- Lucan Biddulph, Ontario
Infobox Settlement
name=Township of Lucan Biddulph, Ontario
official_name = The Corporation of the Township of Lucan Biddulph
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settlement_type = Township
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leader_title =Mayor
leader_name =Tom McLaughlin
unit_pref = Metric
population_as_of = 2006
population_footnotes = [cite web |url=http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census06/data/profiles/community/Details/Page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CSD&Code1=3539060&Geo2=PR&Code2=35&Data=Count&SearchText=Lucan%20Biddulph&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&GeoLevel=&GeoCode=3539060 |title=2006 Community Profiles |accessdate=2007-12-22 |format=HTML |work=http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census06/ ]
population_note = This is the township population.
population_total = 4,187
timezone = EST
utc_offset = -5
timezone_DST = EDT
utc_offset_DST = -4
latd=43 |latm=11 |lats= |latNS=N
longd=81 |longm=24 |longs= |longEW=W
postal_code_type = Postal code
postal_code = N0M 2J0
area_code = 519
website = http://www.lucanbiddulph.on.ca/Lucan Biddulph is an incorporated township in the Canadian province of
Ontario . It was formed onJanuary 1 ,1999 by amalgamating the Village of Lucan with Biddulph Township. The township had a population of 4,187 people in theCanada 2006 Census , and covers an area of 168.76 km² of land within Middlesex County.Geography
The land in the area is almost entirely
agricultural , relativelyfertile soil s used for crops (grain s,tobacco ) andlivestock . Many of the township's residents are in employed in the same industries.Sports
Lucan is home to the
Lucan Irish , a junior hockey team that plays in theSouthern Ontario Junior Hockey League .History
Etymology
Comprising 40,000 acres (160 km²) of Middlesex County, the Township of Biddulph was surveyed by agents of the
Canada Company in 1830. The township took its name from John Biddulph, one of the earliest directors of theCanada Company . [Raycraft Lewis, J: "The Birth of Biddulph", "Sure an' this is Biddulph"(1964)] .Prior to its incorporation in 1872, the village of Lucan had been known as Marystown, named in tribute to the wife of John McDonald, who was the original land surveyor of the area. When a duplicate Marystown was found to have already registered with the Post Office the name Lucan was put forth and accepted by the postal authorities. Lucan was named in tribute to Lord Lucan, a prominent landowner in Ireland. [cite book |title=Sure an' this is Biddulph |last=Raycraft Lewis |first=Jennie Lewis |authorlink=Jennie Lewis |coauthors= |year=1966 |publisher= |page=163 |location= |isbn= |oclc=37399]
Settlement
Despite being more than 500 km (300 miles) to the North, in
1829 , the area became a refuge for a group of free slaves from Cincinnati,Ohio who were under threat of being enslaved again, as a result of the Black Codes in Ohio. This group of roughly 200 disenfranchised Blacks were granted refuge and land by theCanada Company and duly set up acolony named Wilberforce. This was one the earliest, if not the earliest, slave refuge colony inUpper Canada and existed before emancipation. The fleeing of Blacks northward into Canada beginning around this time was part of theUnderground Railroad .Most of the Blacks came from city life and did not adapt well to the harsh farming environment. Large lots of land were cleared (logged) and efforts were made to sustain the colony, but much it dwindled through the 1840s and many of the original colonists, moved on to larger, growing urban centres such as
Detroit ,Cleveland orToronto to obtain wage-based employment. A small number remained on to work the land through subsequent generations.The area was then further logged and settled by whites, many from
Ireland , some of whom purchased farmsteads from the departing Blacks or new lots sold to them cheaply by theCanada Company .After this time c.
1850 , the majority of the townships landholders wereIrish Catholics , a large number originating from then-meagre farming lands inCounty Tipperary ,Ireland .Early history
A very important railway route belonging to the
Grand Trunk Railway opened in1856 , passing through the village. The village and surrounding township prospered as a result of quicker access to larger marketplaces, such asToronto further to the east.The Donnelly Massacre
Biddulph Township is probably most known for being the site of the brutal
February 4 1880 massacre of five of theBlack Donnellys , an immigrant Irish family caught up in a long-standing localfeud . This true story has been written about countless times and is etched into the criminal history of rural Ontario and is also known throughout the rest of Canada and theUnited States .References
External links
* [http://www.lucanbiddulph.on.ca/ Township of Lucan Biddulph website]
* [http://lucanheritage.tripod.com/history.html History of Lucan and Area website]
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