1799

by Mary Ducharme  (October 2014)

The welcome sign to Hemmingford says “since 1799.” But what does that mean, exactly? It means that in the reign of King George III of England, on March 18 of 1799, according to the document titled “Land Granted by the Crown in the Province of Quebec,” the final papers forming a Township were signed in Quebec City. In official documents of the time our region was referred to as “Waste Lands” – a raw wilderness of swamps lacking navigable waterways. There were no roads to speak of, and the population of squatters and families were few.

1799 was the year that about 100 lots were formally granted, for instance, Lot 4 of the 1st Range, was granted to James Fisher. Anyone who applied for a lot before this date didn’t have legal papers proving ownership. However it was decided as government policy that those who settled prior to 1799 were to be permitted to hold possession as long as they had not settled on Church or Crown Reserve Land, and they had made substantial improvements to the property.

Hinchinbrook and Hemmingford had been officially surveyed and subdivided into 200 acres lots. While not all were Loyalists who settled here, Loyalist refugees and military veterans of disbanded British regiments were given preference because the land was “situated on the Frontier for close settlement. “ These United Empire Loyalists were anti-revolutionaries remaining loyal to England during the American Revolution. Each person had to be recommended and appear in person before the government commissioner who reviewed his application for a grant in Canada. Officials assessed the character of each person, and they required the swearing of several oaths including loyalty to the Crown, thus ensuring a loyal population capable of defending the colony (from American invasion).

Proof was required that each had served the British forces in North America in some capacity: civil departments; staff or battalion officers; or the ranks. Some were given grants in recompense for property lost because of their loyalty. A high ranking officer could apply for as much as 5,000 acres, and a private was eligible for 200 acres. In addition, each member of the family received 50 acres. (An advantage given to married men). The cost would be 12 British pounds 10 shillings per 1,000 acres. To prevent large grabs purely for land speculation, there were stipulations that had to be followed: 5 acres for every 100 acres of the grant had to be drained, if swampy, cleared and cultivated, and supporting at least three head of cattle – all within seven years. If these “settling duties” were not fulfilled in the specified time and the grant holder was not living on the land, he lost his holding. After receiving a grant, many grant owners decided not to live on the land but to sell it.

In 1791, the Canada Act established Upper and Lower Can- ada, and one of the provisions was that unclaimed land was no longer subject to the seigniorial system, the old French system of land ownership. For Hemmingford, with large tracts of unclaimed land, there was the opportunity to own land here, to not be tenants with a landlord, but possessors of legal deeds. This was an attraction for those who had lived dependant upon and under the thumbs of rich landlords.

In 1792, the province was divided into 21 counties, and Deputy Surveyor-General William Chewett from London, named Huntingdon County, with Hemmingford, Godmanchester and Hinchinbrooke as names for three of the townships. These are ancient place names in English county of Cambridgeshire, a region that Chewett knew well. Somehow our Hemmingford acquired a second “m” in spelling.