RANGERS ROADS - Toronto’s Builder – The Man behind the City

John Graves Simcoe was born on February 25th, 1752, in Oundle, North Northamptonshire, England, to John Simcoe, a British Naval Captain who served in the Seven Years’ War, including the Siege of Louisbourg and his wife, Katherine. In May of 1759, his father died aboard his ship of pneumonia just before the Siege of Quebec. As a result,  his mother raised him in Exeter at the home of his maternal grandparents. 

Simcoe was educated at Exeter Grammar School and Eton College. He then attended Merton College, University of Oxford, for one year before following in his father's footsteps and beginning a military career. He joined the 35th Regiment of Foot as an Ensign, where he was responsible for carrying the colours of the regiment. During this time, he and his unit were sent to the Thirteen Colonies in North America. 

He saw his first combat during the Siege of Boston, which resulted in the British evacuation of Boston. In the months that followed, he was promoted to Captain of the 40th Regiment of Foot, where he led the Grenadier company in the New York, New Jersey and Philadelphia Campaigns, including the Battle of Brandywine. Legend says he told the troops not to fire at the retreating American troops – one of whom is believed to be George Washington.

In 1777, Simcoe sought to raise a regiment of free people of colour. Instead, he was offered command of the Queen's Rangers, which he assumed on October 15th, 1777. During his command, he led them in numerous engagements, including the Battle of Monmouth, Crooked Billet, the Raid on Richmond and culminating in the Battle of Yorktown.

Upon leaving Yorktown, Simcoe successfully smuggled the Regiment's colours – now displayed in Toronto’s Fort York Armoury's Officers' Mess– back to England. By this time, he was a Lieutenant Colonel, having been promoted during the American Revolution. In England, he served as Inspector General of Recruitment for the British Army from 1789 until 1791, overseeing the standards and efficiency of the recruitment process. 

While in England, he married his wife, Elizabeth Posthuma Gwillim, and they had 11 children, some of whom died in childhood. Before coming to Canada, he had 5 daughters and a son. Their son, Francis, for whom their Castle Frank home was named, was killed during the Napoleonic Wars at the Siege of Badajoz in 1812 at the age of 21. Their daughter Katherine, born in 1794, was the first child to be born in York (Toronto), but died as an infant just 15 months later. She was buried in what is now Victoria Memorial Park (West of Portland St. between Wellington and Niagara Streets) 

In 1791, Simcoe was appointed the Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada (now Ontario). He arrived in Canada in November and spent his first winter in Quebec City, arriving in Kingston, Upper Canada, the following June. He brought members of his old unit, the Queen's Rangers, to act as a defence force for the province. 

Upon arriving in Upper Canada, he worked to establish a new legislature consisting of an elected assembly, a council, and the Lieutenant Governor. The legislature first met in 1792 in Newark (Niagara-On-The-Lake).  One of the first and most significant pieces of legislation that was passed by the assembly was the 1793 Act Against Slavery. The Act Against Slavery banned the importation of slaves and outlined that slaves born after the Act would be freed at the age of 25. Simcoe had long supported the end of slavery as he believed it was an affront to Christian principles. 

During the period between 1792 and 1802, tensions between Britain and the United States were high as the Revolutionary Wars broke out in France. Britain feared that the United States would ally with the French. Simcoe was instructed to avoid giving the Americans a reason to join France, but also to assist the indigenous nations struggling against American westward expansion. 

At the same time, Simcoe also realized the precarious position of the capital of Upper Canada, Newark. It was just on the other side of the river, less than a mile to the American border so he established a new capital. His first choice was the area where London, Ontario, now stands. He even renamed the river nearby to the Thames, however the Governor General Lord Dorchester rejected his suggestion of London and supported Simcoe’s second choice York (Toronto). 

Beginning in 1793, much of the work to construct the original settlement of York was undertaken by the Queen's Rangers, many of whom were veterans of the American Revolution. The buildings include Fort York and several streets, including Front Street, Yonge Street and Dundas Street.

In 1796, due to poor health, Simcoe left York and Upper Canada for Britain and resigned from his position in 1798. In 1798, he was appointed Colonel of the 81st regiment, but exchanged it for a commission with the 22nd Regiment of Foot soon after. In 1806, he was appointed Commander-in-Chief in India, but he fell ill on the trip and returned to England, where he died on October 26th, 1806, and was buried at the Simcoe estate in Wolford Chapel, Devon. The Chapel was later gifted to the Ontario Heritage Foundation in 1982.

On May 27th 1903 (See photo), A bronze statue of Simcoe, based on a memorial statue in his home region of Exeter, was raised and has sat on the grounds of Queen's Park since as a reminder of his contributions to Ontario and Canada

To see where the statue is located or other Rangers Roads and sites visit the Rangers Roads website: https://maphub.net/RangersRoads/rangers-roads-beta