August 10, 2002:

Primogeniture, Military Service, the Established Church and the Franchise

In the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries the English class system was perpetrated 
(in Ireland and in Upper Canada) via four main instruments:

1. Primogeniture
which is the practise of having land and property passed on only to the eldest son or 
male heir at the time of death, i.e. land could not be sub-divided among family members. 
During the time of the Penal Laws in Ireland, Irish Catholics could only pass land 
along to the next generation if the landholder converted to the Anglican church.
A bill was introduced in the Assembly of Canada West in 1845 which would have provided for 
the bypassiing of the law of primogeniture in cases of intestate (no will) estates. Sir 
John A. MacDonald spoke in the house:
"The great majority of the people were against this measure as anti-British and 
anti-monarchical; it ought not to be introduced here for the very reason that it had been 
introduced in the United States; and it was folly to raise a monarchical structure upon a 
republican foundation. Primogeniture was an essential basis of the constitution; it was a 
vital principle of political economy. The measure which is before the House is calculated 
to make that which was a comfortable farmhouse in one generation, a cottage in the second 
and a hovel in the third; and under it, agriculture, instead of becoming a science, would 
be degraded, as it was in Ireland and France, to a mere means of life." (1)

While the practise of primogeniture was of great advantage to the eldest sons 
(winner take all), it imposed serious limitations on younger sons - they were forced to 
scramble to make a living in the real world. Their best bet was to join the military service...

2. The method of organizing the English military system
Officer positions in the British military were purchased, not earned by merit. This was 
advantageous for families with "old money" - wealth which had been amassed through several 
generations of promogeniture and who could afford to purchase commissions for their sons. 
It's interesting to note that George Thew Burke, the commanding officer of the 99th 
Regiment of Foot (disbanded at Richmond in 1818) had descended from a strong Irish Catholic 
family in County Tipperary. In order to advance in the military, he converted to 
Protestantism. In his old age he became Catholic again and is buried in the cemetery at 
St. Phillip's.
Even in the 1828 Carleton County Militia returns, there are only two Catholics holding 
rank above that of private: Garrett Fitzgerald was an Ensign and James Fallon was 
Quartermaster.

3. The "establishment" of the Anglican Church
An attempt was made in Upper Canada to recognize the Anglican Church as the "established"
church. Early on there was a close connection between the government and members of the 
Family Compact, i.e. no separation of church and state. All minor civil service positions 
(magistrates, sheriffs, fence-viewers, etc. were political/religious appointments. One 
seventh of all lands in Upper Canada were allocated to the Anglican church -- the so-called 
Clergy Reserves. The Reform movement, led by William Lyon Mackenzie, and supported 
vociferously by the Methodist and Presbyterian churches (who wanted a share of the 
Clergy Reserves) led to responsible government and the abolishment of the clergy reserves.

4. The Franchise
Only property owners were allowed to vote. This effectively dis-enfranchised Irish Catholics 
(notably the large numbers of canal labourers) women and native Canadians in the early days.

All four of the above were used to strengthen and continue the class system in England and 
also in the Upper Canada, including in the Ottawa area.

Land was allocated to the early settlers at Richmond (members of the 99th and 100th 
Regiments of Foot) proportional to the rank of the soldiers. The higher the rank, the more 
land was allocated (free) and the soldiers were pensioned off at half-pay. This was a 
tremendous advantage in a new settlement - free land and a secure salary for life, coupled 
with the possibility of a local government position, and the private sector employment perks 
enforced by the Orange Order.

Source: (1)  Sir John A. MacDonald, the Young Politician, by Donald Creighton, 
Macmillan Company of Canada, 1952