United Empire Loyalist

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Present-day monument by Sydney March to the United Empire Loyalists in Hamilton, Ontario

United Empire Loyalists (or 'Loyalists') is an honorific given in 1789 by Lord Dorchester, the governor of Quebec and Governor General of British North America, to American Loyalists who resettled in British North America during or after the American Revolution. They settled in what was initially Quebec (including the Eastern Townships) and modern-day Ontario, where they received land grants of 200 acres (81 ha) per person, and in Nova Scotia (including present-day New Brunswick). Their arrival marked the beginning of a predominantly English-speaking population in the future Canada west and east of the Quebec border.


The Union Flag, in its original form that was valid from 1707 to 1801, which can still be seen as a common Loyalist symbol in certain parts of Canada

During the American Revolution, a significant proportion of the population of New York, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, East Florida, West Florida, and other colonies remained loyal to the Crown. Driven out over their sympathies, many Loyalist refugees made the difficult overland trek into Canada after losing their homes, property, and security in the conflict. Others fled to colonies elsewhere in the British Empire. Following the end of the Revolution and the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1783, both Loyalist soldiers and civilians were evacuated from New York, most heading for Canada

Land in Canada was sometimes allotted according to which Loyalist regiment a man had fought in. Nova Scotia (including modern-day New Brunswick) received about 33,000 Loyalist refugees;[1] Prince Edward Island 2,000; and Quebec (including the Eastern Townships and modern-day Ontario) received some 10,000 refugees. An unknown but substantial number were unable to establish themselves in British North America and eventually returned to the United States. Many in Canada continued to maintain close ties with relatives in the United States, and conducted commerce across the border without much regard to British trade laws.[2]


The Coming of the Loyalists, painting by Henry Sandham showing a romanticised view of the Loyalists' arrival in New Brunswick

The arrival of the Loyalists after the Revolutionary War led to the division of Canada into the provinces of Upper Canada (what is now southern Ontario) and Lower Canada (today's southern Quebec). They arrived and settled in groups by ethnicity and religion.[3]





The government settled numerous Black Loyalists in Nova Scotia, but they faced discrimination and inadequate support. The government was slow to survey their land (which meant they could not settle) and awarded them smaller grants in less convenient locations than those of white settlers.[4] When Great Britain set up the colony of Sierra Leone in Africa, many Black Loyalists emigrated there for what they perceived to be the opportunity of self-government, and established Freetown.[citation needed]

Numerous Loyalists were forced to abandon substantial amounts of property in the United States. Restoration or compensation for this lost property was a major issue during the negotiation of the Jay Treaty in 1795. Negotiations settled on the concept of the United States negotiators "advising" the U.S. Congress to provide restitution. For the British, this concept carried significant legal weight, far more than it did to the Americans; the U.S. Congress declined to accept the advice.


Slave-owning Loyalists from across the former Thirteen Colonies brought their slaves with them as the practice was also legal in Canada. About 2000 slaves arrived in British North America: Some 500 in Upper Canada (Ontario), some 300 in Lower Canada (Quebec) and 1200 in the Maritime colonies of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. The presence and condition of slaves in the Maritimes would become a particular issue, because of their larger number and the lack of plantation agriculture. In due course many would be freed, and returned to Africa together with existing freedmen to re-settle yet again in the designated freedmen colony of Sierra Leone. Meanwhile an imperial law in 1790 assured prospective immigrants to Canada that their slaves would remain their property. From 1793, the trade in, but not possession of, slaves was abolished in the colony of Upper Canada. Trading was abolished across the British Empire in 1807 and possession abolished Empire-wide by 1834.

Most Black Loyalists, however, were already free, having been given their freedom from slavery by fighting for the British or joining British lines during the Revolution. The government also helped them resettle in Canada, transporting nearly 3500 free blacks to New Brunswick.[5]

War of 1812[edit]

The British government transported to New Brunswick and settled about 400 of 3,000 former slaves from the United States whom they freed during and after the War of 1812. It made promises to them similar to those made to slaves during the Revolution: to grant them freedom if they left slaveholders and fought with the British. Enslaved African Americans risked considerable danger crossing to British lines to achieve freedom. They moved to a new nation and frontier to make it happen.[6] The War of 1812 today is considered a great victory in Canada, which is why (for instance) Sir Isaac Brock, who played an early but vital role in the defeat of the American invaders along the Niagara border, is so celebrated there. Brock successfully headed off a planned American invasion of Canada from Fort Detroit, instead capturing the Fort and town of Detroit, Michigan; he was later killed while leading a hasty counter-attack during the Battle of Queenston Heights, and Brock's Monument in Queenston, Ontario was built to his memory. As recently as 2006, Ontario Highway 405 (which connects Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW) near St. Catharines to New York's Interstate 190 (I-190)) was renamed the General Brock Parkway in his honor.


Gathering for the Loyalist Centennial Parade in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1883

While the honorific "United Empire Loyalist" is not part of the official Canadian honours system, modern-day descendants of Loyalist refugees may employ it, sometimes using "U.E." as postnominal letters. The practice, however, is uncommon today, even in original Loyalist strongholds like southeastern Ontario. Historians and genealogists use it extensively as a shorthand for identifying the ancestry of particular families.[citation needed]

The influence of the Loyalists on the evolution of Canada remains evident. Their ties with Britain and antipathy to the United States provided the strength needed to keep Canada independent and distinct in North America. The Loyalists' basic distrust of republicanism and "mob rule" influenced Canada's gradual, "paper-strewn" path to independence. The new British North American provinces of Upper Canada (the forerunner of Ontario) and New Brunswick were created as places of refuge for the United Empire Loyalists. The mottoes of the two provinces reflect this history: Ontario's, also found on its Coat of Arms, is Ut incepit fidelis sic permanet ("Loyal she began, loyal she remains"); New Brunswick's, Spem Reduxit ("Hope restored").






In Canadian heraldry, Loyalist descendants are entitled to use a Loyalist coronet in their coat of arms.[9]

List of Loyalist settlements in Canada[edit]

Monument to United Empire Loyalists. Fountain in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada.


See also[edit]


  1. ^ Censuses of Canada 1665 to 1871: Upper Canada & Loyalists (1785 to 1797). Statcan.gc.ca (2008-10-22). Retrieved on 2013-07-24.
  3. ^ a b "A Short History of the United Empire Loyalists", by Ann Mackenzie, M.A., United Empire Loyalists Association of Canada, accessed 8 Feb 2010
  4. ^ "Black Loyalists in New Brunswick, 1783-1853", Atlantic Canada Portal, University of New Brunswick, accessed 8 Feb 2010
  7. ^ "Canadian Postal Archives Database". http://data4.collectionscanada.gc.ca/. Government of Canada. 
  8. ^ The Godfrey-Milliken Bill - A Canadian response to the Helms-Burton Law, Sam Boskey, October 29, 1996
  9. ^ John E Ruch, UE, Hon.FHSC (1990). The Canadian Heraldic Authority and the Loyalists (PDF) (Report). The United Empire Loyalists’ Association of Canada. 
  10. ^ "The Coat of Arms of Wainfleet Township". http://www.wainfleet.info. Bowhunter Websites. Retrieved 24 Jul 2013. 

Further reading[edit]

Primary sources[edit]


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