Nov
2
By Anne Draper
The Maple Leaf, our emblem dear
The Maple Leaf forever!
God save our Queen and Heaven bless
The Maple Leaf forever!
Mayor’s Grove in Beacon Hill Park is the site of a mature red maple tree numbered 23 on a green signpost. On July 22, 2014, led by a traditional piper, Lieutenant Governor Judith Guichon unveiled a new commemorative stone to honour the hundredth year anniversary of the United Empire Loyalists of Canada Association. When the Union Jack was lifted from the polished black granite stone, the following words were revealed:
This tree planted May, 1939 by United Empire Loyalists, Victoria Branch, to Their Majesties King George VI and Queen Elizabeth on Their first visit to The Dominion of Canada and Victoria.
The inscription on the original grey stone is “Planted by United Empire Loyalists to honour the visit of The King and Queen, May 1939.” Following the unveiling of the original grey stone, the members of the United Empire Loyalists Association sang “The Maple Leaf Forever”, “O Canada”, and “God Save the King.”
Given by King George III, the title of United Empire Loyalist is the only heritage title allowed in Canada. The title is the result of colonists making the trek to Upper Canada from the Thirteen Colonies because of their refusal to accept a tax issue. Those who were a part of this exodus, which occurred between the years of 1784 and 1793, were the original United Empire Loyalists. Refugees who had borne arms were given land along the St. Lawrence.
It was proclaimed that “Loyalist Families who had adhered to the Unity of the Empire and had joined The Royal Standard before The Treaty of Separation in the year 1783 and all their children and descendants by either sex are to be distinguished by the following capitals affixed to their names: U.E. alluding to their great principle, The Unity of the Empire.” In addition, Loyalist descendants who live in New Zealand or Australia or in most any country in the world are also recognized as such.
The arrival of the Loyalists precipitated the division of Canada into Upper Canada (currently southern Ontario) and Lower Canada (currently southern Quebec) because the Loyalists petitioned the government to be allowed to live under the British legal system, rather than the French system which was still in place after the fall of Quebec to Great Britain. To accommodate this request, Canada was divided into Upper and Lower so that French speaking citizens could continue to follow French civil law and the Catholic religion while English speaking citizens could follow the English laws and institutions.
In Victoria, 83 descendants of the United Empire Loyalists have created a social group that meets four times a year to plan banquets, luncheons, and a summer picnic that raises funds to provide scholarships for the University of Victoria’s Canadian History program. The initial meeting of the Victoria descendants occurred on February 4, 1927 in the Assembly Room of the Legislative Building Library. The twenty-four UEL descendants who met were mostly business men wanting to become a part of the Canadian Association of Loyalists. These members worked on improving the new constitution by adding two amendments:
To perpetuate the memory of the Loyalists, their allegiance to the British flag and the part the Loyalists played in building Canada.
To use every effort to have the true history of our country taught in our schools.
According to the Treasurer’s statement of 1927, membership fees were set at $1.00 a year.
The descendants of the United Empire Loyalists have established an annual conference. In 2015, it will be held in Victoria at the Coast Harbourside Hotel in James Bay. Many descendants of the United Empire Loyalists (UEL) will be attending.
The maple tree in Mayor’s Grove waits patiently.
Thank you to members who have helped create this important part of our Canadian history.
Sources
uelac.org/branches.php
unitedempireloyalistsvictoriabranchbritishcolumbia web page
Maralyn Wilkinson UE (email) ancestor@gmail.com Genealogist