Downtown Yonge East in Toronto, Ontario — Central Canada (North America)
York's Second Jail
On This Site
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, May 28, 2022
1. York's Second Jail Marker
On April 24, 1824 the cornerstone of York’s second jail was laid on this site. In the aftermath of the Rebellion of 1837 close to ten thousand people stood on this spot to bear witness as Samuel Lount and Peter Matthews, two of William Lyon Mackenzie’s most loyal supporters, were hanged on April 12, 1838 on gallows adjacent to the jail. By 1840 a new prison, the Home District Gaol, was set to open on Berkeley Street and the old jail was to be incorporated into the York Chambers Building which stood until 1956. The last hangings in Toronto were at the Don Jail in 1962.
Donated By Standard Life Assurance of Canada
Erected 2003 by Standard Life Assurance of Canada; a Bruce Bell History Project.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Government & Politics • Law Enforcement. A significant historical date for this entry is April 24, 1824.
Location. 43° 39.007′ N, 79° 22.56′ W. Marker is in Toronto, Ontario. It is in Downtown Yonge East. Marker is at the intersection of Toronto Street and Court Street, on the
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Toronto Post Office/Le bureau de poste de Toronto (a few steps from this marker); Consumers' Gas Company Building (within shouting distance of this marker); Consumers' Gas 150th Anniversary (within shouting distance of this marker); York's First Jail (within shouting distance of this marker); Excelsior Life Building (within shouting distance of this marker); The King Edward Hotel / L'hôtel King Edward (within shouting distance of this marker); Adelaide Street Court House (about 90 meters away, measured in a direct line); Charter Meeting of The Rotary Club of Toronto (about 120 meters away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Toronto.
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker.
Also see . . .
1. King Street Gaol (1824).
The second King Street Gaol (also known as the Toronto Jail) was built in 1824 to replace the first King Street Gaol in York, Upper Canada (now Toronto). The new two-storey brick building was built on the north-east corner of King Street and Toronto Street with a wooden stockade enclosing(Submitted on March 4, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)its gallows. After the jail closed, the building was used as an insane asylum, then incorporated into the York Chambers Building.Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, May 28, 20222. York's Second Jail Marker(marker is on the northwest corner, facing Toronto Street)
2. Hanging Of Peter Matthews and Samuel Lount – April 12, 1837.
In 1837, Matthews was active in the political union movement pressuring the British government to grant reforms. In December 1837, he led a group from Pickering Township to join William Lyon Mackenzie's uprising. Samuel Lount first became politically active after the unjust expulsion of William Lyon Mackenzie from the Provincial Assembly by the "Family Compact." Lount organized the volunteers from the Children of Peace community in Sharon to join a planned march on Toronto. Wishing to set an example, Matthews and Lount were hung on April 12, 1838, in the courtyard of the King Street Gaol York (Toronto). They became martyrs to the Upper Canadian Reform Movement.(Submitted on March 4, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Credits. This page was last revised on March 4, 2023. It was originally submitted on March 4, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 74 times since then and 25 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on March 4, 2023, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
