President of the Executive Council (Acting Lieutenant Governor) of Upper Canada 18121813

Sir Roger Hale Sheaffe

Artifact Repatriation Ceremony

27 September 2012 Queens Park

A message from the Honourable David C. Onley, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario

Searching for a Portrait, Finding a Uniform The path leading to the repatriation of the uniform and artifacts belonging to Sir Roger Hale Sheaffe, and the discovery of his official portrait, is like an episode of History Detectives: the search for one thing uncovered several others. The Office of the Lieutenant Governor has a large but incomplete portraiture collection of the 42 vice-regal representatives since 1791. I wrote to the Archivist of Ontario in June 2008 asking who was missing and was told that no portraits existed for six, mostly prominently, Sir Roger Hale Sheaffe. After General Isaac Brocks death at the battle of Queenston Heights, Sheaffe took command and engineered a great military victory. This led me to search the internet to learn more about SirRoger, whereupon I found the Sheaffe familys Australian website, replete with pictures of their visit to Queenston Heights in the 1990s and photos of Sir Rogers descendants wearing his uniform from 1812. Most incredibly, the site proudly featured SirRogers portrait, the missing item from Ontarios collection! As we moved closer to the bicentennial of 1812, local Niagara resident Linda Stanley, along with John Wright, chair of Wounded Warriors, began to collaborate with the Sheaffe family and the OfficeoftheLieutenantGovernor in a long process to secure the uniforms return to Ontario. Countless emails later, the Sheaffe family decided to donate the uniform and artifacts that their family had carefully preserved over the last two centuries and to come to Ontario for the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Queenston Heights. Meanwhile, it was discovered that the portrait on the Sheaffe family website hung at Alnwick Castle in England, maintained by the Duke of Northumberland, whose family members were the original patrons of Sir Roger. In short order, the duke sent a digital image of the portrait, and after careful work by the Archives of Ontario, the image was placed upon canvas and framed, appearing nearly indistinguishable from the original work. So, a simple letter from four years ago has resulted in the repatriation of the uniform of the victor of Queenston Heights, and, for the first time, the inclusion in Ontarios official art collection of the portrait of the seventh viceregal representative in UpperCanada, Sir Roger Hale Sheaffe.

Sir Roger Hale Sheaffe by Mather Brown. Reproduction of original oil on canvas. Collection of the Duke of Northumberland, Alnwick Castle.

Biographical sketch of Sir Roger Hale Sheaffe

Canadians who view the War of 1812 as an excuse to prod our American neighbours about the British having burned down their White House might be surprised to know that Roger Hale Sheaffe was actually an American, having been born in Massachusetts in 1763. Sheaffes adolescence was carefully watched over by the DukeofNorthumberland, who had established his North American base in Boston during the American War for Independence. The duke sent Sheaffe to boarding school in England, where he received military training. After performing duties in Ireland, Qubec, and Upper Canada, he was sent by Lieutenant Governor John Graves Simcoe to an Aboriginal community to protest illegal seizures of native lands by an unscrupulous settlement agent. In 1795, Sheaffe was promoted to captain. During the late 1790s and early 1800s, Sheaffe came to know SirIsaacBrock, and the two served together for many years. Despite Sheaffes reputation for being a harsh commander, he attained the rank of colonel in 1808, and major-general in 1811. Sheaffe returned to Upper Canada from a stay in England in July 1812, and was again appointed to serve under Brocks command. On August 18, he arrived at Fort George to command the forces at Niagara. The Americans

attacked Queenston on October 13, and Sheaffe was left to lead the defensive forces at Fort George while Brock took command of the battlefield. Brock died in battle, leaving Sheaffe as leader of the areas British and Aboriginal forces. Shortly thereafter, the Americans were pushed back, with nearly 1000 being taken prisoner. Sheaffe was lauded for his defence of Queenston. During the winter months of 18121813, he spent much of his time at Niagara in poor health and preoccupied about military defence. Brocks death caused Sheaffe to become the military commander in Upper Canada, as well as president and civil administrator of the provinces government. He opened the Upper Canadian parliament on February25,1813, and gave royal assent to many bills, the most notable of which was to provide support for the widows of the soldiers that fought in the war. By mid-1813, the public was becoming increasingly weary of Sheaffes cautious defensive strategy and his American roots. On June 19, he was relieved of his military and civil commands, and was ordered to serve in the Montral region until his return to England in November. He would remain a professional soldier throughout his adult life, and was promoted to the rank of lieutenant-general in 1821, and general in 1838. He died in Edinburgh on July 17, 1851.

List of artifacts
British presentation sword; leather scabbard with gild bronze decoration; leather waist belt embroidered with gilt thread and embellished with gilt bronze British Army generals coat of scarlet wool; white cotton cloves King George III royal warrant dated from 1812 granting arms to Roger Hale Sheaffe; two tins containing wax seals King George III letters patent dated January 30, 1813 bestowing upon Roger Hale Sheaffe the title of baronet Gold pocket watch and accompanying accessories

Acknowledgements
The family of Sir Roger Hale Sheaffe The Duke of Northumberland Archives of Ontario Mr. Roger A. Lindsay Ontario Heritage Trust Niagara Historical Society Museum Protocol and Public Relations Branch, Legislative Assembly of Ontario Ms. Linda Stanley Lieutenant Colonel Roy Weir Ms. Lani Wilson Wounded Warriors Mr. John Wright Photos from the 2012 New Years Levee at Fort George by Tessa Buchan.