Bicentennial 2025

In the early 1820s, Ireland was experiencing severe economic and social difficulties. The majority of the population lived in rural areas and relied heavily on subsistence farming, with the potato being the staple crop. The land was primarily controlled by absentee landlords, and many Irish families faced extreme poverty, inadequate housing, and food insecurity. The rapid population growth exacerbated these challenges, creating dire living conditions and little hope for improvement.

In response to the growing distress, Peter Robinson, a prominent Canadian politician with family ties to Ireland, meets Robert J. Wilmot Horton in 1822. Wilmot Horton asks Peter to superintend the 1st government-sponsored emigration scheme to Canada. The plan aimed to relocate impoverished Irish families to Canada, providing them with land and resources to start anew. The proposal was rooted in the idea of organized, government-sponsored emigration as a solution to both the Irish economic crisis and the need for skilled settlers in Canada.

In 1823, the Emigration Committee of the London Parliament recommends that the House of Commons vote to allocate £15,000 (roughly £2,237,583 or $3,979,239 CAD today) to finance emigration to the colonies, recognizing it as a strategic opportunity to ease the pressures in Ireland while bolstering the population in its North American colonies. Of this, Peter Robinson is granted £9,678 (roughly £1,445,031 or $2,569,880 CAD today) to underwrite his Upper Canada emigration scheme. Detailed planning began, including the selection of emigrants, arrangements for their journey, and provisions for their settlement in Canada.

With the funds in place, Peter Robinson makes his way to County Cork, Ireland arriving in Fermoy, County Cork on 20 May, 1823. From there he follows the instructions of Wilmot Horton to consult with prominent figures, seeking recommendations for suitable emigrants that fit the requirements of the scheme.

In early June 1823, Robinson, under authorization of Wilmot Horton intitiates publicity to recruit 500-600 candidates for emigration to Upper Canada. Several hundred copies of broadsheet advertising are printed and distributed/displayed in Fermoy, Mitchelstown, Doneraile, Charlesville, Newmarket, Kanturk, Mallow and nearby villages.

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In the spring of 1825, the emigration scheme was set into motion. Peter Robinson arrived in County Cork to oversee the selection process. The criteria for selection included families who were willing to emigrate and had the physical capacity to work on the land. The chosen emigrants came from some of the most impoverished areas, particularly the counties of Cork, Limerick, and Tipperary.

On the morning of May 6, 1825, the first of nine ships, the Regulus, departed from Cobh (then known as Queenstown) in County Cork. Over the following weeks, a total of nine ships set sail from Ireland, carrying 2,024 individuals, including 234 families, across the Atlantic Ocean. The journey was perilous, with the emigrants facing cramped conditions, rough seas, and the constant threat of illness.

The first ships began arriving in Quebec City in late June 1825. The emigrants were processed and given temporary shelter before continuing their journey inland, mostly by steam boat. From Quebec City, they traveled by river and overland first to Kingston, where they stayed for almost a month, and then by water again onto the town of Cobourg eventually making their way to the designated settlement areas in what is now Peterborough County, Ontario.

Upon arrival, the emigrants faced the daunting task of building new lives in an unfamiliar and often harsh environment. They were provided with land grants, tools, and provisions to sustain them for the first 18 months. The land in the Nogojiwanong-Peterborough region, though fertile, required significant clearing and preparation before it could be farmed.

Throughout 1826 and 1827, the settlers worked tirelessly to establish their new communities. They built log cabins, cleared land for farming, and began planting crops to sustain themselves. The British government, under Robinson’s direction, continued to provide support, including additional supplies and assistance with land preparation.

Despite the challenges, the settlers gradually built thriving communities. The Nogojiwanong-Peterborough region became a focal point for Irish settlement in Canada. The emigrants’ hard work and resilience laid the foundations for the region’s development and growth.