The Carleton (also known as the Carleton House and Carleton Hotel) is a building on Argyle Street in

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and most populous municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the most populous municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of 2024, it is estimated that the population of the H ...

, built in 1760 as the home of Richard Bulkeley. Apart from two churches, Bulkeley's home is the oldest building in Halifax, Nova Scotia (1760). It was reported to have been made from the ruins of

Fortress Louisbourg The Fortress of Louisbourg () is a tourist attraction as a National Historic Site and the location of a one-quarter partial reconstruction of an 18th-century French fortress at Louisbourg on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. Its two sieges, espe ...

. Since 1786 his residence has been known as "The Carleton".

History

Bulkeley built his new home on Argyle Street on the land of Captain James Bannerman, who died during

Father Le Loutre's War Father Le Loutre's War (1749–1755), also known as the Indian War, the Mi'kmaq War and the Anglo-Mi'kmaq War, took place between King George's War and the French and Indian War in Acadia and Nova Scotia. On one side of the conflict, the Kingdo ...

in the

Attack at Jeddore The Attack at Jeddore happened on May 19, 1753, off Jeddore, Nova Scotia, during Father Le Loutre's War. The Mi'kmaq killed nine of the British delegates and spared the life of the French-speaking translator Anthony Casteel, who wrote one of th ...

. He also had installed the black marble mantel from the Governor's house in the King's Bastion at Louisbourg. He is also reported to have brought the stone from the ruins of Louisbourg (1758) to build the house. At his new home in the 1780s, Bulkeley regularly entertained the future

King William IV William IV (William Henry; 21 August 1765 – 20 June 1837) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death in 1837. The third son of George III, William succeeded hi ...

(abolished slavery in British Empire; had an affair with Governor Wentworth's wife Francis) as well as Prince Edward (father of

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

). He also held large levees there on

New Year's Day In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Day is the first day of the calendar year, January 1, 1 January. Most solar calendars, such as the Gregorian and Julian calendars, begin the year regularly at or near the December solstice, northern winter ...

and the

queen's birthday The King's Official Birthday or Queen's Official Birthday is the selected day in most Commonwealth realms on which the birthday of the monarch is officially celebrated in those countries. It does not necessarily correspond to the date of the m ...

, as well as dinners on St Patrick's and St George's days." He named his home Carleton House after

Guy Carleton, 1st Baron Dorchester Guy Carleton, 1st Baron Dorchester (3 September 1724 – 10 November 1808), known between 1776 and 1786 as Sir Guy Carleton, was a British Army officer and colonial administrator. He twice served as Governor of the Province of Quebec, from 176 ...

upon his visit to Halifax in 1786 and becoming governor general for the whole of British North America. (Carleton ordered the creation of the Book of Negroes and oversaw the evacuation of escaped slaves (i.e.,

Black Loyalists Black Loyalists were people of African descent who sided with Loyalist (American Revolution), Loyalists during the American Revolutionary War. In particular, the term referred to men enslaved by Patriot (American Revolution), Patriots who served ...

) from New York to Nova Scotia.) Bulkeley's widow eventually sold the residence to

Henry Hezekiah Cogswell Henry Hezekiah Cogswell (April 12, 1776 – November 9, 1854) was a lawyer, political figure and philanthropist in Nova Scotia. He represented the town of Halifax in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1818 to 1820. He was president of t ...

(1816).J.S.M., p. 86

Guests and patrons

File:William IV by Sir Martin Archer Shee.jpg,

File:General-Sir-Guy-Carleton 2.jpg,

File:Prince Edward By William J Weaver.png, Prince Edward File:HenryHezekiahCogswell.jpg,

In popular culture

The Carleton is featured in "A Murder at Carleton House" by Chris Patrick Carolan. In this

alternate history Alternate history (also referred to as alternative history, allohistory, althist, or simply A.H.) is a subgenre of speculative fiction in which one or more historical events have occurred but are resolved differently than in actual history. As ...

story set in 1881, the Carleton is home to a fictional

gentlemen's club A gentlemen's club is a private social club of a type originally established by males from Britain's upper classes starting in the 17th century. Many countries outside Britain have prominent gentlemen's clubs, mostly those associated with the ...

. The story is the first published appearance of paranormal detective Isaac Barrow.

References

;Endnotes Texts * * * J.S.M., "Richard Bulkeley" in Collections of the Nova Scotia Historical Society, vol. 12 (1905) p. 62. * Carleton House: Living history in Halifax by Erickson, Paul A., and Duffus, Graeme F., and Heritage Trust of Nova Scotia

External links

The Carleton
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carleton, The Hotels in Nova Scotia Historic buildings and structures in Nova Scotia Residential buildings completed in 1760 Buildings and structures in Halifax, Nova Scotia

History

Guests and patrons

In popular culture

See also

References

External links