John By

John By
Born(1779-08-07)7 August 1779[1][2]
Lambeth, Surrey
Died1 February 1836(1836-02-01) (aged 56)
Shernfold Park, Frant, Sussex
Buried
St Alban's Church, Frant, Sussex
Allegiance United Kingdom
BranchBoard of Ordnance
Years of service1799–1836
RankLieutenant Colonel
Service number298
UnitRoyal Artillery
Corps of Royal Engineers[3]: 14 
CommandsCRE, Royal Gunpowder Mills, 1812–
Rideau Canal, 1826–32
CampaignsPeninsular War, 1811[3]
MemorialsMajor's Hill Park, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada[4]
Peninsula and Waterloo Campaigns 1808–15 Memorial, Rochester Cathedral, Rochester, Kent[5]
Alma materRoyal Military Academy
Spouse(s)
Elizabeth Johnson Baines
(m. 1801⁠–⁠1814)
Esther March
(m. 1818⁠–⁠1836)
ChildrenHarriet 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]

  1. ^ 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)
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ "Major's Hill Park". Canadian Military Memorials Database. Veterans Affairs Canada. 20 February 2019.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ R. F. Legget. "John By, lt-col, Royal Engineers". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved 20 August 2019.