The main building pictured here was not the school; such accommodations were too sumptuous for a school. They served as the residence of the principal. The school, Toronto's first, designated the "Home District Grammar School," was stashed in the ratty little one-room shed attached to the main house, sometimes referred to as "the root-house."
This stone pile, consisting of rough boulders from
a nearby quarry, was considered so ugly - even by the owners - that they had the walls covered with wooden boards, as a matter of compassion for the passersby.
The drawing above shows the building in later years, when it served as George Duggan's home and place of business.
The first principal was less than a resounding success. The Rev. George O'Kill Stuart, D.D., had graduated from Harvard seven years earlier. In 1807 he was employed as minister of St. James Cathedral and ran a private school. When a law was passed to establish a "grammar school" for each of the eight districts of Upper Canada, the Rev. George O'Kill Stuart, D.D. was put in charge of the school in York, the Home District. He was extremely unsuited to the work of teaching. Some students were lost because of his lack of discipline; others fled because of his peculiar mannerisms, which included a voice which rose and fell for no particular reason and his habit of speaking for a long while with his eyes closed, then suddenly opening them.
The new grammar school served only the wealthy
families of the district. The government provided a
grant to pay the principal, but all other expenses were
covered by fees, which amounted to $16 per year plus
6 "York shillings" for firewood.
On opening day, June 1, 1807, five students - all boys - were enrolled. By the end of the year there were 37 students, including some girls. The Jarvis family was
well represented, with William Jr., young Eliza Ann (age 6) and the grown-up Maria (age 19) joining the school before the end of the year. But the enrolment record clearly shows Rev. Stuart's failings as a teacher:
1808 - 20 students
1809 - 20 "
1810 - 13 "
1811 - 4 "
In 1812 Stuart resigned and moved to Kingston, where he worked as a clergyman.
One of the original five boys made history. He was killed inToronto's last duel. The name of his killer was Samuel Jarvis, after whom Jarvis Street was named.
At this time the town was named York, the name given
to it by Governor John Graves Simcoe whe he selected the
tiny existing settlement of Toronto. The population in
1807 was about 500. Settlers were still clearing
land to the north in Yorkville.
"Grammar school" was the term used until 1871 for a secondary school.
The "Home District" covered a wide area around Toronto,
including what is now York and Peel.
It was the unstoppable John Strachan, still new in Upper Canada
, who was the driving force behind the
legislation establishing the first government schools. His started
his own school in Cornwall, where he built an excellent reputation
for himself, later moving to York to become principal of the Home
District Grammar School.
This building was demolished in 1873.
LOCATION:
- King Street and George Street, south-east corner
- just east of present-day King James Cathedral