603:, but came back to Canada in 1826 to spend five summers heading the construction of the Rideau Canal, the 200 km long waterway, which now connects Ottawa and Kingston. This formidable task included the building of about 50 dams and 47 locks, without the aid of modern equipment. But the amazing feat was never recognized in Colonel By's own lifetime, and he died three years after its completion, never imagining that many thousands of Canadians would greatly admire and value his achievement in the centuries to come. Colonel By's attributes of courage, determination, and diligence inspire us to emulate him, in the hopes that we too may somehow serve our country in a way which will benefit future generations."
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519:"Colonel By Hall 161 Louis Pasteur – Colonel By Hall, home to the Faculty of Engineering, is named in honour of Lieutenant-Colonel John By of the Royal Engineers, who led the construction of the Rideau Canal. Completed in 1832, the Rideau Canal was a remarkable engineering endeavour at the time, connecting a series of lakes and rivers to provide a secure supply route from Lake Ontario to Bytown, which became the city of Ottawa 150 years ago. September 2005"
371:. A huge explosion had occurred there on 27 November 1811, when “no. 4 Press House and the adjoining Corning House blew up, killing seven workmen and breaking windows in Hackney ten miles away.” By directed the reconstruction of the corning house and built two new gunpowder mills. He also introduced two new presses to replace the twelve that had been lost. The new presses, and a new design of charcoal press, proved to be more efficient and cheaper to run.
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The canal was completed in six years, and was acclaimed as an engineering triumph. It had huge cost overruns, however, and became a political scandal for the Board of
Ordnance. Colonel By was recalled to London, where he was accused of having made unauthorised expenditures. The charges were spurious,
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A plaque was erected by the
Ontario Archaeological and Historic Sites Board at Jones Falls Lockstation commemorating Lieutenant Colonel John By, Royal Engineers, the superintending engineer in charge of the construction of the Rideau Canal. The plaque notes that the 123-mile long Rideau Canal, built
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The second daughter was Esther March, born on 18 February 1819 in
Marylebone, She married Percy Ashburnham in Ticehurst in 1838, and had two children: Esther Harriet in 1844, who died the following year; and Mary Catherine in 1847, who died aged three. Esther March Ashburnham died on 6 February 1848
599:"Colonel John By (1779–1836) was born and educated in England and first came to Canada in 1802. As a member of the Royal Engineers, he worked on the first small locks on the St. Lawrence River as well as the fortifications of Quebec. He returned to England in 1811 and fought in the
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and a parliamentary committee exonerated him. By petitioned
Wellington and other military leaders to review his case, but the damage was done. He was forced to retire and never received a formal commendation for his great achievement on the canal. By retired to
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A sundial behind the present-day site of East Block on
Parliament Hill and overlooking the set of locks was used on that site by the Royal Sappers and Miners under Lt Colonel John By, RE in 1826–27. It was restored in 1919. During the construction of the
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valley, his first task was the construction of a town to house the workmen and labourers of associated services. The resulting settlement, called Bytown in his honour, was later renamed after the river. It was designated as the capital of Canada.
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310:, Surrey, the second of three sons of George By, of the London Customs House, and Mary Bryan. Nothing certain is known about By’s early education; Andrews suggests that it could have been at
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At the end of the war, By retired from the military. In 1826, because of his engineering experience in Canada, he was recalled and assigned there to supervise the construction of the
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as a military route and incorporating 47 locks, 16 lakes, two rivers, and a 350-foot-long (110 m), 60-foot-high (18 m) dam at Jones Falls, was completed in 1832.
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Secondly, he married Esther March in
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was named for him. It follows the first stretch of the canal 8 km through the city from Rideau Street in Lower Town to the falls at
426:. She died unmarried on 2 October 1842 and was buried at St. Alban's churchyard in Frant. Her parents were later buried there near her.
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There is some confusion about John's date of birth. His memorial plaque in Frant indicates that it was 1783. See p185 in
Andrews (1998)
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286:(7 August 1779 – 1 February 1836) was an English military engineer. He is best known for having supervised the construction of the
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Wellington's Men
Remembered: A Register of Memorials to Soldiers who Fought in the Peninsular War and at Waterloo
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John By married twice. He first married
Elizabeth Johnson Baines, daughter of a naval captain, at
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The Annual
Register, or a View of the History, Politics, and Literature, of the Year M>DCCC.XI
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between Ottawa and Kingston. Since the canal was to begin in the wild and sparsely populated
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Peninsula and Waterloo Campaigns 1808–15 Memorial, Rochester Cathedral, Rochester, Kent
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on 12 November 1801. Elizabeth died in December 1814 and was buried on December 16 at
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in Rochester Cathedral indicates that By served without injury during the conflicts.
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Colonel By Park is a waterfront park at Upper Brewers Locks on the Rideau Canal.
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For King & Country: Lieutenant Colonel John By, RE, Indefatigable Engineer
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was named for him on September 26, 1976, 150 years to the day that he and the
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The engineering building, Col. By Hall, was unveiled in September 2005 at the
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In July 1802 By was posted to Canada, where he worked on the fortification of
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953:"Tales of the Rideau – Bye By – The Story of Lieutenant-Colonel John By, R.E"
572:, Barracks Hill was the site of the military barracks and military hospital.
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was created from a revision of this article dated 31 March 2007
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in the process. It developed and was designated as the Canadian capital,
658:. Merrickville, ONT: The Heritage Merrickville Foundation. p. 185.
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Connolly, Thomas William John (1898). Richard Fielding Edwards (ed.).
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A plaque was installed by the Province of Ontario in the stairwell of
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Chain of Office: Biographic Sketches of Ottawa's Mayors (1847–1948)
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in Sussex and died in 1836, and is buried in the village of Frant.
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In August of that year, he was gazetted a second lieutenant in the
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Roll of Officers of the Corps of Royal Engineers from 1660 to 1898
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444:. He was predeceased by his son in 1847 (who had no children).
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988:"The Capital Builders: Lt.-Col. John By, spending scapegoat"
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Collision of Empires: Britain in Three World Wars, 1793-1945
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Henry By – born 1780, married; died 1852. He was buried in
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In 1812, By was appointed Commanding Royal Engineer of the
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Colonel By Lake is an artificial lake on the Rideau Canal.
1077:. National Defence Canada. 16 April 2008. Archived from
1055:. National Defence Canada. 16 April 2008. Archived from
619:, London, England, commemorating By's Lambeth origins.
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Plaque commemorating fountain in memory of John By in
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In 1979, to commemorate the bicentenary of his birth,
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Biographical Dictionary of the History of Technology
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George By – born 1779, died 1840, without children
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1322:Persons of National Historic Significance (Canada)
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1317:Graduates of the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich
460:'s statue of John By in Major's Hill Park, Ottawa
333:. In 1800 he was posted to the fortifications at
932:. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. p.
717:Bromley, Janet; Bromley, David (19 April 2012).
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403:Sculpture marking location of his residence in
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1163:"Lieutenant-Colonel John By Historical Plaque"
1093:"'Colonel By Valley' honors (sic) our founder"
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1012:Baptism records at East Sussex Record Office
846:An Ottawa Album: Glimpses of the Way We Were
830:A place where powder is corned or granulated
723:. Vol. 1. Pen and Sword. p. 1804.
706:. Veterans Affairs Canada. 20 February 2019.
903:. GeneralStore PublishingHouse. p. 2.
876:. GeneralStore PublishingHouse. p. 3.
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322:. He graduated from the academy in 1799.
262: 1818–1836)
242: 1801–1814)
200:Major's Hill Park, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
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805:. C & J Rivington. 1811. p. 147.
688:. Chatham: The Royal Engineers Institute.
356:); he was back in England in August. The
344:and on improving the navigability of the
1233:, and does not reflect subsequent edits.
1075:National Inventory of Military Memorials
1053:National Inventory of Military Memorials
820:. Bloomsbury Publishing. pp. 54–55.
1252:Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online
1071:"Colonel By Hall, University of Ottawa"
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485:and unveiled in 1971, stands in nearby
1139:. Cmp-cpm.forces.gc.ca. Archived from
1113:. Cmp-cpm.forces.gc.ca. Archived from
1025:. Cmp-cpm.forces.gc.ca. Archived from
464:John was honored in numerous places:
900:Our Canal: The Rideau Canal in Ottawa
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7:
704:Canadian Military Memorials Database
1111:"Royal Sappers and Miners sundial"
746:"John By, lt-col, Royal Engineers"
433:By was survived by two brothers:
352:before falling ill (probably with
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528:issued a stamp bearing his image.
179:CRE, Royal Gunpowder Mills, 1812–
1302:Pre-Confederation Ontario people
1260:Dictionary of National Biography
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320:Royal Military Academy, Woolwich
276:Esther By Ashburnham (1820–1848)
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100:St Alban's Church, Frant, Sussex
843:Marion Van de Wetering (1997).
781:. Routledge. pp. 210–211.
430:and was also buried at Frant.
337:, which were being modernised.
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955:. Rideau-info.com. 27 May 1915
775:Lance Day; Ian McNeil (2013).
1:
274:Harriet Martha By (1822–1842)
593:Colonel By Secondary School
494:Colonel By Secondary School
1348:
1023:"John By statue in Ottawa"
974:Lieutenant Colonel John By
750:The Canadian Encyclopedia
535:is the name given to the
41:
27:British military engineer
1292:Royal Engineers officers
870:Dave Mullington (2005).
849:. Dundurn. p. 105.
654:Andrews, Mark E (1998).
481:His statue, executed by
312:Sir Thomas Rich's School
229:Elizabeth Johnson Baines
170:Corps of Royal Engineers
1297:English civil engineers
924:Legget, Robert (1955).
358:Royal Engineers' Window
290:and for having founded
1327:Canadian city founders
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1191:Listen to this article
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499:The scenic parkway of
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213:Royal Military Academy
51:Royal Engineers Museum
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1186:at Wikimedia Commons
897:Peter Conroy (2002).
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365:Royal Gunpowder Mills
181:Rideau Canal, 1826–32
1242:More spoken articles
1099:. 27 September 1976.
816:Harvey, A D (1993).
540:August civic holiday
512:University of Ottawa
346:Saint Lawrence River
1307:People from Lambeth
1258:Biography from the
994:. ottawacitizen.com
700:"Major's Hill Park"
483:Joseph-Émile Brunet
458:Joseph-Émile Brunet
282:Lieutenant-Colonel
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1143:on 2 November 2013
1049:"Colonel By Drive"
976:Retrieved 28/4/21.
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496:was named for him.
478:was named for him.
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147:Lieutenant Colonel
1332:People from Frant
1250:Biography at the
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1182:Media related to
986:Deachman, Bruce.
910:978-1-894263-63-4
883:978-1-897113-17-2
856:978-1-77070-014-7
788:978-1-134-65020-0
613:Lambeth Town Hall
556:Earl of Dalhousie
552:Colonel By Valley
487:Major's Hill Park
474:area of Ottawa's
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252:Esther March
83:(1836-02-01)
29:
1282:1836 deaths
1277:1779 births
1147:4 September
959:4 September
531:In Ottawa,
526:Canada Post
342:Quebec City
1271:Categories
1238:Audio help
1229:2007-03-31
623:References
476:Lower Town
316:Longlevens
208:Alma mater
106:Allegiance
64:1779-08-07
18:Colonel By
755:20 August
595:states,
505:Hogs Back
492:Ottawa's
219:Spouse(s)
197:Memorials
186:Campaigns
139:1799–1836
1240: ·
417:Cheshunt
407:, Ottawa
335:Plymouth
271:Children
176:Commands
91:, Sussex
73:, Surrey
1227: (
1198:minutes
1184:John By
1121:18 June
1033:18 June
617:Brixton
576:Plaques
563:Sundial
537:Ontario
354:malaria
308:Lambeth
284:John By
264:
256:
244:
236:
232:
71:Lambeth
48:John By
36:John By
1262:(1901)
998:13 May
907:
880:
853:
785:
727:
662:
586:Ottawa
449:Legacy
413:Madron
395:Family
296:Ottawa
292:Bytown
192:, 1811
126:Branch
116:
96:Buried
615:, in
424:Frant
389:Frant
258:(
254:
238:(
234:
89:Frant
1149:2013
1123:2014
1035:2014
1000:2020
961:2013
905:ISBN
878:ISBN
851:ISBN
783:ISBN
757:2019
725:ISBN
660:ISBN
468:The
162:Unit
144:Rank
78:Died
58:Born
419:.
367:in
314:in
157:298
1273::
1095:.
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990:.
942:^
934:64
835:^
765:^
748:.
702:.
674:^
642:^
630:^
298:.
260:m.
240:m.
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