William Horricks was born 18 Dec 1789 near Manchester England and joined the British army’s Sixth Regiment Foot, at the age of eighteen.

William Horricks served in both Penninsula campaigns, under Moore and Wellington, fighting Napoleon’ armies at Rolica, Vimero, Corunna, Vitoria, Roncesvalles, Echelar, Nivelles and Orthez and was wounded at Corunna. He also served briefly in Ireland and in the Walcheren (Netherlands) Expedition under Chatham. In 1814 the Sixth Foot was shipped to Canada where William Horricks saw action against the Americans with Drummond’s army at Fort Erie.

In recognition of this service he was a recipient of the Military General Service Medal – 1793/1814 and was granted a military pension.

On completion of his service with the Sixth Foot William Horricks re-enlisted with the Glengarry Light Infantry in June 1815 but served only a year as that unit was disbanded in June 1816.

A history of the Horrick’s family, by John & Ruth Armstrong (1967) records;

In June of 1816, he was granted the east half of Lot-12 on the ninth concession of Drummond Township, Lanark County. This was a grant of 100 acres. The paper work finally came through on October 2, 1820. The original entry at the registration office reads “from the Crown to William Horax”. William’s grant was rocky land, not quite flat, and covered with elm trees, maple and cedar.

The census of Canada-West of 1842 (by which time William had been developing his farm for 26 years) gives agricultural data for the previous year. Of the 100 acres, 27 were cleared. The year’s produce included 80 Winchester bushels of wheat, 50 bushels of barley, 70 bushels of oats, 10 bushels pease, 400 bushels potatoes, and 60 pounds of maple sugar. The livestock consisted of 8 neat cattle, 2 horses, 10 sheep, and 5 hogs. William sheared 13 pounds of wool and the women wove 40 yards of woolen cloth. There were five children attending school.

In the 1842 census, following a long list of possible religions – Church of England, Church of Scotland, Church of Rome, British Wesleyan Methodist, Canadian Wesleyan Methodist … through Quakers, Jews and All Others – the Horricks entry was under the last heading. William was a real independent!

On 19 May 1823 the Rev. William Bell married William Horricks and Christina Esther Forsythe (1805-1891) at Perth. At the time of their marriage William was 34 and Christina only 17. Born in Glasgow, Christina was a descendent of Forsythe’s, Jacksons, Laidlaws, Leechs and Madews from Berwickshire and Roxburgshire, Scotland.  She came to Canada with her parents Thomas and Isabella Jackson-Forsythe who took up land near Middleville in Lanark Township in 1820. Her sister, Isabella Forsythe, born in Scotland about 1815, became a life-long member of the Horricks household

William and Christina had 13 children, four sons and nine daughters;

Isabella (1824-1903) married (1851) John Moulton

                Margaret (1825-1913) married (1850) Robert McLaughlin

                Agnes/Nancy (1827-1914) married (1851) Robert Moulton

                Thomas (1828-1917) married (1854) Bridget Woods and later married Ann Jane Magee

                William (1830-1861) married Harriet Walker

                David William (1832-c1832) was an infant death

                Mary (1834-1927) married (1852) Samuel Clark

                Charlotte (1836-1914) married (1856) Malcolm McNaughton

                Elizabeth (1838-1921) married (1859) Lewis Hall

                Jane Harriet (1838-1918) married (1856) Abraham Thresher

                John (1841-1896) married (1861) Mary Ramsbottom

                Christina (1844-1931) married (1865) Thomas Rathwell

                Esther (1845-1917) married (1865) William Roach

                Joseph Henry (1848-1920) married (1870) Elizabeth Cameron

William Horricks and wife Christina Esther Forsythe-Horricks died in Drummond Township, William on 02 Mar 1880 and Christina on 21 Jan 1891. They are buried in Prestonvale Cemetery.

Ron W. Shaw (2005) - scdhrcda@perth.igs.net

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Posted: 15 July, 2005

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