George D'Arcy Boulton (May 20, 1759 – May 21, 1834) was a

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...

, judge and political figure in

Upper Canada The Province of Upper Canada (french: link=no, province du Haut-Canada) was a part of British Canada established in 1791 by the Kingdom of Great Britain, to govern the central third of the lands in British North America, formerly part of the ...

. He was a member of the Family Compact, an oligarchic political and social group which dominated the government of the province.

Life and career

The second son of Henry Boulton (1732–1788) J.P., of

Moulton, Lincolnshire Moulton is a village in the civil parish of The Moultons, in the South Holland district of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated on the B1537 road, east from the centre of Spalding and west from Holbeach. Moulton is the primary village of an ...

, by his third wife, Mary (1734–1779), the daughter of D'Arcy Preston of

Askham Bryan Askham Bryan is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority area of City of York in the north of England, south-west of York, west of Bishopthorpe, and close to Askham Richard and Copmanthorpe. According to the 2001 census the parish ha ...

Hall,

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...

. He studied law at the

Middle Temple The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known simply as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers, the others being the Inner Temple, Gray's Inn an ...

. After his business in England failed in 1793, he came to the

Hudson River The Hudson River is a river that flows from north to south primarily through eastern New York. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York and flows southward through the Hudson Valley to the New York Harbor between N ...

valley of

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

in 1797. Boulton later moved to Augusta Township in Upper Canada around 1802. In 1803, he was admitted to the bar. In 1804, he assumed the position of Solicitor General after the death of

Robert Isaac Dey Gray Robert Isaac Dey Gray (ca. 1772 – October 8, 1804) was a lawyer, judge and political figure in Upper Canada. He was probably born in New York, but came to Canada with his parents (James Gray and Elizabeth Low) at the beginning of ...

on ; he was also elected to Gray's former seat in the

4th Parliament of Upper Canada The 4th Parliament of Upper Canada was opened 1 February 1805. Elections in Upper Canada had been held in May 1804. All sessions were held at Parliament Buildings of Upper Canada in York, Upper Canada. This parliament was dissolved 21 May ...

in a by-election. In 1807, he became a judge for the Court of King's Bench. In 1810, while sailing to England, he was taken prisoner by a French

privateer A privateer is a private person or ship that engages in maritime warfare under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign or deleg ...

. Boulton fought vigorously in the short-lived attempt to defend the ship and for his troubles he received a sabre slash across his forehead; he was kept at

Verdun Verdun (, , , ; official name before 1970 ''Verdun-sur-Meuse'') is a large city in the Meuse department in Grand Est, northeastern France. It is an arrondissement of the department. Verdun is the biggest city in Meuse, although the capital ...

and released in 1813. He was admitted to the English bar in the same year and secured the post of Attorney-General of Upper Canada in December 1814. Boulton and his family were considered to be part of the Family Compact, a clique of Upper Canada's elite who held great power in the province.

Marriage and children

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

in 1782, he married Elizabeth Forster (whose elder sister married D'Arcy's elder brother), daughter and co-heiress of Chief Justice James Forster of the Isle of Ely, Serjeant-at-law, by Susannah, daughter of

Sir John Strange Sir John Strange (1696 – 18 May 1754) was a British politician and judge. Life He was born to another John Strange of Fleet Street, London and his second wife, Mary Plaistowe. He studied Law at the Middle Temple on 11 July 1712 before starti ...

. He died at York (

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

) in 1834 at The Grange, the home of his son D'Arcy Boulton (1785–1846), Auditor-General of Upper Canada and brother-in-law of Sir John Robinson, 1st Baronet, of Toronto. He was the father of

Henry John Boulton Henry John Boulton, (1790 – June 18, 1870) was a lawyer and political figure in Upper Canada and the Province of Canada, as well as Chief Justice of Newfoundland. Boulton began his legal career under the tutelage of John Beverly Robin ...

and George Strange Boulton, among others, and the grandfather of

William Henry Boulton William Henry Boulton (April 19, 1812 – February 15, 1874) was a lawyer and political figure in Canada West. He served as Mayor of Toronto from 1845 to 1847, and in 1858. He was also a member of the Orange Order in Canada. Boulton died in ...

and D'Arcy Boulton (1825–1875).

Legacy

Boulton bequeathed property at what is now Queen Street West and McCaul Street for the creation of a

public market A marketplace or market place is a location where people regularly gather for the purchase and sale of provisions, livestock, and other goods. In different parts of the world, a marketplace may be described as a '' souk'' (from the Arabic), ' ...

in perpetuity. The property, which is still owned by the city, became

St. Patrick's Market St. Patrick's Market is one of three public markets created in Toronto in the 19th century along with St. Lawrence Market and St. Andrew's Market. The current structure on the lot was built in 1912 and was designated a heritage site by the City ...

. Boulton's sold the north half of his Park Lot 13 to provide land for King's College (now the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

References

External links

"Boulton of Moulton" in ''A genealogical and heraldic history of the commoners of Great Britain and Ireland enjoying territorial possessions or high official rank'' Volume II
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boulton, DArcy 1759 births 1834 deaths English emigrants to pre-Confederation Ontario Members of the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada 19th-century Canadian judges People from Leeds and Grenville United Counties People from South Holland (district) Treasurers of the Law Society of Upper Canada Upper Canada judges Attorneys-General of Upper Canada Immigrants to Upper Canada