Joseph Willcocks (1773 – September 4, 1814) sometimes spelt Wilcox was a publisher and political figure in

Upper Canada The Province of Upper Canada () was a Province, part of The Canadas, British Canada established in 1791 by the Kingdom of Great Britain, to govern the central third of the lands in British North America, formerly part of the Province of Queb ...

. He was elected to the

Parliament of Upper Canada The Parliament of Upper Canada was the legislature for Upper Canada. It was created when the old Province of Quebec was split into Upper Canada and Lower Canada by the Constitutional Act of 1791. As in other Westminster-style legislatures, it ...

in 1807 representing York, 1st Lincoln and Haldimand. He was re-elected twice and frequently opposed government policies. He became disillusioned with Upper Canada after a military rule was introduced to Upper Canada during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

and defected to the United States. He was mortally shot on September 4, 1814 at Fort Erie, and buried in Buffalo, New York.

Early life

He was born in

Palmerstown Palmerstown (; officially Palmerston, see #Name origin and spelling, spelling) is a Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish and suburb in western Dublin, Ireland on the banks of the River Liffey. It forms part of the South Dublin local authorit ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

in 1773. He was the second son to Robert Willcocks and Jane Powell. During the

Irish Rebellion of 1798 The Irish Rebellion of 1798 (; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ''The Turn out'', ''The Hurries'', 1798 Rebellion) was a popular insurrection against the British Crown in what was then the separate, but subordinate, Kingdom of Ireland. The m ...

he was loyal to the British Empire. He came to

York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...

on March 20, 1800.

Career

York

On May 1, 1800 he was hired to be the private clerk of Peter Russell, who was a distant cousin. He later became a receiver and payer of fees for the Office of the Surveyor General. He was dismissed from this role when Russell's half-sister revealed their romantic relationship.

Henry Allcock Henry Allcock (baptised 26 January 1759 – 22 February 1808) was a judge and political figure in Upper and Lower Canada. His family was from Edgbaston and he was born in Birmingham, England in 1759 and studied law at Lincoln's Inn in London ...

hired Willcocks as a clerk and William Jarvis employed him to engrave deeds. On May 9, 1803, he was appointed as registrar of the

probate court A probate court (sometimes called a surrogate court) is a court that has competence in a jurisdiction to deal with matters of probate and the administration of estates. In some jurisdictions, such courts may be referred to as orphans' courts o ...

and marshall for the courts of

assizes The assizes (), or courts of assize, were periodic courts held around England and Wales until 1972, when together with the quarter sessions they were abolished by the Courts Act 1971 and replaced by a single permanent Crown Court. The assizes ex ...

. In 1804, Willcocks became sheriff for the

Home District The Home District was one of four districts of the Province of Quebec created in 1788 in the western reaches of the Montreal District and detached in 1791 to create the new colony of Upper Canada. It was abolished with the adoption of the county ...

. He was active in an 1806 by-election for Robert Thorpe, a friend and neighbour. Willcocks and Thorpe were concerned about changes in government policies regarding land grants, which were controlled by the Executive Council, an appointed body. As a result of these criticisms, Lieutenant Governor

Francis Gore Francis Gore, (1769 – 3 November 1852) was an English military officer and British colonial administrator in Bermuda and Upper Canada. Gore was born in Blackheath, London, England in 1769 the son of Francis Gore and Caroline Beresford ...

removed Thorpe from office and withdrew Willcocks' appointment as sheriff in 1807, citing "general and notorious bad conduct".

Niagara

Willcocks moved to Niagara where he began to publish '' The Upper Canada Guardian; or Freeman's Journal''. He used the newspaper to criticise the government and voice his opposition to Upper Canada's land laws. In 1807, he was elected in a by-election for West

, 1st

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the 16th president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincoln (na ...

& Haldimand after the death of Solomon Hill. During the 4th Parliament, he was jailed for contempt of the house. He was re-elected in 1808 to 1st Lincoln and Haldimand and became the leader of the parliamentary opposition. His political positions in this session included lower salaries for public servants, less regulations for

loyalists Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cr ...

and military personnel to obtain land and more regulation on election procedures. During the last session of the 5th Parliament, Willcocks and his group successfully resisted efforts by

Isaac Brock Major-General Sir Isaac Brock KB (6 October 1769 – 13 October 1812) was a British Army officer and colonial administrator from Guernsey. He is best remembered for his victory at the Siege of Detroit and his death at the Battle of Quee ...

to pass a number of measures preparing for the expected war with the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. Willcocks was a member of the

Freemasonry Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

in the Niagara Lodge. Brock called an election in 1812 to obtain a legislature that would support his war preparations. Willcocks was reelected for the rising of 1st Lincoln and Haldimand. In June 1812 he sold his printing press to Richard Hatt. Brock enlisted Willcocks's help to secure the loyalty and participation of the Six Nations peoples to the British Crown in the upcoming war and Willcocks was successful despite his poor health. He fought in the

Battle of Queenston Heights The Battle of Queenston Heights was the first major engagement of the War of 1812. The battle took place on 13 October 1812 at Queenston in Upper Canada (now Ontario) and was a decisive British victory. United States regulars and New York (state ...

and recruited for the Canadian militia. In early June 1813 hardline loyalists were upset with Willcock's opposition to giving extended powers to the government. They spread a rumour that Willcocks was working with American forces in their invasion to Stoney Creek.

Defection to United States

Disillusionment with British rule

Willcocks was disturbed when military rule and harsh measures against people expressing disloyal opinions were introduced in the province. Willcocks saw this as an abandonment of democratic principles in the province. In July 1813 he committed treason and travelled to the United States to join the Americans. He was made a major in the American army and commanded a company of

Canadian Volunteers The Canadian Volunteers was a unit composed of pro-United States citizens or inhabitants of Upper Canada which fought for the United States of America during the Anglo-American War of 1812. Background Before the war, Americans had been encourage ...

consisting of expatriate Canadians fighting on the American side.

Conducting Operations in Canada

In the fall of 1813 George McClure appointed Willcocks as the police officer of Niagara. In this capacity, Willcocks regulated the movements of the city's citizens and interrogated prisoners.

Raid at Newark

On December 10, 1813. Joseph Willcocks conducted a raid with 100 armed members of his militia and 70 U.S. Regulars. Joseph Willcocks marched on his horse while leading his column. Willcocks and his force burned more than 60 structures of public and private property. Willcocks recruited four Canadians, who joined him, and Willcocks withdrew to New York with 24 prisoners.

Raid on Saint David’s

On July 22, 1814, Joseph Willcocks, with 200-300 men, who included American dragoons, made a surprise raid on Saint David’s, where there were four Canadian militiamen. The Americans, under Willcocks, came around by the mountain and surrounded the house where the Canadian militiamen were staying. The Canadian militiamen fired through the windows with their muskets, killing one American dragoon and wounding a few horses. The Canadian militiamen refused to surrender until the American dragoon captain Harrison stepped forward into the open and persuaded the Canadian militiamen to surrender. The Canadian militia surrendered. Joseph Willccocks and his fellow American raiders destroyed the house that the Canadian militia had taken shelter in. Then Willcocks and his fellow raiders withdrew to American territory with four Canadian prisoners.

Marked for treason

In the spring of 1814 fifteen Upper Canadians, including Willcocks, were charged with high treason as part of the Ancaster Bloody Assize.

Death

On September 4, 1814, during the

Siege of Fort Erie The siege of Fort Erie, also known as the Battle of Erie, from 4 August to 21 September 1814, was one of the last engagements of the War of 1812, between British and American forces. It took place during the Niagara campaign, and the Americans ...

. Joseph Willcocks led a sortie against a British battery. After six hours of fighting, the sortie raiding force under Joseph Willcocks withdrew, with Joseph getting killed. His body was buried initially in "the circle or open square of that village (

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is a Administrative divisions of New York (state), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and county seat of Erie County, New York, Erie County. It lies in Western New York at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of ...

)" and reburied in Forest Lawn Cemetery in the 1830s.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Willcocks, Joseph 1773 births 1814 deaths Members of the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada Canadian people of the War of 1812 Irish emigrants to pre-Confederation Ontario British defectors to the United States People from Niagara-on-the-Lake Deaths by firearm in Ontario Burials at Forest Lawn Cemetery (Buffalo) Immigrants to Upper Canada