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{{More sources|date=November 2024}}{{Short description|Canadian doctor, businessman, lawyer, judge, architect and reform politician}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}}
{{Infobox officeholder
{{Infobox officeholder
|order1 = [[List of Treasurers of the Law Society of Upper Canada|6th]]
| order1 = [[List of Treasurers of the Law Society of Upper Canada|6th]]
|office1 = Treasurer of the Law Society of Upper Canada
| office1 = Treasurer of the Law Society of Upper Canada
|term_start1 = 1811
| term_start1 = 1811
|term_end1 = 1815
| term_end1 = 1815
|predecessor1 = [[G. D'Arcy Boulton]]
| predecessor1 = [[G. D'Arcy Boulton]]
|successor1 = [[G. D'Arcy Boulton]]
| successor1 = [[G. D'Arcy Boulton]]
|name= William Warren Baldwin
| name = William Warren Baldwin
|image=
| image = William Warren Baldwin.jpg
|caption=
| caption =
|nationality= [[Canadians|Canadian]]
| nationality = [[Canadians|Canadian]]
|birth_date= April 25, 1775
| birth_date = April 25, 1775
|birth_place= [[County Cork]], [[Ireland]]
| birth_place = [[County Cork]], [[Ireland]]
|death_date={{Death date and age|1844|1|8|1775|4|25}}
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1844|1|8|1775|4|25}}
|death_place=[[Toronto]], Upper Canada
| death_place = [[Toronto]], Upper Canada
|alma_mater= [[University of Edinburgh]]
| alma_mater = [[University of Edinburgh]]
{{infobox architect
|practice=
| child = yes
|significant_buildings= [[Bank of Upper Canada]], [[Osgoode Hall]]
| practice =
|significant_projects=
| significant_buildings = [[Bank of Upper Canada]], [[Osgoode Hall]]
|significant_design=
| significant_projects =
|awards=
| significant_design =
| awards =
}}
}}
}}


'''William Warren Baldwin''' (April 25, 1775 – January 8, 1844) was a doctor, businessman, lawyer, judge, architect and reform politician in [[Upper Canada]]. He, and his son [[Robert Baldwin]], are recognized for having introduced the concept of "[[responsible government]]", the principle of cabinet rule on which Canadian democracy is based.
'''William Warren Baldwin''' (April 25, 1775 – January 8, 1844) was a medical doctor, businessman, lawyer, judge, architect and reform politician in [[Upper Canada]]. He, and his son [[Robert Baldwin]], are recognized for having introduced the concept of "[[responsible government]]", the principle of cabinet rule on which Canadian democracy is based.


== Early life ==
== Early life ==
William Warren Baldwin was born in [[County Cork]], [[Ireland]] in 1775 of Robert Baldwin Sr. William graduated from the medical school at the [[University of Edinburgh]] in 1797. Faced with the prospect of the uprising of the [[Society of United Irishmen]] in 1798, he came to Upper Canada with his father and family, arriving in July 1799. The family moved to Durham County, where he became a lieutenant-colonel in the Durham militia and a justice of the peace in 1800. William found few patients in Durham, so he moved to the town of York (Toronto) and took up other occupations. In 1803, he was admitted to the bar and, in 1809, he became a district court judge. He served several terms as [[Treasurer of the Law Society of Upper Canada]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Dictionary of Canadian Biography|url=http://www.biographi.ca/009004-119.01-e.php?&id_nbr=3226}}</ref><ref name="treasurer-list">[http://www.lsuc.on.ca/with.aspx?id=421 The Law Society of Upper Canada, List of Law Society Treasurers]</ref>
William Warren Baldwin was born in [[County Cork]], [[Ireland]] in 1775 of Robert Baldwin Sr. (1741-1816) and Barbara Spread (1748-1791). William graduated from the medical school at the [[University of Edinburgh]] in 1797. Faced with the prospect of the uprising of the [[Society of United Irishmen]] in 1798, he came to Upper Canada with his father and family, arriving in July 1799. The family moved to [[Clarington|Clarke Township]] in [[Durham County, Ontario|Durham County]] (his father acquired land at the foot of Toronto Street between [[Wilmot Creek]] and Bond Head,<ref>{{Cite web |title=NVDHS Newsletter Summer 1997 |url=https://newcastlehistorical.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/058-NVDHS-Newsletter-Summer-1997.pdf |website=newcastlehistorical.ca}}</ref> where he became a lieutenant-colonel in the Durham militia and a justice of the peace in 1800. William found few patients in Durham, so he moved to the town of York (Toronto) and took up other occupations. In 1803, he was admitted to the bar and, in 1809, he became a district court judge. He served several terms as [[Treasurer of the Law Society of Upper Canada]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Dictionary of Canadian Biography|url=http://www.biographi.ca/009004-119.01-e.php?&id_nbr=3226}}</ref><ref name="treasurer-list">[http://www.lsuc.on.ca/with.aspx?id=421 The Law Society of Upper Canada, List of Law Society Treasurers]</ref>


William married Phœbe Willcocks, daughter of William Willcocks, in 1803. Phœbe and her unmarried sister inherited the estate of their father in 1813, and their cousin Elizabeth Russell in 1822. William inherited his father Robert Baldwin Sr's 200 acre estate in 1817. With this wealth they built an estate in 1818 on the future site of [[Spadina House]] and laid out the grand avenue, [[Spadina Avenue|Spadina]], that was to link it to the city. The house burned down in 1835 and was rebuilt on the same foundations. The current building was built on the original foundations.<ref>{{cite book|last=Thompson|first=Austin Seton|title=Spadina: A Story of Old Toronto|year=1975|publisher=Boston Mills Press|location=Toronto|pages=74–81}}</ref>
William married Phœbe Willcocks, daughter of William Willcocks, in 1803. Phœbe and her unmarried sister inherited the estate of their father in 1813, and their cousin Elizabeth Russell in 1822. William inherited his father Robert Baldwin Sr's 200-acre estate in 1817. With this wealth they built an estate in 1818 on the future site of [[Spadina House]] and laid out the grand avenue, [[Spadina Avenue|Spadina]], that was to link it to the city. The house burned down in 1835 and was rebuilt on the same foundations. The current building was built on the original foundations.<ref>{{cite book|last=Thompson|first=Austin Seton|title=Spadina: A Story of Old Toronto|year=1975|publisher=Boston Mills Press|location=Toronto|pages=74–81}}</ref>


== Reform politics ==
== Reform politics ==


In 1820, he was elected to the [[8th Parliament of Upper Canada]] representing [[York County, Ontario|York]] & [[Simcoe County, Ontario|Simcoe]]. In 1829-30 he represented [[Norfolk County, Ontario|Norfolk County]] in the [[10th Parliament of Upper Canada|10th Parliament]]. His record shows he was no foe of aristocracy, and should be considered a [[Whig (British political party)|whig]] constitutionalist. Baldwin's status as gentleman added legitimacy to the reform policies on responsible government that he supported. When he was not re-elected in 1831, he bitterly left politics and focused on other causes such as the response to the 1832 [[Cholera epidemic of 1831|Cholera]] epidemic, the Mechanics Institute and the House of Refuge and Industry.
In 1820, he was elected to the [[8th Parliament of Upper Canada]] representing [[York County, Ontario|York]] & [[Simcoe County, Ontario|Simcoe]]. In 1829-30 he represented [[Norfolk County, Ontario|Norfolk County]] in the [[10th Parliament of Upper Canada|10th Parliament]]. His record shows he was no foe of aristocracy, and should be considered a [[Whig (British political party)|whig]] constitutionalist. Baldwin's status as gentleman added legitimacy to the reform policies on responsible government that he supported. When he was not re-elected in 1831, he bitterly left politics and focused on other causes such as the response to the 1832 [[Cholera epidemic of 1831|Cholera]] epidemic, the Mechanics Institute and the House of Refuge and Industry. He was appointed director of the Dispensary by [[John Rolph (politician)|John Rolph]].<ref name="Godfrey 124">{{Cite book |last=Godfrey |first=Charles| author-link=Charles Godfrey (physician) |title=John Rolph: Rebel with Causes |publisher=Condam Publishing |year=1993 |isbn=0921453043|location=Madoc, Ontario|page=124}}</ref>


In 1836, he became a member of the [[The Reform Movement (Upper Canada)|Constitutional Reform Society]] of Upper Canada. Lieutenant Governor Sir [[Francis Bond Head]] removed him from his appointments as judge. However, Baldwin, although he supported reform, did not endorse the [[Upper Canada Rebellion]], preferring to work through lawful means.
In 1836, he became a member of the [[The Reform Movement (Upper Canada)|Constitutional Reform Society]] of Upper Canada. Lieutenant Governor Sir [[Francis Bond Head]] removed him from his appointments as judge. However, Baldwin, although he supported reform, did not endorse the [[Upper Canada Rebellion]], preferring to work through lawful means.
[[File:SharonTemple.jpg|thumbnail|right|The Temple of the Children of Peace, Sharon, Ontario]]
[[File:SharonTemple.jpg|thumbnail|right|The Temple of the Children of Peace, Sharon, Ontario]]
Having spoken directly with [[John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham|Lord Durham]] in 1838, and seeing that Durham had incorporated the call for "[[responsible government]]" in his official report, Baldwin was emboldened to resume direct political participation once more. He and 222 inhabitants of the Home district petitioned Sheriff [[William Botsford Jarvis|William Jarvis]] to call a public meeting to discuss Durham’s recommendation on responsible government in August 1839. Jarvis, however, was swayed by “the influential part of the inhabitants” and refused the reformers. The petitioners decided to call a meeting of the “friends of Responsible Government” for the 15th of October outside the city. When Dr Baldwin called the meeting to order, Jarvis led an [[Orange Order in Canada|Orange Tory mob]], which tore a fence apart, and began beating the defenseless crowd. Jarvis led a charge on the wagon on which Baldwin and Francis Hincks were perched, shouting “Down with them! Down with them! The meeting broke up, but not before a nineteen-year-old member of [[the Children of Peace]], David Leppard, was struck in the temple with a rock with such force that he was knocked from his wagon; he was to die soon after. The death - which was never punished - formed an alliance between the Baldwin family and the Children of Peace.<ref>{{cite book|last=Schrauwers|first=Albert|title=Union is Strength: W.L. Mackenzie, the Children of Peace and the Emergence of Joint Stock Democracy in Upper Canada|year=2009|publisher=University of Toronto Press|location=Toronto|pages=221}}</ref>
Having spoken directly with [[John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham|Lord Durham]] in 1838, and seeing that Durham had incorporated the call for "[[responsible government]]" in his official report, Baldwin was emboldened to resume direct political participation once more. He and 222 inhabitants of the Home district petitioned Sheriff [[William Botsford Jarvis|William Jarvis]] to call a public meeting to discuss Durham's recommendation on responsible government in August 1839. Jarvis, however, was swayed by "the influential part of the inhabitants" and refused the reformers. The petitioners decided to call a meeting of the "friends of Responsible Government" for the 15th of October outside the city. When Baldwin called the meeting to order, Jarvis led an [[Orange Order in Canada|Orange Tory mob]], which tore a fence apart, and began beating the defenseless crowd. Jarvis led a charge on the wagon on which Baldwin and Francis Hincks were perched, shouting "Down with them! Down with them!" The meeting broke up, but not before a nineteen-year-old member of [[the Children of Peace]], David Leppard, was struck in the temple with a rock with such force that he was knocked from his wagon; he was to die soon after. The death - which was never punished - formed an alliance between the Baldwin family and the Children of Peace.<ref>{{cite book|last=Schrauwers|first=Albert|title=Union is Strength: W.L. Mackenzie, the Children of Peace and the Emergence of Joint Stock Democracy in Upper Canada|year=2009|publisher=University of Toronto Press|location=Toronto|pages=221}}</ref>


When Robert Baldwin gave up his seat in the riding of 4th York to take a seat in Hastings, the Children of Peace began a movement to draft Dr. Baldwin to accept the reform nomination to replace him. Dr Baldwin, however, was reticent about accepting. The violence of the Yonge Street Durham meeting had led to strenuous objections from his wife who was “quite terrified” at the thought of his re-entering politics. He ultimately accepted only when Robert quieted his mother’s fears in early August. He quickly abandoned the plan when Robert suggested that Louis LaFontaine run in his stead.
When Robert Baldwin gave up his seat in the riding of 4th York to take a seat in Hastings, the Children of Peace began a movement to draft Baldwin to accept the reform nomination to replace him. Baldwin, however, was reticent about accepting. The violence of the Yonge Street Durham meeting had led to strenuous objections from his wife who was "quite terrified" at the thought of his re-entering politics. He ultimately accepted only when Robert quieted his mother's fears in early August. He quickly abandoned the plan when Robert suggested that Louis LaFontaine run in his stead.


In late 1843, Sir [[Charles Metcalfe, 1st Baron Metcalfe|Charles Metcalfe]], the Governor General, appointed Baldwin to the Legislative Council of the United Canadas. It was an honour he enjoyed for only a few weeks. He died at Toronto January 8, 1844, aged 69.<ref>{{cite book|last=Thompson|first=Austin Seton|title=Spadina: A Story of Old Toronto|year=1975|publisher=Boston Mills Press|location=Toronto|pages=90}}</ref>
In late 1843, Sir [[Charles Metcalfe, 1st Baron Metcalfe|Charles Metcalfe]], the Governor General, appointed Baldwin to the Legislative Council of the United Canadas. It was an honour he enjoyed for only a few weeks. He died at Toronto January 8, 1844, aged 69.<ref>{{cite book|last=Thompson|first=Austin Seton|title=Spadina: A Story of Old Toronto|year=1975|publisher=Boston Mills Press|location=Toronto|pages=90}}</ref>
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=== Toronto House of Industry ===
=== Toronto House of Industry ===
The day-to-day operations of the House of Industry were left to a three-member “weekly committee” composed of Dr. Baldwin, the Baptist preacher Alexander Stewart, and John Powell, an attorney. Under Baldwin’s leadership, the House of Industry applied for, and was granted, 4 acres of land within the city, which it planned to cultivate with the help of its inmates. Although only granted 4 acres, the reformers had sought 50. The intent was clearly to establish an “agricultural colony” for the poor – most of whom were pauper emigrants – in keeping with the 1834 published suggestion of Baldwin's cousin James Buchanan (the British Consul and emigrant agent for Upper Canada in New York) for an “emigrant depot”.
The day-to-day operations of the House of Industry were left to a three-member "weekly committee" composed of Baldwin, the Baptist preacher Alexander Stewart, and John Powell, an attorney. Under Baldwin's leadership, the House of Industry applied for, and was granted, 4 acres of land within the city, which it planned to cultivate with the help of its inmates. Although only granted 4 acres, the reformers had sought 50. The intent was clearly to establish an "agricultural colony" for the poor – most of whom were pauper emigrants – in keeping with the 1834 published suggestion of Baldwin's cousin James Buchanan (the British Consul and emigrant agent for Upper Canada in New York) for an "emigrant depot".


==Architectural work==
==Architectural work==


{| class="wikitable" cellpadding="5"
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="background:lightblue;"
|- style="background:lightblue;"
!width=28%|Building
!width=28%|Building
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|-
|-
| [[Bank of Upper Canada]]
| [[Bank of Upper Canada]]
| 1825-27
| 1827
| William Warren Baldwin
| William Warren Baldwin
| [[Palladian architecture|Palladian]]
| [[Palladian architecture|Palladian]]
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|-
|-
| [[Osgoode Hall]]
| [[Osgoode Hall]]
| 1832
| 1832–2005
| [[John Ewart (architect)|John Ewart]]/William Warren Baldwin (1832)
| [[John Ewart (architect)|John Ewart]]/William Warren Baldwin (1832)
| [[Palladian architecture|Palladian]]
| [[Palladian architecture|Palladian]]
Line 90: Line 95:
== External links ==
== External links ==
*[http://www.biographi.ca/009004-119.01-e.php?&id_nbr=3226 Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online'']
*[http://www.biographi.ca/009004-119.01-e.php?&id_nbr=3226 Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online'']
*[https://aims.archives.gov.on.ca/scripts/mwimain.dll/144/DESCRIPTION_WEB/WEB_DESC_DET?SESSIONSEARCH&exp=sisn%20143 William Baldwin family fonds], Archives of Ontario
{{Members of the Reform Movement (Upper Canada)}}
{{Members of the Reform Movement (Upper Canada)}}


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[[Category:1844 deaths]]
[[Category:1844 deaths]]
[[Category:Members of the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada]]
[[Category:Members of the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada]]
[[Category:Canadian lawyers]]
[[Category:19th-century Canadian lawyers]]
[[Category:Canadian architects]]
[[Category:Canadian architects]]
[[Category:Irish emigrants to pre-Confederation Ontario]]
[[Category:Irish emigrants to pre-Confederation Ontario]]
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[[Category:Upper Canada judges]]
[[Category:Upper Canada judges]]
[[Category:Immigrants to Upper Canada]]
[[Category:Immigrants to Upper Canada]]
[[Category:Alumni of the University of Edinburgh]]

Latest revision as of 18:26, 20 December 2024

William Warren Baldwin
6th Treasurer of the Law Society of Upper Canada
In office
1811–1815
Preceded byG. D'Arcy Boulton
Succeeded byG. D'Arcy Boulton
Personal details
BornApril 25, 1775
County Cork, Ireland
DiedJanuary 8, 1844(1844-01-08) (aged 68)
Toronto, Upper Canada
NationalityCanadian
Alma materUniversity of Edinburgh
OccupationArchitect
BuildingsBank of Upper Canada, Osgoode Hall

William Warren Baldwin (April 25, 1775 – January 8, 1844) was a medical doctor, businessman, lawyer, judge, architect and reform politician in Upper Canada. He, and his son Robert Baldwin, are recognized for having introduced the concept of "responsible government", the principle of cabinet rule on which Canadian democracy is based.

Early life

[edit]

William Warren Baldwin was born in County Cork, Ireland in 1775 of Robert Baldwin Sr. (1741-1816) and Barbara Spread (1748-1791). William graduated from the medical school at the University of Edinburgh in 1797. Faced with the prospect of the uprising of the Society of United Irishmen in 1798, he came to Upper Canada with his father and family, arriving in July 1799. The family moved to Clarke Township in Durham County (his father acquired land at the foot of Toronto Street between Wilmot Creek and Bond Head,[1] where he became a lieutenant-colonel in the Durham militia and a justice of the peace in 1800. William found few patients in Durham, so he moved to the town of York (Toronto) and took up other occupations. In 1803, he was admitted to the bar and, in 1809, he became a district court judge. He served several terms as Treasurer of the Law Society of Upper Canada.[2][3]

William married Phœbe Willcocks, daughter of William Willcocks, in 1803. Phœbe and her unmarried sister inherited the estate of their father in 1813, and their cousin Elizabeth Russell in 1822. William inherited his father Robert Baldwin Sr's 200-acre estate in 1817. With this wealth they built an estate in 1818 on the future site of Spadina House and laid out the grand avenue, Spadina, that was to link it to the city. The house burned down in 1835 and was rebuilt on the same foundations. The current building was built on the original foundations.[4]

Reform politics

[edit]

In 1820, he was elected to the 8th Parliament of Upper Canada representing York & Simcoe. In 1829-30 he represented Norfolk County in the 10th Parliament. His record shows he was no foe of aristocracy, and should be considered a whig constitutionalist. Baldwin's status as gentleman added legitimacy to the reform policies on responsible government that he supported. When he was not re-elected in 1831, he bitterly left politics and focused on other causes such as the response to the 1832 Cholera epidemic, the Mechanics Institute and the House of Refuge and Industry. He was appointed director of the Dispensary by John Rolph.[5]

In 1836, he became a member of the Constitutional Reform Society of Upper Canada. Lieutenant Governor Sir Francis Bond Head removed him from his appointments as judge. However, Baldwin, although he supported reform, did not endorse the Upper Canada Rebellion, preferring to work through lawful means.

The Temple of the Children of Peace, Sharon, Ontario

Having spoken directly with Lord Durham in 1838, and seeing that Durham had incorporated the call for "responsible government" in his official report, Baldwin was emboldened to resume direct political participation once more. He and 222 inhabitants of the Home district petitioned Sheriff William Jarvis to call a public meeting to discuss Durham's recommendation on responsible government in August 1839. Jarvis, however, was swayed by "the influential part of the inhabitants" and refused the reformers. The petitioners decided to call a meeting of the "friends of Responsible Government" for the 15th of October outside the city. When Baldwin called the meeting to order, Jarvis led an Orange Tory mob, which tore a fence apart, and began beating the defenseless crowd. Jarvis led a charge on the wagon on which Baldwin and Francis Hincks were perched, shouting "Down with them! Down with them!" The meeting broke up, but not before a nineteen-year-old member of the Children of Peace, David Leppard, was struck in the temple with a rock with such force that he was knocked from his wagon; he was to die soon after. The death - which was never punished - formed an alliance between the Baldwin family and the Children of Peace.[6]

When Robert Baldwin gave up his seat in the riding of 4th York to take a seat in Hastings, the Children of Peace began a movement to draft Baldwin to accept the reform nomination to replace him. Baldwin, however, was reticent about accepting. The violence of the Yonge Street Durham meeting had led to strenuous objections from his wife who was "quite terrified" at the thought of his re-entering politics. He ultimately accepted only when Robert quieted his mother's fears in early August. He quickly abandoned the plan when Robert suggested that Louis LaFontaine run in his stead.

In late 1843, Sir Charles Metcalfe, the Governor General, appointed Baldwin to the Legislative Council of the United Canadas. It was an honour he enjoyed for only a few weeks. He died at Toronto January 8, 1844, aged 69.[7]

Charitable work

[edit]

Home District Savings Bank

[edit]

Banks in this period did not have savings accounts. In order to encourage the working poor of the city to save for periods of unemployment, the Lt. Governor pushed for the establishment of a Home District Savings Bank on June 5, 1830 "for the earnings of Journeymen Tradesmen, Mechanics, Servants, Labourers." Baldwin was one of the 7 directors.

Board of Health

[edit]

Baldwin was the president of the York Board of Health established to contain the 1832 Cholera epidemic.

Toronto Mechanics Institute

[edit]

Baldwin was elected the vice-president of the newly founded Toronto Mechanics Institute in 1830, and remained in that role until elected president in 1834 until 1837.

Toronto House of Industry

[edit]

The day-to-day operations of the House of Industry were left to a three-member "weekly committee" composed of Baldwin, the Baptist preacher Alexander Stewart, and John Powell, an attorney. Under Baldwin's leadership, the House of Industry applied for, and was granted, 4 acres of land within the city, which it planned to cultivate with the help of its inmates. Although only granted 4 acres, the reformers had sought 50. The intent was clearly to establish an "agricultural colony" for the poor – most of whom were pauper emigrants – in keeping with the 1834 published suggestion of Baldwin's cousin James Buchanan (the British Consul and emigrant agent for Upper Canada in New York) for an "emigrant depot".

Architectural work

[edit]
Building Year Completed Builder Style Source Location Image
Bank of Upper Canada 1827 William Warren Baldwin Palladian 4 252 Adelaide St. E.
Osgoode Hall 1832 John Ewart/William Warren Baldwin (1832) Palladian 4 130 Queen Street West

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "NVDHS Newsletter Summer 1997" (PDF). newcastlehistorical.ca.
  2. ^ "Dictionary of Canadian Biography".
  3. ^ The Law Society of Upper Canada, List of Law Society Treasurers
  4. ^ Thompson, Austin Seton (1975). Spadina: A Story of Old Toronto. Toronto: Boston Mills Press. pp. 74–81.
  5. ^ Godfrey, Charles (1993). John Rolph: Rebel with Causes. Madoc, Ontario: Condam Publishing. p. 124. ISBN 0921453043.
  6. ^ Schrauwers, Albert (2009). Union is Strength: W.L. Mackenzie, the Children of Peace and the Emergence of Joint Stock Democracy in Upper Canada. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. p. 221.
  7. ^ Thompson, Austin Seton (1975). Spadina: A Story of Old Toronto. Toronto: Boston Mills Press. p. 90.
[edit]