The Carleton (also known as the Carleton House and Carleton Hotel) is a building on Argyle Street in

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and largest municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of the 2021 Census, the municipal population was 439,819, with 348 ...

, built in 1760 as the home of Richard Bulkeley. Apart from two churches, Bulkeley's home is the oldest building in Halifax, Nova Scotia (1760). It was reported to have been made from the ruins of

Fortress Louisbourg The Fortress of Louisbourg (french: Forteresse de Louisbourg) is a National Historic Site and the location of a one-quarter partial reconstruction of an 18th-century French fortress at Louisbourg on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. Its two s ...

. Since 1786 his residence has been known as "The Carleton".

History

Bulkeley built his new home on Argyle Street on the land of Captain James Bannerman, who died during

Father Le Loutre's War Father Le Loutre's War (1749–1755), also known as the Indian War, the Mi'kmaq War and the Anglo-Mi'kmaq War, took place between King George's War and the French and Indian War in Acadia and Nova Scotia. On one side of the conflict, the Briti ...

in the

Attack at Jeddore The Attack at Jeddore happened on May 19, 1753, off Jeddore, Nova Scotia, during Father Le Loutre's War. The Mi'kmaq killed nine of the British delegates and spared the life of the French-speaking translator Anthony Casteel, who wrote one of the f ...

. He also had installed the black marble mantel from the Governor's house in the King's Bastion at Louisbourg. He is also reported to have brought the stone from the ruins of Louisbourg (1758) to build the house. At his new home in the 1780s, Bulkeley regularly entertained the future

King William IV William IV (William Henry; 21 August 1765 – 20 June 1837) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death in 1837. The third son of George III, William succeeded hi ...

(abolished slavery in British Empire; had an affair with Governor Wentworth's wife Francis) as well as Prince Edward (father of

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previo ...

). He also held large levees there on New Year's Day and the

queen's birthday The King's Official Birthday (alternatively the Queen's Official Birthday when the monarch is female) is the selected day in the United Kingdom and most Commonwealth realms on which the birthday of the monarch is officially celebrated in those ...

, as well as dinners on St Patrick's and St George's days." He named his home Carleton House after

Guy Carleton, 1st Baron Dorchester Guy Carleton, 1st Baron Dorchester (3 September 1724 – 10 November 1808), known between 1776 and 1786 as Sir Guy Carleton, was an Anglo-Irish soldier and administrator. He twice served as Governor of the Province of Quebec, from 1768 to 17 ...

upon his visit to Halifax in 1786 and becoming governor general for the whole of British North America. (Carleton ordered the creation of the

Book of Negroes The ''Book of Negroes'' is a document created by Brigadier General Samuel Birch, under the direction of Sir Guy Carleton, that records names and descriptions of 3,000 Black Loyalists, enslaved Africans who escaped to the British lines during ...

and oversaw the evacuation of escaped slaves (i.e., Black Loyalists) from New York to Nova Scotia.) Bulkeley's widow eventually sold the residence to

Henry Hezekiah Cogswell Henry Hezekiah Cogswell (April 12, 1776 – November 9, 1854) was a lawyer, political figure and philanthropist in Nova Scotia. He represented the town of Halifax in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1818 to 1820. He was president of t ...

(1816).J.S.M., p. 86

Guests and patrons

File:William IV by Sir Martin Archer Shee.jpg,

File:General-Sir-Guy-Carleton 2.jpg,

File:Prince Edward By William J Weaver.png, Prince Edward File:HenryHezekiahCogswell.jpg,

References

;Endnotes Texts * * * J.S.M., "Richard Bulkeley" in Collections of the Nova Scotia Historical Society, vol. 12 (1905) p. 62. * Carleton House: Living history in Halifax by Erickson, Paul A., and Duffus, Graeme F., and Heritage Trust of Nova Scotia

External links

The Carleton
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carleton, The Buildings and structures in Nova Scotia Heritage sites in Nova Scotia Buildings and structures completed in 1760

History

Guests and patrons

See also

References

External links