John Graves Simcoe

John Graves Simcoe (1752-1806) was born in Northamptonshire, England, the son of John Simcoe, a Royal Navy officer, and Katherine Stamford. In 1770 he obtained a commission as ensign in the 35th Foot, purchased a captaincy in the 40th Regiment of Foot in 1775 (while in Boston), and in 1777 obtained command of the Queen’s Rangers with the provincial rank of major. Simcoe took particular care to bring the Rangers up to strength and teach them skills that would serve them well for the duration of the Revolutionary War. In 1779 Simcoe was captured in an ambush and spent six months as a prisoner before being invalided home to England. His personal gains from the war included the rise to the rank of lieutenant-colonel, a record of being a consistently successful British regimental commander, and a name for being a tactical theorist; a reputation enhanced following the publication, in 1787, of his Journal of the operations of the Queen’s Rangers. While convalescing, Simcoe met and married Elizabeth Posthuma Gwillim, a fortunate match which provided him with significant financial support, including the means to acquire Wolford Lodge, situated on a considerable estate at Honiton in Devon. In order to pursue a military or colonial appointment, Simcoe ran successfully for a seat in the House of Commons in 1790. His perseverance was rew​arded later that year when he was promised the lieutenant governorship of what was to be the province of Upper Canada.

Simcoe’s long-range goal was to oversee the development of Upper Canada into a model British colony. Before he arrived in Upper Canada, Simcoe formulated some elaborate plans for the development of the new province. Many of them did not receive the necessary support from the imperial government or the legislative assembly, such as the public support of education, the endowment of the Church of England in Upper Canada, and the development of the Queen’s Rangers militia based on the Roman military model. Other initiatives, such as road building, the promotion of settlement, and the establishment of a naval force on the Great Lakes in preparation for an American invasion were set in motion. In 1796, while visiting England on a leave of absence, Simcoe received word that his posting had been changed from Canada to Santa Domingo. Various other posts followed, and in 1806 Simcoe was named commander-in-chief in India. Before he could take up the position, however, Simcoe was sent on a diplomatic mission to Portugal where he became seriously ill. Simcoe died at home October 26, 1806, and was buried in Wolford Chapel, which is now owned by the Ontario Heritage Trust.

Many of the developments which had their foundations in Simcoe’s plans for Upper Canada were particularly relevant to the county that now bears his name.

In 1793, while travelling through the area, Simcoe re-named Lac-la-Clie after his father, British Navy Captain John Simcoe (1710-1759), who died en route to Canada a month before the siege of Quebec began; and the lake’s western bay after Richard Kempenfelt (1718-1782), Rear Admiral of the Blue Squadron of His Majesty’s Fleet and a friend of John Simcoe. Later, the townships of North, East and West Gwillimbury would be named in honour of his wife, Elizabeth Posthuma Gwillim.

Along the shores of Georgian Bay Simcoe discovered that the harbour at Penetanguishene would be suitable for a government post from which supplies could be sent to other military posts in the upper Great Lakes. In 1814 Sir George Head was sent to superintend the construction of the military establishment at Penetanguishene. After travelling over land from Halifax, Head arrived in Penetanguishene in 1815. He related his experiences in “Forest Scenes,” published in 1829. The post was moved from Penetanguishene to the Nottawasaga River in 1815, but was moved back again in 1818.

In a move primarily to promote better access to the upper Great Lakes, and secondarily to facilitate settlement, Yonge Street was put through from York to Holland Landing in 1796. A military road linking Kempenfelt Bay and the harbour at Penetanguishene was explored by Samuel Wilmot in 1808, and surveyed in 1811; settlement commenced on the Penetanguishene Road in 1819. As the land was surveyed, the Coldwater, Gloucester, Sunnidale and Centre (Hurontario) Roads were also developed to allow easier access to land grants.