London District, Upper Canada

The London District was a historic district in Upper Canada. It was formed in 1798 from parts of the Home and Western Districts, and lasted until its abolition in 1850.

London District
Former District in Upper Canada
Map of Upper Canada Identifying its districts, counties and townships (1818)
Established1798
Dissolved1849

Historic evolution

The District was formed by an Act of the Parliament of Upper Canada in 1798, and was described as consisting of

...the Counties of Norfolk, Oxford and Middlesex with so much of this Province as lies to the Westward of the Home District, and the District of Niagara, to the Southward of Lake Huron, and between them and a line drawn due north of a fixed boundary (where the easternmost limit of the township of Oxford intersects the River Thames till it arrives at Lake Huron...[1]

The townships and counties were thus organized:

Counties of the London District (1798)[2]
Norfolk CountyOxford CountyMiddlesex County
  • Rainham
  • Walpole
  • Woodhouse
  • Charlotteville
  • Walsingham
  • Houghton
  • Middleton
  • Windham
  • Townsend
  • Burford
  • Norwich
  • Dereham
  • Oxford upon the Thames
  • Blandford
  • Blenheim
  • London
  • Westminster
  • Dorchester
  • Yarmouth
  • Southwold
  • Dunwich
  • Aldborough
  • Delaware

The district town was Charlotteville (later named Turkey Point), but moved to Tisdale's Mills (later named Vittoria) in 1815.[3][4] In 1826, the district town was moved to London, and the townships of Rainham and Walpole were moved to Haldimand County in Niagara District because of their distance from London.[5]

The Huron Tract, being developed at the time by the Canada Company, was divided between the London and Western Districts in 1835, with the greater part of the territory in the London District forming the new Huron County.[6] That County was later withdrawn in October 1841 to form the new Huron District.[7]

In 1837, Oxford County was separated into the new Brock District,[8] and Norfolk County was separated to form Talbot District.[9]

In 1840, the following lands were withdrawn from London District and attached to Waterloo County in Wellington District:[10][11]

  • reserved lands west of Woolwich and Nichol[12]
  • the triangular piece of land adjoining the said tract in the proposed District of Huron[13]
  • part of the late purchase from the Indians of Gore,[14] and part of Indian lands[15][16]

In 1845, the District was restricted in area to cover Middlesex County only.[17] thus detaching the remainder of its northern part extending to Lake Huron. This was rectified by the territory's attachment to Huron District in 1846.[18]

At the beginning of 1850, the district was abolished, being replaced by Middlesex County for municipal purposes.[19]

Further reading
  • Armstrong, Frederick H. Handbook of Upper Canadian Chronology. Toronto : Dundurn Press, 1985. ISBN 0-919670-92-X

References
  1. An act for the better division of this province, S.U.C. 1798, c. 5, s. 37
  2. 1798 Act, ss. 33, 35, 36
  3. "The District Capital 1815-1825". ontarioplaques.com. Retrieved January 13, 2018.
  4. An Act to repeal part of, and to amend an Act of the Parliament of this Province, intituled, "An Act to remove doubt with respect to the authority under which the Courts of General Quarter Sessions of the Peace, and other Courts have been erected and holden, and other matters with respect to the Administration of Justice, done in the several Districts of this Province, and also to fix the time of holding the Courts of General Quarter Sessions of the Peace in and for the same," and to make further provision for the same, S.U.C. 1815, c. 16
  5. An Act to establish the District Town of the District of London to a more central position than at present, and to annex the Townships of Walpole and Rainham to the County of Haldimand, in the District of Niagara, S.U.C. 1826, c. 13
  6. An Act to form certain Townships in the London District into a County, and to attach certain Townships to the Counties of Middlesex and Kent, in the London and Western Districts, S.U.C. 1835, c. 46
  7. An Act to authorize the erection of the County of Huron, and certain other territory adjacent thereto, into a separate District, S.U.C. 1838, c. 26 , brought into effect by "Proclamation". Canada Gazette. 1 (3 (Extra)): 30. October 21, 1841.
  8. An Act to authorise the erection of the County of Oxford into a separate District, by the name of the District of Brock, S.U.C. 1837, c. 30
  9. An Act erecting the County of Norfolk into a separate District, by the name of the District of Talbot, S.U.C. 1837, c. 33
  10. An Act erecting certain parts of the Counties of Halton and Simcoe into a new District, by the name of the District of Wellington, S.U.C. 1837 (1st Session), c. 116 , implemented by Proclamation of June 18, 1840
  11. Armstrong, Frederick H. (1985). Handbook of Upper Canadian Chronology. Toronto: Dundurn Press. p. 195. ISBN 0-919670-92-X.
  12. later surveyed to form the townships of Wellesley and Peel
  13. later surveyed to form the townships of Maryborough and Wallace
  14. being the Mississaugas
  15. acquired under the Saugeen Tract Agreement
  16. the sum of which was surveyed into townships on either side of the Garafraxa Road that was constructed in the period 1840-1848 to the new community of Sydenham
  17. An Act for better defining the limits of the Counties and Districts in Upper Canada, for erecting certain new Townships, for detaching Townships from some Counties and attaching them to others, and for other purposes relative to the division of Upper Canada into Townships, Counties and Districts, S.C. 1845, c. 7, s. 8
  18. An Act to attach certain Territory therein described to the District of Huron for certain purposes, S.Prov.C. 1846, c. 47
  19. An Act for abolishing the Territorial Division of Upper-Canada into Districts, and for providing temporary Unions of Counties for Judicial and other purposes, and for the future dissolutions of such Unions, as the increase of wealth and population may require, S.Prov.C. 1849, c. 78, Sch. C

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