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18. ST. JAMES’ RECTORY |
| The first Anglican rector in York was George O’Kill Stuart [site 17].
Rector from 1801 to 1811, Stuart lived for a time in a two-storey stone
house on the southeast corner of King and George Streets(1). In 1807 his rectory became the Home District Grammar School [site 21](2). The second rectory was built for John Strachan, rector from 1812 to 1847(3). Strachan had been living in rented accommodations, awaiting the new rectory’s completion in 1818. Located on the north side of Palace (now Front) Street, west of York, Strachan’s home became the “Bishop’s Palace” in 1839 when he was appointed the first Anglican Bishop for the diocese of Upper Canada(4). Depicted on our model is the third rectory in this sequence, the 1825 Newgate (now Adelaide) Street rectory, which began as a hotel(5). Andrews was the hotel’s last owner and tenant, followed by the St. James’ parish clerk, the eccentric John Fenton. Fenton was also the clerk of the Police office. Rumour was that during sermons Fenton would lie back and cover his face with a handkerchief, and remain that way until the preaching was over(6). Henry James Grasset was the first rector to reside in the 1825 rectory. He had come to Toronto from Montreal in 1835 after being appointed as Strachan’s assistant minister(7). Grasset was made rector in 1847, and lived out his final years in the 1825 rectory. In 1902, during the centenary celebrations of St. James’, Grasset’s rectory was demolished and replaced by a modern version, which was itself demolished in 1963(8). |
Notes
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| © Town of York Historical Society, 2006- All rights reserved. |