G. D'Arcy Boulton
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George D'Arcy Boulton (May 20, 1759 – May 21, 1834) was a
lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...
, judge and political figure in
Upper Canada The Province of Upper Canada () was a Province, part of The Canadas, 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 Province of Queb ...
. He was a member of the
Family Compact The Family Compact was a small closed group of men who exercised most of the political, economic and judicial power in Upper Canada (today's Ontario) from the 1810s to the 1840s. It was the Upper Canadian equivalent of the Château Clique in L ...
, an oligarchic political and social group which dominated the government of the province.


Life and career

The second son of Henry Boulton J.P., of
Moulton, Lincolnshire Moulton is a village in the Civil parishes in England, civil parish of The Moultons, in the South Holland, Lincolnshire, South Holland Non-metropolitan district, district of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated on the A151 and B1537 roads, ea ...
, and his third wife, Mary, the daughter of D'Arcy Preston of
Askham Bryan Askham Bryan is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area of City of York in the north of England, south-west of York, west of Bishopthorpe, and close to Askham Richard a ...
Hall,
Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...
. He studied law at the
Middle Temple The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known simply as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court entitled to Call to the bar, call their members to the English Bar as barristers, the others being the Inner Temple (with whi ...
. After his business in England failed in 1793, he came to the
Hudson River The Hudson River, historically the North River, is a river that flows from north to south largely through eastern New York (state), New York state. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains at Henderson Lake (New York), Henderson Lake in the ...
valley of
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...
in 1797. Boulton later moved to Augusta Township in Upper Canada around 1802. In 1803, he was admitted to the bar. In 1804, he assumed the position of
Solicitor General A solicitor general is a government official who serves as the chief representative of the government in courtroom proceedings. In systems based on the English common law that have an attorney general or equivalent position, the solicitor general ...
after the death of
Robert Isaac Dey Gray Robert Isaac Dey Gray (ca.  1772 – October 8, 1804) was a lawyer, judge and political figure in Upper Canada. He was probably born in New York, but came to Canada with his parents (James Gray and Elizabeth Low) at the beginning of ...
on ; he was also elected to Gray's former seat in the 4th Parliament of Upper Canada in a by-election. In 1807, he became a judge for the Court of King's Bench. In 1810, while sailing to England, he was taken prisoner by a French
privateer A privateer is a private person or vessel which engages in commerce raiding under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign o ...
. Boulton fought vigorously in the short-lived attempt to defend the ship and for his troubles he received a sabre slash across his forehead; he was kept at
Verdun Verdun ( , ; ; ; official name before 1970: Verdun-sur-Meuse) is a city in the Meuse (department), Meuse departments of France, department in Grand Est, northeastern France. It is an arrondissement of the department. In 843, the Treaty of V ...
and released in 1813. He was admitted to the English bar in the same year and secured the post of Attorney-General of Upper Canada in December 1814. Boulton and his family were considered to be part of the
Family Compact The Family Compact was a small closed group of men who exercised most of the political, economic and judicial power in Upper Canada (today's Ontario) from the 1810s to the 1840s. It was the Upper Canadian equivalent of the Château Clique in L ...
, a clique of Upper Canada's elite who held great power in the province.


Marriage and children

At
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
in 1782, he married Elizabeth Forster (whose elder sister married D'Arcy's elder brother), daughter and co-heiress of Chief Justice James Forster of the
Isle of Ely The Isle of Ely () is a historic region around the city of Ely, Cambridgeshire, Ely in Cambridgeshire, England. Between 1889 and 1965, it formed an Administrative counties of England, administrative county. Etymology Its name has been said to ...
, Serjeant-at-law, by Susannah, daughter of
Sir John Strange Sir John Strange (1696 – 18 May 1754) was a British politician and judge. John Strange's life He was born to another John Strange of Fleet Street, London and his second wife, Mary Plaistowe. He studied Law at the Middle Temple on 11 July 17 ...
. He died at York (
Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
) in 1834 at The Grange, the home of his son D'Arcy Boulton (1785–1846), Auditor-General of Upper Canada and brother-in-law of
Sir John Robinson, 1st Baronet, of Toronto Sir John Beverley Robinson, 1st Baronet, (26 July 1791 – 31 January 1863) was a lawyer, judge and political figure in Upper Canada. He was considered the leader of the Family Compact, a group of families which effectively controlled the ear ...
. He was the father of
Henry John Boulton Henry John Boulton, (1790 – June 18, 1870) was a lawyer and political figure in Upper Canada and the Province of Canada, as well as Chief Justice of Newfoundland. Boulton began his legal career under the tutelage of John Beverly Robins ...
and
George Strange Boulton George Strange Boulton (September 11, 1797 – February 13, 1869) was a lawyer and political figure in Upper Canada. Life and career He was born near Albany, New York, in 1797, the son of D’Arcy Boulton, and came to Upper Canada with his fam ...
, among others, and the grandfather of
William Henry Boulton William Henry Boulton (April 19, 1812 – February 15, 1874) was a lawyer and political figure in Canada West. He served as Mayor of Toronto from 1845 to 1847. In 1858, he was considered "a colourful figure with varied interests" due to his seemi ...
and D'Arcy Boulton (1825–1875).


Legacy

Boulton bequeathed property at what is now
Queen Street West Queen Street is a major east–west thoroughfare in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It extends from Roncesvalles Avenue and King Street in the west to Victoria Park Avenue in the east. Queen Street was the cartographic baseline for the original eas ...
and McCaul Street for the creation of a
public market A marketplace, market place, or just market, is a location where people regularly gather for the purchase and sale of provisions, livestock, and other goods. In different parts of the world, a marketplace may be described as a '' souk'' (from ...
in perpetuity. The property, which is still owned by the city, became
St. Patrick's Market St. Patrick's Market is one of three public markets created in Toronto in the 19th century along with St. Lawrence Market and St. Andrew's Market. The current structure on the lot was built in 1912 and was designated a heritage site by the City ...
. Boulton's sold the north half of his Park Lot 13 to provide land for King's College (now the
University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...
).


References


External links


"Boulton of Moulton" in ''A genealogical and heraldic history of the commoners of Great Britain and Ireland enjoying territorial possessions or high official rank'' Volume II
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boulton, DArcy 1759 births 1834 deaths English emigrants to pre-Confederation Ontario Members of the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada 19th-century Canadian judges People from Leeds and Grenville United Counties People from South Holland (district) Treasurers of the Law Society of Upper Canada Upper Canada judges Attorneys-general of Upper Canada Immigrants to Upper Canada