Victoria Memorial Square is a park and former cemetery in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

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 C ...

, Canada. Established in 1793 as the burial place for those affiliated with the nearby Toronto Garrison (

Fort York Fort York (french: Fort-York) is an early 19th-century military fortification in the Fort York neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The fort was used to house members of the British and Canadian militaries, and to defend the entrance of t ...

). It was the first cemetery to be used by European settlers in what would become the city of Toronto. Originally known as St. John's Square, the park today is part of Fort York National Historic Site, and the site of a monument to the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States, United States of America and its Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom ...

sculpted by

Walter Seymour Allward Walter Seymour Allward, (18 November 1874 – 24 April 1955) was a Canadian monumental sculptor best known for the Canadian National Vimy Memorial. Featuring expressive classical figures within modern compositions, Allward's monuments evoke them ...

and completed in 1902.

History

The cemetery was established by Governor

John Graves Simcoe John Graves Simcoe (25 February 1752 – 26 October 1806) was a British Army general and the first lieutenant governor of Upper Canada from 1791 until 1796 in southern Ontario and the watersheds of Georgian Bay and Lake Superior. He founded Yor ...

and the first burial in the cemetery was his infant daughter Katherine (January 16, 1793 - April 19, 1794). It served as the military cemetery for Toronto until 1863 and saw some 400 burials, including a number of victims of the War of 1812. When the Town of York was incorporated as the City of Toronto in 1834, its 'New Town' grid was extended from Peter Street to as far west as Garrison Creek creating the 'New Town Extension' with its curved Niagara Street, later extended a block closer to the Garrison Creek with Walnut Street. Victoria Square was one of four squares in the 'New Town Extension';

Clarence Square Clarence Square is a small park in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, where Wellington Street West meets Spadina Avenue. It is a relatively quiet and shady park, with many large trees and a spacious grassy terrain. There are several benches and pi ...

, McDonell Square and West Market Square were the others. McDonell Square became the site of St. Mary's Church and was renamed along with northern section of roadway as Portugal Square in 1960. In the West Market Square, St. Andrew's Market was established to rival St. Lawrence Market in the 'Old Town' to the east. While the north half is now a city public works facility the southern portion is home to St. Andrew's Market and Playground a city parkette. The cemetery reached capacity in 1863 and was closed and largely abandoned. Over the decades, neglect and vandalism resulted in there today being only 17 surviving grave stones. In the late 19th century it was turned into a public park and has served as such since. It was restored between 2009 and 2011. Led by the Wellington Place Neighbourhood Association and Toronto Councillor

Adam Vaughan Adam G. Vaughan (born July 3, 1961) is a Canadian politician who served as a Member of Parliament (MP) from 2014 until 2021. Vaughan represented the Toronto area riding of Spadina—Fort York as a member of the Liberal Party. He previously sat ...

, restoration included regrading, and elements such as lighting, pathways, street furniture, trees and other plantings, and a playground.

Notable interments

* Christopher Robinson d. 1798 * Katherine Simcoe d. 1794

References

External links

City of Toronto - Virtual Exhibit
{{Parks and squares in Toronto Cemeteries in Toronto Parks in Toronto Squares in Toronto Canadian military memorials and cemeteries 1793 establishments in Canada Monuments and memorials in Toronto

History

Notable interments

See also

References

External links