The aspirations and disappointments of Charles Fothergill in Upper Canada, Ontario ’s pioneer ornithologis t/naturalist, from 1817 to 1840 John W. Sabean Introduction Charles Fothergill (1782-1840, Figure 1) For the general background of those was the first naturalist actively engaged articles, as everyone must now do, I in ornithological studies in southern relied heavily on James L. Baillie, Jr.’s Ontario, but due to a combination of article, “Charles Fothergill, 1782-1840”, misfortune and mismanagement, his published in an issue of the Canadian efforts did not lead immediately to an Historical Review (Baillie 1944). Baillie advancement in natural history. It was wrote nearly three quarters of a century not until a hundred years after his death ago. What prompted his effort was the that his extraordinary achievements “discovery” (in several descendants’ came to light. Recently, I wrote a series homes) of 16 manuscripts between 1931 of articles for the newsletter of the Pick - and 1944. More than 40 years later Paul ering Township Historical Society about Romney made Fothergill the subject of Charles Fothergill’s years in Pickering his doctoral dissertation, a distillation of Township where he lived from 1831 to which was published in the Dictionary of 1837. I then followed those up with Canadian Biography (Romney 1988). another article on the “Nature Notes of Even that is more than a quarter centu - Charles Fothergill between 1831 and ry ago. While I was particularly interest - 1837”, specifically those notes that per - ed in Fothergill’s contributions to the tain to Pickering Township. Subsequent - history of Pickering Township, I was also ly, I published all of the articles in a spe - interested to see if Baillie’s and Romney’s cial edition of the newsletter (Sabean assessments of Fothergill might change 2015). The sightings that Fothergill with new information or a different recorded for Pickering —27 bird species, approach. 7 mammals, and one reptile —constitute Writing in a more popular article in the first historical “list” of natural histo - the same year as Romney, Elaine The - ry for the city (then township). berge noted that Fothergill’s status as 28 Ontario Birds April 2017 Fothergill’s descriptions of the birds, mammals, fishes, reptiles and amphibians were meticulous and included a number of species he was the first to describe. Figure 1. Charles Fothergill (1834) by Grove Sheldon Gilbert. With permission of the Royal Ontario Museum. © ROM Canada’s pioneer naturalist was beginning what follows is not a detailed biography to have its due (Theberge 1988). While of Fothergill, it does cover the main fac - Romney’s interests were chiefly political, tors of his life in an attempt to understand Theberge was more concerned with argu - what went wrong to nearly assign him to ing that the reappearance of the Fothergill oblivion rather than to celebrate his great manuscripts proved him to be primarily a accomplishments. naturalist: “Although prominent as a leg - islator, newspaper publisher and artist, it England is in the field of natural history that Charles Fothergill was born in York, Eng - Charles Fothergill deserves to be best land, on 23 May 1782. His father, John remembered.” Another more recent, but Fothergill, was a maker of brushes and brief, account of Fothergill’s contribution combs. Charles was trained in his father’s to Ontario ornithology may be found in trade, but did not choose to follow a com - D.F. Brunton’s article in Ornithology in mercial avocation; rather he opted to find Ontario : “The early years of ornithology his niche in scientific and artistic pursuits. in Ontario: southern Ontario from In 1811, Fothergill married Charlotte Champlain to McIlwraith 1600 to 1886” Nevins, the daughter of a Quaker woollen (Brunton 1994). Brunton suggested that manufacturer. Two sons, Charles and “Fothergill’s tragic life in Canada under - George, were born to them before they lines the limited support that existed in immigrated to Upper Canada. the early nineteenth century for intellec - If one’s pedigree counts for anything, tual pursuits… His time was one of polit - Fothergill was well situated. He came ical unrest and rebellion, as well as diffi - from a well-known Yorkshire family cult economic conditions for most citi - noted for their interests in ornithology, zens… and the community of the day was science and art. His uncle, James Forbes, simply not prepared to listen.” While F.R.S., for example, was an artist who Volume 35 Number 1 29 He came to Canada with one plan in mind — to research, compile and illustrate the natural history of the British Empire. travelled to Asia, Africa, America and British Research Europe depicting the people and places Given these stimuli, it was not surprising he encountered, including the natural to find Fothergill wandering about the history. Fothergill assisted in the prepa - British Isles in pursuit of its natural his - ration of his Oriental Memoirs (Forbes tory. He spent a year in Wales, another in 1813) and acknowledged his debt to his Ireland, and still another in the Shetlands uncle in art and natural history in ded - and Orkneys, two years in Scotland and icating to him a book he himself pub - two years on the Isle of Man. As early as lished in 1813 under the title Essay on age 13, he had begun an intensive study the Philosophy, Study, and Use of Natu - of Yorkshire birds, and at 17 (1799) he ral History (Fothergill 1813). had published Ornithologia Britannica , a A great uncle, Dr. John Fothergill, a folio of eleven pages, listing 301 species naturalist and philanthropist, had assist - of British birds (Fothergill 1799). Four ed George Edwards with the publica - years later, he published a two-volume tion in England of his works on birds work at London entitled The Wanderer: including many new world species or a Collection of Original Tales and Essays being illustrated for the first time, and Founded upon Facts (Fothergill 1803). also sponsored William Bartram in his Before leaving for the New World, he also botanical investigations in the Caroli - published in 1813 an Essay on the Philos - nas, Georgia, and Florida between 1773 ophy, Study and Use of Natural History and 1778. Another uncle, William (Fothergill 1813). Seeking a greater chal - Fothergill, recounted to Charles the lenge, he conceived the idea of compiling birdlife of the ancestral home of the a comprehensive natural history of the family in Yorkshire, while a first cousin, British Empire, and for that he had to Alexander Fothergill, drew from life travel to the New World. nearly all the birds and other wildlife of the same area. Alexander’s brother, Aspirations another Dr. John Fothergill, was an On 6 March 1817, 200 years ago, Charles artist and compiled a list of birds in The Fothergill arrived in York, Upper Canada, History of Richmondshire (Whitaker having emigrated from Yorkshire, Eng - 1823). Charles’s brother, Dr. Samuel land to Montreal the previous year. He Fothergill, was a physician, and his sis - came to Canada with one plan in mind — ter Eliza Fothergill was a talented por - to research, compile and illustrate the trait and landscape artist. natural history of the British Empire. The project carried the tentative title Memoirs and Illustrations of the Natural History of the British Empire . It was to run 30 Ontario Birds April 2017 to several volumes and include his own Canada and a proposal to create a feder - illustrations. This might appear to have al government for all the British provinces been a daunting task, but if anyone was in North America. According to Paul prepared to attain this end, it was he. Romney’s assessment: “Fother gill’s im - After visiting York, Upper Canada, por tance in the years 1824-30 was con - Fothergill eventually settled his family at siderable. He was the foremost exponent Smith’s Creek (later Port Hope) in the of ‘conservative reform’ views in the spring of 1817, where he opened a gen - province, and his image of gentility and eral store and became the settlement’s first respectability was useful to the emergent postmaster. Meanwhile, he applied to reform movement at a time when many Lieutenant-Governor Sir Francis Gore for people still equated ‘party’ activity with 1200 acres of land on the south shore of disloyalty” (Romney 1988). Rice Lake. In this vicinity, he proposed to create a colony of gentlemen. The Pickering Years In 1818, Fothergill was appointed a Charles Fothergill’s wife, Charlotte Magistrate in the Court of Requests, and Nevins, died in 1822. Shortly after her the next year became a member of the death, he wrote pensively to his sister district land board. By 1821, he was also Elizabeth in England expressing a desire operating a brewery and distillery in to reunite with the Quaker heritage of his Port Hope and a sawmill in South Mon - family. Though his family had been aghan. Later he would become one of the Quakers (Friends) for many years, principal founders of the Port Hope Har - Charles had been banished in England bour and Wharf Company, founded in from the society for his interest in breed - March 1829. ing race horses. It may be that his wish to In 1821, Fothergill was appointed reconnect with the Friends’ Society was King’s Printer, necessitating a move to what led him to the Richardson family of York where he took up his duties as of 1 Pickering Township, a Quaker family that January 1822. In this capacity, he pub - had emigrated from Ireland about 1820. lished the official Upper Canada Gazette, At some time, he met Eliza Richardson, but he also availed himself of the oppor - eldest daughter of Joshua and Catherine tunity to find other outlets for his ener - Richardson and on 20 March 1825, they gy.