CharlesMorrisStPaulsChurchHalifaxNovaScotia

CharlesMorrisHouseLocationHalifaxNovaScotia

Charles Morris (8 June 1711 – buried 4 November 1781) army officer, served on the

Nova Scotia Council Formally known as "His Majesty's Council of Nova Scotia", the Nova Scotia Council (1720–1838) was the original British administrative, legislative and judicial body in Nova Scotia. The Nova Scotia Council was also known as the Annapolis Counci ...

, Chief Justice of the

Nova Scotia Supreme Court The Nova Scotia Supreme Court is a superior court in the province of Nova Scotia. The Supreme Court consists of 25 judicial seats including the position of Chief Justice and Associate Chief Justice. At any given time there may be one or more addi ...

(1776–1778) and, the surveyor general for over 32 years, he created some of the first British maps of Canada's

maritime region Maritime Region () is the southernmost of Togo Togo, officially the Togolese Republic, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Ghana to Ghana–Togo border, the west, Benin to Benin–Togo border, the east and Burkina Faso to Burkin ...

and designed the layout of Halifax, Lunenburg, Lawrencetown, and Liverpool. In Halifax, he laid out both the present-day down town core and the Halifax Common.

History

He was born in Boston and when he first came to the colony he fought in the

Battle of Grand Pré The Battle of Grand Pré, also known as the Battle of Minas and the Grand Pré Massacre, was a battle in the mid-18th century King George's War that took place between New England forces and Canadian, Mi'kmaq, and Acadian forces at present-day G ...

. The maps he produced and information he gathered about the disposition of Acadians villages during his surveying of the colony was later used by the Military authority in Halifax to initiate the

Expulsion of the Acadians The Expulsion of the Acadians was the forced removal of inhabitants of the North American region historically known as Acadia between 1755 and 1764 by Great Britain. It included the modern Canadian Maritime provinces of Nova Scotia, New Br ...

during the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War, 1754 to 1763, was a colonial conflict in North America between Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of France, France, along with their respective Native Americans in the United States, Native American ...

. He was named to the Council 30 December 1755, and did not directly participate in the expulsion decision that July. He fought for and won the establishment of the

Nova Scotia House of Assembly The Nova Scotia House of Assembly (; ), or Legislative Assembly, is the deliberative assembly of the General Assembly of Nova Scotia, and together with the lieutenant governor of Nova Scotia makes up the Nova Scotia Legislature. The assembly is ...

(1758). Morris was instrumental in establishing

New England Planters The New England Planters were settlers from the New England colonies who responded to invitations by the lieutenant governor (and subsequently governor) of Nova Scotia, Charles Lawrence, to settle lands left vacant by the Bay of Fundy Campaign ...

in the colony. As chief justice, his most famous trial was of those who participated in the Eddy Rebellion (1776) at the outbreak of the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

. He died in 1781 and was buried in the Old Parish Burying Ground in Windsor, Nova Scotia. His will was made shortly before his death; it is dated May 10th, 178
Hon. Charles Morris: A Lay. Chief Justice

Family

Spouses and children

Source: Married, Boston, Mass., to Mary READ ca 1706-1782 with *

Charles Morris (1731–1802) Charles Morris (December 31, 1731 – January 26, 1802) was a surveyor, judge and political figure in Nova Scotia. He represented Kings County from 1761 to 1770 and Sunbury County from 1770 to 1784 in the Legislative Assembly of Nova Scotia. ...

* John MORRIS 1736- * William MORRIS 1737- * Hezekiah MORRIS 1738- * Mary MORISE 1742-1793 * Alexander MORRIS 1743- * Frances MORRIS 1746- * Samuel MORRIS 1748- * James MORRIS 1750- * Sarah MORRIS 1757- * Hezekiah MORRIS

Publications

* * * **(originally printed as a four pag
pamphlet
* * *

Legacy

* namesake of Morris Street, Halifax * namesake of Fort Morris (Nova Scotia) * Morris House (Halifax) which his son purchased and where he lived is the oldest wooden residence in Halifax

References