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62-545: The colony's first Lieutenant Governor, John Graves Simcoe , occupied a couple of residences during his tenure. Upon his arrival in Upper Canada in 1792, he used one of the buildings at Navy Hall in Niagara-on-the-Lake as a residence, sharing the space with Upper Canada’s legislature. When Simcoe moved the colonial capital to York (present-day Toronto ) in 1793, he built a summer residence, Castle Frank , north of

124-460: A cruel and ruthless sociopath. Despite the strong fictionalisation of the namesake TV-show character, several biographical aspects of the latter's historical counterpart appear to have been adapted for and transferred onto the fictional character Edmund Hewlett. For instance, Hewlett's romantic ambitions regarding Anna Strong in the series resemble Simcoe's courtship of Sarah Townsend , sister of Culper Ring spy Robert Townsend , for whom he wrote

186-418: A decade later, it is reported he was greatly concerned for Salem's welfare in his absence, therefore making arrangements for the latter's care and upkeep. Frederick William Cumberland Frederick William Cumberland (10 April 1821 – 5 August 1881) was a Canadian engineer, architect and politician. He represented the riding of Algoma in the 1st and 2nd Ontario Parliaments , and he served in

248-478: A key component of his party's election platform to close Chorley Park, promising that an opulent palace would not be maintained by the taxpayers of Ontario; Chorley Park used 965 tons of coal to operate, whereas the average Toronto home used only six to seven. After Hepburn was appointed premier , following the Liberal Party 's victory in the 1937 provincial election, he ensured that Albert Edward Matthews would be

310-664: A lieutenant-colonel, having been promoted in March 1782. Simcoe wrote a book on his experiences with the Queen's Rangers, titled A Journal of the Operations of the royal Queen's Rangers from the end of the year 1777 to the conclusion of the late American War , which was published in 1787. He served briefly as Inspector General of Recruitment for the British Army, from 1789 until his departure for Upper Canada two years later. Simcoe convalesced at

372-633: A more appropriate location for its vice-regal residence, as it had done more than a century before. The third Government House was sold to the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1912 and demolished in 1915. During the transition from the third to the fourth Government House, the Lieutenant Governor temporarily lived at Pendarves (later known as Cumberland House) from 1912 to 1915. Originally designed as an Italianate villa by Frederick William Cumberland for his family's use and completed in 1860,

434-522: A poem that is thought to be the first verifiable valentine on the North American continent. It is presumed that Townsend, much like the fictionalised portrayal of Anna Strong on Turn , may have gathered and passed on intelligence gleaned from her unsuspecting suitor to the Culper Ring. Similarly, Hewlett's close bond with his horse Bucephalus (presumably named after Bucephalus , the horse of Alexander

496-671: A supporter of the government (led by William Pitt the Younger ). As MP, he proposed raising a militia force like the Queen's Rangers. He also proposed to lead an invasion of Spain. But instead he was to be made lieutenant governor of the new loyalist province of Upper Canada . He resigned from Parliament in 1792 on taking up his new post. The Constitutional Act 1791 divided Canada into the Provinces of Upper Canada (Ontario) and Lower Canada (Quebec). The Act established separate governments and legislative assemblies for each province. Lower Canada

558-622: Is Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx, New York. The battlefield is recognized as the Indian Field there. On 26 October 1779, Simcoe and 80 men launched an attack on central New Jersey from southern Staten Island known as Simcoe's Raid, from what is known today as the Conference House , resulting in the burning of Patriot supplies inside a Dutch Reformed Church in Finderne , including hay and grain;

620-580: Is buried in the Victoria Square Memorial Park on Portland Avenue, Toronto. Francis returned with his father to England when his tenure expired and joined the army. He was killed in an infantry charge during the Peninsular War in 1812. Son Henry Addington Simcoe became an English theologian. Simcoe entered politics in 1790. He was elected Member of Parliament for St Mawes in Cornwall, as

682-579: The Battle of Monmouth , in and near Freehold , New Jersey. On 31 August 1778, Lieut. Col. Simcoe earned a victory over Daniel Nimham 's Native American force serving under the Continental Army as the Stockbridge Militia in the Battle of Kingsbridge (also known as the “Stockbridge Massacre”). The skirmish had been planned by Simcoe for an earlier ambush by the same unit, and took place in what today

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744-468: The British Admiralty , working on the construction of dry docks and fortifications. In 1845, Cumberland married Wilmot Mary Bramley, whose sisters had married prominent men in the city of Toronto , and he came to that city with his wife in 1847. He worked there as a surveyor and as an engineer for the united counties of York and Peel . In partnership with architect Thomas Ridout , he designed

806-787: The British Empire , including Upper Canada, in 1834. Simcoe's priority was the Northwest Indian War between the United States and the " Western Confederacy " of Native Americans west of the Appalachian Mountains and south of the Great Lakes (the Shawnee , Miami , Wyandot , and other tribes). This conflict had begun in 1785, and was still raging when Simcoe arrived in 1792. Simcoe had hoped to form an Indian barrier state between

868-769: The Cathedral Church of St. James and School, the York County Court House, and a post office. Later, with William George Storm , Cumberland designed other important public buildings in Toronto. At the University of Toronto , he designed University College , the Provincial Magnetic Observatory (1853–55) and the Director's Residence (1858; demolished in 1901), as well as major additions and reconstruction of

930-720: The Devon home of his godfather, Admiral Samuel Graves . In 1782, Simcoe married Elizabeth Posthuma Gwillim , his godfather's ward. Elizabeth was a wealthy heiress, who acquired a 5,000-acre (2,000 ha) estate at Honiton in Devon and built Wolford Lodge. Wolford was the Simcoe family seat until 1923. The Simcoes had five daughters before their posting in Canada. Son Francis was born in 1791. Their Canadian-born daughter, Katherine, died in infancy in York . She

992-642: The French Republic . An assault on the British-held town of Saint-Marc was repulsed, though Haitian forces captured Mirebalais and the Central Plateau. Simcoe was eventually replaced as leader of the expeditionary force in March. Simcoe was appointed colonel of the 81st Foot in 1798, but exchanged the position for the 22nd Foot less than six months later. Simcoe was buried in Wolford Chapel on

1054-457: The Governor General of the then united Province of Canada, resided for two years at the similarly-named Elmsley Villa, located near what is today the intersection of Bay and Grosvenor Streets (northwest corner), rather than at Elmsley House. Elmsley Villa was a two-storey Georgian structure that stood until at least the 1860s. Elmsley House was destroyed by fire in 1862. Four years after

1116-604: The House of Commons of Canada from 1871 to 1872. Cumberland was born in London , England , and grew up in Rathmines , Dublin , where his father was employed at Dublin Castle . His mother died there. The family returned to London in the mid-1830s, where he studied at King's College School and apprenticed as a civil engineer . Starting in 1843, he was employed with the engineering department of

1178-547: The Loire Valley . It was one of the most expensive residences ever constructed in Canada at the time and outshone even Rideau Hall in size and grandeur. Sir John Strathearn Hendrie and his wife were the first viceregal couple to live at Chorley Park. The Prince Edward (later King Edward VIII ) stayed here for three days in late August 1919, on his cross-Canada tour. During the Great Depression , Mitchell Hepburn made it

1240-690: The Northern Railway Company ), as well as other railway and related companies of the time. From 1868, Cumberland served as a director of the Rama Timber Transport Company. As was common at the time, he used railway money to gain the support of Members of Parliament and to help elect candidates favourable to their cause. After Cumberland's death, the Northern Railway Company was absorbed by the Grand Trunk Railway . He

1302-626: The Queen's Rangers began cutting the road in August 1793, reaching Holland Landing in 1796. Dundas Street (named for Colonial Secretary Henry Dundas ) ran east–west, between York and London. The Northwest Indian War ended after the United States defeated the Indians at the Battle of Fallen Timbers . They made peace under the Treaty of Greenville . While still at war with France, Britain could not afford to antagonise

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1364-632: The Sovereign is visiting Toronto he resides in the Royal Suite at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel . 43°41′10″N 79°22′12″W  /  43.686054°N 79.370009°W  / 43.686054; -79.370009 John Graves Simcoe Lieutenant-General John Graves Simcoe (25 February 1752 – 26 October 1806) was a British Army general and the first lieutenant governor of Upper Canada from 1791 until 1796 in southern Ontario and

1426-517: The watersheds of Georgian Bay and Lake Superior . He founded York , which is now known as Toronto , and was instrumental in introducing institutions such as courts of law, trial by jury , English common law , freehold land tenure, and also in the abolition of slavery in Upper Canada . His long-term goal was the development of Upper Canada (Ontario) as a model community built on aristocratic and conservative principles, designed to demonstrate

1488-611: The "irregular and high-handed proceeding of Mr. Simcoe." While Dorchester planned for a defensive war, Simcoe urged London to declare war: "Upper Canada is not to be defended by remaining within the boundary line." Dorchester was officially reprimanded by the Crown for his strong speech against the Americans in 1794. Simcoe realised that Newark made an unsuitable capital because it was on the Canada–US border and subject to attack. He proposed moving

1550-526: The (then) Town of York , roughly midway on the block now occupied by Roy Thomson Hall and Metro Hall in downtown Toronto. Built in 1798, the residence had been the home of the Chief Justice and Speaker of the Legislative Assembly , John Elmsley , and it served as the colony's Government House from 1815 to 1841 (and intermittently from 1841 to 1858, during some of the times when Toronto served as

1612-679: The Assembly passed the Act Against Slavery in 1793, the first legislation to limit slavery in the British Empire; the English colonists of Upper Canada took pride in this distinction with respect to the French-Canadian populace of Lower Canada. The Upper Canadians valued their common law legal system, as opposed to the civil law of Quebec, which had chafed them ever since 1763. This was one of

1674-684: The Centre Block (1856–59) of the Osgoode Hall law courts. Cumberland designed residences for prominent people living in Toronto. He also designed the Queen Street Wesleyan Chapel (1856), which was demolished c. 1980. He built several public buildings in Hamilton . During the 1850s, Cumberland became involved in railway management at the Ontario, Simcoe and Huron Railroad Union Company (later

1736-598: The Constitutional Act, the provincial government consisted of the Lieutenant-Governor, an appointed Executive Council and Legislative Council, and an elected Legislative Assembly . The first meeting of the nine-member Legislative Council and sixteen-member Legislative Assembly took place at Newark (now Niagara-on-the-Lake ) on 17 September 1792. Following Simcoe's work precipitated by the Chloe Cooley incident,

1798-563: The French colonists that promised to restore the ancien regime , slavery and discrimination against mixed-race colonists, a move that drew criticism from abolitionists William Wilberforce and Thomas Clarkson . After assuming control of the British forces in Saint-Domingue, Simcoe was attacked by Haitian forces under the command of Toussaint Louverture , who at the time was fighting on behalf of

1860-447: The Great ) which overarches all four seasons, appears to have been inspired by history: in 1783, John Graves Simcoe sent a series of letters to New York in order to find the horse he had ridden on campaign, Salem. Salem was located and Simcoe subsequently paid the considerable sum of £40 to have him shipped to England and thus returned to him. Shortly before his departure to Upper Canada almost

1922-498: The Philadelphia campaign, including a successful surprise attack (planned and executed by Simcoe) at the Battle of Crooked Billet . In 1778, Simcoe led an attack on Judge William Hancock's house during a foraging expedition opposed by Patriot militia . Hancock was also killed, although he was not with the Americans. The attack took place at night and with bayonets. On 28 June of that year, Simcoe and his Queen's Rangers took part in

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1984-577: The Simcoe family estate near Honiton , Devon. The Ontario Heritage Foundation acquired title to the chapel in 1982. Many of Simcoe's personal effects including his sword, sabre, and walking cane, may be viewed by appointment at the Archives of Ontario in Toronto . Elizabeth Simcoe's personal effects and hundreds of her watercolour paintings are also available there. Many places in Canada were named in honour of Simcoe: Two places have been named for Simcoe with

2046-609: The Simcoes spent the winter in Quebec City . Simcoe finally reached Kingston, Upper Canada , on 24 June 1792. In a proclamation on 16 July 1792, he renamed several islands at the mouth of the archipelago at the head of the St. Lawrence river to commemorate the British generals of the Seven Years' War ( Amherst Island , Carleton Island , Gage Island , Wolfe Island , and Howe Island ). Under

2108-915: The Six Nations of the Iroquois , who had been British allies during the war. The Crown had purchased land from the Mississauga and other First Nations to give the Loyalists land grants in partial compensation for property lost in the United States, and to help them set up new communities and develop this territory. Simcoe was appointed Lieutenant-Governor on 12 September 1791, and left for Canada with his wife Elizabeth and daughter Sophia, leaving three daughters behind in England with their aunt. They left England in September and arrived in Canada on 11 November. Due to severe weather,

2170-521: The US and Britain before the year was out. This encouraged the Indians in their war. Dorchester ordered Simcoe to rally the Indians and arm British vessels on the Great Lakes. He also built Fort Miami (present-day Maumee , Ohio) to supply the Indians. Simcoe expelled Americans from a settlement on the southern shore of Lake Erie which had threatened British control of the lake. US President Washington denounced

2232-442: The US in the Jay Treaty of 1794, and agreed to withdraw north of the Great Lakes, as agreed in the Treaty of Paris . Simcoe evacuated the frontier forts. In 1794, Simcoe was appointed to the rank of major general . In July 1796, poor health ( gout and neuralgia ) forced him to return to Britain. He was unable to return to Upper Canada and resigned his office in 1798. From October 1796 until March 1797, Simcoe briefly served as

2294-419: The US reason to mistrust Britain but, at the same time, to keep the Natives on both sides of the border friendly to Britain. The Indians asked for British military support, which was initially refused, but in 1794 Britain supplied the Indians with rifles and ammunition. In February 1794, the governor general , Lord Dorchester , expecting the US to ally with France, said that war was likely to break out between

2356-429: The capital of the Province of Canada ). From 1847 to 1849 it was home to the Toronto Normal School . For many years after its purchase by the government, the residence was still known by the name of its former owner, with the correspondence of the Lieutenant Governor typically dated from "Elmsley House". In 1846, the grounds were used for the first annual Provincial Agricultural Fair . Beginning in 1849, Lord Elgin ,

2418-495: The capital to a more defensible position, in the middle of Upper Canada's southwestern peninsula between Lake Erie and Lake Huron . He named the new location London , and renamed the river there the Thames in anticipation of the change. Dorchester rejected this proposal, but accepted Simcoe's second choice, the present site of Toronto . Simcoe moved the capital there in 1793, and renamed the settlement York after Frederick, Duke of York , King George III 's second son. The town

2480-435: The commander of the British expeditionary force which was dispatched to captured the French colony of Saint-Domingue (modern-day Haiti ), which was in the midst of a slave rebellion . Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville , who was the Secretary of State for War for prime minister William Pitt the Younger , had instructed Sir Adam Williamson, the lieutenant-governor of Jamaica, to sign an agreement with representatives of

2542-407: The fire at Elmsley House, the firm of Gundry and Langley of Toronto was commissioned to design a new Government House on the same site. In 1868, construction began on a new Government House, designed in the Second Empire style by architect Henry Langley . A three-storey red brick home, trimmed with Ohio cut stone, the building featured a tower, steeply sloped mansard roofs and dormer windows, with

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2604-495: The house is located at 33 St. George Street. It has been owned since 1923 by the University of Toronto and now functions as the international students' centre. The government sought to construct a new government house on Bloor Street East and 12 architects submitted proposals in 1909. However, as that area was becoming too commercial, the province moved the site to a 14-acre (5.7 ha) parcel of secluded and undeveloped land in Toronto's Rosedale neighbourhood. The proceeds from

2666-425: The last lieutenant governor of Ontario to live in an official residence; in 1937, after only 22 years and seven viceroys, Chorley Park was closed. The contents of the mansion were auctioned off the following year, bringing in a profit of $ 18,000 ( $ 367,200 in 2023 dollars), and Ontario became the first province in Canada not to have a government house . ( Alberta also closed its Government House in 1938.) The estate

2728-412: The main entrance and carriage porch facing Simcoe Street. The drawing room on the first floor and the state bedroom on the second floor faced Lake Ontario over a large landscaped garden. Completed in 1870, the house cost CA$ 105,000 , and its first resident was John Beverley Robinson . By the 20th century, the development of railways and industrial uses nearby prompted the provincial government to seek

2790-403: The military career for which his father had intended him. He was initiated into Freemasonry in Union Lodge, Exeter on 2 November 1773. In 1770, Simcoe entered the British Army as an ensign in the 35th Regiment of Foot , and his unit was dispatched to the Thirteen Colonies . Later, he saw action in the American Revolutionary War during the siege of Boston . After the siege, in July 1776, he

2852-420: The mouth of the Saint Lawrence River a few months prior to the siege of Quebec , and was buried at sea. The family then moved to his mother's parental home in Exeter . His paternal grandparents were William and Mary (née Hutchinson) Simcoe. He was educated at Exeter Grammar School and Eton College . He spent a year at Merton College, Oxford ; he was then admitted to Lincoln's Inn , but decided to follow

2914-562: The primary reasons for the partition of 1791. Simcoe collaborated extensively with his Attorney-General John White on the file. The principles of the British Constitution do not admit of that slavery which Christianity condemns . The moment I assume the Government of Upper Canada under no modification will I assent to a law that discriminates by dishonest policy between natives of Africa, America, or Europe. However, this Act did not free anybody directly, and slaves continued to be held across Upper Canada. The Crown abolished slavery throughout

2976-434: The release of Loyalist prisoners from the Somerset County Courthouse ; and Simcoe's capture by Armand Tuffin de La Rouërie . Simcoe was released at the end of 1779 and rejoined his unit in Virginia . He participated in the Raid on Richmond with Benedict Arnold in January 1781 and was involved in a skirmish near Williamsburg and was at the siege of Yorktown . He was invalided back to England in December of that year as

3038-428: The rough footprint of its foundations. The once formal gardens have long gone fallow and, today, Chorley Park is a naturalized parkland. Ontario's Lieutenant Governor uses an office and suite of rooms for entertainment in the Ontario Legislative Building , and lives in his or her private Toronto home or is provided a rented residence by the provincial government . Since the closure of the last Government House, whenever

3100-447: The sale of the Bloor Street site were used to acquire the land in Rosedale. Chorley Park, the fourth government house, was constructed between 1911 and 1915. It was named for Chorley , Lancashire , the birthplace of Toronto alderman and first chair of the Toronto Public Library , John Hallam . The house was designed by Francis R. Heakes and built of Credit Valley stone in a French Renaissance style, reminiscent of French châteaux in

3162-422: The settlement in 1794. Simcoe's successor and the colony's second Lieutenant Governor, Peter Hunter , initially continued to reside in his own home, Russell Abbey, located at the south-west corner of Princess and Front streets. The first official government house was a one-storey, U-shaped frame house built at Fort York in 1800, designed by Captain Robert Pilkington and first occupied by Hunter. The structure

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3224-435: The superiority of those principles to the republicanism of the United States. His energetic efforts were only partially successful in establishing a local gentry , a thriving Church of England , and an anti-American coalition with select indigenous nations. He is seen by many Canadians as a founding figure in Canadian history, especially by those in Southern Ontario . He is commemorated in Toronto with Simcoe Day . Simcoe

3286-410: The time, Chorley Park was considered dilapidated and outmoded and municipal funds were being spent demolishing heritage structures throughout the city to make room for modern buildings. The building was demolished in 1961 and the grounds of the estate were added to the civic parks system. The only trace of Government House left is the bridge to the forecourt and some depressions in the earth that outline

3348-409: The title Lord , even though Simcoe was never a Lord in his lifetime: Captain John Kennaway Simcoe, the last member of the Simcoe family, died without issue in 1891 and was survived by his widow beyond 1911. A fictionalised version of John Graves Simcoe is a primary antagonist in the 2014–2017 AMC drama Turn: Washington's Spies , portrayed by Samuel Roukin . He is portrayed in the series as

3410-417: The two countries, even though he distrusted Joseph Brant , the main Indian leader. Simcoe rejected the section of the Treaty of Paris (1783) which awarded that area to the US, on the grounds that American actions had nullified the treaty. However, the French Revolutionary Wars broke out in 1793. The government in London decided to seek good terms with the United States. Simcoe was instructed to avoid giving

3472-401: Was George Washington . In 1777, Simcoe sought to form a Loyalist regiment of free blacks from Boston but instead was offered the command of the Queen's Rangers formed on Staten Island on 15 October 1777. It was a well-trained light infantry unit comprising 11 companies of 30 men -- 1 grenadier , and 1 hussar , and the rest light infantry. The Queen's Rangers saw extensive action during

3534-512: Was bought by the federal Crown-in-Council and thereafter served various functions, including a military hospital during the Second World War , the headquarters of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Toronto, and a residence for refugees of the 1956 Hungarian uprising , including several of Imre Nagy 's staff members. Under Mayor Nathan Phillips in 1960, the City of Toronto bought the house for $ 100,000 ($ 1.01 million in 2023 dollars) in order to destroy it and create municipal parkland. At

3596-418: Was destroyed when a nearby powder magazine exploded in 1813 during the War of 1812 . After the destruction of the Fort York house, York did not have another Government House until after the War of 1812 . In 1815, the government purchased Elmsley House, a more commodious Georgian residence, for its Lieutenant Governor. The new Government House was located in a wooded area to the west of the settled portion of

3658-407: Was promoted captain in the 40th Regiment of Foot . He saw action with the grenadier company of the 40th Foot in the New York and New Jersey campaign and the Philadelphia campaign . Simcoe commanded the 40th's Grenadiers at the Battle of Brandywine on 11 September 1777, where he was wounded. Legend has it that Simcoe ordered his men at Brandywine not to fire upon three fleeing rebels, among whom

3720-437: Was severely underdeveloped at the time of its founding so he brought with him politicians, builders, Nova Scotia timber men, and Englishmen skilled in whipsawing and cutting joists and rafters. Simcoe began construction of two roads through Upper Canada, for defence and to encourage settlement and trade. Yonge Street (named after British Minister of War Sir George Yonge ) ran north–south from York to Lake Simcoe . Soldiers of

3782-419: Was the French-speaking eastern portion, which retained the French civil law and protections for the Roman Catholic Church established when Britain took over the area after its defeat of the French in the Seven Years' War . Upper Canada was the western area, newly settled after the American Revolutionary War . The settlers were mostly English speakers, including Loyalists from the Thirteen Colonies , and also

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3844-473: Was the only surviving son of Cornishman John (1710–1759) and Katherine Simcoe (died 1767). His parents had four children, but he was the only one to live past childhood; Percy drowned in 1764, while Paulet William and John William died as infants. His father was a captain in the Royal Navy who commanded the 60-gun HMS Pembroke during the siege of Louisbourg , with James Cook as his sailing master . He died of pneumonia on 15 May 1759 on board his ship in

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