John Graves Simcoe

John Graves Simcoe’s Godfather from the navy, Admiral Samuel Graves, had bequeathed Simcoe a home at Devon, where he resided. In 1782, following his reposting, he married Elizabeth Posthuma Gwillim, who was Admiral Graves’ ward.

Elizabeth was a wealthy woman, who was heir to a 5,000 acre estate at Honiton in Devon. She also built the Wolford Lodge which became the official seat of the Simcoe family up until 1923.

Simcoe had five daughters with Elizabeth in England, and a son who was born to them in Canada. They had another daughter in Canada who died in infancy in the town of York, Canada. His son proceeded to join the army in his adulthood but was killed in an infantry charge during the Peninsular Campaign in 1812.

John Graves Simcoe was born on 25th February 1752, in Cotterstock, Oundle, England. His parents were John and Katherine Simcoe. Though he had three siblings, all of them passed away at early ages.

His father, who was an officer in the Royal Navy, died of pneumonia when John was only seven. He then grew up in his mother’s paternal home. He studied at the Exeter Grammar School and Eton College. After spending a year at Merton College, Oxford, he decided to follow in his father’s footsteps and joined the military in 1770.

A few years after John Graves Simcoe joined the British Army as an ensign, he was sent to serve in the American Revolutionary War during the Siege of Boston. He was soon promoted to the rank of Captain in the 40th Regiment of Foot. He commanded his unit at the Battle of Brandywine, where he suffered an injury.

In October 1777, he was put in command of the newly formed Queen’s Rangers, and was eventually promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. The unit launched a successful surprise attack at the Battle of Crooked Billet. Shortly after, Simcoe commanded a massacre of ten Americans in their sleep in 1778.

He led several British soldiers on an attack on Judge William Hancock’s house. Hancock was eventually killed along with eight other Americans.

Sometime around October 1779, Simcoe and his men launched an attack on central New Jersey from southern Staten Island. This attack, known as Simcoe’s Raid, resulted in the burning of Patriot supplies inside a Dutch Reformed House in Finderne; among the goods were surplus amounts of hay and grain.

Simcoe’s men also managed to free a multitude of Royalist prisoners held captive in the Somerset County Courthouse. Simcoe was eventually captured by Armand Tuffin de La Rouerie but was released by the end of 1779.

After his military escapades, John Graves Simcoe decided to enter politics in the year 1790. His became a Member of Parliament for the town of St Mawes in Cornwall. His immediate proposition as MP was to raise a militia force similar to that of Queen’s Rangers.

Furthermore, he proposed a plan to invade Spain. However, his plans didn’t come to fruition and he was instead made lieutenant colonel of a province in Upper Canada. Following this drastic change in his career, he resigned from the parliament in 1792.