Colonel The Honourable Thomas Talbot 1771-1853
Text from the plaque
Founder of the "Talbot Settlement", he was born at Castle Malahide, Ireland, a member of the Anglo-Irish nobility. In 1803, after serving in the British Army, and on Simcoe's staff, he was granted 2,020 ha in this region and settled in Dunwich Township. Through political and family influence he obtained extraordinary powers to promote colonization. Talbot built mills, supervised the construction of a 480 km road paralleling Lake Erie, established thousands of settler in his "principality" and controlled the settlement of London. In 1817 St. Thomas was named for him. Eccentric and authoritarian, patrician in his manner and conservative in his views, by 1837 he had successfully organized settlement in twenty-seven townships from Long Point to the Detroit River.
Transcribed from the marker, not summarised.
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The County of Elgin
The City of St. Thomas
On the south side of Wellington Street
across from Queen Street
N 42 46.523 W 81 12.124
Recorded August 2004. Check current access before visiting.
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