Penetanguishene in Simcoe County, Ontario — Central Canada (North America)

Henry Wolsey Bayfield

1795-1885

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 7, 2024

1. Henry Wolsey Bayfield
(marker east side • English)

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

[English] Born in England, Bayfield joined the Royal Navy at the age of eleven and served in many parts of the world. While stationed at Kingston, Upper Canada in 1817, he was put in charge of the Great Lakes survey. Over the next eight years, he charted the coastal waters of lakes Erie, Huron and Superior. For much of this period Penetanguishene was his base of operations. Bayfield later surveyed the shorelines of the lower St Lawrence River, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. His charts provided the first reliable guides for thousands of ships navigating Canadian inland waters in the 19th century. Nautical surveyors still refer to them today.

[Français] Né en Angleterre, Bayfield entre à l’âge de onze ans dans la Marine royale qu’il sert dans diverses parties du monde. Mis en poste à Kingston au Haut-Canada en 1817, il est chargé de faire le relevé hydrographique des Grands Lacs. Au cours des huit années suivantes, il sonde et dessine les côtes des lacs Érié, Huron et Supérieur. Pour une bonne partie de ce temps, il opere a partir de son camp de base a Penetanguishene.

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Bayfield fait ensuite le relevé hydrographique des côtes du Bas Saint Laurent, de la Nouvelle-Écosse et de l’Île-du-Prince-Édouard. Ses cartes sont les premiers auxquelles peuvent se fier les milliers de navires naviguant les eaux intérieures canadiennes au dix-neuvième siècle. Les hydrographes les consultent encore aujourd’hui.

Erected by Ontario Heritage Foundation, Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Recreation/Fondation du patrimoine ontarien, Ministère de la Culture, du Tourisme et des Loisirs.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Exploration • Waterways & Vessels. In addition, it is included in the Canada, Ontario Heritage Trust series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1817.

Location. 44° 48.128′ N, 79° 56.016′ W. Marker is in Penetanguishene, Ontario, in Simcoe County. It can be reached from Jury Drive 0.8 kilometers north of Broad Street. The marker is located along the Discovery Harbour interpretive trail, about 0.2 km north of the Visitor Center. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 93 Jury Drive, Penetanguishene ON L9M 1G1, Canada. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Central Ontario Cottage Country

and specifically in Georgian Bay Country.

It is also in Central Canada.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once a British colony,

the Viceroyalty of New France,

the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

and Rupert’s Land.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 kilometers of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Métis Dwelling / Demeure Métis (about 150 meters away, measured in a direct line); Naval and Military Establishments on Lake Huron / Établissements navals et militaires du lac Huron

Henry Wolsey Bayfield <br>(<i>marker west side • Français</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 7, 2024

2. Henry Wolsey Bayfield
(marker west side • Français)

(approx. 0.3 kilometers away); James Keating (approx. 0.3 kilometers away); “Tigress” — “Scorpion” (approx. 1.2 kilometers away); Huronia Park (approx. 1.3 kilometers away); St. James-on-the-Lines (approx. 1.8 kilometers away); C. Beck Manufacturing Company / la société C. Beck Manufacturing Co. Ltd. (approx. 3 kilometers away); Penetanguishene Tercentenary Polar Sea Expedition (approx. 3.3 kilometers away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Penetanguishene.

More about this marker. There is a Discovery Harbour entrance fee to access the interpretive trail and this historical marker.

Also see . . .
1. Henry Wolsey Bayfield (Wikipedia).

Excerpt: While his education is unknown, hejoined the Royal Navy on 6 January 1806 at the age of 10, as a volunteer on HMS Pompee. Henry Wolsey Bayfield's journal, kept between 1829 and 1853 and covering his surveying efforts of the St Lawrence, was edited by Ruth Mackenzie and republished in two volumes between 1984 and 1986 by the Champlain Society. Although
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 7, 2024

3. Henry Wolsey Bayfield Marker
Looking west; Penetang Harbour is in the background.
Bayfield's surveys of Lakes Erie and Huron were detailed and accurate, he regretted also that his measurements were not more exact: "There are few things I should wish more than to improve the accuracy of the Lake Surveys [Erie and Huron] ... in consequence of my [having] only open boats & no good chronometer." He is the namesake of Bayfield, Ontario, Bayfield, Wisconsin, Bayfield, New Brunswick and Bayfield, Nova Scotia. Bayfield Street, a major road in Barrie, Ontario, is also named after him.

(Submitted on November 8, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

2. Henry Wolsey Bayfield (Canadian Encyclopedia).

Excerpt: Working from Québec City 1827-40, he surveyed and charted the Québec shores of the St Lawrence River and Gulf, part of the Labrador coast, also the east coast of NB; and from Charlottetown, 1841-56, the PEI coastline, most of the Nova Scotia coast and part of Newfoundland's coast. His surveys included the main river estuaries; the harbours of Montréal, Québec, Halifax and Charlottetown; and Anticosti, Sable and the Magdalen Islands.
Motivated by a desire to prevent shipwrecks and loss of life, he took pride in the accuracy of his charts. Bayfield was promoted rear-admiral 1856, vice-admiral 1863 and admiral 1867. His sailing
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 7, 2024

4. Henry Wolsey Bayfield Marker
Looking east; the Discovery Harbour interpretive trail crosses in the background.
directions were published as The St Lawrence Pilot (1860) and The Nova Scotia Pilot (1856, 1860).

(Submitted on November 8, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Credits. This page was last revised on November 8, 2024. It was originally submitted on November 8, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 146 times since then and 15 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on November 8, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.