Carleton County, Ontario

Canada

Carleton County contains what, from 1867 onwards, is the capital of Canada, Ottawa. Earlier this was Bytown and first became Ottawa in 1855. Much of the early emigration to the area was from Ireland.

Many of the Scottish settlers came to Carleton County from the Loch Tay area of Perthshire. The motivation for this came from Archibald MacNab, last clan chief there, who fled to Upper Canada to escape his creditors. The government gave him land for himself and to grant to emigrants. As a result 84 settlers came from Loch Tay-side in 1825 to be met by MacNab and his piper and, after walking through the wilderness for three weeks, began to establish their settlement at Chats Lake in what is now McNab township in Renfrew County.

MacNab was as profligate, and as despotic, as he had been in Scotland. Provisions were given to the settlers with high interest charges and they were forbidden to work outwith his domain. As the settlers starved, MacNab threw lavish parties. The settlers called on various public bodies for help but MacNab's cosy relationship with the Family Compact, which then ruled Upper Canada, ensured nothing was done. The failure of his clansmen to enlist after his appointment as 'Laird Colonel' in the Carleton Light Infantry during the 1837 Rebellion may have raised some suspicions and, ultimately, the Crown Lands Agent at Perth was appointed to investigate the settlers' complaints. It rapidly became clear that these were well-founded and MacNab, sensing the game was up, tried to sell his lands back to the government for £9000. In the end he received £2500 and the settlers were given Crown land grants. MacNab tried unsuccessfully to sue his settlers for the 'losses' he incurred but failed and left for France where he died in 1860.

Despite the problems with the McNab settlers, there were still emigrants going from Loch Tay to the area in the 1830s as evidenced by the township name, Kenmore. Osgoode Township, for example, which had many Irish immigrants continued to attract people from Loch Tay including the parents of the future first Premier of Alberta, Alexander Cameron Rutherford, who was born in the township in 1857. The bulk of Scottish emigration to the area, however, was from the lowlands.

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