Hamnett Kirkes Pinhey
Encyclopedia
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...
landowner and politician.
Early years
Pinhey was born in DevonDevon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
shire, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in 1784 to Mary Townley and William Pinhey. He was educated at the Christ Hospital School in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. He became a grocery and insurance merchant, a partner in Pinhey and Crosley: Merchant and Ship Insaurance Brokers. Pinhey spoke fluent French and German, and claims to have been a secret spy from the Crown to the King of Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
during the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
. By the age of 35, Pinhey had made enough money to retire comfortably.
Pinhey married Mary Ann Tasker on December 12, 1812.
Hamnett Pinhey was now a very wealthy middle class man. Due to the class system in place in England at the time, Pinhey was not able to gain the power or privilege he desired. Seeking greener pastures, Pinhey petitioned the Earl of Bathurst
Henry Bathurst, 3rd Earl Bathurst
Henry Bathurst, 3rd Earl Bathurst KG PC was a British politician.-Background and education:Lord Bathurst was the elder son of Henry Bathurst, 2nd Earl Bathurst, by his wife Tryphena, daughter of Thomas Scawen...
, Secretary of State for War and the Colonies
Secretary of State for War and the Colonies
The Secretary of State for War and the Colonies was a British cabinet level position responsible for the army and the British colonies . The Department was created in 1801...
at the time, for lands in Upper Canada
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...
and received a land grant
Land grant
A land grant is a gift of real estate – land or its privileges – made by a government or other authority as a reward for services to an individual, especially in return for military service...
. Originally, Pinhey requested 1200 acres (4.9 km²). He was granted 200.
The Move to Upper Canada
In 1820, Pinhey travelled to March TownshipMarch Township, Ontario
March Township is a geographic township and former municipality originally part of Carleton County in eastern Ontario, Canada. It is currently part of the City of Ottawa...
in Upper Canada
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...
and settled at a site on the Ottawa River
Ottawa River
The Ottawa River is a river in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. For most of its length, it now defines the border between these two provinces.-Geography:...
. He and his clerk spent the first winter in a one room log cabin, but soon built a larger one and half story log house and stone kitchen. His wife, children and possessions followed in 1821. With the family came 55 crates with clothing, plate, furniture, books and other items to allow the family to live comfortably in Upper Canada.
Horaceville and the Stone House
Pinhey established himself as a gentleman farmer on his land and named this location HoracevilleHoraceville, Ontario
Horaceville is a historic site located on the Ottawa River in eastern Ontario, Canada, owned and operated by the City of Ottawa. This location is also known as Pinhey's Point Historic Site. The site consists of of park land, a stone manor house, two barns, and several stone ruins. The manor house...
after his eldest son. Though he began building with the log house, Pinhey had always intended to build a large stone house on top of the hill, overlooking his land. The first part of the stone house was completed in 1825, and consisted of a large Parlour for entertaining and the servants quarters on the second floor. The second part of the house was not completed until 1841, and included the Grand Entrance, the original Dining Room, the Master Bedroom and a second stone kitchen for Mrs. Pinhey. By this point Horace Pinhey had married and moved into the log house with his wife. The last part of the stone house was completed in 1848, and housed Hamnett's Library, the Drawing Room, several bedrooms for the family and Hamnett's Sanctum Sanctorum (the Holiest of Holies, a second floor indoor privy.) Though the house was built in three different stages, it was designed as a whole in a semetrical Georgian fashion.
In addition to the house, Pinhey built a grist mill, sawmill
Sawmill
A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
, and St. Mary's Church on the site. Although the first service in the church was held on October 7, 1827, it was not consecrated until 1834 due to a dispute about the church's location with the ruling bishop at the time.
Aristocratic values
The Pinhey family continued their British aristocratic values at Horraceville. Other former members of the British military moved into March TownshipMarch Township, Ontario
March Township is a geographic township and former municipality originally part of Carleton County in eastern Ontario, Canada. It is currently part of the City of Ottawa...
, and the group has been described as “Ottawa’s original aristocracy. Pinhey was recognized as the leader of this group, and Horaceville served as it's chief community. Pinhey welcomed members of the British elite into his home, including Lord Dalhousie
George Ramsay, 9th Earl of Dalhousie
General George Ramsay, 9th Earl of Dalhousie GCB , styled Lord Ramsay until 1787, was a Scottish soldier and colonial administrator...
and Upper Canada Anglican Bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
John Strachan
John Strachan
John Strachan was an influential figure in Upper Canada and the first Anglican Bishop of Toronto.-Early life:Strachan was the youngest of six children born to a quarry worker in Aberdeen, Scotland. He graduated from King's College, Aberdeen in 1797...
. Pinhey also managed a full staff at his home including footmen and a butler. Pinhey's wife insisted on being carried to their family chapel in a sedan chair.
Political life
In 1832, Pinhey was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Upper CanadaLegislative 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...
in a by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
in Carleton County
Carleton County, Ontario
Carleton County is the name of a historic county in Ontario, Canada. In 1969 it was superseded by the Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton. In 2001 the Regional Municipality and the eleven local municipalities within it were replaced by the current City of Ottawa.-History:Carleton County was...
. He lost his seat the following year due to voting irregularities in the by-election. Pinhey continued to serve in various positions
Various Positions
Various Positions, the seventh studio album by Leonard Cohen, was released in December 1984 . It marked not only Cohen's turn to the modern sound and use of synthesizers , but also - after her work on harmonies and background vocals on the previous Recent Songs - an even greater contribution from...
in local government
Local government
Local government refers collectively to administrative authorities over areas that are smaller than a state.The term is used to contrast with offices at nation-state level, which are referred to as the central government, national government, or federal government...
and, in 1847, became a member of the Legislative Council of the Province of Canada
Legislative Council of the Province of Canada
The Legislative Council of the Province of Canada was the upper house for the Province of Canada, which consisted of the former provinces of Lower Canada, then known as Canada East and later the province of Quebec, and Upper Canada, then known as Canada West and later the province of Ontario...
. Pinhey had been governor of Christ's Hospital
Christ's Hospital
Christ's Hospital is an English coeducational independent day and boarding school with Royal Charter located in the Sussex countryside just south of Horsham in Horsham District, West Sussex, England...
in London and continued to provide it with financial support.
Death and successors
Hamnett Kirkes Pinhey died in 1857 and was buried in the graveyard at St. Mary's Church. The estate was left to his son, Horace Pinhey.Members of the Pinhey family lived in the house until 1971. The last member of the family to live in the house was Ruth Pinhey. While she was living in the house, most rooms had been closed off save the old dining room, which she used as a bedroom, and the Grand Entrance, which she used as a living room. Upon her death in 1971, Ruth Pinhey left the estate to a family member, who then sold the property to the township of March.
The former site of the town of Horaceville has been preserved as the Pinhey's Point Historic Site operated by the City of Ottawa and the Pinhey's Point Foundation.
Children and Descendants
Children of Hamnett Kirkes Pinhey and Mary Ann TaskerHamnett Pinhey (1815-1815), Horace Pinhey (1817–1875), Constance Pinhey (1819–1898), Mary Anne Pinhey (1821–1896, Charles Hamnett Pinhey (1828–1893)
Children of Horace Pinhey and Catherine (Kate) Tydd Greene
Mary Anne Eliza Pinhey (1848–1929),Constance Anna Pinhey (1849–1932), Arabella Lucy Pinhey (1851–1905), Hamnett Kirkes Pinhey (1853–1941), Horace Pinhey (1857–1921), Kate Pinhey (1861–1937), Godfrey Greene Pinhey (1859–1910), Charles Townley Pinhey (1863–1879)
Children of Constance Pinhey and John Hamnett Pinhey
John Charles Pinhey (1860–1912)
Children of Mary Anne Pinhey and Hamnett Hill (MD)
Hamnett Pinhey Hill (1845–1879), Mary Anne Lucy Hill (1847-1847), Charles Townley Hill (1850–1852), Emily Hill (1959-1945), Caroline Hill (1864–1945)
Children of Charles Hamnett Pinhey and Catherine Lewis
Mary Anne Pinhey (1863–1864), Harold Kirkes Pinhey (1865–1942), Charles Herbert Pinhey (1867–1955), Catherine Lucy Pinhey (1868–1954), Anna Hilda Pinhey (1870–1962)