Burgoyne Bay is located at the southern end of Saltspring Island

Saltspring Island

Saltspring Island is one of the Gulf Islands in the Strait of Georgia between mainland British Columbia, Canada and Vancouver Island. It is the largest, the most populous, and the most frequently visited of the Gulf Islands...

 in British Columbia

British Columbia

British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. The shores of the bay are part of the Mount Maxwell Ecological Reserve. The bay is a sidewater of Sansum Narrows

Sansum Narrows

Sansum Narrows is a strait or channel between Vancouver Island and Saltspring Island in the Southern Gulf Islands region of British Columbia, Canada. It is crossed by a BC Ferries route from Crofton to Vesuvius Bay on the northwestern shore of Saltspring...

, which separates Saltspring from Vancouver Island.

It was named by Captain Richards

George Henry Richards

Admiral Sir George Henry Richards was Hydrographer to the British Admiralty from 1864 to 1874.-Early life:Richards was born in Anthony, Cornwall, the son of Captain G S Richards, and joined the navy in 1832....

 in 1859 after Victoria Cross

Victoria Cross

The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....

 holder Hugh Talbot Burgoyne

Hugh Talbot Burgoyne

Captain Hugh Talbot Burgoyne VC RN was an Irish recipient of the Victoria Cross. Born in Dublin, he was the son of John Fox Burgoyne and the grandson of John Burgoyne....

. Burgoyne was serving on HMS Ganges

HMS Ganges (1821)

HMS Ganges was an 84-gun second-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 10 November 1821 at Bombay Dockyard, constructed from teak...

, the flagship

Flagship

A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...

 of the Royal Navy

Royal Navy

The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

's Pacific Station at the time, and Richards named many features during his survey after people or ships of the station; for instance the next bay along the island, Fulford Harbour, was named after the captain of Ganges, and a local settlement

Ganges, British Columbia

Ganges, British Columbia is an unincorporated community on Salt Spring Island in the province of British Columbia, Canada.-History:Ganges Harbour, from which Ganges takes its name, was originally called Admiralty Bay but was renamed by Captain Richards in 1859 for the , which was at the Pacific...

named after the ship itself.