RANGERS ROADS - One of the last Gentlemen’s Duels in York, January 3, 1800

One of the last duels in the Town of York was between Queen’s Ranger Officer John Small and Attorney General of Upper Canada John White on January 3rd, 1800. It occurred in a tree grove near the early government buildings at Front and Berkeley Streets. 

John Small, who was the clerk for the Executive Council of Upper Canada and a lieutenant of the Queen's Rangers. He came from England to York with John G. Simcoe, as he had been given the clerk position in 1792. 

His opponent, John White, was the Attorney General for Upper Canada as well as a member of the first Parliament in Upper Canada for the Frontenac riding. He first moved to Newark (Niagara on the Lake), the first capital of Canada in 1792 until 1796, when it moved to York. York had been founded on the orders of John G. Simcoe in 1793. 

When Parliament was in Newark, a piece of legislation was passed in 1793, written by John White, which would be known as the Act Against Slavery, that prohibited the importation of slaves into Canada and stipulated that children born of female slaves would be freed upon reaching the age of 25. White argued with support from Simcoe that slavery went against Christian values. Following the passing of the bill, White wrote that there was "much opposition but little argument" to his Bill, as many of the members of Parliament owned slaves themselves or came from slave-owning families.

What led to the duel between these two well-connected society men has several different stories, all of which revolve around Small's wife Elizabeth. One version suggests that during a Christmas party in 1799, the wives of Small and White quarrelled, during which White accused Elizabeth Small of lacking “moral fibre and marital fidelity,” as it was rumoured that she had been the mistress of the Earl of Berkeley, who had paid Small to take Elizabeth with him to his post in Canada. Another version suggests that White himself was sleeping with Elizabeth Small. Others overheard the news during the argument between the wives. As was common in the era, Small sought to defend his wife’s honour and challenged White to a duel.

The duel took place on January 3rd, 1800. John White would be shot in his hip or ribs and died the next day. Following the death of White, John Small was charged with murder but was acquitted shortly after, as it was ruled that the duel had legally taken place, thus it was legal according to Judge Henry Allcock, who was reportedly friends with White. 

After this ordeal, Small lost his standing in York society but remained clerk of the Executive Council. He made two subsequent attempts to be re-elected and failed