Wentworth County, area , is a
historic county in the
Canadian province
Canada has ten provinces and three territories that are sub-national administrative divisions under the jurisdiction of the Constitution of Canada, Canadian Constitution. In the 1867 Canadian Confederation, three provinces of British North Amer ...
of
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 ...
.
It was created in 1816 as part of the
Gore District (1816-1849) in what was then
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 ...
and later
Canada West
The Province of Canada (or the United Province of Canada or the United Canadas) was a British colony in British North America from 1841 to 1867. Its formation reflected recommendations made by John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, in the Report ...
(1841-1867). It was named in honour of Sir
John Wentworth, the last royal governor of colonial New Hampshire, lieutenant-governor of Nova Scotia (1792 to 1808) and an intimate friend of
William Jarvis, the first
provincial secretary of Upper Canada. The county originally consisted of seven
townships that formerly belonged to
Haldimand,
Lincoln and
York
York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...
Counties.
Between 1850 and 1854, Wentworth County and
Halton County were briefly joined for government purposes as the United Counties of Wentworth and Halton although for administrative purposes, they remained distinct.
In 1973, Wentworth County was replaced by the
Regional Municipality of Hamilton–Wentworth. In 2001, the Regional Municipality and its six constituent municipalities were amalgamated as the "
megacity
A megacity is a very large city, typically with a population of more than 10 million people. The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) in its 2018 "World Urbanization Prospects" report defines megacities as urban a ...
" of
Hamilton
Hamilton may refer to:
* Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States
* ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda
** ''Hamilton'' (al ...
.
Constituent townships
Each township that was ever part of the county is listed alphabetically below along with its years of existence, and its previous and subsequent configurations.
*
Ancaster, area , (surveyed 1798), 1816–1973, later became a village then town and part of township to
Town of Dundas
* Barton, area . The township was surveyed 1792 and named after the English town. The township included Hamilton and existed from 1816 to 1973, later became
Village and City of Hamilton
*
Beverley, area . Surveyed and opened for settlement in 1798. The five northern concessions were surveyed in 1794 and the southern part in 1797. The Township was named from the town in the East Riding of Yorkshire. Community centres were:
Copetown, Lynden, Rockton and
Westover. The Township existed from 1851 to 1973, later divided with one part to
North Dumfries, Ontario and majority to
Town of Flamborough
* Binbrook (surveyed 1798), existed from 1816 to 1973, later one half of
Glanbrook Township
* Caistor, existed from 1845 to 1851, earlier and later part of
Haldimand County, then
Lincoln County and, since 1970, the
Township of West Lincoln in the
Regional Municipality of Niagara
The Regional Municipality of Niagara, also colloquially known as the Niagara Region or Region of Niagara, is a regional municipality in southern Ontario, Canada, which occupies most of the Niagara Peninsula. As of 2024, the region had an estimate ...
* Flamborough East, area . Both East and West Flamborough were surveyed and opened for settlement in 1792. The Township existed from 1851 to 1973, later divided with one part to
City of Burlington and majority to
Town of Flamborough
* Flamborough West, area Both East and West Flamborough were surveyed and opened for settlement in 1792. The Township existed from 1851 to 1973, later divided with one part to
Town of Dundas and majority to
Town of Flamborough
* Glanford, area Was surveyed and opened for settlement in 1798. The township was named from
Glanford-Brigg in Lincolnshire. Community centres were Glanford and Fenton. The Township existed from 1816 to 1974. The Township was later the other half of
Glanbrook Township
* Onondaga, existed from 1816 to 1851, home of the
Six Nations of the Grand River
*
Saltfleet, area . Was surveyed and opened in 1792. The name was suggested by the existence of several salt water springs. The Township existed from 1816 to 1973, later the town and city of
Stoney Creek
* Seneca, existed from 1816 to 1851, later part of
Brant County
Source: ''Province of Ontario -- A History 1615 to 1927'' by
Jesse Edgar Middleton &
Fred Landon, copyright 1927, Dominion Publishing Company, Toronto]
See also
*
List of townships in Ontario
This is a list of township (Canada), townships in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. Townships are listed by List of census divisions of Ontario, census division.
Northern Ontario Northeastern Ontario Algoma D ...
External links
Changes in Wentworth County 1792-1899
{{coord, 43, 15, N, 80, 00, W, region:CA, display=title
Former counties in Ontario
1816 establishments in Canada
Populated places established in 1816
Populated places disestablished in 1973
History of Hamilton, Ontario