HMS NANCY - The Rosedale Ladies Gun Club 1812

HMS NANCY - The Rosedale Ladies Gun Club 1812

In researching the Rosedale district of olde York now Toronto which was named after the Jarvis residence, Rosedale House, that formerly occupied that estate. The house on 400 acres, which overlooked Castle Frank Brook, a northern tributary of the Don River, was "a wonderful rambling Georgian style farm house perched on the edge of the wooded ravine. The house was designed by William Botsworth Jarvis – the Sherriff of York. The “additions” were created by his lovely wife Mary Boyles Powell which included natural wildflower gardens, a conservatory full of greenhouse flowers, and, the envy of Toronto, a magnificent curving double staircase that descended from the second floor to a foyer panelled in richest walnut and lit by the afternoon sunshine cascading through the second story landing leaded windows. Two new wings were added to either sides of the house c.1830 containing a peach house, a grape house, two new bedrooms, a morning room and a large verandah. Orchards, quiet arbours, rose gardens with over a thousand roses extending deep into the into the valley and masses of flowers surrounded the house. The estate was named by Jarvis' wife Mary Jarvis, granddaughter of William Dummer Powell., for the wild roses that grew so abundantly throughout the estate.

In researching the Sheppard district of olde [north] York also now part of Toronto which was named after the Joseph Shepard House residence, Wildwood, that formerly occupied their estate on 200 + 200 acres of land at what is now Yonge & Shepard. This house was three concessions north of the Rosedale House and like many of the large two and half story Georgian houses faced east with the rising sun warming the back of the house and the master bedrooms which faced west were warmed by the glow of the setting sun in the evening. And like the Jarvis House over looking the west Don River where the family operated both a grist mill and saw mill. And like Mary Jarvis above, Catherine Shepard [nee Fisher] extened the main house with a large greenhouse and wild fower gardens along with the uniquitous coach house and farm buildings to run a operating farm which supplied some of the needs of the growing settlement of York. At the corner of Yonge Street and what eventually became Sheppard Avenue the family later ran a general store. This was later sold to the Dempsey family and moved in the latter 1980’s to form a local museum.

Both men served in the 3rd York Militia during the war of 1812. The York Militia was a volunter unit of “irregulars” like so many others. Both William Jarvis and Joseph Shepard were merchant farmers at the time with William Jarvis [later the famous Sherrif of York and the name sake of Jarvis Street which lead to his estate up from Front Street and who served as an officer along with Joseph Shepard of Scots-Irish descent who served as a private. He was at the ill-fated battle of York in April 1813, suffering injuries in the explosion of the powder magazine ingloriously set off after the surrender and serious enough to warrant a lifetime pension. Both men were taken by the American forces under General Pike and General Deerborn and later released “petitioned by Pardons” both having given their promise not to fight or further serve in the conflict. Both were like so many others minor partners in the local supply house operated by the North West Company operated out of Montreal under the directions of William MacGillvray. This was later replaced by the Farmers’ Storehouse Company which was created in 1824 [shortly after the “merger” of the North West Company and the Hudson’s Bay Company in 1821-22] at the bottom of Jarvis Street to store members’ produce and to buy and sell for them both locally and across the lake with the Americans. And again Jarvis and Shepard were founding directors. The warehouse was sometimes called “Shepard’s Hall”.

And like so many others attended many of the parties at the official residence of Major General Isaac Brock at Fort York in what was referred to the Government House on the north quadrant of Fort York. This one and a half story frame building along with so many others in and around Fort York were burned by the Americans after their attack and shortly before their departure in April of 1813. The Commander of the Fort York garrison, General Roger [the original dogger] Hale [and not so hardy] Schaeffe was still on the olde Kingston Road leading east out of town running all the way to Fort Henry in Kingston on “the March of Shame”. The Duke of Wellington later ordered his arrest and return to England to be court marshalled for abject cowardice and dereliction of duty in the face of inferior forces. The Fort remained in ruins for over 100 years and sold by the Federal Government for a pitance to the City of Toronto.

So much for these two men. But what of Mrs. Mary Jarvis of Rosedale House and Mrs. Catherine Shepard of Wildwood House. Two roses for sure and as wives of merchant farmers, politicians and volunteers in the 3rd York Militia I dare say they had their voices heard and were power-houses behind their men-folk especially after they were paroled by the Americans. What say you of them.
Keeping in mind that their history is not taught by “Canadian history teachers” to make room no doubt for “multi-cuturalism” ... in ruins just like olde Fort York - thank God for the modern internet.

So here we are in the warmth of the late afternoon with the sun ever so gloriously shining through the windows as it begins its inevitable journey to the horizon and begins to set in the west – the glass panelled doors are open and the smell of roses and wild flowers comes waffting in on the gentle breezes of the Don River tributaries and the small of cooking drifts in from beyond the peach house and from the kitchen just beyond. Over their left is the beautiful oak desk with papers piled high, a copy of the signed Petitions of Pardon and receipts from the North West Company supply house. Add to that the most recent copy [week olde] of the Montreal Gazette just in from the harbour and the fresh pampflet called the colonial York Gazette from York speaking of events from the war of 1812 now freshly arrived at their door-step in late August of 1813. Amongst these papers and receipts are references to dispatches between Sir James Lucas Yeo covering movements on Lake Ontario, Lord Sir James Robert Drummond and Commodore Robert Barlcay with preparations on Lake Erie. The recent fiasco at Fort York will prove to be a very expensive venture with implications for the future and for all concerned. All main stream history.

One item of note is the arrival of a very special shipment of Baker Rifles paid for and from “the merchants of Aberdeen” Scotland and forwarded on behalf of Richardson & Forsythe in Montreal and notated by the wife of Mr. William MacGillivray, one Elizabeth MacDonald daughter of Lord MacDonald of Garth. Everyone is familiar with the Brown Bess musket which even then had been around for years. But the fairly new Baker Musket or rifle [made famous in the TV series Sharpe’s Rifles] had been around since 1803 and was used to equip various ranger groups during the war of 1812 including three well-known groups in Upper Canada. In 1811 these rifles were highly prized and which were lighter and far more accurate than the Tower Musket [Tower of London made and issued] at over three times the distance. The first group to be so supplied were the “re-constituted” Rogers Rifle [previous members of the British Roger’s Rangers, loyalists from Upper New York who had settled in the Hamilton area led by Colonel Land] Company of Fort Erie, the next group were the Colonel Dolsen’s Rifle Company associated with Fort Amherstberg [Windsor area] and the last group to be equipped were the Johnston’s Rifles led by the British Indian Agent Colonel Robert Johnston. What the three ladies knew was that all three groups were associated with the North West Company and their supply chain from Montreal all the way out to the west coast, and more importantly and closer to home with the schooner NANCY. Ah, now we have the reason for the Blog. Just like a good movie script.

And yes, the NANCY [later commissioned in the spring of 1814 as HM Schooner NANCY] which was the North West Company’s express executive 87’ schooner which ran supplies from Fort Erie and a place called Black Rock to Fort Amherstberg – Sandwich [Moy Hall – her operational base – a stone’s throw from the Hiram Walker Whisky plant in Windsor – good Scotch whisky] up to Fort St. Joseph and to Fort Mackinaw on the island and onto her northern base at St. Mary’s Falls. So the NANCY was equipped with six long four pounders and two more in the hold, six one pound long railing guns and of course the modern light weight Baker Rifle supplied to her crew who trained with Colonel Dolsen and Colonel Johnston. Yes she carried the Tower muskets but they were relegated to the level of general trade and garrison muskets.

The NANCY was so successful in dealing with the Americans and their ships of the Lake Erie fleet under Commodore Perry and later Commodore Sinclair during the whole of the war of 1812 that in July of 1814 they sent their two frigates the USS LAWRENCE and the USS NIAGARA along with three new war schooners, the USS TIGRESS, the USS SCORPION and the USS CHIPPEWA to take her out as well as create a little havoc at some of the British garrisons. 600 Americans against 30 British and equal number of Indians and Johnston’s Rifles. Later in August, a month later the Americans cornered the NANCY at the mouth of the Nottawasaga River because Captain MacIntosh [commander for 30 years who wanted to run the NANCY into her base and hide her in Matchdash Bay] and Commander Worsley of the British navy [the new guy] argued all the way down Georgian Bay as to what was the best way to save the NANCY.

As luck would have it, the NANCY was lost but with the guidance of Captain Alexander MacIntosh and his crew, members of Robert Johnston’s Rifles, a few Indians and remnants of Robert McDoualls militia armed with the olde Tower flintlocks, the remaining American schooners the USS SCORPION and the USS TIGRESS were taken at Detour passage to replace the NANCY.

Such is history, and while William Jarvis and Joseph Shepard couldn’t sign the “in-transit shipping papers” for the war materiel headed north up Yonge Street through lake Simcoe to the NANCY’s supply base in Matchdash Bay at what is now Port Severn [Lock 45], their wives Mary Jarvis and Catherine Shepard could, and so they had a hand in the success of the little Scottish schooner, the NANCY on that fateful day in August of 1813 in Rosedale and the NANCY’s fateful day in August of the following year. Our thanks to Elizabeth [MacDonald] MacGillivray in Montreal as well. The ladies took very good care of their little friend, the Queen of the Northern Lakes …. the NANCY.

One final note for the ladies of Rosedale Mary Jarvis and Catherine Shepard, that after the fiasco of April 1813 at Fort York, they, like so many others women became a crack shot with the new Baker rifle. They pre-dated little Annie Oakley who also used the same Baker rifle.
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