Mazo de la Roche 1879-1961

There are two plaques about this woman.
The first is in the County of York.
The second is in the Region of Peel.
Both can be seen on this page.

Photo by contributor Karl Jacob - August, 2007

Photo Source - Canadian Heritage Gallery

Plaque Location

The Region of York
The Town of Newmarket
On the shore of Fairy Lake
on the south side of Water Street just east of Main Street

Coordinates: N 44 03.074 W 79 27.287

Plaque Text

Born Mazo Louise Roche in Newmarket, this celebrated Canadian writer attended the Ontario School of Art and the University of Toronto. She established an international literary reputation when her book "Jalna" won the Atlantic Monthly competition of 1927. It was the first of 16 novels narrating the history of the Whiteoak family and set in the Clarkson, Ontario, area. The books provide a comprehensive picture of life in the province from the mid 19th to mid 20th century. Adapted from two of these novels, the play "Whiteoaks" opened for a run of nearly three years in London, in 1936. The author of many short stories, plays and poems, Mazo de la Roche is buried in St. George's churchyard, Jackson's Point, Ontario.

Photos by Alan L Brown - Posted April, 2009

Photo Source - Wikimedia Commons

Plaque Location

The Region of Peel
The City of Mississauga
1507 Clarkson Road North
south of the QEW, north of Truscott Drive

Coordinates: N 43 31.629 W 79 38.223

Plaque Text

Born in Newmarket, Ontario, Mazo de la Roche was a prolific writer whose works include novels, short stories, plays, and autobiography. Her novel Jalna, first in a series of sixteen, won the prestigious Atlantic Monthly prize in 1927, propelling her to international fame. Thought to be inspired in part by the leafy settings of Clarkson and Benares, the Jalna novels chronicle the lives of the Whiteoaks at their family estate. The series was translated into many languages and adapted for stage, screen, and television, making Mazo de la Roche one of the most widely read and popular Canadian authors of her time.

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Here are the visitors' comments for this page.

Posted January 20, 2011
Staff at Benares Historic House in Mississauga say the phonetic pronunciation of the author's name is MAY-zo de la ROASH. And that Benares is pronounced b'NAIR-ees, similar to 'canaries'. The nearby 1850s-era house is open to the public, and its visitor centre is visible in the above photo. Benares was the first historic property owned by the Ontario Heritage Foundation, which restored it and gave it to the City of Mississauga. -Wayne

Posted May 25, 2010
The plaque in Newmarket has been destroyed by vandals. It was forcibly removed from the post. Now the post and any evidence has also disappeared. So unfortunately, this historic plaque, is no more.

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