , ▁given ▁the ▁traditional ▁commercial ▁and ▁cultural ▁links ▁between ▁southern ▁Irish ▁and ▁northern ▁French ▁fish ing ▁ports . ▁French ▁documents ▁from ▁the ▁ 1 8 th ▁century ▁refer ▁to ▁T il ting ▁as ▁" T il ken ". ▁Begin ning ▁around ▁the ▁ 1 7 2 0 s , ▁English ▁mig rat ory ▁fish ing ▁cre ws ▁began ▁to ▁pro be ▁north ward ▁from ▁Tr inity ▁and ▁Bon av ista , ▁and ▁it ▁is ▁at ▁this ▁time ▁that ▁the ▁first ▁sett lers ▁probably ▁over - w inter ed ▁at ▁places ▁like ▁T il ting . ▁By ▁the ▁ 1 7 8 0 s , ▁T il ting ▁evol ved