REVEREND ENOCH TOWNER, U.E.L. & RELIGIOUS EQUALITY

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When the United Empire Loyalists settled in Nova Scotia, some like Enoch Towner, by there actions changed laws.  Towner , originally from Connecticut, served as a Sergeant with Delancey's Regiment during the American Revolution.  He came to Digby afterwards and became a Baptist minister who, for approximately 30 years, travelled the area holding meetings and opening churches.  In 1828, he died at Sissiboo,  now Weymouth,  where his headstone is visible in nearby  Riverside Cemetery  . 


Headstone at Enoch Towner grave

The inscription on the headstone of Enoch Towner reads


SACRED
to the Memory of the
REV ENOCH TOWNER
who departed this life
June 16th 1828. In the 73rd year
of his age.
Who was a successful preacher of the Gospel more than thirty years of the Baptist Denomination.
They that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.


In 1800, Towner, performed a marriage ceremony for Jacob Cornwell and Sarah Titus. At the time, the Church of England  (since referred to as Anglican) claimed the exclusive right to solemnize marriages in the province.

Rector Roger Viets, the local Anglican clergyman, reported Towner to the authorities for illegally performing the marriage. Angered by the challenge to his religious authority, Viets and an aggressive mob chased Towner out of the town of Digby, pelting him with eggs and fish gurry. Local lore even claims that Towner stopped at the top of the town hill, shook the dust off his feet, and cursed Digby for 100 years.

The complaint escalated to the Court of Marriage and Divorce in Halifax. The Crown, led by Attorney General Richard John Uniacke , prosecuted the case on behalf of the Church of England, while Simon Bradstreet Robie  defended Towner.

Uniacke and Robie came from different backgrounds and held unsimilar beliefs. Uniacke was born in Ireland and among the rebels who attempted to capture Fort Cumberland in 1776. Robie was the son of United Empire Loyalists who arrived in Halifax and for whom Robie Street in Halifax was named.

In the final decision of the Court,  two important legal precedents were established:

1. Towner was cleared of any wrongdoing and marriages performed by non-Anglican ministers were validated.

2. The court officially declared that the Church of England was not the established church of Nova Scotia, striking a massive blow to Anglican exclusivity in the Maritimes.

By winning the case Towner shattered the Anglican monopoly on performing marriages. Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian,  and other non - Anglican ministers could do marriages without fear of prosecution. This was an important step towards religious equality across the Maritimes. 


Further Reference:

A General History of the Baptish Denomination accessed on September 15, 2026

A Geography and History of the County of Digby accessed on September 15, 2026


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