John Graves Simcoe - Blue Plaque

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John Graves Simcoe was the first general of Canada and had a summer residence in Budleigh Salterton.


He seems to have been a larger than life character, being active in many attacks during his time serving in the British Army.  Simcoe joined the army in 1770 and was promoted to captain in 1776. 


It was during 1776 that Simcoe was billetted to Oyster Bay on Long Island at Raynham Halland. He stayed at the home of Samuel Townsend and formed a relationship with Townsend's daugher Sarah (Sally), and expressed his feelings to her in what is thought to be the first Valentine sent in North America.


In September 1777, he is rumoured to have saved the life of the first US President, when he ordered his men not to fire upon three fleeing rebels, one of whom was George Washington.


Simcoe’s men were well trained and Simcoe insisted that they wear green uniforms to help with camouflage instead of the redcoats favoured by fellow British officers. In March 1782 he was promoted to lieutenant-colonel but was invalided and returned to England in December later that year. 


It was during his convalescence that he met his future wife, Elizabeth, a wealthy heiress and the ward of Simcoe’s godfather Admiral Samuel Graves. Elizabeth acquired 5000 acres near Honiton and built a nine bedroom house for them called Wolford Lodge. During their marriage, John and his wife had eleven children. 


On 12 September 1791, Simcoe was appointed Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada. He immediately left for Canada with his wife Elizabeth. At the time they had five daughters, but decided in order to keep them safe, they would leave three of their daughters in England with their aunt. After delays due to severe weather and a stay in Quebec City, Simcoe and his wife finally reached Kingston, Upper Canada on 24 June 1792.


Simcoe was only in Canada for four years but during that time he made significant changes. 


As a result of him being horrified by an incident involving a young female slave named Chloe Cooley, he was the first to pass an Act to prohibit slavery. Simcoe gave ‘The Act Against Slavery’ Royal Assent in July 1794. The Act did not free those already held as slaves at the time of the enactment, but it prevented the importation of new slaves into Upper Canada and required any child of a slave to be freed at the age of 25, and children born to a freed slave to be free from birth. Slavery was not fully abolished by The Crown throughout the British Empire, including Upper Canada, until 1834.


While in Canada he also promoted the immigration of United Empire Loyalists from the United States, instituted English Common Law and oversaw the building of roads and buildings. He moved the capital of Canada to Toronto when he realised the capital he had set up in Newark was too close to the American border.


In July 1796, Simcoe was in poor health and forced to return to England. He resigned his post in Upper Canada in 1798.


He continued to serve in the army until his death in Exeter on 26 October 1806 at the age of 54. 


He is remembered for his achievements in Canada with places, streets and buildings named after him. In 1869, Toronto City Council established a statutory civic holiday throughout Canada. Although the holiday is generally called Civic Holiday in most regions of Canada, in 1965 Toronto City Council declared it to be called Simcoe Day.


John Graves Simcoe is buried in Wolford Chapel on the Simcoe family estate near Honiton, and a memorial stone is placed in Exeter Cathedral.


References:

Wikipedia

www.ola.org/

devonmuseums.net

Memorial Photo: By Mkooiman - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, 

4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=62315718