Shiners' War
Encyclopedia
The Shiners' War was a conflict between Irish Catholic
and French
immigrants in Bytown
from 1835 to 1845. The war started when Peter Aylen
, a major Irish timber operator, organized a group of Irishmen to attack other timber operations. This group was known as the "Shiners
." They attacked French timber rafts and fought against the French on the streets of Bytown.
The Shiners also attacked political institutions. In the August of 1835 Aylen and his supporters went to The Bathurst District Agricultural Society's annual meeting. His violent supporters incited the attending members to elect Aylen as President of the society. Aylen attempted the same strategy to take over a Nepean Township meeting but was met with too much resistance.
Bytown's citizens created "The Association of the Preservation of the Public Peace in Bytown" which included armed patrols to try to control the violence, but it still continued. In the spring of 1837 the government deployed troops to arrest the Shiners and the violence was brought under control. Occasional violence still occurred until 1845 by groups claiming to be the Shiners.
had just been constructed, so many Irishmen who were working on the canal were now out of work. Also, the Irish were considered to be at the lowest rung of the social ladder because of historical antipathy and their refusal to assimilate. Peter Aylen
was sympathetic to these Irishmen which gained him their allegiance. He ordered them to attack the French to drive them out of the area so that the Shiners could take their jobs. Aylen gained an advantage from this violence because it disrupted his competitors.
" was given to Irish Catholics of the region. Some possibilities exist:
Irish Catholic
Irish Catholic is a term used to describe people who are both Roman Catholic and Irish .Note: the term is not used to describe a variant of Catholicism. More particularly, it is not a separate creed or sect in the sense that "Anglo-Catholic", "Old Catholic", "Eastern Orthodox Catholic" might be...
and French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
immigrants in Bytown
Bytown
Bytown is the former name of Ottawa, Canada's capital city. It was founded on 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 turning, and a letter from Governor General...
from 1835 to 1845. The war started when Peter Aylen
Peter Aylen
Peter Aylen was a timber producer and later public official who was, for a time, known as "King of the Shiners"....
, a major Irish timber operator, organized a group of Irishmen to attack other timber operations. This group was known as the "Shiners
Shiner (Ottawa)
Shiners were gangs of Irish immigrants that formed in the early days of Bytown, later Ottawa, mainly active during the 1830s.After the completion of the Rideau Canal in 1832, many Irish workers were left unemployed...
." They attacked French timber rafts and fought against the French on the streets of Bytown.
The Shiners also attacked political institutions. In the August of 1835 Aylen and his supporters went to The Bathurst District Agricultural Society's annual meeting. His violent supporters incited the attending members to elect Aylen as President of the society. Aylen attempted the same strategy to take over a Nepean Township meeting but was met with too much resistance.
Bytown's citizens created "The Association of the Preservation of the Public Peace in Bytown" which included armed patrols to try to control the violence, but it still continued. In the spring of 1837 the government deployed troops to arrest the Shiners and the violence was brought under control. Occasional violence still occurred until 1845 by groups claiming to be the Shiners.
Causes
At the time the Rideau CanalRideau Canal
The Rideau Canal , also known as the Rideau Waterway, connects the city of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada on the Ottawa River to the city of Kingston, Ontario on Lake Ontario. The canal was opened in 1832 as a precaution in case of war with the United States and is still in use today, with most of its...
had just been constructed, so many Irishmen who were working on the canal were now out of work. Also, the Irish were considered to be at the lowest rung of the social ladder because of historical antipathy and their refusal to assimilate. Peter Aylen
Peter Aylen
Peter Aylen was a timber producer and later public official who was, for a time, known as "King of the Shiners"....
was sympathetic to these Irishmen which gained him their allegiance. He ordered them to attack the French to drive them out of the area so that the Shiners could take their jobs. Aylen gained an advantage from this violence because it disrupted his competitors.
Shiners
It is unknown how the name "ShinersShiner (Ottawa)
Shiners were gangs of Irish immigrants that formed in the early days of Bytown, later Ottawa, mainly active during the 1830s.After the completion of the Rideau Canal in 1832, many Irish workers were left unemployed...
" was given to Irish Catholics of the region. Some possibilities exist:
- A derivation of the FrenchFrench languageFrench is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
word "cheneur," meaning cutter of Oak TreesOak TreeOak Tree may refer to:*Oak, the tree*Oak Tree, County Durham, a village in County Durham, England*The Oaktree Foundation, a youth-run aid and development agency*Oak Tree National, golf club in Edmond, Oklahoma...
, - A self-designation to "shine" above others, or
- The new, "shiny" coins that they were paid in.