Kingston Rectory Fund

Entidad colectiva

Kingston Rectory Fund

n.d.

In 1817 Lieutenant Governor Frances Gore granted to the Reverend George O'Kill Stuart, Rector of Kingston, and his Churchwardens, Charles Short and Hugh Thompson, Block G in Kingston, a wedge-shaped piece of land bounded by present streets King, Clarence, Wellington and Brock. The grantees were to serve as trustees to use lands and rents for the erection of a new enlarged Anglican Church (St. George's) and support of its Rector. The enlarged St. George's, construction on which started in 1825, was not built on this land but on the site of the current Cathedral on lots that were granted to Stuart and his Churchwardens in 1825.

The grant of Block G allowed rental of the land by leases up to 21 years with the rents to be used first to retire the debt and secondly to support the "clergyman who shall be resident and doing duty in the church about to be erected"(Archives of Ontario, Crown Land Special Grants, Liber D, folio 127).

It was not until 1836 that Block G achieved a new status. Faced with declining government support for the colonial church, Lieutenant Governor Sir John Colborne decided to activate the unused provision of clause 38 of the Constitutional Act of 1792 that allowed the governor to constitute and endow with land rectories within every parish. In February 1836, 44 rectories were created, including one for Kingston. The Reverend George O'Kill Stuart received as endowment Block C, adjoining the town and containing 18 acres, parts of lots 12, 13 and 14 in the 4th concession, Kingston Township containing 500 acres and lot 42 in the 3rd concession, Ernestown containing 200 acres. In 1837 when Stuart was inducted as Rector his Churchwardens conveyed their interest in Block G to him.

Thus were assembled the Kingston Rectory lands which were to provide financial support for the Kingston parish. Management of the fund varied but generally the Rector (later Dean) of St. George's and a committee administered the Fund.

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