The Home District was one of four districts of the
Province of Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirteen p ...
created in 1788 in the western reaches of the
Montreal District and detached in 1791 to create the new colony of
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 ...
. It was abolished with the adoption of the county system in 1849.
Territorial evolution
Originally established as Nassau District in 1788, it was renamed as the "Home District" in 1792, The district was originally bounded to the east by a line running north–south from the mouth of the
Trent River and to the west by a line running north–south 'intersecting the extreme projection of
Long Point into the
lake Erie
Lake Erie ( "eerie") is the fourth largest lake by surface area of the five Great Lakes in North America and the eleventh-largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has t ...
." The northern boundaries were vague and overlapping Indian land. The district town was originally Newark, later
Niagara-on-the-Lake
Niagara-on-the-Lake is a town in Ontario, Canada. It is located on the Niagara Peninsula at the point where the Niagara River meets Lake Ontario, across the river from New York, United States. Niagara-on-the-Lake is in the Niagara Region of On ...
.
In 1798, the
Niagara District
The Niagara District was a historic district in Upper Canada. Created in 1798 from the Home District, it existed until 1849.
Historic evolution
The District was formed by an Act of the Parliament of Upper Canada in 1798, and was described as con ...
was created from
Lincoln County and
Haldimand County
Haldimand County is a rural city-status single-tier municipality on the Niagara Peninsula in Southern Ontario, Canada, on the north shore of Lake Erie, and on the Grand River. Despite its name, it is no longer a county by definition, as all m ...
, and the
London District
London District (LONDIST) is the name given by the British Army to the area of operations encompassing the Greater London area. It was established in 1870 as ''Home District''.
History
In January 1876 a ‘Mobilization Scheme for the forces in ...
was formed from the counties of
Middlesex
Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, historic county in South East England, southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the Ceremonial counties of ...
,
Norfolk
Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...
and
Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
, both of which were detached from the Home District. The remainder was organized as follows:
Reductions and abolition
The District was reduced in size in several steps over the coming years.
The 1798 Act had provided that counties of
Durham Durham most commonly refers to:
*Durham, England, a cathedral city and the county town of County Durham
*County Durham, an English county
*Durham County, North Carolina, a county in North Carolina, United States
*Durham, North Carolina, a city in No ...
and
Northumberland
Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey.
It is bordered by land on ...
, upon a request by a majority of their townships, could be detached to form the
Newcastle District
The Newcastle District was a historic district in Upper Canada which existed until 1849. It was formed in 1802 from the Home District, consisting of the counties of Durham and Northumberland.
History
The legislature had enacted in 1798 that "as so ...
. This occurred in 1802.
In 1816, the following parts of the District were detached to form
Halton County
Halton County is a former county in the Canadian province of Ontario, with an area of . It is also one of the oldest counties in Canada.
History
Halton County is named after Major William Mathew Halton (1746-1823), a British Army officer, who ...
in the newly created
Gore District:
In 1837,
Simcoe District was detached, consisting of
Simcoe County
Simcoe County is located in the central portion of Southern Ontario, Canada. The county is just north of the Greater Toronto Area, stretching from the shores of Lake Simcoe in the east to Georgian Bay in the west. Simcoe County forms part of the ...
.
In 1849, the Home District was dissolved and replaced for municipal purposes by
York County, which was reorganized later that year to form the United Counties of York,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
and
Peel.
Further reading
* First published as
*
References
{{Districts of Upper Canada
Districts of Upper Canada
1788 establishments in the Province of Quebec (1763–1791)
1849 disestablishments in Canada