IRISH HERITAGE & SIR GUY CARLETON
March is officially called Irish Heritage Month in Canada and it can observed that the Dorchester Proclamation, which gave United Empire Loyalists the postnominal UE, was named after a man from Ireland, Sir Guy Carleton, 1st Baron Dorchester. Irish Heritage Month was proclaimed on 1 March 2022 by the Government of Canada as an opportunity to remember the impact of the Irish on Canada. It is estimated between 4 and 6 million Canadians are descendants of the 35 to 40 thousand refugees who settled in what became Canada after the American Revolution ended in the 1780s and who are known as United Empire Loyalists. For their loyalty to the British Crown, the Governor - in - Chief of British North America, Sir Guy Carleton, indicated on 9 November 1789, in the Dorchester Proclamation, that they should be given a mark of honour, the letters UE, representing Unity of Empire, after their surname.
What was the Irish heritage of Sir Guy Carleton? He was Irish by birth and upbringing. On 3 September 1724 he was born in Strabane, County Tyrone, Ireland as the third son of Christopher Carleton and Catherine (Ball). She was from Donegal, Ireland, son of Henry Ball, originally from Newry, in County Down, Ireland. His father was a landowner and descendant of Lancelot Carleton (1549 - 1615), a soldier from Cumberland in England who settled at Rossfad, County Fermanagh, Ireland during the early 17th century. Sir Guy Carleton was educated in Ireland until age 17 when he enlisted as a soldier in the British Army.
There is a plaque to Sir Guy Carleton in Strabane which chronicles his life. It states:
Born at Bowling Green, Strabane, Carleton was commissioned ensign in 1742 in the 25th Foot rising rapidly through the ranks and serving in several campaigns notably in Canada as Captain General and Governor in Chief of Quebec from 1768.
His policies acknowledged the French colonists and incorporated the French system of land ownership and inheritance.
Guy Carleton, 1st Baron Dorchester, KB (Strabane, Co. Tyrone, Ireland, 3 September 1724 – 10 November 1808 Stubbings, Maidenhead, Berkshire), known between 1776 and 1786 as Sir Guy Carleton, was an Irish-British soldier who twice served as Governor of the Province of Quebec, from 1768–1778 (concurrently serving as Governor General of British North America), and from 1785–1795.He commanded British troops in the American Revolutionary War.
In 1742, he was commissioned as an Ensign in the 25th Regiment of Foot and in which in 1745 he was made a lieutenant. In 1751 he joined the 1st Foot Guards as a Captain and in 1752 a Captain and in 1757 was made a lieutenant colonel.
In 1758 he was made the lieutenant colonel of the newly formed 72nd Regiment of Foot. He became a friend of James Wolfe.In 1778, Sir Guy resigned the Governorship only to be brought out of retirement in 1782 to act as Commander in Chief of British Forces in North America.
In this capacity he oversaw the surrender of New York to George Washington (among whose personal bodyguard was Captain John Dunlap) and the evacuation of British troops from North America.
Sir Guy was ennobled as the Right Honourable Guy Carleton, Baron Dorchester, in 1786; and was appointed Commander-in-Chief, North America.
How is Sir Guy Carleton, Baron Dorchester, acknowledged in Canada? There are communities named after him in Nova Scotia at Carleton , in New Brunswick at Dorchester , and Carleton Place in Ontario.
Streets bear his name in Nova Scotia at Digby , Glace Bay, and Sydney as well as in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island , Saint John and St. Andrews, New Brunswick , also Niagara Falls, Ontario ,
In Quebec there is a square named after him at Montreal and a road in Quebec City.
There is an island named for him between the border of Canada and the USA called Carleton Island.
In the nation's capital at Ottawa, Carleton University carries his name.
Other Irish persons of the 18th century who played an important role with the United Empire Loyalists and the development of Canada included:
Richard Bulkeley, born in Dublin, Ireland on 26 December 1717, a colonial administrator who became known as the father of Nova Scotia played a key role in settlement of United Empire Loyalists. There is a street named after him in Halifax.
Thomas Carleton, brother of Sir Guy Carleton, Lord Dorchester, served as first Governor of New Brunswick from 1784 to 1817. Carleton County in New Brunswick is named for him.
Sir John Johnson, born 5 November 1741 on Mount Johnson, New York, commander of the King's Royal Regiment of New York during the American Revolution, was the son of Sir William Johnson, born in County Meath, Ireland. The family is remembered at Johnson Hall State Historic Park.
General Richard Montgomery, who led the failed American attack on Quebec in 1775 was born near Dublin, Ireland on 2 December 1738 and attended Trinity College there. The place where he was killed during the battle and originally buried is marked with a plaque in Quebec City. Later the body was exhumed in 1818 and moved to New York City.
Walter Patterson, born about 1735 in County Donegal, Ireland served as first colonial Governor of Prince Edward Island (formerly called St. John's Island).
Further Reference:
Lord Dorchester's Proclamation accessed on March 2, 2026
1st Baron Dorchester accessed on March 3, 2026
