Prideaux Selby (baptised 21 December 1747 – 9 May 1813) was an English soldier 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 born in

Alnwick Alnwick ( ) is a market town in Northumberland, England, of which it is the traditional county town. The population at the 2011 Census was 8,116. The town is south of Berwick-upon-Tweed and the Scottish border, inland from the North Sea ...

, Northumberland, England a son of the Holy Island branch of the Selby family. He joined the 5th Foot Regiment in Ireland in 1781, and arrived in Detroit with the regiment in 1790. In 1792, he was appointed assistant secretary of Indian Affairs by Lieutenant Governor

John Graves Simcoe Lieutenant-General (United Kingdom), Lieutenant-General John Graves Simcoe (25 February 1752 – 26 October 1806) was a British army officer, politician and colonial administrator who served as the lieutenant governor of Upper Canada from 1791 u ...

and took up residence in

Amherstburg Amherstburg is a town near the mouth of the Detroit River in Essex County, Ontario, Canada. In 1796, Fort Malden was established here, stimulating growth in the settlement. The fort has been designated as a National Historic Site. The town ...

. In 1802, he became a justice of the peace in the Western District. In 1807, he moved to York (Toronto). In 1808, he was appointed to the

Executive Council of Upper Canada The Executive Council of Upper Canada had a similar function to the Cabinet in England but was not responsible to the Legislative Assembly. Members of the Executive Council were not necessarily members of the Legislative Assembly but were usuall ...

and appointed receiver general. In 1809, he was also appointed auditor general. In the spring of 1813, he became seriously ill and died in May of the same year. He had married in England in about 1772. His son, also Prideaux Selby was born in London and ultimately inherited family estates at Swansfield House,

and Pawston, Northumberland.

References

* ''The History and Antiquities of North Durham'' Rev James Raine MA (1852) p 338

External links

Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Selby, Prideaux 1747 births 1813 deaths Members of the Legislative Council of Upper Canada People from Alnwick Prideaux