Prideaux Selby (baptised 21 December 1747 – 9 May 1813) was an English soldier 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 th ...

. He was born in Alnwick, Northumberland, England a son of the Holy Island branch of the

Selby family The Selby family is a prominent and prolific family in the English gentry that originated in Selby, Yorkshire, but largely settled in Northumberland and County Durham. At various points through history, the family owned Biddlestone Hall and Twizel ...

. He joined the 5th Foot Regiment in Ireland in 1781, and arrived in Detroit with the regiment in 1790. In 1792, he was appointed assistant secretary of

Indian Affairs The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), also known as Indian Affairs (IA), is a United States federal agency within the Department of the Interior. It is responsible for implementing federal laws and policies related to American Indians and Al ...

by Lieutenant Governor

John Graves Simcoe John Graves Simcoe (25 February 1752 – 26 October 1806) was a British Army general and the first lieutenant governor of Upper Canada from 1791 until 1796 in southern Ontario and the watersheds of Georgian Bay and Lake Superior. He founded Yor ...

and took up residence in

Amherstburg Amherstburg is a town near the mouth of the Detroit River in Essex County, Ontario, Canada. In 1796, Fort Malden was established here, stimulating growth in the settlement. The fort has been designated as a National Historic Site. The town is ...

. In 1802, he became a justice of the peace in the Western District. In 1807, he moved to York (Toronto). In 1808, he was appointed to the

Executive Council of Upper Canada The Executive Council of Upper Canada had a similar function to the Cabinet in England but was not responsible to the Legislative Assembly. Members of the Executive Council were not necessarily members of the Legislative Assembly but were usually ...

and appointed receiver general. In 1809, he was also appointed auditor general. In the spring of 1813, he became seriously ill and died in May of the same year. He had married in England in about 1772. His son, also Prideaux Selby was born in London and ultimately inherited family estates at Swansfield House, Alnwick and Pawston, Northumberland.

References

* ''The History and Antiquities of North Durham'' Rev James Raine MA (1852) p 338

External links

Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Selby, Prideaux 1747 births 1813 deaths Members of the Legislative Council of Upper Canada People from Alnwick Prideaux