Inventory Report: 32 West Street, Bronte Cemetery

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28: 32 West Street, Bronte Cemetery

1. Description of Property Municipal Address 32 West Street Name (if applicable) Bronte Cemetery Legal Description PT LT 32, CON 4 TRAFALGAR, SOUTH OF DUNDAS STREET , AS IN TW32476 ;

OAKVILLE/TRAFALGAR Location of Property Bronte Cemetery is located on the north shore of Lake Ontario and is bounded by West Street

on its west, north and east sides. Ownership Town of Oakville Access Site visit completed August 13, 2015 (AB, ES, CU) Current Use Cemetery (last burial 2009) Existing Designation Designated as a property of historic and architectural value under Part IV of the OHA (By-law

1987-294). Reason for designation is: “One of the oldest cemeteries in Trafalgar Township, the burial grounds on West Street date from the 1820s. The site was deeded by Philip Sovereign to Trustees of the cemetery in 1830. Of Palatine German descent, Philip Sovereign (1788-1833), arrived in Bronte in 1814 from Sussex County, New York. His son, Charles Sovereign (1798-1885), farmed the lands to the west of the cemetery until his death. The first burial to take place in this cemetery was that of Hannah S. Haviland, aged 4 weeks, who died on October 28, 1823. The following early settlers’ names appear in Bronte Cemetery: Adams, Belyea, Butler, Dorland, Lucas, MacDonald, McWane, Osborne, Ribble, Sovereign, Triller and Williams.”

General Description Bronte Cemetery is one of the earliest cemeteries in Oakville, with the first burial dating to 1823. It is located on a grassed parcel of land, overlooking Lake Ontario to the south. Mature trees form a canopy above the rows of 19th- and 20th- century headstones.

Priority Level Medium

Figure 1: View of Bronte Cemetery, showing rows of varying gravemarkers and tree plantings (mature and newer) (CU, 2015)

West St.

West St.

Drainage Swale

LakeOntario

West St.

West St.

Drainage Swale

LakeOntario

LEGEND

Bronte CemeteryCultural Heritage LandscapeInventory Map

Drawing not to scale

Corporation of theTown of Oakville1225 Trafalgar RdOakville, ONL6H 0H3

Woodlot

Watercourse

Site Structures

Assessment Boundary

Building

CHL Study Area

Heritage District

Heritage Trail

Parkland

Park Trail

Road

Cemetery

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2. Key Recommendations Priority = Medium

Rationale for priority level:

• Vulnerability for loss of cultural heritage resources due to erosion;1 and • All existing built and natural cultural heritage resources may not have been identified or included in current

designation.

Recommendations for future action:

• Prepare a full evaluation report to confirm and update the heritage attributes of the property (in particular the remaining grave markers);

• Amend the designation by-law to clarify and correct the statement of cultural heritage value and description of heritage attributes; and

• Prepare an inventory and conservation plan to ensure ongoing maintenance and repair of historical resources.

3. Documentation and Inventory of Built Form List of Built Features:

• Grave markers arranged in rough rows and varying in materials, scale and style.2

4. Documentation and Inventory of Natural Form List of Natural Features:

• The Lake Ontario shoreline; • A drainage swale at the north end of the cemetery that is manicured and lined with paving stones, and enters a

culvert under West St at either side; • Mature Red Oak, White Pine, Mulberry, Sugar Maple, Black Locust, Black Cherry; • New plantings of Oak and Tulip Tree; and • A small, naturalized, shallow hollow near the centre of the cemetery; possibly the base of a massive, rotted-out tree

stump.

5. Design (Typology) ‘X’ all that

apply Categories of Cultural Heritage Landscape

Description

Designed Landscape “…clearly defined landscape designed and created intentionally by man.”

X Organically Evolved Landscape

“…results from an initial social, economic, administrative, and/or religious imperative and has developed in its present form in response to its natural environment”

1 The Town has stabilized the slope, adding square re-bar to re-inforce the shoreline. It may, however, be advisable to undertake a full evaluation and documentation of the cemetery in the event of failure or future destabilization and erosion. 2 The Bronte Cemetery is expected to undergo monument restoration beginning in 2016.

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‘X’ all that apply

Categories of Cultural Heritage Landscape

Description

X Relict Landscape (Evolved Landscape)

“…in which an evolutionary process came to an end at some time in the past.”

Continuing Landscape (Evolved Landscape)

“…retains an active social role in contemporary society closely associated with the traditional way of life, and which the evolutionary process is still in progress.”

Associative Cultural Landscape

“…justifiable by virtue of the powerful religious, artistic, or cultural associations of the natural element rather than material cultural evidence, which may be insignificant or even absent.”

6. Historical and Thematic Associations The Bronte cemetery is one of the oldest cemeteries in Trafalgar Township, dating from the 1820s. It is located on land that was owned by Philip Sovereign, who arrived in Bronte in 1814. The earliest recorded burial was the body of 4-week-old Hannah Haviland in 1823. Philip formally deeded the land to the cemetery in 1830 and both he and his son Charles are buried there. Other early families represented in the cemetery include: Adams, Belyea, Butler, Dorland, Lucas, MacDonald, McWane, Osborne, Ribble, Sovereign, Triller, and William. Charles Sovereign farmed the land to the west of the cemetery. He is credited with opening Bronte’s first school in 1815, on his father’s land, at the age of 17, and he became the first local school inspector in 1842. Charles Sovereign’s home, Sovereign House, was relocated in 1988 to its current location at 7 West River Road, just east of the cemetery, to avoid demolition.

Both Philip and Charles Sovereign are buried in Bronte Cemetery, along with some of Oakville’s earliest black settlers.

7. Contextual Associations Bronte Cemetery overlooks Lake Ontario and is just west of Bronte Harbour and Bronte Bluffs and just east of the new location of Sovereign House.

8. Evaluation (O. Reg 9/06)

O.Reg.9/06 Criteria Criteria

Potentially Met (Y/N)

Potential Justification

1. The property has design value or physical value because it,

i. is a rare, unique, representative or early example of a style, type, expression, material, or construction method,

N Not shown.

ii. displays a high degree of craftsmanship or artistic merit, or

N Not shown.

iii. demonstrates a high degree of technical or scientific achievement.

N Not shown.

2. The property has historical value or associative value because it,

Inventory Report: 32 West Street, Bronte Cemetery

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O.Reg.9/06 Criteria Criteria

Potentially Met (Y/N)

Potential Justification

i. has direct associations with a theme, event, belief, person, activity, organization or institution that is significant to a community,

Y

The cemetery is associated with the early settlement of Oakville. It is one of Oakville’s earliest cemeteries, with the first burial dating to 1823. It is the resting place of members of many of Oakville’s earliest families including some of the earliest Black settlers. It is associated in particular with early settler Philip Sovereign, on whose property the cemetery was established.

ii. yields, or has the potential to yield, information that contributes to an understanding of a community or culture, or

Y

In addition to the high likelihood of unmarked burials, the property exhibits archaeological potential, based on its location and proximity to a number of features often associated with First Nations occupation.

iii. demonstrates or reflects the work or ideas of an architect, artist, builder, designer or theorist who is significant to a community.

N Not shown.

3. The property has contextual value because it,

i. is important in defining, maintaining or supporting the character of an area,

Y It may support the character of the area.

ii. is physically, functionally, visually or historically linked to its surroundings, or

Y It is historically linked to the Harbour and to Sovereign House.

iii. is a landmark. Y The Bronte Pioneer Cemetery is a landmark.

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9. Photographic Documentation

Figure 3: Bronte Cemetery, southern end. Shoreline erosion has resulted in the loss of burials and gravemarkers at the southernmost edge of the cemetery over its history (CU, 2015)

Figure 4: Philip Sovereign's gravemarker, sunken and lying flat, with several other early headstones in the background (CU, 2015)

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10. Analysis & Recommendations Potential Heritage Value:

Bronte Cemetery is associated with the early settlement of Oakville. It is one of Oakville’s oldest cemeteries, with the first burial dating to 1823. It is the resting place of members of many of Oakville’s earliest families, including some of the earliest Black settlers. It is associated in particular with Philip Sovereign, on whose property the cemetery was established, and his son Charles, who lived and farmed nearby and whose house has been moved to a site just east of the cemetery.

The property exhibits archaeological potential because of the high likelihood of unmarked burials and based on its location and proximity to a number of features often associated with First Nations occupation. It is historically linked to Oakville Harbour and Sovereign House, and may support the character of the area. It functions as a minor landmark.

Actions:

Bronte Cemetery is designated under Part IV of the OHA (By-law 1987-294). The existing designation by-law protects the property and sets out some of the heritage values of the property. It could be improved to conform to post-2005 requirements for designation by-laws by augmenting the description of heritage value and adding a list of heritage attributes. A full evaluation of the property would provide the information necessary to write an appropriate statement of cultural heritage value in keeping with the current requirements of the OHA.

Given that the property is already protected by the existing by-law, these improvements would serve to clarify the heritage value of the property for conservation purposes. Section 30.1 OHA provides that municipal council may amend a designation by-law without going through the designation process again, if the purpose of the amendment is to clarify or correct the statement explaining the property’s cultural heritage value or the description of the property’s heritage attributes.

A ‘medium’ priority level is recommended for the following reasons:

• Vulnerability for loss of cultural heritage resources due to erosion;3 and • All existing built and natural cultural heritage resources may not have been identified or included in current

designation.

11. Sources Town of Oakville, "By-Law 1987-294: A by-law to designate a certain property as a property of historic and architectural value and interest (Bronte Cemetery), 1987.

Town of Oakville, "Bronte Heritage Resources Overview and Strategy," Report prepared by Heritage Planning, Planning Services, September 2011.

Canadian Register of Historic Places, "Bronte Cemetery," on Canada's Historic Places, accessed September 2015 http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=15154.

Canada GenWeb, "Bronte Cemetery," on Canada GenWeb's Cemetery Project website, accessed September 2015 http://geneofun.on.ca/cems/ON/ONHTN11306?PHPSESSID=2e97d2c8a89e9451a85c9847291af5e8

3 The Town has stabilized the slope, adding square re-bar to re-inforce the shoreline. It may, however, be advisable to undertake a full evaluation and documentation of the cemetery in the event of failure or future destabilization and erosion.

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12. Appendix A SCHEDULE A TO BY-LAW 1987-294

One of the oldest cemeteries in Trafalgar Township, the burial grounds on West Street date from the 1820s. The site was deeded by Philip Sovereign to Trustees of the cemetery in 1830.

Of Palatine German descent, Philip Sovereign (1778-1833?), arrived in Bronte in 1814 from Sussex County, New York. His son, Charles Sovereign (1798-1885), farmed the lands to the west of the cemetery until his death.

The first burial to take place in this cemetery was that of Hanna S. Haviland, aged 4 weeks, who died on October 28, 1823.

The following early settlers’ names appear in Bronte Cemetery: Adams, Belyea, Butler, Dorland, Lucas, MacDonald, McWane, Osborne, Ribble, Sovereign, Triller, and Williams.