Northumberland South was an electoral district of the
Legislative Assembly of the
Parliament of the
Province of Canada, in
Canada West (now
Ontario). It was created in 1841, upon the establishment of the Province of Canada by the union of
Upper Canada and
Lower Canada. Northumberland South was represented by one member in the Legislative Assembly. It was abolished in 1867, upon the creation of
Canada and the
province of Ontario.
Boundaries
Northumberland South electoral district was located in the southern portion of
Northumberland County, on the north shore of
Lake Ontario, east of what is now
Toronto. As the county seat,
Cobourg
Cobourg ( ) is a town in the Canadian province of Ontario, located in Southern Ontario east of Toronto and east of Oshawa. It is the largest town in and seat of Northumberland County. Its nearest neighbour is Port Hope, to the west. It is ...
was the major centre.
The ''
Union Act, 1840'' had merged the two provinces of
Upper Canada and
Lower Canada into the
Province of Canada, with a single
Parliament. The separate parliaments of Lower Canada and Upper Canada were abolished.
''Union Act, 1840'', 3 & 4 Vict. (UK), c. 35, s. 2.
/ref> The ''Union Act'' provided that the pre-existing electoral boundaries of Upper Canada would continue to be used in the new Parliament, unless altered by the ''Union Act'' itself.
/ref>
Northumberland South was a new electoral district, created by the ''Union Act'' as the south riding of Northumberland County.[''Union Act, 1840'', s. 14.]
/ref> Northumberland County had originally been bounded by Lake Ontario and extended north, as described by a proclamation of the first Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada, John Graves Simcoe, in 1792, and as further defined by a statute of Upper Canada in 1798.
Prior to the ''Union Act'', Northumberland County had been represented by two members in the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada. The ''Union Act'' split Northumberland County into two separate ridings, Northumberland North and Northumberland South, each represented by one member.[ The boundaries for Northumberland South were:
]
Members of the Legislative Assembly
Northumberland South was represented by one member in the Legislative Assembly.[ The following were the members for Northumberland South.
]
Abolition
Northumberland South electoral district was abolished on July 1, 1867, when the '' British North America Act, 1867'' came into force, creating Canada and splitting the Province of Canada into Quebec and Ontario. It was succeeded by two electoral districts in the House of Commons of Canada
The House of Commons of Canada (french: Chambre des communes du Canada) is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the bicameral legislature of Canada.
The House of Common ...
, Northumberland East and Northumberland West and by two electoral districts with the same names in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
The Legislative Assembly of Ontario (OLA, french: Assemblée législative de l'Ontario) is the legislative chamber of the Canadian province of Ontario. Its elected members are known as Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs). Bills passed by ...
.''Constitution Act, 1867'', s. 70.
/ref>
References
{{coord missing, Canada
Electoral districts of Canada West