The name game - Glimpses of the Past with Karen Webster

It can be seen all around; the custom of naming a park, hospital, arena or educational facility after a notable personage or someone (or their family) with enough money to donate to merit a name being honoured in perpetuity. For example, a multi-laned highway near Hamilton called The Lincoln Alexander Parkway after Ontario’s 24th Lieutenant Governor, the Margaret Stephens Stage at the Blyth Festival Theatre or the Steve Kerr arena in Listowel.

 

Throughout Huron County’s history, it has been the custom to have numerous places carry the names of prominent people. Let’s take a look at the names of the original 16 townships in the county. 

 

Colborne Township’s name came from Sir John Colborne, who was the Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada. This township was likely the earliest and most developed of the pioneer communities in Huron County. It was the hub of all social activity in the early days with families such as the Lizars on their Meadowlands estate hosting frequent elite gatherings. So powerful were some of these early settlers that they earned the title of “Colborne Clique”.

 

Stanley Township was named after Edward Jeffrey Smith Stanley, the 14th Earl of Derby. He was so honoured because of being the Secretary of State for the Colonies of Great Britain. He was briefly the Prime Minister of Great Britain, heading a government that lasted only 10 months.

 

In 1841, McKillop Township was set up as a municipality. It was named after one of the first directors of the Canada Company, John McKillop, who was a Member of Parliament in Britain.

 

Hullett Township was named after John Hullett, also an original director of the Canada Company. It is interesting to note that he is recorded as being engaged in the growing of hops in Quebec as early as 1816.

 

Under Secretary of State for the Colonies, James Stephen Jr. lent his name to the most southerly township in Huron.

 

R.W. Hay was a Secretary for the Colonies along with Lord Stanley, for whom the neighbouring township was so named. The Directors of the Canada Company felt it was politically expedient to recognize this gentleman as well.

 

Osborne Township adopted the name of Henry Osborne, also one of the first directors of the Canada Company. He not only invested in Canada West but also was a leading figure in the Canadian timber industry.

 

Another director of the Canada Company to have a township named for him was Martin Tucker Smith. Eventually the two last names became one.

 

Goderich’s name honours Frederick John Robinson, 1st Viscount Goderich. In addition to serving as the Prime Minister of Great Britain from 1827 to 1828, he was the Colonial Secretary when the Canada Company acquired the land. The Council of Directors had also chosen the name Goderich for what John Galt had intended to call the settlement now known as Guelph. According to Professor James Scott, author of the book The Settlement of Huron County, the popular story - that the plans for Guelph and Goderich were switched - has no foundation.

 

Another township that bears the name of a Prime Minister of Great Britain (1830-1834) is Grey Township, named after Charles Grey.

 

Howick is one of four townships carved out of the Queen’s Bush by the Wilkinson survey of 1847. Named after an Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies, George Grey, son of the second Earl of Grey for which the neighbouring township is named. 
The name “Howick” comes from a town in Roxboroughshire, Scotland where one of the mansions of the Grey family, Howick Hall, is situated.

 

Turnberry Township was added to Huron County in 1854. It was named after Turnberry Castle in Scotland where Robert the Bruce, King of Scotland spent his early years.

 

While it may seem strange to the people of the 21st Century that place names were so heavily reliant on mostly British people, a look at the newspapers of the day might hold a clue. Of the usual eight pages in the local weekly papers, most of the space was taken up with world affairs, especially those in England. Most residents of Huron County would still be thinking of the British Isles and other European countries as “home”.

 

The only township that derives its name from a distinguished Canadian citizen is that of Morris. William Morris was born in Paisley, Scotland and came to Canada when he was 15 years old. He served in the war of 1812-1814 and was a member of the Legislative Assembly for Lanark.

 

Ashfield was never part of the Canada Company lands but, because it abutted Colborne Township, it did experience early settlement. There is a small village in Suffolk, England named Ashfield and it is supposed early surveyor, William Hawkins, named the township after that village.

 

The townships of Wawanosh are named after Chief Joshua Wawanosh of the Ojibwa tribe. This land was originally populated by the Hurons, who were dispersed from it by the Iroqouis, and eventually the Ojibwa gained control. The term “Wawanosh” (pronounce way-way-nosh) could be interpreted as meaning “he who sails well on water”. The chief who signed the treaty with the Crown on Aug. 9, 1836 had never set foot on the land named after him. 

 

Wawanosh and Ashfield were considered one township until 1852. In 1867, the entity named Wawanosh was severed into two parts, namely East and West. These two townships are the only ones in Huron County to bear an Indigenous name.

 

Following the mandate of the provincial government in late 1990s and 2000, the townships of Huron County were amalgamated into some new municipalities. Ashfield, Colborne and West Wawanosh became Ashfield Colborne Wawanosh (ACW). The town of Wingham, East Wawanosh Township and the Village of Blyth became North Huron. Morris and Turnberry joined forces retaining their original names. Both the town of Goderich and the township of Howick elected to remain separate entities. The Village of Brussels, the Town of Seaforth and the Townships of Grey, McKillop and Tuckersmith joined together as Huron East.

 

Central Huron is made up of the town of Clinton and the townships of Hullett and Goderich. South Huron is comprised of the town of Exeter and the former townships of Stephen and Osborne. The final amalgamation of note is that of the villages of Zurich, Hensall and Bayfield along with the townships of Stanley and Hay.

 

The naming of our townships has an interesting history as our forefathers played the name game.

 

In appreciation of The Settlement of Huron County by Professor James Scott 1966.