This plaque can be seen in the beautiful city of Guelph in Ontario, Canada.
It reads –
Erected by
the City of Guelph April 23rd 1927,in honoured memory of John Galt its founder April 23rd 1827.
It marks the centenary of the founding of the city by John Galt in 1827, one of John Galt's proudest achievements.
In A Brief Sketch of the Early History of Guelph by Robert Thomson, A First Year Settler, he describes the felling of the first tree (read previous post here) and describes how the stump of that tree -
“was afterwards
fenced round, neatly levelled and dressed on the top, and a sundial placed on
it, which answered as the town clock for several years.”
Galt writes about the an early view of the city before building work began (Autobiography Vol 2) -
“The glory
of Guelph was unparallelled, but, like all earthy glories, it was destined to
pass away. It consisted of a glade,
opened through the forest, about seven miles in length, upwards of one hundred
and thirty feet in width, forming an avenue, with trees on each side far
exceeding in height the most stupendous in England.”
Guelph, also known as the Royal City, was named in honour of King George IV. The name Guelph refers to the Hanoverian origin of Britain’s royal family. In his Autobiography (Vol 2) Galt writes –
“The name was chosen in compliment to the royal family, both
because I thought it auspicious in itself, and because I could not recollect
that it had ever been before used in all the king’s dominions.”
The date of the founding of the city was also intentional as Galt writes -
“I returned to Upper Canada, and gave orders that operations
should commence on St George’s Day, the 23rd of April. This was not without design; I was well aware
of the boding effect of a little solemnity on the minds of most men […] at eras
which betokened destiny, like the launching of a vessel, or the birth of an
enterprize, of which a horoscope might be cast.”
St George's Day is the celebration of the patron saint of England - St George. It takes place on 23 April each year.
Next year will mark the bicentenary of Guelph. Read more about how the city will be celebrating on this website - Guelph 200.
