Robert Fleming Gourlay (March 24, 1778 – August 1, 1863) was a
Scottish-Canadian
Scottish Canadians () are people of Scottish descent or heritage living in Canada. As the third-largest ethnic group in Canada and amongst the first Europeans to settle in the country, Scottish people have made a large impact on Canadian cultur ...
writer, political reform activist, and agriculturalist.
Early life and education
Gourlay was born in Craigrothie in the Parish of
Ceres, Fife, Scotland
on 22 March 1778.
He received a
Master of Arts degree from the
University of St. Andrews and studied agriculture at the
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...
. He managed one of his father's farms from 1800 to 1809 and leased a farm from the
Duke of Somerset
Duke of Somerset, from the county of Somerset, is a title that has been created five times in the peerage of England. It is particularly associated with two families: the Beauforts, who held the title from the creation of 1448, and the Seymours ...
from 1809 to 1817. Gourlay's sympathies lay with the poor farmer, who he saw as being imprisoned by landlords and the system of government. In 1801, he was employed by the British imperial government to make inquiries into the condition of the British poor. His report prompted a bill to be introduced into the
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the upper house, the House of Lords, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. The House of Commons is an elected body consisting of 650 memb ...
and adopted, but it was rejected by the
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...
. In 1809, he published a pamphlet proposing a radical reshaping of the system of government in
Britain
Britain most often refers to:
* Great Britain, a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales
* The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a sovereign state in Europe comprising Great Britain and the north-eas ...
. He submitted a proposal to the House of Commons that land be acquired and redistributed to the poor. Gourlay adopted the middle name ''Fleming'' in honour of his mother who died in 1827.
Travels to Canada
In 1817, his wife inherited some land in the
Niagara District
The Niagara District was a historic district in Upper Canada. Created in 1798 from the Home District, it existed until 1849.
Historic evolution
The District was formed by an Act of the Parliament of Upper Canada in 1798, and was described as con ...
of
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 ...
and he travelled there via
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
, expecting to return by the fall. While there, he decided to gather some statistical information on Upper Canada. This list was based on the questions used by Sir
John Sinclair in Scotland, the last question being "What, in your opinion, regards the improvement of your township in particular, or the province in general; and what would most contribute to the same?". This last question came to be viewed with great suspicion by the provincial authorities. The list of questions was sent to all townships in the province.
Gourlay later questioned the decision of Lieutenant Governor
Francis Gore in banning the granting of land to people of 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 ...
. This ban made it more difficult for landowners in the region to sell their land. Reverend
John Strachan, seeing Gourlay as a trouble-maker, attempted to prevent the return of responses to Gourlay's questions from the townships. In May and June 1818, Gourlay began holding meetings across the province, proposing a direct appeal to the government in
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
. In the eastern part of the province, he encountered much resistance from the ruling elite, members of the
Family Compact
The Family Compact was a small closed group of men who exercised most of the political, economic and judicial power in Upper Canada (today's Ontario) from the 1810s to the 1840s. It was the Upper Canadian equivalent of the Château Clique in L ...
and was assaulted several times. Gourlay was accused of
seditious libel
Seditious libel is a criminal offence under common law of printing written material with seditious purposethat is, the purpose of bringing contempt upon a political authority. It remains an offence in Canada but has been abolished in England and ...
, but was later cleared of these charges. In July 1818, a convention was held at
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 ...
with representatives from 14 districts; it was decided to present a petition to the new Lieutenant Governor Sir
Peregrine Maitland. However, Maitland was able to convince the ''
Legislative Assembly'' to pass legislation banning seditious meetings and he refused to accept the petition.
In December,
Isaac Swayze swore out a complaint against Gourlay under the Sedition Act of 1804, which Gourlay claimed did not apply to British citizens like himself. Gourlay was jailed when he refused to leave the province and wrote articles for the ''Niagara Spectator''. In August 1819 he was found guilty of this charge and banished from the province.
It would not be until 1841 that a committee of the Province of Canada chaired by
William Tiger Dunlop would hear Gourlay's grievances.
Return to England and political career
He returned to England and published ''A General Introduction to a Statistical Account of Upper Canada'' in 1822. In 1836, the sentence of banishment was annulled, and Gourlay's imprisonment was admitted to have been illegal. In 1842 he petitioned the house for compensation and was granted a pension of £50 a year, which he declined, as he claimed to be a creditor of the government. He was also the author of numerous pamphlets.
Although Gourlay had been crushed by the colonial authorities, he had helped bring to the surface some concerns about the administration of Upper Canada. He ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the
British Parliament
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, and may also legislate for the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of ...
. Although he can be said to have sowed the seeds of discontent that led to the
Upper Canada Rebellion
The Upper Canada Rebellion was an insurrection against the Oligarchy, oligarchic government of the British colony of Upper Canada (present-day Ontario) in December 1837. While public grievances had existed for years, it was the Lower Canada Rebe ...
, he was loyal to Britain and viewed
William Lyon Mackenzie
William Lyon Mackenzie (March12, 1795 August28, 1861) was a Scottish-born Canadian-American journalist and politician. He founded newspapers critical of the Family Compact, a term used to identify the establishment of Upper Canada. He represe ...
as a traitor. In 1856, he returned to his property in Canada and ran unsuccessfully for a seat in
Oxford
Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town.
The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...
in
Canada West
The Province of Canada (or the United Province of Canada or the United Canadas) was a British colony in British North America from 1841 to 1867. Its formation reflected recommendations made by John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, in the Report ...
.
Death
He returned to
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...
,
Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
, and died there in 1863, remaining convinced of the rectitude of his cause to the end.
He is buried in
Warriston Cemetery
Warriston Cemetery is a cemetery in List of graveyards and cemeteries in Edinburgh, Edinburgh. It lies in Warriston, one of the northern suburbs of Edinburgh, Scotland. It was built by the then newly-formed Edinburgh Cemetery Company, and o ...
in the north of the city. The grave is marked by an obelisk and stands on a diagonal path around 100m from the sealed eastern entrance.
References
Further reading
Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''
External links
Records of Robert Gourlay can be found in the "John Smith fonds" at the Archives of the Law Society of Upper Canada*
Note
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gourlay, Robert
1778 births
1863 deaths
Canadian activists
Canadian non-fiction writers
Canadian prisoners and detainees
Alumni of the University of St Andrews
Alumni of the University of Edinburgh