Wellington District, Upper Canada
{{short description|Former district of Upper Canada}}
{{Infobox settlement
|official_name = Wellington District
|nickname =
|settlement_type = Former district
|motto =
|image_skyline =
|imagesize =
|image_caption =
|image_flag =
|image_seal =
|image_map = 1850 Tallis Map of West Canada or Ontario ( includes Great Lakes ) - Geographicus - WestCanada-tallis-1850.jpg
|mapsize =
|map_caption = Map of Canada West in 1850, with the Wellington District outlined in green. The outline mistakenly excludes Puslinch Township.
|subdivision_type = Country
|subdivision_type2 = Province
|subdivision_name = {{Plainlist|
- The Canadas (1840–41)
- Province of Canada (1841–)
}}
|subdivision_name2 = {{Plainlist|
- Upper Canada (1840–41)
- Canada West (1841–)
}}
| seat_type = District town
|seat = Guelph
|leader_title =
|leader_name =
|established_title = Established
|established_date = June 1840
|extinct_title = Dissolved
|extinct_date = 1849
|founder =
|area_footnotes =
|area_magnitude =
|area_total_km2 =
|area_land_km2 =
|area_water_km2 =
|area_water_percent =
|area_urban_km2 =
|population_as_of =
|population_footnotes =
|population_note =
|population_total =
|population_metro =
|population_urban =
|population_density_km2 =
|coordinates = {{coord|43.572|N|80.302|W|display=title,inline}}
|elevation_m =
|footnotes =
}}
The Wellington District was a historic district in Upper Canada and its successor, Canada West, which existed until 1849. It was formed in June 1840{{cite book|last= Armstrong|first= Frederick H.|date= 1985|title= Handbook of Upper Canadian Chronology|url= https://www.dundurn.com/books/Handbook-Upper-Canadian-Chronology|location= Toronto|publisher= Dundurn Press|page= 195|isbn= 0-919670-92-X|access-date= 2017-11-04|archive-date= 2017-09-19|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170919002626/https://www.dundurn.com/books/Handbook-Upper-Canadian-Chronology|url-status= dead}} from townships transferred from certain other districts:
| class = "wikitable" |
| +Townships transferred to the Wellington District (1840){{Cite canlaw|short title =An Act erecting certain parts of the Counties of Halton and Simcoe into a new District, by the name of the District of Wellington|abbr =S.U.C.|year =1837 (1st Session)|chapter =116|link= https://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.35112103435170?urlappend=%3Bseq=474}}, implemented by Proclamation of June 18, 1840 |
| District
!County !Townships !Other lands |
|---|
| Gore
| {{div col|colwidth=18em}}
{{div col end}} | |
| Home
| {{div col|colwidth=18em}}
{{div col end}} | |
| London
|– | |
|
{{reflist|group=a}}
File:Thomas Ridout map of Grand River Indian Lands, 1821.jpgs, that became part of Wellington District in 1838.]]
For electoral purposes, it was called Waterloo County and the district town was Guelph.1837 Act, s. 28
Upon the passage of the Act of Union 1840, for electoral purposes Erin Township was attached to Halton County, which became known as the East Riding of Halton, and the remaining townships of Wellington that had previously been part of Halton became known as the West Riding of Halton.{{Cite canlaw|short title =An Act to re-unite the Provinces of Upper and Lower Canada, and for the Government of Canada|abbr =|year =3 & 4 Vic.|chapter =35|section = 13|link=https://books.google.com/books?id=B2QPAQAAMAAJ&lpg=PA127&ots=zihV4MV3Xo&pg=PA127#v=onepage&f=false}}
When the East and West Ridings were renamed for their respective counties in 1845, the township of Erin continued to be part of Halton for electoral purposes, and the township of Dumfries was similarly included for such purposes in Waterloo.{{Cite canlaw|short title =An Act for better defining the limits of the Counties and Districts in Upper Canada, for erecting certain new Townships, for detaching Townships from some Counties and attaching them to others, and for other purposes relative to the division of Upper Canada into Townships, Counties and Districts|abbr =S.C.|year =8 Vic.|chapter =7|schedule = B|link=https://archive.org/stream/provincialstatu03canagoog#page/n116/mode/2up}} At that time, Waterloo County was declared to consist of the following townships:
{{div col|colwidth=13em}}
- Arthur
- Amaranth
- Bentinck
- Derby
- Eramosa
- Egremont
- Guelph
- Glenelg
- Garafraxa
- Holland
- Luther
- Mornington
- Minto
- Maryborough
- Melancthon
- Normanby
- Nichol
- Peel
- Proton
- Puslinch
- Sydenham
- Sullivan
- Waterloo
- Wilmot
- Woolwich
- Wellesley
{{div col end}}
In 1849, Wellington District was abolished, and Waterloo County remained for municipal and judicial purposes.{{Cite canlaw|short title =An Act for abolishing the Territorial Division of Upper-Canada into Districts, and for providing for temporary Unions of Counties for Judicial and other purposes, and for the future dissolutions of such Unions, as the increase of wealth and population may require|abbr =S.C.|year =12 Vic.|chapter =78|schedule = C|link=https://books.google.com/books?id=MLxRAAAAYAAJ&lpg=PA614&ots=1MREstwySD&pg=PA440#v=onepage&f=false}} The territory of the Bruce Peninsula became part of Waterloo in 1849,{{Cite canlaw|short title =An Act to divide the District of Huron, in the Province of Canada, and for other purposes therein mentioned|abbr =S.Prov.C.|year =1849|chapter = 96|link= https://books.google.ca/books?id=ulQ1AQAAMAAJ&lpg=RA1-PA55&ots=lChHrd_pK9&pg=PA625#v=onepage&f=false}} but was later withdrawn and transferred to Bruce County in 1851.{{Cite canlaw|short title =An Act to make certain alterations in the Territorial Divisions of Upper Canada|abbr =S.Prov.C.|year =1851|chapter =5|schedule =A, par. 29|link = https://books.google.ca/books?id=TwgvAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA1799#v=onepage&q&f=false}}
Notes
{{notelist}}