Lucan Biddulph is an incorporated

township A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Ca ...

in southwestern

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 ...

, Canada. It was formed on January 1, 1999, by amalgamating the Village of Lucan with Biddulph Township. The township had a population of 4,700 people in the

Canada 2016 Census The 2016 Canadian census was an enumeration of Canadian residents, which counted a population of 35,151,728, a change from its 2011 population of 33,476,688. The census, conducted by Statistics Canada, was Canada's seventh quinquennial census ...

, up 8.3% from 4,388 people in 2011, and covers an area of 169.14 km² of land within Middlesex County.

Geography

Lucan Biddulph is an

agricultural Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating Plant, plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of Sedentism, sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of Domestication, domesticated species created food ...

community with

fertile soil Soil fertility refers to the ability of soil to sustain agricultural plant growth, i.e. to provide plant habitat and result in sustained and consistent yields of high quality.

s used for growing crops and raising

livestock Livestock are the domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to provide labor and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The term is sometimes used to refer solely to animals ...

. Many of the township's residents are employed in the agricultural sector.

Communities

Communities in the township include Lucan, Granton, Mooresville, Clandeboye, Elginfield, Whalen Corners, and Prospect Hill. The township administrative offices are located in Lucan.

History

Etymology

Comprising of Middlesex County, the Township of Biddulph was surveyed by agents of the

Canada Company The Canada Company was a private British land development company that was established to aid in the colonization of a large part of Upper Canada. It was incorporated by royal charter on August 19, 1826, under an act of the British parliament,, ...

in 1830. The township took its name from John Biddulph, one of the earliest directors of the

. Until its incorporation in 1872, the village of Lucan had been known as Marystown, named in tribute to the wife of John McDonald, who was the original land surveyor of the area. When a duplicate Marystown was found to have already registered with the Post Office, the name Lucan was put forth and accepted by the postal authorities. Lucan was named in tribute to

Lord Lucan Richard John Bingham, 7th Earl of Lucan (born 18 December 1934 – disappeared 8 November 1974, declared death in absentia, declared dead 3 February 2016), commonly known as Lord Lucan, was a British Peerages in the United Kingdom, peer who di ...

, a prominent landowner in Ireland.

Settlement

Despite being more than to the North, in 1829 the area became a refuge for a group of free

African Americans African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

from

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

, who had been threatened by riots and job discrimination by white people in their city. A group of roughly 200 Black Americans were granted refuge and land by the

and duly set up a

colony In modern parlance, a colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule. Though dominated by the foreign colonizers, colonies remain separate from the administration of the original country of the colonizers, the ''metropole, metropolit ...

named Wilberforce. This was one of the earliest, if not ''the'' earliest, settlements connected with the

American Colonization Society The American Colonization Society (ACS), initially the Society for the Colonization of Free People of Color of America until 1837, was an American organization founded in 1816 by Robert Finley to encourage and support the migration of freebor ...

(which was established in 1816 to settle free African Americans in an African colony) 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 ...

and/or West Africa) and was established before

emancipation Emancipation generally means to free a person from a previous restraint or legal disability. More broadly, it is also used for efforts to procure economic and social rights, political rights or equality, often for a specifically disenfranchis ...

. The flight of Black refugees, escaped slaves from the South, northward into Canada beginning around this time was as part of the

Underground Railroad The Underground Railroad was a network of clandestine routes and safe houses established in the United States during the early- to mid-19th century. It was used by enslaved African Americans primarily to escape into free states and Canada. T ...

. Most of the Black Cincinnatians came from city life and did not adapt well to the harsh farming environment. They cleared large lots of land by logging and worked hard to sustain the colony, but much of the population declined through the 1840s as many of the original colonists moved on to larger, growing urban centres such as

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

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 ...

to obtain wage-based employment. A few remained to work the land through subsequent generations. The area was further logged and settled by white people in the 1840s and later, many from

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, some of whom purchased farmsteads from the departing Black settlers or new lots sold to them cheaply by the

. Nowadays fewer than 40 descendants of the ancestral Black inhabitants remain. By 1850, the majority of the township's landholders were

Irish Catholics Irish Catholics are an ethnoreligious group native to Ireland whose members are both Catholic and Irish. They have a large diaspora, which includes over 36 million American citizens and over 14 million British citizens (a quarter of the British ...

, many of whom had immigrated from farming lands in

County Tipperary County Tipperary ( ga, Contae Thiobraid Árann) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. The county is named after the town of Tipperary, and was established in the early 13th century, shortly after th ...

Early history

An important railway route belonging to the

Grand Trunk Railway The Grand Trunk Railway (; french: Grand Tronc) was a railway system that operated in the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario and in the American states of Connecticut, Maine, Michigan, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont. The rai ...

opened in 1856, passing through the village. The village and surrounding township prospered as a result of quicker access to larger marketplaces, such as

farther to the east, and new immigrants settling the area. Its post office was established the following year in 1857.

Donnelly Massacre

Biddulph Township is known as the site of the brutal massacre on February 4, 1880, of five of the

Black Donnellys The "Black" Donnellys were an Irish Catholic immigrant family who settled in Biddulph township, Upper Canada (later the province of Ontario), about 15 km northwest of London, in the 1840s. The family settled on a concession road which became ...

, an immigrant Irish family caught up in a long-standing local

feud A feud , referred to in more extreme cases as a blood feud, vendetta, faida, clan war, gang war, or private war, is a long-running argument or fight, often between social groups of people, especially families or clans. Feuds begin because one part ...

. These events have been written about many times and are etched into the criminal history of rural Ontario; it is well known in Canada and nearby areas of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. Five members of the family were killed in two separate locations northwest of London, Ontario. Nobody has been convicted of the murders despite the subsequent trials which led to publicity. This crime is noted to be one of the most horrific crimes in Canadian history. Tours are available at the Donnelly's home which is just south of Lucan. As of today, there are no relatives of the Donnellys living in the area.

Lucan Snowstorm

A record snowfall (aka "Snowmageddon") occurred between Dec. 4–8, 2010, affecting Huron and Middlesex counties. A total of 177 cm (68") of snow fell during a 102-hour period (it snowed on 98 of those hours).

Baconfest

The festival celebrates bacon, motorcycles, and live music. Started in 2014 by a motorcycle dealership based out of the nearby town of Denfield known as Hog Town Cycles and the Township, the event has increased in attendance to over 30,000 people. It is held every second Saturday in July. Despite the Hog Town location in Lucan having been destroyed in a fire in 2019, the event is still held annually.

Operations

On May 11, 2017, Lucan, Ontario selected CH2M to provide operations and maintenance services for Lucan's water system for the next five years. The water system is going to provide water to more than 4,500 residents in the township and Granton urban centers and rural properties. CH2M is dedicated to improving the quality of water. In 2017, Lucan, Ontario announced that the first phase of their Community Memorial Center makeover has received a grant for their licensed day care centres. The $1.5 million is from the Canada Ontario Early Learning and Child Care funding strategy. The money will be used to build a 9,000 square foot facility.

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by

Statistics Canada Statistics Canada (StatCan; french: Statistique Canada), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and cultur ...

, Lucan Biddulph had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.

Notable people

* James Austin Whelihan (1902–1986), Catholic priest, vice-principal, athletic coach and teacher

Sports

Lucan is home to the Lucan Irish, a junior hockey team that plays in the

Provincial Junior Hockey League The Provincial Junior Hockey League (PJHL) is a Canadian junior ice hockey league spanning parts of Southern Ontario. The PJHL is the third tier of the Ontario Hockey Association and is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Federation and Hockey Canada ...

. Lucan was the home of the Lucan-Ilderton Jets Senior AA hockey club, a member of the

Western Ontario Athletic Association Senior Hockey League The WOAA Senior AA Hockey League is a Canadian senior ice hockey league governed by the Western Ontario Athletic Association. The league operates in Southwestern Ontario. History Format The league uses Hockey Canada playing rules but is not o ...

until they moved to Komoka, Ontario and became the Komoka Classics in 2011. Lucan FC represents Lucan in

Ontario Soccer Association The Ontario Soccer Association, founded in 1901, is one of the oldest and largest sport organizations in Canada. The OSA currently has more than 500,000 registered participants and provides development opportunities for players, coaches, refere ...

play in the Elgin Middlesex Soccer Association. Alexander Noble Garrett, born on the homestead, lot 11, South Boundary, Biddulph, August 13, 1862, was an outstanding athlete who excelled at a number of different sports. In particular, he was the goalkeeper on the Canadian soccer teams that toured Britain in 1888 and 1891. Later he was the sports editor of the Toronto World newspaper for many years. His son Dudley Mark Garrett played football for the Toronto Argonauts, and grandson, Dudley Morine Garrett, played hockey for the Toronto Maple Leafs and New York Rangers. A.N. Garrett, died in Toronto January 17, 1941. In 2018, the community was the winner of the

Kraft Hockeyville ''Kraft Hockeyville'' is an annual competition sponsored by Kraft Heinz, the National Hockey League and the NHL Players' Association in which communities compete to demonstrate their commitment to the sport of ice hockey. The winning community ...

competition, and hosted the first pre-season game of the year for the

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...

versus the

Ottawa Senators The Ottawa Senators (french: Sénateurs d'Ottawa), officially the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and colloquially known as the Sens, are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a membe ...

on Tuesday September 18, which also marked the on-ice debut of forward

John Tavares John Tavares (born September 20, 1990) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected first overall by the New York Islanders in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft ...

as a member of the Maple Leafs. In 2018, PPG formally announced the completion of a COLOURFUL COMMUNITIES project in Lucan of Ontario. This project has helped to revitalize the Lucan Community Memorial Centre indoor hockey arena. The DULUX Paints stores provided all the paint used for this project.

References

15 Canada: PPG completes colourful communities project at Lucan community memorial centre in Ontario. (2018, September 21). Mena Report. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A555179317/AONE?u=conestoga&sid=AONE&xid=54081763 16 CH2M selected to provide operations and maintenance services for Township of Lucan Biddulph. (2017, May 11). PR Newswire. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A491506141/AONE?u=conestoga&sid=AONE&xid=be829016 17 Exeter Times Advocate. (December 13, 2017). Lucan Biddulph to receive $1.5 million for day care centre. Exeter Times Advocate, 1. 18 Leeder, J. (2011). The Donnellys must die! Canadian Folk Music, 45(2), 19–22. 19 Mitchell, S. (2003, June 6). Black Donnelly's morbid massacre site makes macabre tour. Toronto Star (Canada), 1.

External links

* {{Geographic location , Centre = Lucan Biddulph , North =

South Huron South Huron is a municipality in the Canadian province of Ontario, located in the southern part of Huron County. It was formed by amalgamation of the townships of Stephen and Usborne with the Town of Exeter in 2001, in an Ontario-wide municipal ...

, Northeast =

Perth South Perth South was a federal electoral district represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1867 to 1935. It was located in the province of Ontario. It was created by the British North America Act of 1867, which divided the County of Perth ...

, East =

Thames Centre Thames Centre is a municipality in Middlesex County, Ontario, Canada, directly east of the City of London. It was formed on January 1, 2001, when the townships of West Nissouri and North Dorchester were amalgamated. It is part of the London censu ...

, Southeast = , South =

Middlesex Centre Middlesex Centre is a township (Canada), township in Middlesex County, Ontario, Middlesex County, in southwestern Ontario, Canada, north and west of London, Ontario, London. The Corporation of the Township of Middlesex Centre formed on January 1, ...

, Southwest = , West =

North Middlesex North Middlesex is a municipality in Middlesex County, Ontario, Canada. The restructured municipality of North Middlesex was incorporated on January 1, 2001. This amalgamation joined five municipalities — the townships of East Williams, West W ...

, Northwest = Lower-tier municipalities in Ontario Municipalities in Middlesex County, Ontario Populated places on the Underground Railroad Township municipalities in Ontario