Clergy reserve
Encyclopedia
Clergy Reserves were tracts of land in Upper Canada
reserved for the support of "Protestant
clergy
" by the Constitutional Act of 1791
which also established Upper and Lower Canada
as distinct regions each with an elected assembly. One-seventh of all Crown lands were set aside. Although the first lieutenant governor of Upper Canada, John Graves Simcoe
interpreted Protestant clergy to mean the clergy of Church of England
only, by 1824, the Church of Scotland
was also granted a share of the projected revenues. The reserves in Upper Canada were managed by the Clergy Corporation
which was chaired by the Anglican Bishop of Quebec and run day-to-day by a Secretary Receiver.
The reserves were allotted in two hundred acre (800,000 m²) lots. Except in the Talbot Settlement
, they were scattered haphazardly and were a serious obstacle to economic development. The Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada
passed a law to sell the reserves in 1840, but it was disallowed by the imperial (British
) government.
In the 1840s, a bill
was passed distributing the profits of the clergy reserves amongst all leading Protestant groups (except for the Baptists, who refused to involve themselves in government funding). The lands were finally removed from church ownership and secularized in 1854 and the revenues from the reserves were transferred to the government.
Reform of the Clergy Reserves was a major issue in Canadian politics from its creation until its abolition. The controversy stemmed from the fact that many supporters of the religious endowment were part of the tory ruling class. Even Robert Baldwin
, who was the leader of the struggle for Responsible Government
did not advocate for complete abolition and chose to resign his seat rather than tackle the question.
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...
reserved for the support of "Protestant
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
clergy
Clergy
Clergy is the generic term used to describe the formal religious leadership within a given religion. A clergyman, churchman or cleric is a member of the clergy, especially one who is a priest, preacher, pastor, or other religious professional....
" by the Constitutional Act of 1791
Constitutional Act of 1791
The Constitutional Act of 1791, formally The Clergy Endowments Act, 1791 , is an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain...
which also established Upper and Lower Canada
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...
as distinct regions each with an elected assembly. One-seventh of all Crown lands were set aside. Although the first lieutenant governor of Upper Canada, John Graves Simcoe
John Graves Simcoe
John Graves Simcoe was a British army officer and the first Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada from 1791–1796. Then frontier, this was modern-day southern Ontario and the watersheds of Georgian Bay and Lake Superior...
interpreted Protestant clergy to mean the clergy of Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
only, by 1824, the Church of Scotland
Church of Scotland
The Church of Scotland, known informally by its Scots language name, the Kirk, is a Presbyterian church, decisively shaped by the Scottish Reformation....
was also granted a share of the projected revenues. The reserves in Upper Canada were managed by the Clergy Corporation
Clergy Corporation
The Clergy Corporation, or the Clergy Reserve Corporation of Upper Canada, existed to oversee, manage and lease the Clergy reserves of Upper Canada, a large amount of land in Upper Canada that had been put aside for the Anglican and later Protestant churches...
which was chaired by the Anglican Bishop of Quebec and run day-to-day by a Secretary Receiver.
The reserves were allotted in two hundred acre (800,000 m²) lots. Except in the Talbot Settlement
Thomas Talbot (Upper Canada)
Colonel Thomas Talbot was born at Malahide Castle in Ireland near Dublin He was the fourth son of Richard Talbot and his wife Margaret Talbot, 1st Baroness Talbot of Malahide...
, they were scattered haphazardly and were a serious obstacle to economic development. The Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada
Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada
The Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada was created by the Constitutional Act of 1791. It was the elected legislature for the province of Upper Canada and functioned as the province's lower house in the Parliament of Upper Canada...
passed a law to sell the reserves in 1840, but it was disallowed by the imperial (British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
) government.
In the 1840s, a bill
Bill (proposed law)
A bill is a proposed law under consideration by a legislature. A bill does not become law until it is passed by the legislature and, in most cases, approved by the executive. Once a bill has been enacted into law, it is called an act or a statute....
was passed distributing the profits of the clergy reserves amongst all leading Protestant groups (except for the Baptists, who refused to involve themselves in government funding). The lands were finally removed from church ownership and secularized in 1854 and the revenues from the reserves were transferred to the government.
Reform of the Clergy Reserves was a major issue in Canadian politics from its creation until its abolition. The controversy stemmed from the fact that many supporters of the religious endowment were part of the tory ruling class. Even Robert Baldwin
Robert Baldwin
Robert Baldwin was born at York . He, along with his political partner Louis-Hippolyte Lafontaine, led the first responsible ministry in Canada, regarded by some as the first truly Canadian government....
, who was the leader of the struggle for Responsible Government
Responsible government
Responsible government is a conception of a system of government that embodies the principle of parliamentary accountability which is the foundation of the Westminster system of parliamentary democracy...
did not advocate for complete abolition and chose to resign his seat rather than tackle the question.