Robert Burnaby (November 30, 1828 – January 10, 1878) was an English merchant, politician and civil servant in

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

, where he served as private secretary to

Richard Clement Moody Richard Clement Moody Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Military Merit of France (13 February 1813 – 31 March 1887) was a British governor, engineer, architect and soldier. He is best known for being the founder and the first Lieutenant ...

, the founder and first Lieutenant-Governor of British Columbia. Moody named

Burnaby Lake Burnaby Lake is a lake located in Burnaby, British Columbia and is the focal geographic feature and namesake of Burnaby Lake Regional Park. The lake occupies of land, and is home to a large variety of wildlife. At least 70 species of birds make ...

, in British Columbia, after Burnaby, and the city of

Burnaby Burnaby is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada. Located in the centre of the Burrard Peninsula, it neighbours the City of Vancouver to the west, the District of North Vancouver across the confluence of the Burrard I ...

was subsequently named after Burnaby, as were at least ten other urban and geographical features, including a

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually highe ...

Robert Burnaby Park Robert Burnaby Park is a 48 hectare public park in East Burnaby, just south of Burnaby Lake, located off Edmonds and 4th Street in British Columbia, Canada. It is open all year around from dawn to dusk. It has an extensive trail system, as well as ...

, a Haida Gwaii Island, and a street in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

Early life

Burnaby was born in

Woodthorpe, Leicestershire Woodthorpe is a hamlet (place), hamlet just south of Loughborough and former civil parish, now in the unparished area of Loughborough, in the Borough of Charnwood, Charnwood district, in Leicestershire, England. In 1931 the parish had a populatio ...

. Before his appointment to the staff of Richard Clement Moody, he worked for the civil service in London, during which service he attracted the favour of Sir Edward Bulwer-Lytton.

Private secretary to Richard Clement Moody

On the strength of a recommendation by Sir Edward Bulwer-Lytton,

decided to hire Burnaby as his personal secretary. In this position, Burnaby contributed to the planning of the settlement of the towns of Queensborough, Hope and

Yale Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wor ...

. Burnaby also explored the area around Burnaby Lake, which Moody decided to name after him. Within a year or so, he founded a commission trading business with his friend Edward Henderson, in

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

. Due to high risk, speculation in a coal mine in

Burrard Inlet french: Baie Burrard , image = Burrard Inlet 201807.jpg , image_size = 250px , alt = , caption = Aerial view of Burrard Inlet , image_bathymetry = Burrard-Inlet-map-en.svg , alt_bathymetry ...

that never materialized, and a recession, it folded in 1865. He then went into real estate and insurance. In 1862 he contended that he had a claim prior to that of the " Three Greenhorn Englishmen" to what is now known as the West End of Vancouver, but Judge Chartres Brew dismissed the documents he produced as forgeries, "obviously written by a liar or a knave."Snyders, 49

Legislative Assembly of Vancouver Island

Soon after his arrival in Victoria, Burnaby ran for the Legislative Assembly. He was elected as the member from Esquimalt and Metchosin, and served for five years. Burnaby helped found the Victoria Chamber of Commerce, and was president of the Amateur Dramatic Association of Victoria. The well-connected Burnaby was a close friend of many prominent figures in the region, including the Judges

Matthew Baillie Begbie Sir Matthew Baillie Begbie (9 May 1819 – 11 June 1894) was a British lawyer, politician, and judge. In 1858, Begbie became the first Chief Justice of the Crown Colony of British Columbia in colonial times and in the first decades after Bri ...

and

Henry Pering Pellew Crease Sir Henry Pering Pellew Crease (20 August 1823 – 27 November 1905) was a British-Canadian lawyer, judge, and politician, influential in the colonies of Vancouver Island and British Columbia. He was the first Attorney General of the united Co ...

, gold commissioner Thomas Elwyn, and Richard Clement Moody.

Freemasonry

Burnaby was active in

Freemasonry Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

, and a key figure in its development in British Columbia. In 1860 Burnaby helped to found Victoria Lodge No. 1085, the first Masonic lodge in what is now British Columbia, and was elected its first Past Master. When a District Grand Lodge for British Columbia was formed in 1868, under the Grand Lodge of England, Burnaby headed it as District Grand Master. At first he opposed a plan put forward by lodges affiliated with the Scottish Grand Lodge to form an independent Grand Lodge, but seeing growing tension between English and Scottish lodges, he later agreed to put the matter to a general vote. Finding wide support, he tabled the motion to create the new Grand Lodge of BC on October 21, 1871. Burnaby refused the post of Grand Master due poor health, but was elected first Past Grand Master.M.W. Grand Lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of British Columbia and Yukon, ''The Freemasons and the masonic family of British Columbia'', (Vancouver, 199

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Settlements named after Burnaby

The most lasting contribution Burnaby made to British Columbia may have been to simply lend his name to its maps. When the area around

, which Richard Clement Moody had named after Burnaby, was later incorporated, in 1892, the new municipality also chose the name Burnaby. An island and a narrows in

Haida Gwaii Haida Gwaii (; hai, X̱aaydag̱a Gwaay.yaay / , literally "Islands of the Haida people") is an archipelago located between off the northern Pacific coast of Canada. The islands are separated from the mainland to the east by the shallow Heca ...

are named for him, as well as a street, a hill, and a park in Burnaby itself. In total, at least eleven urban and geographical features in BC bear his name.

Later life

Burnaby's failing health lead to his retirement in 1869 and his return to England in 1874. He died in 1878.

References

History of Burnaby online pdf view
from the Heritage Burnaby website *Robie L. Reid, ''Historical Notes and Biographical Sketches 1848 - 1935''

at Grand Lodge BC & Yukon website *Madge Wolfenden,
Robert Burnaby
at Dictionary of Canadian Biography online, 2000 *Tom Snyders with Jennifer O'Rourke, ''Namely Vancouver: A Hidden History of Vancouver Place Names'' (Vancouver:

Arsenal Pulp Press Arsenal Pulp Press is a Canadian independent book publishing company, based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The company publishes a broad range of titles in both fiction and non-fiction, focusing primarily on underrepresented genres such as un ...

, 2001)

Footnotes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Burnaby, Robert Members of the Legislative Assembly of Vancouver Island English explorers of North America Explorers of British Columbia Burnaby English emigrants to pre-Confederation British Columbia 1828 births 1878 deaths