British Association Visit to the Bell Farm - 1884

Jul 6

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001 - British Association Visit - 1884

The British Association visitors arrived on several different ships

002 - British Association Passenger List - 1

SS Parisian List provided by Clara Lady Rayleigh - Passenger List - Part 1

003 - British Association Passenger List - 2

SS Parisian List provided by Clara Lady Rayleigh - Passenger List - Part 2

004 - British Association Passenger List - 3

SS Parisian List provided by Clara Lady Rayleigh - Passenger List - Part 3

005 - S. S. Oregon (1883-1886)

Transported British Association members between England and Canada in 1884

006 - S.S. Parisian (1880-1914)

Transported British Association members between England and Canada in 1884 - The British Association visitors arrived on several different ships- the SS Parisian,SS Polynesian and the SS Oregon of the Allan Line among those

007 - S.S. Polynesian (1872-1909)

Transported British Association members between England and Canada in 1884

008 - British Association members on board the Parisian - 1884

Group on board the ship Parisian containing Lord Rayleigh, Sir Frederick Bramwell, Earl of Rosse, and thirty five other members of the British Association.

BEGG, Alexander - Accompanied the British Association Tour - 1884

General Immigration Agent and promoter for the Canadian Pacific Railway, Alexander Begg (1839-1897)was born in Quebec, and was primarily a writer and journalist.

BENNETT, Alfred William - British Association Member - 1884

Alfred William Bennett (1833-1902) was born in Clapham, a small town within today’s greater London, England.

BRAGG, Harry - Journalist with British Association Tour - 1884

Harry Bragg (1856-1931) was raised in Blackburn, Lancashire, and arrived in Canada in 1884 in time to secure a ticket for the British Association's tour of the Northwest.

CHEADLE, Dr. Walter Butler - British Association Member - 1884

A medical doctor who had previously explored the West in 1862 with Vicount Milton - A pioneer in children's medicine, Dr. Cheadle had explored Western Canada in 1862 with Viscount Milton.

CRAWFORD, Col. James David - General Secretary to the British Association in Montreal

Colonel James David Crawford (18__-1920), general secretary of the British Association in Montreal, accompanied the BA excursionists to the North-West and the Bell Farm in 1884.

DAWSON, George Mercer - Travelled with the British Association in 1884

Director of the Geological Survey of Canada: 1895-1901 - George Dawson (1849-1901), another member of this illustrious group, he is very well known for his presence in this photo at “Fort Misery” (Fort McLeod), B.C., 1879: He is the short fellow standing in the centre. His small stature is less evident when he is seated.

De HAMEL, Egbert - British Association Member - 1884

A manufacturer from England, Egbert de Hamel was born in 1844 and was the last tenant of Middleton Hall.

DESJARDINS, Alphonse - Accompanied the British Association in 1884

Alphonse Desjardins(1841-1912) was the Conservative M.P. for the Quebec constituency of Hochelaga. From 1862-1867 he practiced law after which he turned to journalism, retiring as editor of “Le Nouveau Monde” in 1878.

DILLON, James - British Association Member - 1884

James Dillon (1838-1916) was an Irish engineer, inventor and later the President of the Institution of Civil Engineers of Ireland.

DOBSON, George Edward - British Association Member - 1884

George Edward Dobson, F.R.S. (1844-1895) was born in Ireland and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from Trinity College, Dublin in 1866, plus several other degrees later, culminating with an M.A. in 1875.

ELLIOTT, Edwin Bailey - British Association Member - 1884

Mathematician at Oxford University, Edwin Bailey Elliott (1851-1937) was an Oxford Mathematician.

FREAM, Professor William - British Association Member - 1884

Professor of Natural History at the Royal Agricultural College, Dr. William Fream paid visits to Canada in 1884, 1888, and 1891, to examine agricultural conditions, describing his findings in a series of papers.

FREMANTLE, Sir Charles - British Association Member - 1884

Sir Charles Fremantle was the Deputy Master of the Royal Mint in London, England, and went on the tour with a colleague, Sir William Chandler Roberts, Professor of metallurgy at the Royal School of Mines in London.

KINAHAN, George Henry - British Association Member - 1884

George Henry Kinahan (1829-1908) was a distinguished Irish geologist and the District Surveyor for the Irish Branch of the Geological Survey of the United Kingdom.

LAURIE, Major General John Wimburn - Travelled with the British Association in 1884

Major General Laurie (1835-1912) attended the Montreal meeting of the British Association and presented a paper on the agricultural resources of Nova Scotia.

LONGSTAFF, George Blundell - British Association Member - 1884

George Blundell Longstaff (1849-1921) was a noted entomologist, author and a member of the British Association delegation that visited the Farm on Sept 23 1884.

LOUIS, David Alexander - British Association Member

David Alexander Louis (1856-1915) was born in London, England, and was educated at the Royal School of Mines.

PEGLER, Alfred - British Association Member - 1884

Alfred Pegler, was a well-known Southampton jeweller and British Liberal politician. He also served as a Justice of the Peace.

POLWHELE, Thomas Roxburgh - British Association Member

Thomas Roxburgh Polwhele (1831 - 1909), a geologist who studied at Cambridge, joined the British Geological Survey in 1857 and became president of the Geological Society of Cornwall in 1896 and 1897.

RIVARD, Sévère - Local Secretary - British Association Conference, Montreal - 1884

One of five local secretaries for the British Association Conference, and a former mayor of Montreal, Rivard acted as a local secretary for the 1884 BA meeting in Montreal.

SCLATER - Philip Lutley - British Association Member - 1884

Philip Lutley Sclater (1829-1913), born in Hampshire, England, was a lawyer, but primarily a zoologist, and served over 30 years as secretary of the Zoological Society of London.

SCOTT, Robert Henry - British Association Member - 1884

r. Robert H. Scott (1833-1916), was born in Dublin, Ireland, and was founder of Valentia Observatory and first Director of the British Meteorological Office (1867-1900).

Members of the British Association held their Annual Convention in Montreal, Quebec, Canada in 1884.

On Sept. 6th they, along with some family members and a few others, left Sarnia, Ontario and headed into the Canadian West. While the total number of people in the party was 117, only about 30 of them signed the Bell Farm Visitors Register.

The party stopped at the Bell Farm on September 14 while travelling on a special CPR train from Winnipeg to the Rockies. The train included seven sleeping cars.

The entries that follow are presented in alphabetical order.

Several lists exist detailing who went on the Wesrern Tour, One of these lists identifies the following members:

Lawrence Parsons, the 4th Earl of Rosse, Sir Richard Temple, Major General Laurie, Dr. Ashe, The Bishop of Ontario, Prof. J.P. Sheldon, Prof. Fream, Prof. B. Dawkins, Dr. Royle, Dr. W. P. Cheadle, Prof. H. Shaw, E.B. Elliott, Miss Winch, C. Calder, W.M. Beauford, A.S. Reid, G. Johnson, V. Kinaham, J. Symes, Professor J. Macoun, M. Rivard, G. Slater, R.C. Pilling, T. Hare, S. Bourne, A. Robertson, R.S. Broker, R.M. Barrington, A. Kinnear, H.M. Muller, E. Frankland, C.C. Prance, W.H. Pallows, M. Blair, A.W. Scott, H. Marsh, S.S. Turner, Prof. Macadam, G. Chatterton, G.P. Hughes, Miss Stalker, H.T. Menwell, A.W. Bennett, J.A.W. Oliver, W.A. Blackhouse, C.C. Leach, R.C. Brown, J. Cameron, C. Swanford, M.C. Clark, R.G. Brook, W.J. Sollas, Rev. H.H. Winwood, J. Robbins, Rev. H. A. Pickard, E.F. King, D.A Louis, W.H. Leach, J.H. Handle, Rev. H. Swanzy, F.H. Stockwell, Dr. McNab, Edgbert de Hamel, J. Bourdas, R.A. Robinson, H. Bowerman, H. Dubois, W. Hurst, A.D. Ottwell, S.E. Donson, S.W. Blowman, J. Frewson, C. Lawrie, T.H. Thomas, W.H. Merritt, J.F. Taylor, C.H. Kelmand, S. McIntyre, A. Desjardines, G.H. Longstaff, W.H. Leach, W. Unwin, W.S. Fellow, E. Withers, S.F. Harmer, Mrs. McIlrie, F.W. Harmer, C.A. Hirshfelder, Dr. A.C. Maybury, O. Jones, M. Brown, E. Fransworth, T.W. Newman, A. Traile, W. Brownshard, W. Topley, J.D. Crawford, J.W. Leahby, B. Williamson, W. Whitaker, Rev. Canon Ellegood, E.W. Jollas, R. Hazzard, W. Anderson, Mrs. Anderson, George and Jasper Anderson, Grace and William Anderson, F. Fargeau, F. Cummings, M. Argue, C.M. Pitman, A. Tate, Rev. H. Jones. (Mr. Alexander Begg, General Immigration Agent for the CPR in London, England, was also with the party.) Dr. Thorburn and Miss Thorburn of Toronto were also on the trip.

At least one male member (Robert G. Brook) had a camera along and took photos; while artist Thomas H. Thomas, who accompanied the tour, made illustrations for "The Graphic" newspaper - including a sketch at the Bell Farm.

SOURCES:

https://archive.org/stream/cihm_12442#page/n9/mode/2up - "British Association: Report of their Visit to the Canadian North-West" by R.L. Richardson, Winnipeg, 1884.

https://archive.org/stream/cihm_17071#page/n29/mode/2up - passenger list pg 13

Robert Brook, England - personal communication.

https://archive.org/stream/cihm_09228#page/n45/mode/2up Bell Farm visit by Alfred Pegler includes a great description of his hotel stay at Indian Head: 36,37-39,50,52,60 and 83

RESEARCH BY:

Michelle Cabana and Hannah-Rose Cabana, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

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British Association Visit to the Bell Farm - 1884

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