Peter Aylen (1799 – 1868) was a timber producer and later public official who was, for a time, known as "King of the Shiners". He was likely born Peter Vallely in

Armagh Armagh ( ; , , " Macha's height") is a city and the county town of County Armagh, in Northern Ireland, as well as a civil parish. It is the ecclesiastical capital of Ireland – the seat of the Archbishops of Armagh, the Primates of All ...

, Ireland in 1799 possibly the offspring of a mixed Protestant/Catholic marriage, and moved to

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

as a child. He joined the British navy as a cabin boy and jumped ship in Quebec City in 1815, changing his name to Aylen, thought to be his mothers maiden name. By 1832, he had become an important figure in the

Ottawa Valley timber trade The Ottawa River timber trade, also known as the Ottawa Valley timber trade or Ottawa River lumber trade, was the nineteenth century production of wood products by Canada on areas of the Ottawa River and the regions of the Ottawa Valley and weste ...

, holding cutting rights along the

Gatineau River The Gatineau River (, ) is a river in western Quebec, Canada, which rises in lakes north of the Baskatong Reservoir and flows south to join the Ottawa River at the city of Gatineau, Quebec. The river is long and drains an area of . Toponomy Ac ...

. Aylen also owned timber limits along the Madawaska River. During the 1830s, Aylen hired Irish labourers left unemployed after the completion of the

Rideau Canal The Rideau Canal is a 202-kilometre long canal that links the Ottawa River at Ottawa with the Cataraqui River and Lake Ontario at Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Its 46 Lock (water navigation), locks raise boats from the Ottawa River 83 metres (272 ...

in 1832. Known as "shiners", these workers encountered difficulties competing with the more experienced

French-Canadian French Canadians, referred to as Canadiens mainly before the nineteenth century, are an ethnic group descended from French colonists first arriving in France's colony of Canada in 1608. The vast majority of French Canadians live in the prov ...

s for jobs in the timber trade. Aylen is said to have been aggressive in competing with other timber owners: cutting wood illegally on their timber limits, destroying their log booms and terrorizing their employees. This started the

Shiners' War The Shiners' Wars were violent outbreaks in Bytown (now Ottawa) from 1835 to 1845 between Irish-Catholic immigrants, led by Peter Aylen, and French Canadians, led by Joseph Montferrand. The war began when Aylen, a major Irish timber operator, ...

. Left idle near the end of winter, Aylen's men mounted a campaign of violence in the Lower Town area of

Bytown Bytown is the former name of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It was founded on September 26, 1826, incorporated as a town on January 1, 1850, and superseded by the incorporation of the City of Ottawa on January 1, 1855. The founding was marked by a sod ...

during the late 1830s. In 1836, the Ottawa Lumber Association was created with Aylen a member, which eliminated much of the violence along the rivers. As a result of attempts on the life of James Johnston, who had written to the Lieutenant-Governor complaining about Aylen's activities, armed patrols were set up in Bytown, which put an end to the open violence there. Aylen had leased a large property on the Richmond Road and also owned land in

Nepean Township Nepean Township is a former incorporated and now geographic township in Eastern Ontario, Canada, now part of the City of Ottawa. Originally known as Township D, it was established in 1792. In 1800, it became part of Carleton County and was incorpo ...

, acquired via marriage. In 1837, he moved across the Ottawa River to Symmes Landing, later

Aylmer Aylmer is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Edward Aylmer, Welsh MP * Edward Aylmer (cricketer), first-class cricketer and Royal Navy officer * Felix Aylmer, English stage actor * Sir Fenton Aylmer, 13th Baronet, British Arm ...

, in

Lower Canada The Province of Lower Canada () was a British colonization of the Americas, British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence established in 1791 and abolished in 1841. It covered the southern portion o ...

. In 1846, he became a member of the council for Hull Township, later becoming superintendent of roads for Ottawa County and a Justice of the Peace. In the 1850s, he built a sawmill at Chats Falls, later

Fitzroy Harbour Fitzroy Harbour is a small village within the city of Ottawa in eastern Ontario, Canada. It is located on the Ottawa River at the mouth of the Carp River. A branch of the Mississippi River, known as the Snye, also empties into the Ottawa to the w ...

. He died in Aylmer in 1868.

References

Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aylen, Peter 1799 births 1868 deaths 19th-century Canadian businesspeople Irish emigrants to pre-Confederation Quebec Aylen, Pe Aylen, Pe Businesspeople from Liverpool Settlers of the National Capital Region (Canada) Immigrants to Lower Canada Anglophone Quebec people 19th-century English businesspeople Canadian folklore