Wentworth County, area , is a historic county in the

Canadian province Within the geographical areas of Canada, the ten provinces and three territories are sub-national administrative divisions under the jurisdiction of the Canadian Constitution. In the 1867 Canadian Confederation, three provinces of British North ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

. It was created in 1816 as part of the Gore District (1816-1849) in what was then

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 the ...

and later

Canada West The Province of Canada (or the United Province of Canada or the United Canadas) was a British colony in North America from 1841 to 1867. Its formation reflected recommendations made by John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, in the Report on the ...

(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 A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, C ...

that formerly belonged to Haldimand,

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincol ...

and

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

Counties. Between 1850 and 1854, Wentworth County and

Halton County Halton County is a former county in the Canadian province of Ontario, with an area of . It is also one of the oldest counties in Canada. History Halton County is named after Major William Mathew Halton (1746-1823), a British Army officer, who ...

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 geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...

. 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. Precise definitions vary: the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs in its 2018 "World Urbanization Prospects" report counted urban ...

" of

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

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 Beverley is a market town, market and minster (church), minster town and a civil parishes in England, civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, of which it is the county town. The town centre is located south-east of York's centre ...

, 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 The Township of North Dumfries is a rural township (Canada), township in Ontario, Canada, part of the Regional Municipality of Waterloo. Communities North Dumfries includes the following communities: Ayr, Ontario, Ayr, Branchton, Clyde (formerly ...

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 Haldimand County is a rural city-status single-tier municipality on the Niagara Peninsula in Southern Ontario, Canada, on the north shore of Lake Erie, and on the Grand River. Despite its name, it is no longer a county by definition, as all mu ...

, 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 comprising twelve municipalities of Southern Ontario, Canada. The regional seat is in Thorold. It is the souther ...

* 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 Saltfleet is a coastal village in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. It is approximately north of Mablethorpe and east of Louth. The village is part of the civil parish of Skidbrooke with Saltfleet Haven, which had a popu ...

, 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 The County of Brant (2021 population 39,474) is a single-tier municipality in the Canadian province of Ontario. Although it retains the word "county" in its name, the municipality is a single-tier municipal government and has no upper tier. The ...

Source: ''Province of Ontario -- A History 1615 to 1927'' by

Jesse Edgar Middleton Jesse Edgar Middleton (November 3, 1872 – May 27, 1960) was a Canadian journalist, historian and songwriter. Biography Middleton was born in Pilkington, Ontario, the son of Margaret Agar and Rev. Eli Middleton, a Methodist minister. He attend ...

Fred Landon Fred Landon (November 5, 1880 – August 1, 1969) was a Canadian journalist, historian, librarian, teacher, administrator and specialist in Ontario history. Biography He was born in London, Ontario in 1880 and died there in 1969. He marri ...

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

Constituent townships

See also

External links