Читать книгу The Origin and Meaning of Place Names in Canada - George Henry Armstrong - Страница 6
B
ОглавлениеBaby (pronounced Baw bee): Point, residential district on the Humber River, in the western suburbs of Toronto.
It took its name from the Hon. Jacques (James) Baby. His family was of French descent, one of the most ancient and honourable in New France. His father had removed from Lower Canada to Detroit (in Upper Canada till 1796) before the Conquest of Quebec in 1759. After Canada passed into the hands of Great Britain, the family was distinguished for adherence to the British Crown. James Baby was Colonel of the 1st Kent Regiment in the War of 1812.
On the recommendation of Lieut.-Governor Simcoe, Mr. James Baby was appointed in 1792, by the Home Government, a member of both the first Legislative Council and the first Executive Council of Upper Canada. In the same year he was elected member of the first parliament of Upper Canada, representing two constituencies, York and Lincoln. For his notable services Simcoe granted Baby a park lot in the town of York and a rural lot on the Humber. Baby Point is part of his land grant of 200 acres in York county.
Back: river in the North-west Territories, emptying into an arm of the Arctic Ocean. It is known also as the Great Fish River.
It took the name of Back from its discoverer, Sir George Back. He served with Sir John Franklin in Arctic explorations. In 1833 Back was commander of an expedition in search of Sir John Ross. While prosecuting his quest he discovered this river.
Baddeck: town in Cape Breton island, Nova Scotia.
The Micmac Indian name was Bedek, which the French wrote Bedeque. Dr. Rand states the word means “a portion of food put aside”. Others state it means “a place with an island near-by”. While an island is adjacent to the settlement, Rand’s explanation is in all probability the correct one.
Baffin: island and a bay, Franklin district.
They are named after William Baffin by whom they were discovered in 1616.
Bagot: township in Renfrew county, Ontario, surveyed in 1843.
It is named after Sir Charles Bagot of Bagot’s Bromley, Staffordshire, England. He won distinction as British Ambassador at Paris, Washington, St. Petersburg, The Hague and Vienna. He was appointed Governor-General of Canada in 1842. He treated all parties with equal justice. During his administration the leaders of the Reform party first held office as ministers of the Crown, under the new system of responsible government, their party having then a majority in the legislature. He resigned in 1843 owing to ill health and was about to return to England when he died at Kingston, much regretted.
Bagot is also the name of a county in Quebec, and a canton in Chicoutimi county, Quebec, erected in 1848, in honour of Sir Charles.
Baie Verte: village and a bay, Westmoreland county, New Brunswick.
The name was given to the bay by the early French settlers. The words mean in English “green bay”. The name is descriptive of the salt-water grasses which in summer make the bay look like a great meadow.
Bala: pleasant village and summer resort in Muskoka, Ontario.
It took its name from the town of Bala on the Dee near Bala Lake, Wales. The name is derived from Welsh bala meaning “a shooting-out”, “the outlet” of a lake.
Baldwin: mount 10,400 feet high in the Canadian Rockies, Cariboo range, British Columbia. This peak is visible to the south from the C.N.R. through the Yellow Head Pass.
The mount was named in honour of Mr. Stanley Baldwin, Prime Minister of Great Britain, on the occasion of his visit to Canada in 1927, the provincial government of British Columbia making the suggestion to the Dominion government. He was the first British Prime Minister to visit Canada while in office. Mr. Baldwin was received everywhere with the greatest acclaim.
Ballantyne: township in Nipissing, Ontario, formed in 1879.
It was named after Hon. Thomas Ballantyne, M.P.P. for South Perth. He was Speaker of the Ontario Legislature for four years.
Ballycanoe: community or district in Yonge township, Leeds county, Ontario, settled 1820-’22 by immigrants from the vicinity of the village of Ballycanoe, Wexford county, Ireland.
The origin of part of this name is uncertain. Bally is a term found in many Irish place-names and means “town, community”. In his History of the County of Wexford published in 1911, Herbert Hone states “The name [Ballycanew] probably signifies ‘Conway’s town’ but no original Irish authority has been or probably ever will be discovered to prove whether this conjecture is correct.”
After considerable investigation the writer is of the opinion that the name is a corruption of Bally-an-noe, meaning “the new town”. In Irish an is the form of the definite article “the” and noe often occurs for “new”.
Banff: town in Alberta, situated at the headquarters of the Rocky Mountains Park (2,751 square miles), controlled by the Dominion Government.
It took its name from Banffshire, Scotland, the birthplace of Lord Mount Stephen, a former president of the C.P.R.
Bangor: township in Hastings county, Ontario, erected in 1859.
It is named after Bangor in Wales, situated in a very picturesque district.
Barrie: township and town in Simcoe county, Ontario, and also a village, Barriefield, near Kingston, Ontario.
They were named after Commodore Robert Barrie who was stationed at Kingston during the War of 1812-’14, and for some years after. In 1828 he proceeded by way of Lake Simcoe on a tour of inspection of the naval depots of the Great Lakes.
Barton: township in Lincoln county, Ontario, formed in 1792.
It takes its name from Barton in Lincolnshire, England. The early form of the word is Barntown. Remains of an early British fortress are still to be seen here.
Bastard: township in Leeds county, Ontario, erected in 1798.
It takes its name from an ancient family who resided in Devonshire, England. They trace their descent from Robert Bastard whose name and extensive lands are recorded in Doomsday Book. John Pollexfen Bastard, M.P. for Devonshire, voted against the Canada Bill (Constitutional Act of 1791.)
Bassano: town on the Canadian Pacific Railway, about eighty miles from Calgary, in Alberta.
It was named after the Marquis de Bassano, Canadian Pacific Railway shareholder.
At Bassano is the great Horseshoe Bend dam where the level of the Bow River has been raised forty feet. This dam is the second largest in the world, being exceeded in size only by the one at Assuan or Aswan which holds back the waters of the Nile. Horseshoe Bend dam has been the means by which the semi-arid lands of Southern Alberta have been irrigated into thousands of fertile farms.
Bath: county town of Addington county, Ontario.
It is named after Bath, a city in Somersetshire in England, founded by the Romans in the 1st century B.C., and still noted for its mineral springs and baths.
Bath is also the name of a glacier and brook, tributary to Bow River, Alberta. On July 20, 1881, Major Rogers of the C.P.R. engineering staff took an accidental “bath” by being thrown from his horse into the creek. This incident was the immediate occasion of their name.
Bathurst: township in Lanark county, Ontario, erected in 1816.
It is named after Henry, Earl of Bathurst, son of Baron Apsley, a British statesman, who was the Colonial Secretary of the time.
Battle: lake and river in Alberta.
They are so named from many a battle having taken place on their banks between the Cree and Blackfeet Indians.
Battlefields: park belonging to the city of Quebec. It comprises 230 acres, the whole of the strip bordering on the St. Lawrence from the Citadel to Wolfe’s Cove. The Park lies immediately west of the historic Plains of Abraham and does not include any of it. The battle of September 13th, 1759, was fought on a farm of thirty-two acres formerly owned by Abraham Martin, the royal pilot of the 17th century. A large part of the suburbs of Quebec city is now built upon the original Plains of Abraham.
In 1901 the Dominion Government purchased the renowned site of Battlefields Park from the Ursuline Ladies of Quebec, whose property it had been for many years, for eighty thousand dollars, and transferred it to the City of Quebec, on the Corporation undertaking its development and maintenance. On account of its commanding situation and ever-memorable associations this Park is destined to become a great Imperial shrine.
Bayham: township in Elgin county, Ontario, surveyed in 1810.
It was named after Viscount Bayham, M.P. for Bath, England. He voted for the Canada Act, commonly called the Constitutional Act of 1791. The ruins of Begeham, or Bayham, Abbey in Kent, built 1200 A.D., became a possession of his family and the origin of his title name.
Beamsville: village, Lincoln county, Ontario.
It took its name from Jacob Beam, an early settler, who owned the land where the village is located and laid it out in town lots. He died about the year 1865.
Beauce: county in Quebec.
It was named after Beauce in France, a little district celebrated for its fertility.
Beauharnois: county, town and canal connecting Lake St. Francis with Lake St. Louis in the province of Quebec.
They take their name from M. Charles le Marquis de Beauharnois, who was appointed Governor-General of Canada or Viceroy of New France in 1726 and retained the position for twenty-one years during which he displayed much enterprise and ability.
The flow of water and the drop in the canal at Beauharnois is said to possess immense electric power possibilities. Installation of machinery to produce 500,000 horse power is in progress with a contemplated enlargement to secure 2,000,000 horse power.
Beckwith: township in Lanark county, Ontario, formed in 1816.
Beckwith is an English surname borne by a long line of illustrious soldiers. This township was probably named after Major-General George Beckwith. He was appointed to the chief command in Ireland in 1816, which he held till 1820, when he died unmarried.
Bedford: township in Frontenac county, Ontario, erected in 1798.
It is named after Bedfordshire in England, so designated in Alfred the Great’s reign, from Bedan Forda, “a fortification on the Ford”. In Bedford jail John Bunyan penned his immortal dream, The Pilgrim’s Progress.
Beeton: village in Simcoe county, Ontario.
It is so named because of a large apiary there. The place was formerly known as Clarksville, after Robert Clark, one of the first settlers, though the post office of Tecumseth, after the township, was for some years in the village, having been removed from some miles away. The change of the name to Beeton was effected in 1878 by D. A. Jones who conducted an apiary there.
Bell Ewart: village in Simcoe county, Ontario.
It took its name from James Bell Ewart, a bank agent in Dundas, but owner of a large tract of land in this district.
Bella Coola: river and settlement in British Columbia.
They are named after a local Indian tribe.
Bellechasse: island, bay, township, and county in Quebec.
The name is said to have originated with Champlain, suggested by the excellence of the chase in the district, from French belle and chasse, “good hunting ground”.
Belleville: city in Hastings county, Ontario. In early documents it is spelled Bellville.
It is said to have been named after a Colonel, a pioneer of the district. Dr. Scadding states that Lieut.-Governor Gore named it after his wife, Arabella, familiarly Belle.
Belly: river emptying into Oldman River, above Lethbridge, Alberta.
It is named after the Atsina Indians whose tribal sign was incorrectly translated “Belly people” or “big bellies”.
Belmont: township in Peterborough county, Ontario, erected in 1823.
The word is Norman French in origin and means literally “beautiful mountain”. Lord Roger Belmont or Beaumont accompanied William the Conqueror to England in 1066. Here he acquired considerable influence in state matters and Henry I. created him first Earl of Leicester. In Shakespeare’s “Merchant of Venice” Belmont is the home of Portia. The name is found in Ireland, Scotland, Switzerland, and France.
Bentinck: township in Grey county, Ontario, formed in 1840.
It is named in honour of Lord William Charles Bentinck, Governor-General of India, 1828-’34.
Beresford: district in the county of Terrebonne, Quebec, erected in 1852.
It was named in memory of General Beresford, an officer in the army of Wellington.
Berlinguet: district in the counties of Champlain and Lake St. John, Quebec.
It was named in honour of F. H. Berlinguet, a former president of the Geographic Society of Quebec.
Bernier: district in the county of Pontiac, Quebec.
It was named in honour of Joseph E. Bernier, Arctic explorer.
Berthier: county in Quebec.
It was named after Captain Alexander Berthier of the Regiment de Carignan, given an immense grant of land here by Frontenac in 1674.
Berthier-en-Bas: village in Montmagny county, Quebec. The French phrase en-haut means “upper” and en-bas, “lower”, added merely to distinguish these early possessions of Captain Alexander Berthier of the historic Carignan French regiment.
Berthier-en-Haut: chief town of Berthier county, Quebec. It is also known by the names of Berthier and Berthierville. It is on the north shore of the St. Lawrence, forty-five miles north-east of Montreal.
The seigniory of Berthier passed by purchase in 1765 to Colonel the Hon. James Cuthbert who served with distinction at the capture of both Louisburg and Quebec. He was selected by General Murray to carry to London the news of the fall of Quebec and the death of Wolfe. Col. Cuthbert was a Scottish Presbyterian and in 1786 erected on his estate the first protestant church in Canada. This ancient stone building has been given by his descendants who still reside on the manor, to the Historic Monuments Committee of Quebec and will be preserved for all time.
Bertie: township in Welland county, Ontario, erected in 1784.
It was named in honour of Sir Peregrine Bertie, a British statesman of the period. The Bertie family came into England with the Saxon invasion in the fifth century from Bertiland in Prussia. One of the Saxon kings gave them Bertiestad, now Bersted, near Maidstone, in Kent County.
Bethune: township in Parry Sound district, Ontario, formed in 1877.
It was so designated in honour of James Bethune, M.P.P. for Stormont county, 1872-’79. His family were United Empire Loyalists that had resided in eastern Ontario since 1787.
Beverley: township in Wentworth county, Ontario, erected in 1798.
It takes its name from Beverley in Yorkshire, England. The name may be a corruption of beaver and ley (lea), beavers having frequented in great numbers the Hull River near-by.
Beverley is also the name of two lakes (upper and lower) in Leeds county, Ontario. They were named in honour of Chief-Justice Sir John Beverley Robinson. As a young officer he was with Brock at Detroit and Queenston Heights. Robinson was a man of fine character, fearless loyalty, and a member of the historical and tyrannical “Family Compact”.
Bexley: township in Victoria county, Ontario, surveyed in 1831.
It was named in honour of Right Hon. Nicholas Vansittart, Lord Bexley, a distinguished British statesman of the first quarter of the nineteenth century. Admiral Vansittart, a cousin, received large tracts of land in Upper Canada from the British Government for naval services. He came to Canada in 1834 and had a place in Bexley township near Balsam Lake. Lord Bexley’s title was taken from Bexley in Kent County, England.
Biddulph: township in Middlesex, Ontario, erected in 1830.
It takes its name from Robert Biddulph, one of the directors of the Canada Land Company at its formation. Members of the Biddulph family have been eminent in both the parliament and the army of Great Britain.
Bidwell: township in Manitoulin Island, formed in 1864.
It was named after Hon. Marshall Spring Bidwell. He was elected to Parliament in 1821, representing Addington county. Mr. Bidwell was chosen Speaker of the House in the stormy days preceding the Rebellion of 1837. Accused by Lieut.-Governor Sir Bond Head of connection with the rebellion, he left Canada for the United States and never returned. He was a lawyer by profession and rose to eminence in New York. It must be added that Mr. Bidwell denied having sympathy with the rebels and time seems to have cleared him of the charge.
Biggar: township in Nipissing district, Ontario, erected in 1881.
It takes its name from Mr. James Lyon Biggar who was M.P.P. for East Northumberland from 1861 to 1867 and M.P. for the same constituency from 1874 to 1878. His family emigrated to Canada from the town of Biggar, Lanark, Scotland.
Billings: township in Manitoulin, Ontario, surveyed in 1864.
It takes its name from Elkanah Billings, F.R.G.S., born near Ottawa in 1820. He practised law until he was appointed palæontologist on the geological survey of Canada. Mr. Billings made a large collection of fossils from the rocks in the Ottawa district and in 1856 founded the Canadian Naturalist.
Binbrook: township in Wentworth county, Ontario, erected in 1798.
It was named after the village of Binbrook in the county of Lincoln, England.
Birdwood: mount, 10,160 feet high, in the Rocky Mountains, Alberta.
It was named after General Sir William Birdwood who commanded the Anzacs (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) in the Great War, 1914-’18.
Birkenhead: tributary of the Lillooet River, above Lillooet Lake, British Columbia.
It was named by Hudson’s Bay Company officials in memory of the British transport steamer Birkenhead wrecked on the rocks near the Cape of Good Hope in 1852. All the women and children were saved, but four hundred soldiers and sailors, after displaying all the British traditions of the sea, went down with the ship.
Birtle: county and town in Manitoba, about 200 miles north-west of Winnipeg. The town was founded in 1880.
The word Birtle is a contraction of Birdtail, the name of a river running through the town. In former days this stream was much frequented by wild birds and the Indians gathered along its shores feathers suitable for making their head dresses, hence the name.
Bishop: township in Nipissing, Ontario, formed in 1884.
It takes its name from Archibald Bishop, M.P.P. for South Huron, 1873-’94.
Bishop is also the name of a mount, 9,300 feet high, in the Rockies, Alberta and British Columbia.
It was named after Col. W. A. Bishop, V.C., D.S.O., M.C., distinguished Canadian airman of the Great War.
Blair: township in Parry Sound district, Ontario, surveyed in 1878.
Its origin is uncertain. It has been suggested that it was named after the Hon. Timothy Blair Pardee who was Commissioner of Crown Lands, 1873-’88. Others think it was named in honour of Hon. Adam Johnson Fergusson Blair who was Receiver-General and Provincial Secretary before Confederation, 1867.
Blandford: township in Oxford county, Ontario, formed in 1798.
It takes its name from the second title of the Dukes of Marlborough—Marquis of Blandford. Since 1702 this title has been borne by the eldest son of the Duke. The title was taken from the town of Blandford in Dorsetshire. The name occurs in Doomsday Book.
The fortunes of the Marlborough family were founded by John Churchill. History awards him great military talents but unscrupulous character. Queen Anne conferred on him a dukedom and great wealth for his victories over the French.
Blanshard: township in Perth county, Ontario, formed in 1831.
It was named in honour of Richard Blanshard, a director of the Canada Land Company. This Company of British capitalists, formed in 1825 by John Galt, bought at a nominal sum two and a half million acres of wild land in Upper Canada from the Family Compact government. The Company did much good work in the way of settlement but in some districts, especially in Huron county, impeded colonization by holding lands for speculation.
Blenheim: township in Oxford county, Ontario, erected in 1798.
It takes its name from Blenheim in Oxford County, England, the estate bestowed on John Churchill, Duke of Marlborough, for his victory over the French and Bavarians at Blenheim in 1704. Half a million sterling was voted by parliament to erect a castle for the family on these grounds.
Blithefield: township in Renfrew county, Ontario, formed in 1843.
It took its name from Blithefield House, the home of the Bagot family in Staffordshire, England. Sir Charles Bagot was the popular governor of Canada when this township was erected.
Blomidon: majestic promontory extending into Minas Basin, 670 feet high, which forms the abrupt eastern termination of the north mountain chain, Kings County, Nova Scotia.
The origin of the name is uncertain. Some authors state it is Portuguese. The Indian name for this wondrous Cape was Plekteok, meaning “a hand spike”, descriptive of its shape. Navigators of former days were fond of speaking of it by the name of Blow-me-down.
Many writers, inspired by the scene, have told the story:
| “Where Blomidon, a sentry grim, His endless watch doth keep.” |
Blyth: enterprising village on the C.P.R. in Huron county, Ontario.
The first settlers, families by the name of McConnell and McBean, arrived in 1851. One Wm. Drummond came in 1853 and had the land surveyed into village lots. The place was called Drummondville until 1876. By special act of the county council in that year it was incorporated as a village and took the name of Blyth after an English estate of that name which owned considerable land in and around the village.
Bobcaygeon: romantic town in Victoria county, Ontario.
The word was applied at first only to the double gateway connecting Sturgeon Lake to Pigeon Lake. It is Mississauga Indian, meaning “rocky portal”.
Bond Head: village in Simcoe county, Ontario.
The name was given in honour of Sir Francis Bond Head, Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada, 1836-’38. It was suggested by Joel Flesher Robinson, first Postmaster of the place and an ardent admirer of the Governor.
Sir Francis took up the reins of administration in Upper Canada when political discord was at its height. He was an opponent of responsible government and so lost the sympathy of a large section of the people of the Province. His hands may have been tied by the Home Colonial office. However, the Governor was not equal to the occasion and his administration was a failure.
Bonfield: township in Nipissing district, Ontario, formed in 1881.
It was named in honour of James Bonfield, M.P.P. for South Renfrew. Mr. Bonfield was a lumber merchant and was elected to the Legislature in 1875.
Boothia: peninsula and a gulf, North-west Territories.
They were discovered by Captain Sir James Ross during his expedition of 1829-’33, and named by him after Sir Felix Booth who was chiefly instrumental in fitting out the expedition. Boothia is of great interest on account of its connection with Sir John Franklin’s expedition in which all hands perished after discovering the North-west Passage. It is of scientific importance, too, because the north magnetic pole was first distinctly localized here by Ross, on the western side of the Island, in 70° 5′ N; 96° 47′ W.
Borden: island in Franklin district, and also of a glacier, coast district, B.C.
They are named in honour of Sir Robert Borden, Prime Minister of Canada from 1911 to 1920. Borden is, too, the name of a point and town, lot 27, Prince Edward Island, named after Sir Robert in 1916.
Bosanquet: township in Lambton county, Ontario, surveyed in 1830.
It was so designated in honour of Charles Bosanquet, M.P., Great Britain, and first Governor of the Canada Land Company, organized in 1825. One tract of the Company’s grant of two and a half million acres was in Lambton county.
Boulter: township in Nipissing district, Ontario, erected in 1881.
It was named after Dr. George Henry Boulter, M.P.P. for North Hastings, 1867-’75.
Bow: lake, river, and glacier in Alberta.
The Indians secured timber of excellent quality for “bow” making in this district, hence the name.
Bowmanville: town in Durham county, Ontario.
It was named after Charles Bowman who at one time owned most of the land on which the town is built. Bowmanville was incorporated as a town in 1858.
Brabant: harbour and island at the entrance to Mackenzie River, Mackenzie district.
It took its name from A. G. Brabant, fur commissioner, Hudson’s Bay Company. Mr. Brabant had charge of this district for several years.
Bracebridge: town in Muskoka district, Ontario, incorporated in 1887. Its early name was North Mills.
When the post office was opened its present name was given to the place by the Postmaster-General’s office at Ottawa. There is a town of Bracebridge near Lincoln, England, from which the name may have been taken. However, a post office was opened at McCabe’s Landing under the name of Gravenhurst about the same time Bracebridge office was opened and it is surmised that the names of both these Muskoka towns were taken from Washington Irving’s tale, “Bracebridge Hall.” See Gravenhurst.
Bradford: town in Simcoe county, Ontario.
It took its name from Bradford, Yorkshire, England. One of the pioneers of this district was Joel Flesher Robinson who had come from the vicinity of the English city and he suggested the name. It was officially recognized by the Post Office Department in 1850.
In Doomsday Book the name of the English city is written Bradeford, that is “broad ford”, presumably on the Aire River near by.
Brampton: county-town of Peel county, Ontario.
Brampton is a market town in Cumberland, England. It is picturesquely situated and rich in historical associations. Early settlers, doubtless, suggested the name of their old home. Henry Hawkins, Brampton, 1817-1909, was a distinguished member of the legal profession of Great Britain. His name is identified with many famous trials of the period.
Brandon: city in Manitoba.
The name Brandon House was given to a Hudson’s Bay Company trading post on the Assiniboine River, seventeen miles from the present city, in 1794. The Douglas family, of which the Duke of Brandon, Suffolk county, England, was a member, held one-third of the stock of the Hudson’s Bay Company.
Brant and Brantford: county and city in Ontario.
The county of Brant and the city of Brantford, Ontario, are named after Joseph Brant (Thayendanaga), the Mohawk chief, 1742-1807, leader of the Six Nation Indians. They were accustomed to cross the Grand River in the vicinity of the site of the present city, hence Brant’s ford, now written, Brantford. Brant was an ally of the English in the revolutionary war of 1775-’83. For his services he was granted for his people a territory on the Grand River, six miles in width from its source to its mouth. He was a Christian and greatly respected by all. Brant translated the Gospel of St. Mark into the Mohawk language.
Mohawk is an Algonquin word and means “cannibal”. It was applied to this Iroquois tribe by their enemies. The name by which the Mohawks called themselves was Caniengas, i.e., “People-at-the-Flint”. Vide The Iroquois Book of Rites by H. Hale.
Brantford and environs are of much historic interest. They are associated with a great Indian migration; the storied Mohawk church; Pauline Johnson, Indian poetess; Alexander Graham Bell, inventor of the telephone, and several distinguished statesmen.
Bras d’Or: lake in Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia.
The origin of the term is uncertain. Some writers derive it from the French bras d’or, or d’eau, “the arm of gold”, or water, descriptive of the configuration of the shore or of the mines of the precious metal which the early explorers supposed it to contain. Other authorities give Le Lac de Labrador, meaning “the lake of the labourer”. This name is found on early maps and it is the more likely origin. It is said that the early Spanish and Portuguese navigators carried off the natives of these shores to labour in their home lands.
Brighton: township, Northumberland county, Ontario, formed in 1852.
It was named after Brighton village in the same county, settled at an earlier date. The village was named after the famous watering place in Sussex, England, because of its long beach extending into Lake Ontario. The word Brighton is an abbreviation of Brighthelmstone, derived from Brighthelm, the name of a Saxon Bishop who resided there and the Anglo-Saxon suffix stan meaning “most noble” or “highest”.
British Columbia: province of Canada, so named in honour of Christopher Columbus, commonly called the discoverer of the New World, 1492.
By 1805 the region between the 49th and 60th parallels of latitude, and the main ridge of the Rocky Mountains on the east, and the Pacific Ocean on the west, was called New Caledonia. A few years before Confederation (1867), Vancouver Island was annexed to the mainland by act of the Imperial Parliament, and the united colonies became the province of British Columbia on the suggestion of Queen Victoria to whom an appeal for a name had been made. New Caledonia was discarded because it was borne by a colony or island in the south Pacific belonging to France.
Caledonia was the Roman name for Scotland. It is still so used in poetry. It is a Latin word applied to a blue or greenish blue mineral, sulphate of lead and copper, found in Scotland.
Brock and Brockville: The township of Brock, Ontario county, Ontario, erected in 1817, and the large town of Brockville, Leeds county, Ontario, are named in honour of Major-General Sir Isaac Brock who fell in defence of Canada at Queenston, October 13, 1812.
For his brilliant capture of Detroit on August 16th of the same year King George III. knighted Brock, but he was in his grave before the news reached Canada. The King took a novel way of informing the Hero of Upper Canada of the honour conferred on him. He sent him a very large and beautifully executed gold medal, made to suspend from the neck. On the obverse is “Detroit” exquisitely engraved; on the reverse, the figure of Britannia, and round the rim “Major-General Sir Isaac Brock”. In the summer of 1913, when the writer saw this medal it was in the possession of the Misses Tupper of Guernsey, great-nieces of Sir Isaac.
Isaac Brock was the eighth son of John Brock, Esq., who had a family of ten sons and four daughters. He was born on October 6th, 1769, in the parish of St. Peter Port, Guernsey—the year which gave birth to Wellington and Napoleon. The old home of the family is still standing, a large, well-constructed brick house, but one hundred years after the battle of Queenston not one descendant of the surname Brock was living.
The boy Brock chose the military profession for his career and became an ensign in the King’s Regiment in his sixteenth year. Promotion followed promotion until he became a Major-General on the 4th of June, 1811. Canada holds him in the highest esteem not only as an able and meritorious officer but as a man of the finest moral fibre.
In acknowledgment of the inestimable services of Sir Isaac the Imperial Parliament granted the family 12,000 acres of land, largely in Oxford county, Ontario, and a pension of £200 a year for life to each of his surviving brothers.
Several monuments have been erected in Canada in Sir Isaac Brock’s memory, the most impressive of which stands on Queenston Heights near the spot where he fell. Besides the memorial in Westminster Abbey, very recently the citizens of Guernsey built a special chapel to his memory in the Thirteenth Century Church of St. Peter Port.
Brome: county in Quebec.
The origin of the name is uncertain, but it is probably named after Brome, Suffolk county, England. Three distinguished Englishmen of that name lived in the 17th century.
Bromley: township in Renfrew county, Ontario, constituted in 1843.
It took its name from Bagot’s Bromley, the chief residence of the Bagot family, situated in Stafford county, England. Sir Charles Bagot, a member of this family, was Governor of Canada, 1842-’43.
Bronson: township in Nipissing district, Ontario, formed in 1888.
It was named in honour of the Hon. E. H. Bronson, M.P.P. for Ottawa, 1886-1898. He was a member of the Cabinet, without portfolio, from 1890 to 1898.
Bronte: pleasant and thriving village situated on Lake Ontario, Halton county, Ontario. The district was settled by U.E. Loyalists.
The village was named in honour of Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson who fell in the hour of victory at Trafalgar, 1805. The title Duke of Bronte was conferred on him by Ferdinand IV. of the former Neapolitan Kingdom for services rendered during state troubles when Nelson’s command was stationed in the Mediterranean. The title was taken from the picturesque town of Bronte in Sicily.
Brooke: township, county of Lambton, Ontario, erected in 1834.
It may have been named after Sir James Brooke, the aggressive Rajah of Sarawak at this period. On the other hand Warwick township in this county was constituted in the same year and it is probable it was so named after one of Warwick’s titles, Baron Brooke.
Brougham: township, Renfrew county, Ontario, surveyed in 1851.
It was named in honour of Henry, Lord Brougham, 1778-1868. He achieved distinction in law, statesmanship, education and literature. The village of Brougham and Brougham Hall are in Westmoreland county, England.
Brown: township in Parry Sound district, Ontario, constituted in 1872.
It was named in honour of the Hon. George Brown, 1818-’80. He was the founder of the Toronto Globe newspaper, leader of the Reform Party in Upper Canada, and member of the Canadian Assembly for sixteen years. Mr. Brown ardently supported with pen and voice the great movement in Canada in favour of representation by population, responsible government and the confederation of the British North American provinces into the Dominion of Canada. He was called to the Senate in 1873. A statue was erected by subscription to his memory in Queen’s Park, Toronto.
Bruce: county, Ontario, organized in 1849, and township in this county named in 1850.
Both were named in honour of James Bruce, eighth Earl of Elgin and twelfth Earl of Kincardine. He was Governor of Canada from 1846 to 1855. During his régime responsible government was firmly established. The “Clergy Reserves” were secularized, Seigniorial Tenure in Lower Canada was abolished, and a Reciprocity Treaty between Canada and the United States was arranged, which provided for the free exchange of the products of the sea, the soil, the forest and the mine for ten years from 1854. In all these matters history accords Lord Elgin great tact and wisdom.
The Bruce family is of Norman origin. After the battle of Hastings, 1066, William the Norman Conqueror sent his knight aide-de-camp, Robert le Brus, to reduce northern England to submission. He did his destructive mission so well that he was lavishly rewarded with titles and estates.
Brulé: point, harbour and bay, Lake Superior, Algoma district, Ontario.
They are named after Champlain’s famous interpreter and explorer, Etienne Brulé. So far as history records, he was the first white man to have gazed on the waters of three of the Great Lakes, Huron, Ontario, and Superior. In 1634 he was clubbed and eaten by the treacherous Hurons near Penetanguishene, Ontario. His name is preserved, too, in Brulé Cape, Montmorency county, Quebec. There is also a point near the mouth of the Humber River, Ontario, named after Brulé. It is supposed to be the spot on which he and his Indian guides camped on their way south in 1615 to arrange an alliance for Champlain with the tribes of the Susquehanna against the Iroquois.
Brundenell: township in Renfrew county, Ontario, constituted in 1857.
It was named in honour of James Thomas Brundenell, seventh Earl of Cardigan, 1797-1868. Although he was a member of the House of Commons for many years before succeeding his father in the Lords, his chief occupation was soldiering. By 1830 he was Colonel of the 15th Hussars. When the Crimean War, 1854-’56, broke out he was promoted to the rank of Major-General. He led the Six Hundred in the charge of the Light Brigade at Balaclava, October 25, 1854, which Tennyson immortalized in verse.
Brunel: township in Muskoka district, Ontario, surveyed and named in 1862.
It was named in honour of I. K. Brunel, a civil engineer of note. He was engineer-in-chief of the Great Western Railway in England. Mr. Brunel constructed the first steamship that regularly traversed the Atlantic Ocean.
Bruton: The township of Bruton, organized in 1862, is in Haliburton district, Ontario.
It took its name from the town of Bruton, Somerset county, England. In the churchyard of this English town is the grave of Robinson Crusoe (Alexander Selkirk), and near by the town stands a tower in memory of Alfred the Great. The memorial marks the site of Alfred’s first great battle with the Danish invaders.
Buchanan: township, erected in 1857, in Renfrew county, Ontario.
Some authors attribute the honour of the origin of its name to the Hon. Isaac Buchanan who was member of Parliament for Toronto, 1841-’44, and for Hamilton, 1858-’64. Other authorities state it was named after George Buchanan of Arnprior. He led some of the Clan Buchanan to Canada and was a prominent man in the Arnprior district.
Buller: reef, Manitoulin Island, Ontario.
It was named in honour of General Sir Redvers Buller who died in 1908. He was conspicuous in the Boer War in South Africa, 1899-1902.
Burford: township, Brant county, Ontario, formed in 1798.
It took its name from Burford, a town in Oxfordshire, England. This is another instance of the fondness of the first settlers for the name of their old home.
Burgess: township in Leeds county, Ontario, organized in 1798.
It was named in honour of Rev. Thomas Burgess, a personal friend of Premier Addington, by whom he was appointed Bishop of Salisbury, England. The Bishop was a voluminous writer on many subjects including theology and slavery.
Burleigh: township, Peterborough county, Ontario, so named in 1822.
Its former appellation of Yea had been, no doubt, a humorous suggestion. It owes its present name in all probability to William Cecil, Lord Burleigh, Queen Elizabeth’s peerless statesman. In the County of Kinross, Scotland, are the ruins of Burleigh Castle.
Burlington: bay, beach, heights, and town in Wentworth and Halton counties, Ontario.
In all probability they were named after Bridlington, corrupted into Burlington, a town twenty-three miles north of Hull, Yorkshire, England, which has a fine beach and is a favourite watering-place for the north country people.
Chief Joseph Brant on one of his visits to England to confer with King George III. over some grievance of his people, the Six Nation Indians, was presented to His Majesty at Windsor by the Duke of Wellington. On his return Brant called the 3,000 acres in the form of a square granted to him by the Government in the vicinity of Burlington by the name of Wellington Square. This was the original home of the village which was later changed to Burlington.
Burns: The township of Burns, Renfrew county, Ontario, was formed in 1874.
It was named after Robert Easton Burns, son of the Rev. John Burns, one of the early Presbyterian ministers in Upper Canada. Young Robert chose the legal profession and was appointed to the Bench in 1850.
Burpee: township in Parry Sound district, organized in 1876, and Burpee township in Manitoulin Island, organized in 1875, both in Ontario.
They were named in honour of Hon. Isaac Burpee, Minister of Customs in the Alexander Mackenzie Government, 1874-’78. The explanation of this duplication is that the mainland, Parry Sound, was organized by the Crown Lands Department of Ontario, and Manitoulin was in charge of the Indian Department of the Dominion Government.
The Burpee family was of Huguenot descent. They came from France to England in 1570, and to Massachusetts in 1642 with the Puritans, and to New Brunswick in 1763. Mr. Isaac Burpee represented St. John, N.B., in Parliament.
Burritt’s Rapids: picturesque village situated on the Rideau Canal, Grenville county, Ontario. It possesses good water power.
The place was called after Daniel Burritt, U.E.L., who with his five sons settled here in 1784.
The Burritts were an old military family and many war stories have been told about them. In the family possession is a cannon ball which, during the War of 1812-’14, left Ogdensburg on an unfriendly visit and entered the British officers’ mess at Prescott, where it made short work of the breakfast table. Colonel Daniel Burritt, son of the founder of the family in Ontario, ordered the ball back through a British cannon with his compliments. The ball struck the court house at Ogdensburg on its return trip and was preserved as a souvenir.
After the war, when the two towns on either side of the St. Lawrence were friendly again, the cannon ball was given to one of Col. Burritt’s family, Dr. W. H. Burritt, a grandson of Daniel Burritt, who practised medicine for many years at Smith’s Falls and later at Peterborough, where he died in 1886.
Burton: township in Parry Sound district, Ontario, erected in 1876.
It was named after Hon. Sir George William Burton. He came from England to Canada at the age of eighteen years and at once took up the study of law. He practised law in Hamilton, Ontario, for many years. He was made Chief-Justice in 1897 and knighted also the same year.
Butt: township, Nipissing district, Ontario, surveyed in 1879.
It was named in honour of Isaac Butt, Q.C., M.P., Ireland. Mr. Butt was an eminent member of the Irish legal profession, and an author of note. He wrote a history of the Kingdom of Italy in two volumes.
Byng: mount, 9,700 feet high, in the Rocky Mountains, Alberta.
It was named after General Sir J. H. G. Byng, one of the Commanders of the Canadian Army Corps in the Great War, 1914-’18. He was Governor-General of Canada, 1921-’26.
