Edward Cornwallis

Edward Cornwallis, (c 1713 – 14 January 1776), was a British military officer, known as “the Founder of Halifax”.

He was born in London, the sixth son of Charles, fourth Baron Cornwallis, and Lady Charlotte Butler, daughter of the Earl of Arran. The Cornwallis family possessed large estates at Culford in Suffolk and the Channel Islands. Edward had a twin brother (Frederick, later Archbishop of Canterbury), and they were both made royal pages at the age of 12. They were both enrolled at Eton school at 14, and at age 18, Edward entered into military service.

His service in the military let Cornwallis participate in many great battles and receive recognition for his efforts. The British government appointed Cornwallis as Governor of Nova Scotia and he arrived on 21 June 1749 at Chibouctou Harbour. He was under instructions to found a colony of Protestants, which would act as a buffer between New England and Acadia. Shortly thereafter, the city of Halifax was founded. Cornwallis' term as governor ended in 1752 when he returned to England to resume his career as a military officer and politician.

Edward Cornwallis played an important part in the formation of Nova Scotia. Although he lived in a time when norms of behavior were different and Nova Scotia was a battleground, he has been criticized for his treatment of aboriginal people. Cornwallis is infamous for ordering a bounty on the heads of Mi'kmaq warriors following the Oct. 1749 Sawmill attack in Dartmouth by Mi’kmaq allied with the French, which resulted in the deaths of four civilians, of whom two were scalped and two were beheaded. This action led to further escalation of hostilities between the Mi’kmaq and the English Crown that included atrocities by both sides that did not end until the 1761 Treaty of Peace and Friendship.

A statue of Edward Cornwallis stands at the center of Cornwallis Park in downtown [City of Halifax] . Cornwallis Junior High School in Halifax is named for him.

Cornwallis served as the Governor of Gibraltar from June 14, 1761 to January 1776 when he died at the age of 63.

Edward's twin brother, Frederick Cornwallis, was Archbishop of Canterbury. His grandfather , Charles Cornwallis, 3rd Baron Cornwallis, was First Lord of the Admiralty. His nephew, Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis, became famous as a British general in the American Revolutionary War, and was later Governor-General of India.

External links

* [http://www.biographi.ca/009004-119.01-e.php?&id_nbr=1819&interval=25&&PHPSESSID=v1v50jh4h87i42bbt9ivrv5nb3 Biography at "the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online"]

* [http://www.blupete.com/Hist/BiosNS/1700-63/Cornwallis.htm Landy, Peter (1999)]

* [http://collections.ic.gc.ca/acadian/english/eexile/respon/cornwall/cornwall.htm Centre Acadien (1996)]

* [http://www.danielnpaul.com/BritishScalpProclamation-1749.html Paul, Daniel N.(2008)]

* [http://www.renamecornwallis.com The Rename Cornwallis Initiative (2008)]