Close Alert Banner
Skip to Content

Lambton County Museums Logo

Contact Us
  • Lambton Heritage Museum
    • Visit the Museum
    • Events & Programs
    • Exhibits
    • Collections and Research
    • Learn
    • Museum @ Home
    • Virtual Education
    • News
    • Get Involved
    • About Us
  • Oil Museum of Canada
    • Visit the Museum
    • Events & Programs
    • Exhibits
    • Collections and Research
    • Learn
    • Get Involved
    • News
    • About Us
  • Lambton County Archives
    • Visit the Archives
    • Events & Programs
    • Exhibits
    • Collections and Research
    • Blog
    • News
    • Get Involved
    • About Us
  • Donate

Red background with text in center that reads "The Rebellion of 1837-1838". In the bottom left and top right corners are different sides of a carved wooden box.

The Rebellion of 1837-1838

More
Home...Virtual ExhibitsLambton At WarThe Rebellion of 1837-1838
  • Open new window to share this page via Facebook Facebook
  • Open new window to share this page via LinkedIn LinkedIn
  • Open new window to share this page via Twitter Twitter
  • Email this page Email

During the nineteenth-century, non-elective councils made up of powerful families, trade companies, and church officials governed the colonies of Upper and Lower Canada. Reformers in both provinces wanted to replace the current system with a “responsible government” of elected representatives. 

A journalist, William Lyon Mackenzie, led the rebellion in Upper Canada. Colonial militia defeated Mackenzie's rebels at the Battle of Montgomery's Tavern in 1837, forcing them to flee to the United States. Louis-Joseph Papineau organized the nationalists in Lower Canada. His rebels won a series of victories before British regular forces defeated them at the Battles of Saint-Charles and Saint-Eustache. 

Both events inspired the Durham Report, which suggested the merging of Upper and Lower Canada into “the Province of Canada,” the creation of a responsible government, and the cultural assimilation of French-Canadians to an English way of life. The 1840 Act of Union adopted these suggestions.

Artifacts

After the Rebellion of 1837-38, over 1,000 men were jailed as traitors. Many prisoners carved delicate trinket boxes as gifts to loved ones, inscribed with verses expressing love for family and friends and celebrating freedom and liberty.

The box in our collection was made by Captain George Barclay. He was convicted of high treason and sentenced to several years in prison followed by banishment. After a few years in prison, he was pardoned. Barclay completed this box on June 25, 1838. It was a gift for his daughter, with two separate inscriptions:

Beauty is a flowe[r] that fades,
Soon it falls in time's cold shade,
Virtue is a flower more gay,
That never dies nor fades away

Tho' I be doom'd in Tyrants chains,
To loiter to the tomb
My mind will still while life remains
Be plac'd on you and home.

(Side View: Wooden box carved by prisoner. Poetic words are carved onto the side.), link.

(Top View: Wooden box carved by prisoner. Poetic words are carved onto the top.), link.

Stories

Andrew Harrower of Brooke-Alvinston Township

Andrew Harrower was born in Scotland.  He came to Canada with his family.  He eventually moved west and settled on a farm in Warwick Township.  He was married twice and had eleven children.  In politics he was a staunch Reformer and never missed recording his vote.

When the call to arms, with an order to “turn out”, went through the township of Warwick, Mr. Harrower, though a young man in the prime of life found himself bordering on a state of helplessness from a severe attack of rheumatism in one of his legs.  To attend the muster at Warwick Village, the place of rendezvous for the township, was impossible as he was unable to walk across the floor.   As the penalty for disobeying orders was the forfeiture of the owner’s land—which at first was held only by location ticket, and could be cancelled by the Government, he had no choice but to attempt to attend.

Harrower had no horse of his own at the time, but a neighbor kindly offered him the use of his, telling him if he could only put in an appearance and answer to the call, nothing further would be asked of him.  With great difficulty he climbed on the horse and rode it to the muster ground, and along the trail his bad leg was banged against a number of trees. Arriving at the muster ground he answered the call and sat down on a log, while the others were being put through a rude sort of drill.

Col. Freer, the commanding officer, caught sight of Mr. Harrower, sitting apart.

Going up to him, he asked in a gruff voice why he was not “falling in” with the others.   Mr. Harrower pointed to his leg, which he was unable to bend and told the Col. that he was unable to walk from rheumatism.  Col. Freer told him to sit there till drill was over and he would give him a cure for the rheumatism.

After the military duties of the day were over, the Col. went into a shed of his own nearby where he hunted up a bottle and from a jar of turpentine poured about a pint into the bottle, putting in a piece of camphor about the size of a goose egg.  Giving the bottle to Mr. Harrower he told him to make his way home as quickly as possible, by which time the camphor would be thoroughly dissolved, then to give the whole leg a thorough rubbing with the contents of the bottle, two or three times, which Mr. Harrower did with the happy result of a complete cure being effective.

~ Story told by Ruby McPhedran, Sarnia, Andrew Harrower was her great, great grandfather.

Lambton Heritage Museum
    • Visit the Museum
      Toggle Section Visit the Museum Menu
      • Accessibility
      • Group Tours
      • Gift Shop
      • Lambton Shores Farmers' Market
      • Woodland Heritage Trail
    • Events & Programs
      Toggle Section Events & Programs Menu
      • Events
      • Lambton Fall Colour & Craft Festival
      • Return of the Swans
        Toggle Section Return of the Swans Menu
        • The Tundra Swan
        • Tundra Swan Migration
        • Thedford Bog
        • Tundra Swan Migration Calendar
        • Tundra Swan Trivia
        • Origami Swans
    • Exhibits
      Toggle Section Exhibits Menu
      • Current Exhibits
        Toggle Section Current Exhibits Menu
        • Historic Buildings
      • Upcoming Exhibits
      • Virtual Exhibits
        Toggle Section Virtual Exhibits Menu
        • The Farmerettes
          Toggle Section The Farmerettes Menu
          • Recruitment
            Toggle Section Recruitment Menu
            • The Uniform
          • Camp Living
          • Leisure Time
          • Food for the Cause
            Toggle Section Food for the Cause Menu
            • The Doodlebug
          • Farmerette Stories
            Toggle Section Farmerette Stories Menu
            • Shirleyan English
            • Mary (Barnaby) Fountain
            • Mary Gardner
            • Janet (Howes) Hassan and Dorothy (Livermore) Flannagan
            • Farmer Jack A. MacDonald
            • Dorothy (Seymour) Maxwell
            • Moira Philp
            • Gwen (James) Phillips
            • Mary (Pulak) Pirie
            • Marilyn Purcell
            • Roberta (Henderson) Schofield
            • Joan (Hill) Tovey
            • Helen (Abernathy) Finn
            • Joy Yule
            • Alexia Clark
            • Janet (Hawkins) Firman
            • Ursula Rosser
        • Lambton Agricultural Hall of Fame
          Toggle Section Lambton Agricultural Hall of Fame Menu
          • 2022 Carolynne Griffith
          • 2022 Charlie Srokosz
          • 2022 Mac Parker
          • 2021 Dona Stewardson
          • 2021 Kevin Marriott
          • 2021 Sid Fraleigh
          • 2020 Bert Vandendool
          • 2019 Leonard McNeil
          • 2017 Brandon Bros. Stables
          • 2017 Robert and John McCormick
          • 2016 Art Griffith
          • 2016 W.P. MacDonald
          • 2015 Raymond Moorhouse
          • 2015 Tony Noorloos
          • 2014 Jerry Tiffen Ferguson
          • 2014 Charles Lawes
          • 2013 Ralph Ferguson
          • 2013 Lorne Henderson
          • 2012 J. Edgar Evans
          • 2012 Russell Hazzard
          • 2011 John Goodison
            Toggle Section 2011 John Goodison Menu
            • Goodison Artifacts in the Museum Collection
          • 2010 Lorne Gordon
        • Shine: Spotlight on Women of Lambton
          Toggle Section Shine: Spotlight on Women of Lambton Menu
          • Women Changing Roles
            Toggle Section Women Changing Roles Menu
            • The Evolution of Home Crafts
            • Changing Fashion, Changing Times
            • The Birth of Women's Rights
            • Women in the Military
          • Women Working Together
            Toggle Section Women Working Together Menu
            • The Temperance Movement
            • Bringing Art to Sarnia
            • Women's Institutes
            • Agricultural Societies and Fall Fairs
          • Local, Provincial & National Achievers
            Toggle Section Local, Provincial & National Achievers Menu
            • Teresa Altiman
            • Patricia Davidson
            • Charlotte Eleanor Englehart
            • Maud Hanna
            • Sadie Knowles
            • Pauline McGibbon
            • Maud Menten and Mary Jane Hutton
            • Eleanor Nielsen
          • Women at Work
            Toggle Section Women at Work Menu
            • Businesswomen Through Time
            • Agricultural Bees
            • Unusual Jobs
            • A Working Hymn
            • Telephone Operators
          • Women Who Provide
            Toggle Section Women Who Provide Menu
            • Guarding Family Knowledge
            • Early Nurses in Training
            • Family Ties in First Nations Communities
          • Women Sharing Wisdom
            Toggle Section Women Sharing Wisdom Menu
            • Teaching in the Community, Women's Institute
            • Teaching in the Home, 4-H
            • Teaching in the Classroom
          • Guiding Beacons
            Toggle Section Guiding Beacons Menu
            • City of Sarnia
            • Enniskillen Township
            • Municipality of Brooke-Alvinston
            • Municipality of Lambton Shores
            • St. Clair Township
            • Town of Petrolia
            • Town of Plympton-Wyoming
            • Township of Dawn-Euphemia
            • Village of Oil Springs
            • Village of Point Edward
            • Warwick Township
          • Thank You
        • Lambton At War
          Toggle Section Lambton At War Menu
          • The Rebellion of 1837-1838
          • The Fenian Raids and the Boer War
            Toggle Section The Fenian Raids and the Boer War Menu
            • Fenian Raid Artifacts in the Museum Collection
            • Boer War Artifacts in the Museum Collection
          • The First World War
            Toggle Section The First World War Menu
            • WWI Artifacts in the Museum Collection
            • The Home Front
            • Remembering War
            • The Youngest Drummer: Ned McRobie
            • Charles Oliver Fairbank
            • The 149th Battalion
              Toggle Section The 149th Battalion Menu
              • First Nations in the 149th
          • The Second World War
            Toggle Section The Second World War Menu
            • WWII Artifacts in the Museum Collection
            • The Home Front
            • The Gibson Girl
            • A Legacy of Poetry and the Written Word: Malcom Moncreif MacDonald
          • Modern Conflict
            Toggle Section Modern Conflict Menu
            • Brent Poland Artifacts
        • Nnigiiwemin / We Are Going Home
      • Past Exhibits
        Toggle Section Past Exhibits Menu
        • Capturing the Moment: Photography in Lambton County
        • Memories of Rural Life
        • Nnigiiwemin / We Are Going Home
        • North Lambton Quilter's Guild Show
        • Paint Ontario
    • Collections and Research
      Toggle Section Collections and Research Menu
      • Researcher Access
    • Learn
      Toggle Section Learn Menu
      • Lambton Heritage Highlights
        Toggle Section Lambton Heritage Highlights Menu
        • A County Named for Radical Jack
        • The Lambton County Crest
        • Ask A Curator Day
        • Pressed Glass
        • The Blue Water Bridge
        • The Legacy of Maud Hanna: Environmentalist, Philanthropist, and City Builder
        • Summer Nights at the Lakeview Casino
        • Sweet Maple Sugar
        • A Tale of Two Tunnels: The St. Clair Tunnel
        • Collection Highlight: Petrolia’s Horse-drawn Ambulance
      • At Home Activities
        Toggle Section At Home Activities Menu
        • Interactive Schooldays
        • Make a Photo Cube
        • Make a Sampler
        • Crazy Quilt Collage
        • Fall Apple Craft
      • Education Programs
        Toggle Section Education Programs Menu
        • Interactive Lessons
        • Live Sessions
        • In-Person Programs
        • Travelling Trunk
    • Museum @ Home
      Toggle Section Museum @ Home Menu
      • Activities
      • Lambton Heritage Highlights
        Toggle Section Lambton Heritage Highlights Menu
        • Collection Highlight: Petrolia’s Horse-drawn Ambulance
        • The Kettles of Kettle and Stony Point
        • Samuel Smith: Early Surveyor of Lambton County
        • Crunch! A Bite About Our Apple Industry
        • Ask a Curator Day September 15, 2021
        • Collection Highlight: Outerwear and Accessories
        • Looking into Lambton’s Closet
        • The Monarchy in Lambton: A Royal Fascination
      • Virtual Tours
    • Virtual Education
      Toggle Section Virtual Education Menu
      • Interactive Lessons
      • Live Sessions
      • Virtual Tours
      • Museum @ Home
    • News
    • Get Involved
      Toggle Section Get Involved Menu
      • Canatara Cabin Fundraising
        Toggle Section Canatara Cabin Fundraising Menu
        • Canatara Cabin Supporters
      • Membership
      • Volunteering
      • Artifact Donation
      • Support the Museum
    • About Us
      Toggle Section About Us Menu
      • Acknowledgement of Ancestral Lands
      • Our Story
      • Facility Rentals
      • Contact Us
      • Services

Contact Us

Subscribe to this page

County of Lambton logo

About Us

Lambton County Museums is the home of Lambton Heritage Museum, the Oil Museum of Canada, and the Lambton County Archives.

Website

  • Lambton Heritage Museum
  • Oil Museum of Canada
  • Lambton County Archives

Resources

  • Privacy Statement
  • Terms of Use
  • Website Feedback

Discoveries that Matter Logo

Copyright © Lambton County Museum 2020

Designed by eSolutionsGroup

  • Sitemap
  • Contact
  • Accessibility
Close Old Browser Notification
Browser Compatibility Notification
It appears you are trying to access this site using an outdated browser. As a result, parts of the site may not function properly for you. We recommend updating your browser to its most recent version at your earliest convenience.