Flamborough was the last of the original 13 townships Lt. Gov. John Graves Simcoe ordered Augustus Jones to survey. Only a small section of what would become East and West Flamborough was surveyed during the first year – four full concessions and an indented shoreline or Broken Front along the north side of Lake Geneva (now Burlington Bay) was completed by the end of 1792 and first given the name of Geneva Township.
The surveying of the Flamboroughs bears the stamp of late 18th century thought, when symmetry and order were the rule. With the front of Geneva Township facing onto water and being the only entry point for settlers, the way the concession numbers ascend through the two townships illustrates how the administrators perceived the gradual rolling back of the provincial frontier – Concession 1 at the front, the highest number at the rear.
In East Flamborough Township, straight concession lines were laid down beginning at the eastern border, at the Purchase Line, and run westwards. Because of the indented shoreline of the bay, when the surveyors began laying out the first line, it resulted in a number of small irregular shaped lots of varying sizes, all facing onto the water and which became known as Broken Front lots. These concession lines later became cross-township roads – some transformed into major routes such as Parkside Drive and Plains Road; the others retained their numerical identity. Between the concessions, the land was divided into lots of about 200 acres each.
The surveying of Flamborough was completed in 1793, with the original four concessions, as well as nine more to the north (the 14th Concession would be added later). With the completion of the surveying of the future West Flamborough, the Township of Flamborough came into being.
Between 1792 and 1798, a series of provincial realignments and name changes occurred to allow for the election of representatives to the Legislative Assembly and to improve government. The changes resulted in Flamborough being divided into East and West townships. Members of the Land Board began accepting applications for property in East Flamborough – but its isolated location and the great distance from Niagara, resulted in little interest from early settlers who were mostly government officials and military officers.
Sylvia Wray is the former archivist with the Flamborough Archives. She can be reached through the Archives at archives@flamboroughhistory.com.
This article was originally published in the Flamborough Review, 19 June 2014.
