The Old Garrison Burying Ground 1794-1863

Photos by Alan L Brown - Posted September, 2006

A grave marker inscribed 'Katherine Simcoe, January 16,1793-April 19, 1794. Happy In the Lord.' once stood in this cemetery. It marked the resting place of the 15-month-old child of Elizabeth and John Graves Simcoe. Here in Victoria Square, a block of land southeast of King and Bathurst streets, a 2000 City of Toronto Culture Division plaque gives us this information:

Plaque coordinates: 43.642714 -79.400119

The Town of York's first burying ground lies within this park. Established by the British army, the cemetery occupies a 38 by 91 metre rectangle running at a diagonal across the centre of the park. The first known interment was that of Katherine Simcoe, the 15-month-old daughter of Lieutenant-Governor John Graves Simcoe and his wife Elizabeth. Many of the known burials were the wives and children of garrison soldiers. Notable interments include Christopher Robinson (d. 1798), father of Sir John Beverly Robinson; Captain Neal McNeale, killed in the Battle of York on 27 April 1813; and Lieutenant Zachariah Mudge (d. 1831), Private Secretary to Sir John Colborne, whose unexplained suicide shook the colonial community. The last known burial was that of Private James McQuarrick (d. 1863). Afterwards, an interim military cemetery opened at the foot of Dufferin Street, which was replaced with one on Garrison Common to the west of Fort York.

Related web pages
Town of York
York's first burying ground

More
Cemeteries

Here are the visitors' comments for this page.

Posted January 10, 2012
As a child I use to play in the cementry. I remember the headstones leaning up against a fence on the west side of the park. I went to St Johns',and my mother was born on Draper St. My parents were married in St. Johns. In records of the area, you may find the name of Margorie Burgon, who ran the clinic in the church. I do remember Rev. Robbie Robertson. I believe he was, and along with Rev. Bill Eby, the chaplain of the Irish Regiment of Canada. My mother often told me, that John Simcoes' daughter, is buried in the northwest corner of the cementry, and my mother also told me, that when they extended Wellington st, during WW2 they widened Druro Lane. I am pleased with the way the park is, and especially the section with the headstones.
Sinhcerely yours, David R. Burgon

Posted October 3, 2010
Where is the plaque now? (October,2010)

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