John By | |
|---|---|
 John By Royal Engineers Museum | |
| Born | 7 August 1779[1][2] Lambeth, Surrey |
| Died | 1 February 1836 (aged 56) Shernfold Park, Frant, Sussex |
| Buried | St Alban's Church, Frant, Sussex |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Branch | Board of Ordnance |
| Years of service | 1799–1836 |
| Rank | Lieutenant Colonel |
| Service number | 298 |
| Unit | Royal Artillery Corps of Royal Engineers[3]: 14 |
| Commands | CRE, Royal Gunpowder Mills, 1812– Rideau Canal, 1826–32 |
| Campaigns | Peninsular War, 1811[3] |
| Memorials | Major's Hill Park, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada[4] Peninsula and Waterloo Campaigns 1808–15 Memorial, Rochester Cathedral, Rochester, Kent[5] |
| Alma mater | Royal Military Academy |
| Spouse(s) | Elizabeth Johnson Baines
(m. 1801–1814)Esther March (m. 1818–1836) |
| Children | Harriet Martha By (1822–1842) Esther By Ashburnham (1820–1848) |
Lieutenant-Colonel John By (7 August 1779[1] – 1 February 1836) was an English military engineer. He is best known for having supervised the construction of the Rideau Canal and for having founded Bytown in the process. It developed and was designated as the Canadian capital, Ottawa.[6]
- ^ a b There is some confusion about John's date of birth. His memorial plaque in Frant indicates that it was 1783. See p185 in Andrews (1998)
- ^ Andrews, Mark E (1998). For King & Country: Lieutenant Colonel John By, RE, Indefatigable Engineer. Merrickville, ONT: The Heritage Merrickville Foundation. p. 185. ISBN 0-9684014-0-6.
- ^ a b Connolly, Thomas William John (1898). Richard Fielding Edwards (ed.). Roll of Officers of the Corps of Royal Engineers from 1660 to 1898. Chatham: The Royal Engineers Institute.
- ^ "Major's Hill Park". Canadian Military Memorials Database. Veterans Affairs Canada. 20 February 2019.
- ^ Bromley, Janet; Bromley, David (19 April 2012). Wellington's Men Remembered: A Register of Memorials to Soldiers who Fought in the Peninsular War and at Waterloo. Vol. 1. Pen and Sword. p. 1804. ISBN 9781781594124.
- ^ R. F. Legget. "John By, lt-col, Royal Engineers". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved 20 August 2019.