Richard Henry Bonnycastle
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Richard Henry Bonnycastle (30 September 1791 – 3 November 1847) was an officer of the British army
active in Upper Canada
. In his capacity as a military engineer
, Bonnycastle oversaw the fortification of Fort Henry
in modern Kingston
, Ontario
.
Sir Richard Henry Bonnycastle was born in Woolwich
to John Bonnycastle and his second wife, Bridget Johnstone. He attended the Royal Military Academy, where his father was professor of mathematics. He graduated as a second lieutenant
of Royal Engineers
on September 28, 1808. The following year he served at the siege of Flushing
in the Netherlands
campaign and was promoted first lieutenant
.
Bonnycastle later went to Nova Scotia
and participated in the British occupation of part of Maine
in 1814, acting as engineer in charge of fortification
s erected on the Castine peninsula
, and was promoted second captain. He then went to the British occupation forces in France.
In 1818 he published Spanish America, a two-volume description of Spain's Latin American colonies with historical comments.
He was then sent to Upper Canada
, serving at Fort George
and Kingston
, and was later posted to York
(Toronto
). Bonnycastle became a prominent freemason
. In 1834 he was chosen president of the Society of Artists and Amateurs, the first art society in York. A number of his paintings, depicting Lower Canadian
and Europe
an subjects, were displayed at the society's only exhibition. Bonnycastle attributed his interest in painting to the influence of his godfather Henry Fuseli
. Bonnycastle Street in Toronto is probably named after him as he drew up one of the first plans of Toronto in 1833. (No. 1 plan of the town and harbour of York, Upper Canada, and also of the Military Reserve showing the site of the new barracks and work around them as proposed to be erected near the western battery.)
In 1837 he was promoted brevet
major
and placed in command of the engineers at Kingston
, with the task of completing construction of the new Fort Henry
.
Between 1841 and 1846 he published numerous books, publishing with Henry Colburn
The Canadas in 1841, Newfoundland in 1842: a sequel to "The Canadas in 1841", and Canada and the Canadians, in 1846. He retired from the engineers in 1847 and died in Kingston soon after, at the age of 56. A fellow officer and friend, Sir James Edward Alexander
, edited Bonnycastle's notes and published them in Canada as it was, is, and may be.
Through his son, Henry William John Bonnycastle (1813-1888) would come a prominent Bonnycastle family
of Canadian politicians and adventurers and the founder of Harlequin Enterprises, the world's largest publisher of romance novel
s.
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
active in Upper Canada
Upper Canada
The Province of Upper Canada was a political division in British Canada established in 1791 by the British Empire to govern the central third of the lands in British North America and to accommodate Loyalist refugees from the United States of America after the American Revolution...
. In his capacity as a military engineer
Military engineer
In military science, engineering refers to the practice of designing, building, maintaining and dismantling military works, including offensive, defensive and logistical structures, to shape the physical operating environment in war...
, Bonnycastle oversaw the fortification of Fort Henry
Fort Henry, Ontario
Fort Henry is located in Kingston, Ontario, Canada on Point Henry, a strategic point located near the mouth of the Cataraqui River where it flows into the St. Lawrence River, at the upper end of the Thousand Islands...
in modern Kingston
Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario is a Canadian city located in Eastern Ontario where the St. Lawrence River flows out of Lake Ontario. Originally a First Nations settlement called "Katarowki," , growing European exploration in the 17th Century made it an important trading post...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
.
Sir Richard Henry Bonnycastle was born in Woolwich
Woolwich
Woolwich is a district in south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.Woolwich formed part of Kent until 1889 when the County of London was created...
to John Bonnycastle and his second wife, Bridget Johnstone. He attended the Royal Military Academy, where his father was professor of mathematics. He graduated as a second lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
of Royal Engineers
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....
on September 28, 1808. The following year he served at the siege of Flushing
Flushing, Netherlands
Vlissingen is a municipality and a city in the southwestern Netherlands on the former island of Walcheren. With its strategic location between the Scheldt river and the North Sea, Vlissingen has been an important harbour for centuries. It was granted city rights in 1315. In the 17th century...
in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
campaign and was promoted first lieutenant
First Lieutenant
First lieutenant is a military rank and, in some forces, an appointment.The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations , but the majority of cases it is common for it to be sub-divided into a senior and junior rank...
.
Bonnycastle later went to Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
and participated in the British occupation of part of Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
in 1814, acting as engineer in charge of fortification
Fortification
Fortifications are military constructions and buildings designed for defence in warfare and military bases. Humans have constructed defensive works for many thousands of years, in a variety of increasingly complex designs...
s erected on the Castine peninsula
Castine, Maine
Castine is a town in Hancock County, Maine, United States and was once the capital of Acadia . The population was 1,343 at the 2000 census. Castine is the home of Maine Maritime Academy, a four-year institution that graduates officers and engineers for the United States Merchant Marine and marine...
, and was promoted second captain. He then went to the British occupation forces in France.
In 1818 he published Spanish America, a two-volume description of Spain's Latin American colonies with historical comments.
He was then sent to Upper Canada
Upper Canada
The Province of Upper Canada was a political division in British Canada established in 1791 by the British Empire to govern the central third of the lands in British North America and to accommodate Loyalist refugees from the United States of America after the American Revolution...
, serving at Fort George
Fort George, Ontario
Fort George National Historic Site is a historic military structure at Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, that was the scene of several battles during the War of 1812...
and Kingston
Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario is a Canadian city located in Eastern Ontario where the St. Lawrence River flows out of Lake Ontario. Originally a First Nations settlement called "Katarowki," , growing European exploration in the 17th Century made it an important trading post...
, and was later posted to York
York, Upper Canada
York was the name of Old Toronto between 1793 and 1834. It was the second capital of Upper Canada.- History :The town was established in 1793 by Governor John Graves Simcoe, with a new 'Fort York' on the site of the last French 'Fort Toronto'...
(Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
). Bonnycastle became a prominent freemason
Freemasonry
Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
. In 1834 he was chosen president of the Society of Artists and Amateurs, the first art society in York. A number of his paintings, depicting Lower Canadian
Lower Canada
The Province of Lower Canada was a British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence...
and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an subjects, were displayed at the society's only exhibition. Bonnycastle attributed his interest in painting to the influence of his godfather Henry Fuseli
Henry Fuseli
Henry Fuseli was a British painter, draughtsman, and writer on art, of Swiss origin.-Biography:...
. Bonnycastle Street in Toronto is probably named after him as he drew up one of the first plans of Toronto in 1833. (No. 1 plan of the town and harbour of York, Upper Canada, and also of the Military Reserve showing the site of the new barracks and work around them as proposed to be erected near the western battery.)
In 1837 he was promoted brevet
Brevet (military)
In many of the world's military establishments, brevet referred to a warrant authorizing a commissioned officer to hold a higher rank temporarily, but usually without receiving the pay of that higher rank except when actually serving in that role. An officer so promoted may be referred to as being...
major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
and placed in command of the engineers at Kingston
Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario is a Canadian city located in Eastern Ontario where the St. Lawrence River flows out of Lake Ontario. Originally a First Nations settlement called "Katarowki," , growing European exploration in the 17th Century made it an important trading post...
, with the task of completing construction of the new Fort Henry
Fort Henry, Ontario
Fort Henry is located in Kingston, Ontario, Canada on Point Henry, a strategic point located near the mouth of the Cataraqui River where it flows into the St. Lawrence River, at the upper end of the Thousand Islands...
.
Between 1841 and 1846 he published numerous books, publishing with Henry Colburn
Henry Colburn
Henry Colburn , British publisher, obtained his earliest experience of book-selling in London at the establishment of W...
The Canadas in 1841, Newfoundland in 1842: a sequel to "The Canadas in 1841", and Canada and the Canadians, in 1846. He retired from the engineers in 1847 and died in Kingston soon after, at the age of 56. A fellow officer and friend, Sir James Edward Alexander
James Edward Alexander
Major-General Sir James Edward Alexander KStJ was a British soldier, traveller and author.-Background:Born in Clackmannanshire, he was the eldest son of Edward Alexander and his second wife, daughter of John Glas...
, edited Bonnycastle's notes and published them in Canada as it was, is, and may be.
Through his son, Henry William John Bonnycastle (1813-1888) would come a prominent Bonnycastle family
Bonnycastle family
The Bonnycastle family of Canada:* Sir Richard Henry Bonnycastle , British soldier* Henry William John Bonnycastle , lawyer, militiaman, farmer, councillor, artist* Angus L. Bonnycastle , lawyer, politician, judge...
of Canadian politicians and adventurers and the founder of Harlequin Enterprises, the world's largest publisher of romance novel
Romance novel
The romance novel is a literary genre developed in Western culture, mainly in English-speaking countries. Novels in this genre place their primary focus on the relationship and romantic love between two people, and must have an "emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending." Through the late...
s.
External links
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