Kilsyth is an unincorporated community in rural
Georgian Bluffs Township,
Ontario
Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
with an approximate population of 100 people. The village is a quiet rural place set in pleasant rolling farmland. The community is also home to the Kilsyth Arena, Kilsyth Hall, Kilsyth United Church, local bottled water company 'Cleerbrook Springs'. The K-8 Derby Public School serving pupils from the town and the surrounding district closed in June 2016.
Kilsyth was home to the Derby Township Office until amalgamation. The office has since been turned into a residential location.
The township hall was sold to a scrap metal company too.
History
The village of Kilsyth was founded in 1845. Alexander Fleming, a stonemason, and his wife Jean, along with their eight children settled on Lot 10, Concession 6 in 1849. They were natives of
Ballinluig
Ballinluig (Scottish Gaelic, Gaelic: ''Baile an Luig'') is a village in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. It lies on the banks of the River Tummel in Logierait Parish, and is approximately southeast of Pitlochry. It developed with the building of th ...
,
Perthshire
Perthshire (Scottish English, locally: ; ), officially the County of Perth, is a Shires of Scotland, historic county and registration county in central Scotland. Geographically it extends from Strathmore, Angus and Perth & Kinross, Strathmore ...
,
Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
. As emigrants, they travelled from their home to
Kilsyth
Kilsyth (; ) is a town and civil parishes in Scotland, civil parish in North Lanarkshire, roughly halfway between Glasgow and Stirling in Scotland. The estimated population is 10,380. The town is famous for the Battle of Kilsyth and the religi ...
, Scotland with all their possessions in three one-horse carts. At Kilsyth they embarked onto a horse drawn barge on the
Forth and Clyde canal
The Forth and Clyde Canal is a canal opened in 1790, crossing central Scotland; it provided a route for the seagoing vessels of the day between the Firth of Forth and the Firth of Clyde at the narrowest part of the Scottish Lowlands. This allow ...
, built just eleven years earlier. This was the last place they set foot on Scottish soil.
Once at
Port Glasgow
Port Glasgow (, ) is the second-largest town in the Inverclyde council area of Scotland. The population according to the 1991 census for Port Glasgow was 19,426 persons and in the 2001 census was 16,617 persons. The most recent census in 2011 s ...
, they moved their belongings directly onto a four masted sailing ship, the ''Jeanie Deans'', 298 tons, which sailed on May 1, 1843, the journey taking eleven weeks. Once arrived at
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 ...
, they stayed with relatives. They rented a farm in
Vaughan Township. Finally able to buy their own farm they chose a plot of land in
Grey County
Grey County is a county in the province of Ontario. The county is located in the Southwestern Ontario region, and is a part of the Georgian Triangle. At the time of the 2021 Canadian census the population of the county was 100,905. Owen Sound is ...
. They named their farm Springfield Farm, where they built a log cabin by a pond which still exists to this day.
Descendants of the Fleming family still live in the village.
Kilsyth was the early village of importance in Derby, situated near the center of the township on the
Owen Sound
Owen Sound (2021 Canadian Census, 2021 Census population 21,612) is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. The county seat, seat of government of Grey County, it is located at the mouths of the Pottawatomi River, Pottawatomi and Sydenham River ...
and Saugeen Stage Road. The first school in the township was built on the Coulter farm, near Kilsyth, Jessie Fleming being the first teacher. The first church in the township was the English church, in what is known as the "Irish Settlement" in the third concession; and the first post office was established here, Alexander Fleming being the first postmaster.
It contained a post office, tavern, smithy, stores, and several other places of business. Most noted perhaps was the potter works started by Messrs. Walmsley and McCluskie which at one time was quite a large concern, the works producing articles of common use as well as ornaments. Among the early business men were, Thomas Sloan-merchant and postmaster; William Fleming-merchant; George Smith-keeper of the "Sloan Hotel"
Kilsyth still cherishes its Scottish roots.
Sources and links
Kilsyth International Page
References
{{authority control
Communities in Grey County