Stewart Derbishire (1794 or 1795 – March 27, 1863) was the first elected representative for

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 It was founded on September 26, 1826, incorporated as a town on January 1, 1850, and superseded by the incorporation of the City of Ottawa on January 1, 1855.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 ...

in the

Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada The Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada was the lower house of the Parliament of the Province of Canada. The Province of Canada consisted of the former province of Lower Canada, then known as Canada East (now Quebec), and Upper Canada ...

. Born in England, he was a strong Whig. At various times he was an

ensign Ensign most often refers to: * Ensign (flag), a flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality * Ensign (rank), a navy (and former army) officer rank Ensign or The Ensign may also refer to: Places * Ensign, Alberta, Alberta, Canada * Ensign, Ka ...

in the British Army, a lawyer, a journalist, a soldier of the

British Auxiliary Legion The British Auxiliary Legion, also called the British Legion (''La Legión Británica'') or Westminster Legion, existed from 1835 to 1837. It was a British military force sent to Spain to support the Liberals and Queen Isabella II of Spain agains ...

in the

First Carlist War The First Carlist War was a civil war in Spain from 1833 to 1840, the first of three Carlist Wars. It was fought between two factions over the succession to the throne and the nature of the Monarchy of Spain, Spanish monarchy: the conservative a ...

in Spain, an assistant to

Lord Durham Earl of Durham is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1833 for the Whig politician and colonial official John Lambton, 1st Baron Durham. Known as "Radical Jack", he played a leading role in the passing of the Refo ...

in his inquiry into affairs in

British North America British North America comprised the colonial territories of the British Empire in North America from 1783 onwards. English colonisation of North America began in the 16th century in Newfoundland, then further south at Roanoke and Jamestown, ...

, and the

Queen's Printer The King's Printer (known as the Queen's Printer during the reign of a female monarch) is typically a bureau of the national, state, or provincial government responsible for producing official documents issued by the King-in-Council, Ministers ...

for the

Province of Canada 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 ...

Early life and Spanish Carlist War

Derbishire was born 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 ...

around 1794. After a brief military career, he studied law and was called to the bar in 1830. In 1832, he was defence counsel to a group of labourers from Dorchester accused of machine-smashing, which earned him some popular recognition. He later worked for a time as a journalist. Sent to Spain to cover the

in 1837 for the Whig ''Morning Chronicle'', he joined the fighting with the

and was decorated by the Queen of Spain.

Assistant to Lord Durham

Returning to England in 1837, he began to publish a newspaper but he learnt of the mission given to

to investigate the causes of the 1837 rebellions in Lower Canada and Upper Canada. Derbishire wrote a letter to Lord Durham, offering his services for the inquiry. Durham accepted his offer and sent him to

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

in 1838 to gather information on the

Rebellion of 1837 Rebellion is an uprising that resists and is organized against one's government. A rebel is a person who engages in a rebellion. A rebel group is a consciously coordinated group that seeks to gain political control over an entire state or a ...

. Derbishire's credentials as a strong Whig won him access to notable Canadian figures who had sought refuge in New York following the abortive rebellion.

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 ...

John Rolph John Rolph (4 March 1793 – 19 October 1870) was a Canadian physician, lawyer, and political figure. As a politician, he was considered the leader of the Reform faction in the 1820s and helped plan the Upper Canada Rebellion. As a doctor, h ...

, and Edmund Bailey O’Callaghan all granted him interviews in New York. When he went on to Montreal, he was able to speak with

Denis-Benjamin Viger Denis-Benjamin Viger (; August 19, 1774 – February 13, 1861) was a 19th-century politician, lawyer, and newspaper publisher in Lower Canada, who served as joint premier of the Province of Canada for over two years. A leader in the Patri ...

and numerous other Lower Canadians. His conclusion was that the ''habitants'' of Lower Canada had "no practical grievances" and that the rebellion had been triggered by "the malaria of political agitation". Derbishire also acted as press agent for Durham, encouraging journalists to write favourable articles about Durham and his inquiry. His last action on Durham's behalf was to carry dispatches to New Brunswick and Nova Scotia in November, 1838, through the wilderness in winter, seeking troops to assist in response to a resurgence of unrest. Durham left British North America at the end of 1838, but Derbishire remained. He continued to provide his views on the possibility of unrest to the colonial government, but was seen as alarmist. He also provided information to the British government on the Maine–New Brunswick border dispute.

Political career

In 1840, Derbishire returned to Montreal as editor of the ''Morning Courier''. He re-established connections with the colonial government and became a supporter of the new Governor-General of the

, Lord Sydenham. Derbishire used his editorial position to support the government in the ''Morning Courier''. The first general election for the new Parliament was held in the spring of 1841. Lord Sydenham was actively involved, taking all possible steps to ensure that there would be majority support for the new union Province of Canada. He recruited candidates who would support the union, and Derbishire was one of those candidates. With Sydenham's influence, Derbishire stood for election in the town of

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 ...

(now

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

, Ontario), even though he had never set foot in the town. Four other individuals from Bytown had declared that they sought to be elected, starting with William Stewart, who announced his candidacy in August, 1840, followed by three others over the course of the next month. All were residents of the area. However, the situation changed at the end of September, when Sydenham paid a short visit to Bytown. He met privately with the other three candidates, who all announced the withdrawal of their candidacies shortly afterwards. Stewart and Derbishire were the only remaining candidates. When the election was held in March, 1841, Derbishire won the poll by a vote of 52 to 29. Stewart immediately issued two public protests, accusing the returning officer of partisanship in conducting the poll, but did not formally contest the results. As a result of this pressure from the Governor General, Derbishire was elected to the first

for the

riding. One of the other candidates who withdrew from the Bytown election, James Johnston, instead ran in the neighbouring riding of Carleton and was elected. Derbishire later commented that Johnston was one of the most effective members of the House in debate. In the first session of the Parliament, Derbishire was a consistent supporter of Lord Sydenham and generally voted with the moderate

reformers A reformer is someone who works for reform. Reformer may also refer to: * Catalytic reformer, in an oil refinery *Methane reformer, producing hydrogen * Steam reformer * Hydrogen reformer, extracting hydrogen *Methanol reformer, producing hydrogen ...

. Following Sydenham's death, he continued as a moderate reformer and supported the new governor, but in the ministerial crisis of 1843 he broke with the governor and voted with the moderate reformers, supporting the principle of

responsible government Responsible government is a conception of a system of government that embodies the principle of parliamentary accountability, the foundation of the Westminster system of parliamentary democracy. Governments (the equivalent of the executive br ...

. Derbishire did not stand for election in the general election of 1844, having been appointed

for the Province of Canada. However, in a letter to

Robert Baldwin Robert Baldwin (May 12, 1804 – December 9, 1858) was an Upper Canadian lawyer and politician who with his political partner Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine of Lower Canada, led the first responsible government ministry in the Province of Canada. ...

, the leader of the Reform campaign for responsible government in Canada West, he worried that the strong passions being raised over the issue would lead to a civil war.

Queen's Printer

Although Derbishire was a consistent supporter of Sydenham, he was not considered a very effective member in the Legislative Assembly. In the fall of 1841, Sydenham appointed Derbishire as Queen's Printer, in a joint appointment with George-Paschal Desbarats. His appointment was published in the first edition of the ''

Canada Gazette The ''Canada Gazette'' () is the official government gazette of the Government of Canada. It was first published on October 2, 1841. While it originally published all acts of the Parliament of Canada, it later also published treaties, hearing an ...

'', on October 2, 1841. He held the position from 1841 until his death in 1863.

Wolfe's sword

In 1849, a monument was being erected to General

James Wolfe Major-general James Wolfe (2 January 1727 – 13 September 1759) was a British Army officer known for his training reforms and, as a major general, remembered chiefly for his victory in 1759 over the French at the Battle of the Plains of ...

on the

Plains of Abraham The Plains of Abraham () is a historic area within the Battlefields Park in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. It was established on 17 March 1908. The land is the site of the Battle of the Plains of Abraham, which took place on 13 September 1759, ...

, to replace an older monument which could not be repaired. The monument was erected on the spot where General Wolfe was traditionally thought to have died. In the process, the workers came across an ornate sword buried in the ground. Although there was nothing directly linking it to Wolfe, the combination of the high quality of the sword, and its location, led to the belief that it was Wolfe's sword, left behind when his body was removed. Derbishire eventually bought the sword, and in turn gave it to Major

Alexander Roberts Dunn Alexander Roberts Dunn Victoria Cross, VC (15 September 1833 – 25 January 1868) was the first Canadian awarded the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for bravery in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and C ...

, VC, of Toronto, whose father,

John Henry Dunn John Henry Dunn (1792 – April 21, 1854) was a public official and businessman in Upper Canada, who later entered politics in the Province of Canada. Born on Saint Helena of English parents, he came to Upper Canada as a young man to take u ...

, had served with Derbishire in the Legislative Assembly. Major Dunn had assisted in raising a new regiment for the British Army in Canada in 1858, the

100th (Prince of Wales's Royal Canadian) Regiment of Foot 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

. Derbishire gave the Wolfe sword to Major Dunn when he left with the regiment for Britain.

Family and personal life

Derbishire was considered very generous to his friends and was often in financial straits, in part because of his generosity towards the poor and his strong hospitality for his friends. He was declared an outlaw in Britain in 1841 for failing to pay his debts. His appointment as Queen's Printer that year gave him a steady income, but his finances were still somewhat shaky. Derbishire was married twice. His first wife was wealthy, but by 1841 they were estranged, and she never joined him in Canada. She died in 1842 and he subsequently re-married. He was happier in his second marriage. He had six children between his two wives. Derbishire died in Quebec City on March 27, 1863. His funeral was well-attended.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Derbishire, Stewart 1790s births 1863 deaths Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada from Canada West Lawyers from London 19th-century English lawyers