F5
SIDE TRAIL, CRICKLEWOOD, 54 Cricklewood Cres.
(Plaque)
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Cricklewood
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East of this location surrounded by Townhouses, stands an imposing
Georgian house known locally as Cricklewood, although until 1956
the house and surrounding property were called Brooklands. Part of
this house was built by Matthias Sanders before 1813. He married
the original crown grantee, Elizabeth Denis, daughter of John
Denis, a boat-builder and U.E.L. Matthias Sanders was killed in the
War of 1812 defending York., and Elizabeth remarried an American
adventurer, to her subsequent regret. An early resident at
Cricklewood, the Rev. Isaac Fidler, rector of Holy Trinity Church
wrote in his diary in 1832:
There is no Anglican rectory and the accommodation available
proved far from comfortable. It consisted of half a house, 2 rooms
downstairs and 3 above. The upper rooms being lathed, but not
plastered, could be seen into from the outside....With two small
children and a new baby to care for, Agnes Fidler longed for
accustomed amenities. Had the inside of our residence corresponded
with the outside, it might have counted among the beauties of
Canada. It was delightfully situated on the summit of a hill, not
far from the church, and above a pleasant bend of the valley. A
perennial stream sufficient at all times to give motion to a grist
and saw mill ran through the grounds a little below. In front, but
a distance of 300 yards, were the expanded waters of a mill
pond....Behind this sheet of water was a thick grove of lofty pines
standing on a steep acclivity. The view from the house was
extensive and commanded a sight of Yonge St. for a considerable
distance on both sides. The village of Thornhill, a thriving and
increasing place was surrounded on all sides by families of great
respectability....
The manner in which we lived was not very splendid....The house had
no oven. One had been built which had fallen into decay. We could
sometimes have bread from York....It was not always possible to
obtain joints of fresh meat....as there were no butchers or
stalls....Our usual drink was tea into which a little whiskey or
brandy was infused, sometimes a little wine and water. Mrs. Fidler
occasionally procured ale for herself at 8 pence per quart.
Our landlady was a widow and had come originally from New York. The
former husband of our landlady had left her family of sons and
daughters, with a highly improved farm, with flocks of sheep and
herds of cattle and with 500 pounds in money. American republicans
have been frequently found prowling up and down Canadian search of
something which they might be able to convert to their profit,
regardless of the character or welfare of their dupes. Our
landlady, a handsome widow, with a handsome fortune was not likely
to remain undiscovered. One of them, a physician by profession
learned her history, was introduced, gained her heart and married
her. He obtained possession also of her cattle, her money, but not
of her land, for this was a grant from the government....and she
would never part with it. This American...found his way back to the
States where he had another wife. The cattle and
money...disappeared. Elizabeth Dennis died two years later in 1834,
age 53.
Erected by
the Society for the Preservation of Historic
Thornhill,
2004 A.D.
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