Prideaux Selby
Encyclopedia
Prideaux Selby was an English soldier and political figure in Upper Canada
.
He was born in Alnwick
, Northumberland, England a son of the Holy Island
branch of the Selby family
He joined the 5th Foot Regiment in Ireland in 1781, and arrived in Detroit with the regiment in 1790. In 1792, he was appointed assistant secretary of Indian Affairs by Lieutenant Governor John Graves Simcoe
and took up residence in Amherstburg
. In 1802, he became a justice of the peace in the Western District. In 1807, he moved to York (Toronto). In 1808, he was appointed to the Executive Council of Upper Canada
and appointed receiver general. In 1809, he was also appointed auditor general.
In the spring of 1813, he became seriously ill and died in May of the same year.
He had married in England in about 1772. His son, also Prideaux Selby was born in London and ultimately inherited family estates at Swansfield House, Alnwick
and Pawston, Northumberland.
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...
.
He was born in Alnwick
Alnwick
Alnwick is a small market town in north Northumberland, England. The town's population was just over 8000 at the time of the 2001 census and Alnwick's district population was 31,029....
, Northumberland, England a son of the Holy Island
Lindisfarne
Lindisfarne is a tidal island off the north-east coast of England. It is also known as Holy Island and constitutes a civil parish in Northumberland...
branch of the Selby family
Selby family
The Selby family was a prolific and widespread English family that originated in Selby, Yorkshire, but largely settled in Northumberland.The following are some of the more important branches of the family, several of which are interconnected by marriage between cousins:-Selby of...
He joined the 5th Foot Regiment in Ireland in 1781, and arrived in Detroit with the regiment in 1790. In 1792, he was appointed assistant secretary of Indian Affairs by Lieutenant Governor 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...
and took up residence in Amherstburg
Amherstburg, Ontario
Amherstburg is a Canadian town near the mouth of the Detroit River in Essex County, Ontario. It is approximately south of the U.S...
. In 1802, he became a justice of the peace in the Western District. In 1807, he moved to York (Toronto). In 1808, he was appointed to the Executive Council of Upper Canada
Executive Council of Upper Canada
The Executive Council of Upper Canada had a similar function to the Cabinet in England but was not responsible to the Legislative Assembly. Members of the Executive Council were not necessarily members of the Legislative Assembly but were usually members of the Legislative Council. Members were...
and appointed receiver general. In 1809, he was also appointed auditor general.
In the spring of 1813, he became seriously ill and died in May of the same year.
He had married in England in about 1772. His son, also Prideaux Selby was born in London and ultimately inherited family estates at Swansfield House, Alnwick
Alnwick
Alnwick is a small market town in north Northumberland, England. The town's population was just over 8000 at the time of the 2001 census and Alnwick's district population was 31,029....
and Pawston, Northumberland.