Editing Middlesex County, Ontario (section)

==History==
The area was originally organized as '''Suffolk County''', created in July 1792 by Governor [[John Graves Simcoe|John Simcoe]] by his first proclamation issued at Kingston, which also defined it as a [[constituency]] for the purposes of returning a member to the new [[Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada]], and was described as having the following territory:<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=b7RKAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA26 Proclamation of July 16, 1792]</ref>

{{Blockquote|
... bounded on the east by the [[Norfolk County, Ontario|county of Norfolk]], on the south by [[lake Erie]], until it meets the [[portage|carrying-place]] from [[Pointe aux Pins|point au Pins]] unto the [[Thames River (Ontario)|Thames]],<ref>a portion of which became part of [[Ontario Highway 40|Highway 40]] in the 20th Century</ref> on the west by the said carrying-place, thence up the said river Thames until it meets the northwesternmost boundary of the county of Norfolk.
}}
[[File:A map of the Province of Upper Canada RMG K1076.jpg|thumb|center|450px|Map of Upper Canada showing 1792 division into counties and ridings]]
Simcoe toured the southwestern portion of the province's territory in early 1793 and concluded that the lower forks of the Thames would be best suited as the future site of the provincial capital. The names London in Middlesex were considered more appropriate for this.{{citation needed|date=July 2021}} Suffolk County was reorganized as Middlesex County, as part of the [[London District, Upper Canada|London District]], in 1798 by the [[Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada]],<ref>{{Cite canlaw|short title  =An act for the better division of this province|abbr =S.U.C.|year =1798|chapter =5|section=36-37|link=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/aeu.ark:/13960/t42r4wr64?urlappend=%3Bseq=158}}</ref> consisting of the townships of London, Westminster, Dorchester, Yarmouth, Southwold, Dunwich, Aldborough and Delaware. 
[[File:A map of the province of Upper Canada describing all the settlements and townships, 1818.jpg|thumb|center|450px|Map of Upper Canada showing 1798 division into districts, counties and townships (published 1818)]]

Middlesex County was expanded several times thereafter, starting in 1821 with the addition of the townships of Moza, Ecfrid ''(sic)'', Carradoc ''(sic)'' and Lobo.<ref>{{Cite canlaw|short title  =An Act to repeal part of an act passed in the thirty-eighth year of his late Majesty's reign, entitled, "An act for the better division of this province," and to make further provision for the division of the same into counties and districts|abbr =S.U.C.|year =1821|chapter =3|section=11|link=https://archive.org/stream/statutesprovinc18progoog#page/n276/mode/1up}}</ref> Adelaide Township came from the [[Huron Tract]] in 1835,<ref>{{Cite canlaw|short title  =An Act to form certain Townships in the London District into a County, and to attach certain Townships to the Counties of Middlesex and Kent, in the London and Western Districts|abbr =S.U.C.|year =1835|chapter =46|link= https://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.35112103435162?urlappend=%3Bseq=148}}</ref> and Williams Township was withdrawn from [[Huron County, Ontario|Huron County]] and annexed to Middlesex in 1845.<ref>{{Cite canlaw|short title  =An Act for better defining the limits of the Counties and Districts in Upper Canada, for erecting certain new Townships, for detaching Townships from some Counties and attaching them to others, and for other purposes relative to the division of Upper Canada into Townships, Counties and Districts|abbr =S.Prov.C.|year =1845|chapter =7|schedule = B|link=https://archive.org/stream/provincialstatu03canagoog#page/n110/mode/1up}}</ref> In 1837, Bayham and Malahide Townships were transferred to Middlesex from [[Norfolk County, Ontario|Norfolk County]].<ref>effectively withdrawn upon the passage of {{Cite canlaw|short title  =An Act to authorise the erection of the County of Oxford into a separate District, by the name of the District of Brock|abbr =S.U.C.|year =1837|chapter =30|link=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.35112103435170?urlappend=%3Bseq=93}} and {{Cite canlaw|short title  =An Act erecting the County of Norfolk into a separate District, by the name of the District of Talbot|abbr =S.U.C.|year =1837|chapter =33|link=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.35112103435170?urlappend=%3Bseq=121}}</ref> Metcalfe Township was formed from the north part of Ekfrid and the south part of Adelaide in 1845.<ref>1845 Act, Sch. A</ref>

Upon the abolition of the London District in January 1850, Middlesex County was constituted for municipal purposes.<ref>{{Cite canlaw|short title  =An Act for abolishing the Territorial Division of Upper-Canada into Districts, and for providing temporary Unions of Counties for Judicial and other purposes, and for the future dissolutions of such Unions, as the increase of wealth and population may require|abbr =S.Prov.C.|year =1849|chapter =78|schedule =C|link =https://books.google.ca/books?id=ulQ1AQAAMAAJ&lpg=RA1-PA55&pg=PA439#v=onepage&q&f=false}}</ref> The County was reorganized as the United Counties of Middlesex and Elgin in 1851, with its townships divided thus:

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Creation of the United Counties of Middlesex and Elgin (1851)<ref>{{Cite canlaw|short title  =An Act to make certain alterations in the Territorial Divisions of Upper Canada|abbr =S.Prov.C.|year =1851|chapter =5|schedule =A, par. 35-36; Sch. B|link = https://books.google.ca/books?id=TwgvAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA1799#v=onepage&q&f=false}}</ref>
|-
!Elgin County !!Middlesex County
|-
|
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
*Aldborough
*Dunwich
*Southwold
*Yarmouth
*Malahide
*Bayham
*South Dorchester<ref group=a name="division">divided in 1851 (1851 Act, Sch. D)</ref>
{{div col end}}
|
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
*Mosa
*Ekfrid
*Carradoc ''(sic)''
*Metcalfe
*Adelaide
*Williams
*Lobo
*Nissouri West<ref group=a>separated from Nissouri Township of [[Oxford County, Ontario|Oxford County]] (1851 Act, Sch. D)</ref>
*North Dorchester<ref group=a name="division"/>
*Delaware
*Westminster
*London
{{div col end}}
|}
{{Reflist|group=a}}

[[Elgin County]] was separated from Middlesex in September 1853.<ref>{{cite journal |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title= Proclamation|url= http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/canada-gazette/093/001060-119.01-e.php?document_id_nbr=2316&f=p|journal= [[Canada Gazette]]|volume= XII|issue= 29|pages= 1452–1453}}</ref>

The townships of Biddulph and McGillivray were withdrawn from [[Huron County, Ontario|Huron County]] and annexed to Middlesex in 1862.<ref>{{Cite canlaw|short title  =An Act to separate the Townships of Biddulph and McGillivray from the County of Huron, and to annex the same to the East Riding of the County of Middlesex|abbr =S.Prov.C.|year =1862|chapter =28|link=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015074212047?urlappend=%3Bseq=61}}</ref> There was a village at Ekfrid Station that had a blacksmith's shop, a gristmill and a store that was created by the Grand Truck railroad.<ref>Grainger, Jennifer Vanished Villages of Middlesex, Toronto: Natural Heritage, 2002 p. 81</ref> Today it is ghost town as the post office closed on 31 January 1914 and the railroad station in 1950.<ref>Grainger, Jennifer Vanished Villages of Middlesex, Toronto: Natural Heritage, 2002 p. 82</ref> Another settlement existed at Mayfair that was founded in 1854.<ref>Grainger, Jennifer Vanished Villages of Middlesex, Toronto: Natural Heritage, 2002 p. 84</ref> Mayfair had by the 1880s a tavern, two cheese factories, a sawmill, a blacksmith, a painter, a tailor, and a large house called Mayfair Castle that had marble imported from Italy.<ref>Grainger, Jennifer Vanished Villages of Middlesex, Toronto: Natural Heritage, 2002 p. 85</ref> Mayfair Castle costed $7000 to build at a time when the average brick house costed $1000 to build.<ref>Grainger, Jennifer Vanished Villages of Middlesex, Toronto: Natural Heritage, 2002 p. 85</ref> The post office closed in 1914 and today Mayfair is a ghosttown with only the former Baptist Church and Mayfair Castle still standing.<ref>Grainger, Jennifer Vanished Villages of Middlesex, Toronto: Natural Heritage, 2002 p. 85</ref> In 1829, a hamlet was founded at Strathburn that had a school by 1840.<ref>Grainger, Jennifer Vanished Villages of Middlesex, Toronto: Natural Heritage, 2002 p. 88</ref> A church was founded in 1844 and a post office opened in 1852.<ref>Grainger, Jennifer Vanished Villages of Middlesex, Toronto: Natural Heritage, 2002 p. 89</ref> By 1963, Strathburn had become a ghost town with only home inhabited and all the rest abandoned..<ref>Grainger, Jennifer Vanished Villages of Middlesex, Toronto: Natural Heritage, 2002 p. 91</ref>  

The historic townships of the County (including those originally part of Huron County marked in red) are shown below:

[[File:Ont Huron Middlesex All.PNG|thumb|center|450px|Townships of Middlesex County]]

===Withdrawal and evolution of the City of London===
[[File:Atlas of the Dominion. Counties of Middlesex, Elgin, Lambton. Province of Ontario. CTASC.jpg|thumb|Historical map that includes Middlesex County (1875)]]
[[London, Ontario|London]], when it became a city in 1855, separated from Middlesex County,<ref name="ForestCity">{{cite web |url= http://www.london.ca/about-london/london-history/pages/overview.aspx|title= Founding of the Forest City|author=<!--Not stated--> |website= london.ca|date= July 26, 2016}}</ref> and it expanded later in stages:

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Annexations to the City of London
|-
!Year !!Community
|-
|1885
|
*London East<ref>{{Cite canlaw|short title  =An Act respecting the City of London and the Town of London East|abbr =S.O.|year =1885|chapter =63|link=https://archive.org/stream/statutesofprovin1885onta#page/302/mode/2up}}</ref>
|-
|1890
|
*Wortley Village<ref>{{Cite canlaw|short title  =An Act respecting the City of London|abbr =S.O.|year =1890|chapter =89|link=https://archive.org/stream/statutesofprovin1890onta#page/202/mode/2up}}</ref>
|-
|1897
|
*London West<ref group=a>previously known as Petersville or Kensington</ref><ref>{{Cite canlaw|short title  =An Act respecting the City of London|abbr =S.O.|year =1898|chapter =46|link=https://archive.org/stream/statutesofprovi1897p2onta#page/136/mode/2up}}</ref>
|-
|1912<ref name="ForestCity"/>
|
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
*Pottersburg
*Knollwood
*Ealing
*Chelsea Green
{{div col end}}
|-
|1961
|
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
*[[Byron, Ontario|Byron]]
*Broughdale
*Masonville
{{div col end}}
|-
|1993<ref>{{Cite canlaw|short title  =London-Middlesex Act, 1992|abbr =S.O.|year =1992|chapter =27|link=https://archive.org/stream/statutesofprov1992v2onta#page/509/mode/1up}}</ref>
|
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
*[[Lambeth, London, Ontario|Lambeth]]
*Westminster
*Glanworth
*Hyde Park
*Crumlin
*Fanshawe
*Brockley
*Scottsville
*Tempo
{{div col end}}
|}
{{Reflist|group=a}}