The Archives of Ontario holds several microfilm reels with copies of volumes relating to Peter Robinson, including Fiats for land grants to the Peter Robinson settlers (RG 1-162).
Series RG 1-162
- Title
- Fiats for land grants – Peter Robinson settlers
- Dates of Creation
- 1833-1862
- Physical Description
- 42 centimetres of textual records
- Scope and Content
- Series consists of individual fiats for land grants made by the Second District Land Boards as well as registers to the fiats. The series is arranged into two sub-series based on the type of record. See sub-series descriptions for further information.
- Administrative History or Biographical Sketch
- In 1823, as a form of poor relief, the Imperial government began a program to assist individuals from southern Ireland to emigrate to Canada. The settlement of these emigrants was entrusted to the civil administration of Upper Canada and Peter Robinson, the brother of the Attorney General of Upper Canada, was placed in charge of organising and supervising the undertaking. The first group of emigrants, arriving in 1823, largely were located in the townships of Ramsay, Huntley, Pakenham and Goulbourn on the Ottawa River, near or adjacent to the Lanark and military settlements. A second, much larger group of emigrants was brought over in 1825, locating in townships in the Peterborough area, most notably Douro, Otonabee, Asphodel, Smith, Emily, Ennismore, and Ops. Emigrants were given free transportation to Upper Canada, provisions during the voyage and for an additional year following their location on land, and the tools and utensils required for settlement. Each male emigrant between the ages of 18 and 45 years was to receive a location ticket for 70 acres of land, with the option of purchasing an additional 30 acres at a later date.
It was a complex process to receive a land grant. Many offices were involved and each office (Executive Council Office, Receiver General’s Office, Attorney General’s Office, Surveyor General’s Office, Provincial Secretary’s Office, etc. ) maintained its own numbering system for the documents it generated or received relating to these transactions. Within the Surveyor General’s Office, fiats authorising land grants to settlers brought to Upper Canada by Peter Robinson were filed separately from other types of fiats.
- Restrictions on Access
- Original records are closed for conservation reasons.
- Terms For Use and Reproduction
- Copyright is primarily held by the Crown. No restrictions on reproduction. Permission of the Archives of Ontario is required for publication; submit a Request for Permission to Publish, Exhibit or Broadcast Form.
- Immediate Source of Acquisition
- Records were transferred to the Archives of Ontario by the Department of Lands and Forests.
- Related Material
- The Peter Robinson fonds (Fonds F 61) contains a variety of records relating to the Peter Robinson settlers, including lists of emigrants.
- Availability of Other Formats
- These records have been microfilmed. See sub-series descriptions for details.
- Former Codes
- See sub-series descriptions.
- Finding Aid
- See sub-series descriptions.
Agency or agencies that created these records
- These records were created by the following Ontario government agency or agencies:
- 1833-1845: Surveyor General’s Office – BA84
1845-1862: Crown Lands Department – AA100
How to order these records
- From our Reading Rooms
- See sub-series descriptions.
- By Microfilm Interloan
- This material is not available through Interloan.
Sub-series that make up this series
- RG 1-162-1 – Individual fiats for land grants – Peter Robinson settlers
RG 1-162-2 – Register of fiats for land grants – Peter Robinson settlers
Sub-Series RG 1-162-1
- Title
- Individual fiats for land grants – Peter Robinson settlers
- Dates of Creation
- 1833-1862
- Physical Description
- 12 centimetres of textual records
- Sub-series forms part of
- RG 1-162 Fiats for land grants – Peter Robinson settlers
- Scope and Content
- Sub-series consists of individual fiats for land grants issued to settlers brought to Upper Canada by Peter Robinson. The fiats record the name, place of residence and occupation of the grantee, the location of the grant, and the date of the order-in-council authorising the grant. A variety of documents may be attached to the fiats such as copies of deeds of sale, memoranda of agreements concerning land, reports from the Commissioner of Crown Lands regarding land claims, and copies of Heir and Devisee Commission rulings. In the case of some of the later transactions, the extracts from reports of the Executive Council serve as the fiat.
Description numbers are written on the back of the fiats along with codes which identify the type of grant. Most grants were authorised either by an Heir and Devisee Commission (“Com”) or under the terms of the Regulations of 1804 (“RJ”).
- Restrictions on Access
- Original records are closed for conservation reasons.
- Terms For Use and Reproduction
- Copyright is primarily held by the Crown. No restrictions on reproduction. Permission of the Archives of Ontario is required for publication; submit a Request for Permission to Publish, Exhibit or Broadcast Form.
- Availability of Other Formats
- These records were microfilmed by the Archives of Ontario in 1983 as MS 693, reels 155 to 156.
- Former Codes
- Sub-series RG 1-162-1 formerly was RG 1 C-I-3, volume 153.
- Finding Aid
- No list is available for this sub-series.
How to order these records
- From our Reading Rooms
- For Sub-series RG 1-162-1, fiats #1 to #500, use self-service microfilm MS 693, reel 155. For Sub-series RG 1-162-1, fiats #501 to #508, use self-service microfilm MS 693, reel 156. Please note that microfilmed records are identified by their former reference codes.
- By Microfilm Interloan
- These records are available through the Archives of Ontario Microfilm Interloan Service, which allows you to borrow microfilmed archival records through a library or other institution that participates in the interlibrary loan system.
Sub-Series RG 1-162-2
- Title
- Register of fiats for land grants – Peter Robinson settlers
- Dates of Creation
- 1833-1862
- Physical Description
- 30 centimetres of textual records (1 volume)
- Sub-series forms part of
- RG 1-162 Fiats for land grants – Peter Robinson settlers
- Scope and Content
- Sub-series consists of a register to fiats for land grants issued to settlers brought to Upper Canada by Peter Robinson. Entries record: the Surveyor General’s Office fiat number; the order-in-council number; the Attorney General’s office number; the name, occupation, and place of residence of the grantee; the authority under which the grant was made; the date of the Attorney General’s fiat; a description number, which includes an alphabetical code to the type of grant; and remarks, largely concerning the payment of patent fees.
There is an alphabetical index to names at the back of the volume.
Original and typescript copies of the following document are found in the front of the volume: “Memorandum of the terms on which the Government has agreed to convey a limited number of settlers from Ireland to Upper Canada, under the superintendence of Mr. Robinson, and to locate them upon lands in that Province, and also of the conditions upon which such lands shall be granted.”
- Restrictions on Access
- Original records are closed for conservation reasons.
- Terms For Use and Reproduction
- Copyright is primarily held by the Crown. No restrictions on reproduction. Permission of the Archives of Ontario is required for publication; submit a Request for Permission to Publish, Exhibit or Broadcast Form.
- Availability of Other Formats
- This sub-series was microfilmed by the Archives of Ontario in 1983 as MS 693, reel 156.
- Notes
- Information found in Volume RG 1-162-2- 1 is abstracted in the Ontario Land Records Index, available in the Archives’ Main Reading Room. Copies of this Index have been distributed on microfiche to archives and libraries across Canada, the United States, and overseas.
- Former Codes
- Volume RG 1-162-2-1 formerly was RG 1 C-I-3, volume 154.
- Finding Aid
- No list is available for this sub-series.
How to order these records
- From our Reading Rooms
- Volume RG 1-162-2-1 is available on self-service microfilm MS 693, reel 156. Please note that microfilmed records are identified by their former reference codes.
- By Microfilm Interloan
- These records are available through the Archives of Ontario Microfilm Interloan Service, which allows you to borrow microfilmed archival records through a library or other institution that participates in the interlibrary loan system.