Upper Canada. Surveyor General's Office

• Surveyor General's Office

• Canada (Province). Surveyor General's Office

The Constitutional Act of 1791 made no provision for the appointment of a Surveyor General. Earlier instructions from the Crown to Governors Murray and Carleton, however, did authorize the appointment of a Surveyor General for the Province of Quebec (1763-1791) and this practice was continued by the provinces of Upper and Lower Canada. The first Surveyor General for Upper Canada, David William Smith, was appointed on 23 September 1792.

The Surveyor General filled many of the responsibilities held later by Ministers, such as reporting on the progress of the office or department to the Lieutenant-Governor in Council and the Legislative Assembly, and in making recommendations on changes or additions to the administrative system in place to govern crown lands. After 1827 these responsibilities were gradually absorbed by a new and competing office, the Commissioner of Crown Lands which was established as part of the abandonment of free grants in favour of land sales as a revenue generating function. In 1845 this conflicting responsibility was abolished with the full integration of the Surveyor General's function into the Department of Crown Lands, under the authority of the Commissioner of Crown Lands. With this change, a surveying branch (the Surveying Department-Canada West) was established within the Department in order to conduct surveying activities in Canada West.

The Surveyor General for Upper Canada was responsible for the orderly survey and disposal of crown lands through the administration of free grants and the sale of crown reserves. Activities of the Surveyor General included: preparing directions for surveys; keeping accounts pertaining to surveys and surveyors; reporting on petitions sent to the Lieutenant Governor and Council; entering authorities (O.C.'s, fiats and warrants) for land grants and leases; making locations and entering them on plans; preparing descriptions for patents and entering them; preparing annual returns; and making returns of vacant and grantable land to the Lieutenant Governor.

Constitutional Act, Statutes of Great Britain 1791, Chap. 31

An Act to ascertain and establish on a permanent footing the Boundary Lines of the different Townships of this Province, Statutes of Upper Canada 1798, Chap. 1

An Act to authorize the establishment of Boards of Boundary Line Commissioners within the several Districts of the Province, Statutes of Upper Canada 1838, Chap. 19

RAD: Rules for Archival Description, 2nd edn (2008)

2026-11-16: migrated to AtoM

Bishop, Olga. Publications of the Province of Upper Canada and of Great Britain, 1791-1840 (1984)

Lambert, Richard. Renewing Nature's Wealth (1967)

Agency not found in Canadiana Name Authorities, 1996-12-24

Archivist(s):
R. Anger