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LANGTON PLACES AND NAMES OF CANADA
Table of Contents
Introduction
Langton Bay, Northwest Territories
Langton Community, Norfolk, Ontario
Langton Creek, Yukon
Langton Drives, Lane, Place, Road and Street
Langton House, Lake of Bays, Muskoka, Ontario
Langton House, Peterborough, Ontario
Langton Lake, Manitoba
Langton Public School, Fenelon Falls, Ontario
Langton Township, District of Kenora, Ontario
References
Written by
Introduction
I have been researching the ancestral origin of all Langtons in Canada since early 2011. In the
process, I have come across a few places named Langton. Most were undoubtedly named
after local and prominent members of society, while the origins of others were not at all obvious.
Six months ago, I resolved to discover the provenance of all Langton places and names of
Canada. This article provides a summary of my findings and includes detailed references to
articles, books, people and websites. Whenever possible, reference is made to a specific
Langton family of Canada, such as the “Langtons of Muskoka, Ontario”.
I am very grateful to all the people who answered my questions. I was also pleasantly surprised
that all the government and city officials I contacted took the time to respond to my queries.
I have found out quite a bit, but there are still some origins left to be discovered. If you have
further information on any Langton place or name of Canada, please feel free to contact me
(see contact information at the end of this article).
Langton Bay, Northwest Territories
Latitude: 69° 23' 01'' North (decimal: 69.383733077)
Longitude: 125° 25' 18'' West (decimal: -125.421604554)
Adopted: July 21st, 1826
Sarah Bannon, a Cultural Places Officer at the Government of the Northwest Territories,
provided me with an excellent reference to the origin of the name “Langton Bay, Northwest
Territories”.
I have searched through our Geographic Names database and the name Langton Bay is likely the same as Langton Harbour – they are in the same location, but there is no indication when it was changed from Harbour to Bay.
Langton Harbour was named by John Richardson who was with John Franklin on his Second Overland Expedition in the Arctic 1825-27. Our records and Franklin’s Journal “Narrative of a Second Expedition to the Shores of the Polar Sea” state that the harbour was named July 21, 1826 “after the agent for the Hudson's Bay Company at Liverpool”. Unfortunately we do not know who this agent was.
Bronwen Quarry, an Archivist at the Hudson’s Bay Company Archives, provided the following
information:
The head offices of the HBC were in London, England between 1670 and 1970. I do not know if they had official offices in Liverpool and yes, it would be Liverpool, England that is being discussed.
I was and am feeling relatively confident that Langton was not a company employee (as is
generally understood) because he is being referred to as an agent. I found and read the actual
reference to Langton in Franklin’s narrative and there is a bit more information there than what
is provided in the quote you noted [in your email]. Langton was responsible for booking passage
for Franklin’s party, securing transfer of their baggage and providing him with letters of credit.
Knowing that, I suspected that there would be some kind of correspondence between Langton
and the Governor and Committee in London. I did find references to correspondence from
Langton to the committee on January 28th, 1825 (A.5/8) requesting reimbursement for the funds
he spent. The reference cites his name as Thomas Langton, Liverpool.
We may never know exactly who the agent was, but my best guess is that he was a descendant
of the Leicestershire Patriarch Robert Langton. There were at least two well-known
descendants named Thomas Langton living in the Liverpool area at that time. The first was born
in 1770 and died in 1838. The second was born in 1786 and died in 1826. Since Langton Bay
was named in 1826, I initially thought that it could have been named posthumously in honor of
the second Thomas. But Langton Bay was named on July 21, 1826, whereas the second
Thomas died in November, so it could still be either Thomas (or yet another Thomas). The first
Thomas is more interesting as he was a well-known merchant aged 56 in 1826; a definite
possibility for our elusive agent. He was also having financial difficulties at that time and would
have been actively pursuing his accounts receivable. He died shortly after his arrival in Canada
in 1838.
For more information about Thomas Langton (1770-1838) and his Langton family history see
my article called “Langtons of Sturgeon Lake, Ontario”.
Langton Community, Norfolk, Ontario
Latitude: 42° 44' 31'' North (decimal: 42.74197)
Longitude: 80° 34' 40'' West (decimal: -80.577679)
Jeff Ball, a Geographic Names Specialist at the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, provided
me with an excellent reference to the origin of the name “Langton Community” in the County of
Norfolk, Ontario.
The community of Langton located in the Town of Norfolk became a post office in 1862. Alan Rayburn in his book Place Names of Ontario notes that Langton was first called “Boughner’s Corners”. The first post office there was called North Walsingham in 1854 until it was changed in 1862. Rayburn suggests that the post office of Langton may have been named after a small place near Great Walsingham in Norfolk, England.
The community has two schools: Sacred Heart Catholic School and Langton Public School.
The latter belongs to the Grand Erie School Board and is not to be confused with Langton
Public School of Fenelon Falls, Ontario.
Here is what Norfolk Tourism has to say about Langton:
Developed in 1870s, Langton was first called Boughner’s Corners for David W. Boughner, who lived there, then named for a Langton family in England when a post office was established in 1862 by Henry J. Killmaster.
It is not known after which Langton family the community was named.
Langton Creek, Yukon
Latitude: 60° 00' 21'' North (decimal: 60.0058333)
Longitude: 136° 53' 02'' West (decimal: -136.8838889)
Elevation: 870 meters
Adopted: After 1915
Shannon Olson, a Research Assistant at the Yukon Archives, provided me with an excellent
reference to the origin of the name “Langton Creek, Yukon”. According to the book “Yukon
Places and Names”, by R.C. Coutts, 2nd Edition…
LANGTON CREEK 60°00’N 136°53’W (115-A). Flows to the Tatshenshini River. This creek was named locally after an ex-NWMP man who lived here for many years after the turn of the century. Many years ago it was known as “Horse Canyon”. According to the COLLECTIONS CANADA website in the collection called “North West Mounted Police (NWMP) – Personnel Records, 1873-1904”, the only NWMP man to carry the surname Langton was Arthur Langton with regimental number 4051.
Here are a few facts extracted from his NWMP service record: - Born about 1868 in England. - Soldier for 5th Lancers for 12 years and 286 days until discharged on 25 Mar 1902. - Applied for Engagement as Constable in the NWMP on 20 Jul 1903. Single Age 34
years 10 months and Living in Ottawa, Ontario, at the time. - Engaged in the NWMP on 23 Jul 1903. Sent to Regina, Saskatchewan. - Many reports of misconduct “his mind is weakened by his hardships he underwent in
South Africa”. - Discharged from the NWMP on 04 Nov 1903. Cause was Being Invalided (Mental
Debility). - Last residence 10 Dec 1903 at Grosvenor Place, Bradburn Road, Sevenoaks, Kent,
England. - Next of kin’s name is possible George Langton.
Langton Drives, Lane, Place, Road and Street
The origins of names for public works are most elusive. In Ontario, I contacted many city
officials, but most could only refer me to the contractors. As one might expect, I received no
responses from the latter. Here are two of the better answers I got from city officials:
I have been able to find out that the developers can request/reserve street names that they would like to use within the subdivision they are building in. They then let the staff at the Region of Waterloo know and they are the keeper of street names.
Background information, we are a two tier government here and above the city level is the Region level. Waterloo Region includes the cities of Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, and the Townships of North Dumfries, Woolwich, Wilmot and Wellesley.
This street name was not reserved but I was given the name of the developer of this
subdivision. You can contact them and they may be able to tell you why the street name was
chosen. - Katie Anne Baxter, City of Kawartha Lakes, Ontario.
The developer chooses the name from a list comprised of former Mayors, Citizens of the Year,
Sports Hall of Fame Inductees and others added to the list. If the developer would like to
propose a name other than those from the list they require approval from Council. It cannot be a
duplicate name that appears anywhere else in the municipality. (we already have many
duplicate road names). - Hilda Sturm, City of Kitchener, Ontario.
Langton Drive, Kitchener, Ontario
Leon Bensason of the City of Kitchener gave me the following piece of information:
I believe the street was named after Architect William Langton who reportedly designed the
Pioneer Memorial Tower (a National Historic Site) which is located in the immediate area.
This led me to suspect that the architect was William Alexander Langton (1854-1933) son of
John Thomas Langton, who was once Auditor-General and Deputy Minister of Finance of
Canada (1808-1894). I then proceeded to query local archives, associations and libraries.
Karen Ball-Pyatt of the Kitchener Public Library confirmed my suspicion:
I was able to check our archival finding aids today and we do have a collection for the Pioneer
Memorial Tower (MC55). In the finding aid, there is reference to correspondence between the
Waterloo Historical Society President, WH Breithaupt, and William Langton regarding the design
and construction of the memorial (see attachment [to email]), which is further evidence of
Langton's involvement in the project.
For more information about William Alexander Langton (1854-1933) and his Langton family history see my article “Langtons of Sturgeon Lake, Ontario”.
Pioneer Tower, Kitchener, Ontario (Dedicated/Unveiled on August 28, 1926).
Langton Drive, Winnipeg, Manitoba
Joshua Salamandyk of the City of Winnipeg provided me with an excellent reference to the
origin of the name “Langton Drive”.
This is the information we have regarding the street name “Langton”: Name taken from the St. Boniface Reserved Street List - Wenman Langton. Registered in the Winnipeg Land Titles Office on July 31, 1987 under Plan No. 21266.
It is most likely that “Langton Drive” was named after Wenman Langton Jr. He was born on 01 Oct 1896 in Muskoka, Ontario, Canada. He died on 31 May 1990. He married (1) Queen Martha Rohloff on 17 Oct 1922 in W Kildonan, Manitoba, Canada, daughter of Frederick Rohloff and Rebecca Queen. She was born on 17 Oct 1901 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, USA. She died on 31 Jan 1970 in White Rock, British Columbia, Canada. He married (2) Frida Nightingale. She was born on 01 Aug 1914. She died on 07 Dec 2007 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Here is an excerpt of an article that ran in the Winnipeg Free Press on October 9, 1935.
It is readily conceded by all who are actively engaged, in the campaign to win the Selkirk constituency for the C.C.F. that much of the success thus far attending their efforts is due to the personal qualifications of their candidate, Wenman Langton. Highly respected by a host of personal friends for his integrity, he has by the nature of his all-round experience been enable to see things from the viewpoint of both the farm and the city dweller.
Born at Muskoka. Ont., 38 years ago, he came west at the age of six. Educated in Winnipeg, he obtained practical experience of agriculture by five years' farming at Balmoral, Man., and later at Chatfield. His parents, Mr. and Mrs. C. F. Langton, together with a number of his brothers and sisters are still engaged in farming at Bird's Hill. By trade a telegraph operator, and an active member of his union, he is thereby well acquainted with the problems of organized labor. He is a veteran of the Great War; enlisting in the 61st Battalion, C.E.F., and later transferring in France to the 10th Field Ambulance, where he served as a stretcherbearer until demobilized in
1919. Mr. Langton has resided in West Kildonan for the last 20 years and has seen the development of the municipality from a few houses to its present population. Always keenly interested in community affairs, he has served as a member of the school board for a two-year term. His interest in the future of the young people is assured by the fact that he is the father of a family of three sons and four daughters.
Quietly but consistently working to cover one of the most difficult constituencies in the province, Mr. Langton and his committee have been speaking on the C. C. F. programme and making contacts throughout the rural districts since his nomination in February.
For more information about Wenman Langton Jr. (1896-1990) and his Langton family history see my article “Langtons of Muskoka, Ontario”.
Langton Lane, Kawartha Lakes, Ontario
Langton Lane in Kawartha Lakes is almost certainly named after “The Langtons of Sturgeon
Lake, Ontario”. It was either named after the politician John Thomas Langton or the artist Anne
Langton. Refer to my article on this family.
Langton Place, Kawartha Lakes, Ontario
The origin of the name Langton Place in Kawartha Lakes is unknown.
Langton Road, London, Middlesex, Ontario
The origin of the name Langton Road in London is unknown.
Langton Street, Peterborough, Ontario
The origin of the name Langton Street in Peterborough is unknown.
Langton House, Lake of Bays, Muskoka, Ontario
Langton House on Lake of Bays in Muskoka, Ontario, is a cottage rental property.
According to the COTTAGES IN CANADA website…
Featured in design magazines and books, a large beautifully restored century cottage Located
on 2 acres of land with 400 feet of lake frontage. Property also includes a separate, self-
contained 1,300 sq.ft. cottage and a 2-story Olde Muskoka boathouse. Large Cedar dock,
beach with sandy bottom Perfect for children and adults.
According to the book called “At the Water’s Edge – Muskoka’s Boathouses”, by John de Visser
and Judy Ross… Viki Mansell and Kevin Keeley bought Langton House in 1985. I contacted
them and found out that they still own the property today. They did not know the origin of its
name but told me that it was previously owned by the King family. I then uncovered the
following advertisement, which ran between June 10th and 30th, 1926, in the Niagara Falls
Gazette…
The advertisement states that the property was owned by “John L. King”. Upon reading this, I
hypothesized that the middle initial might stand for Langton. Upon further research, I
discovered that I was correct.
John Langton King was the son of John King and Maria Langton. He was born in May 1874 in
Lincolnshire, England. He died in 1957 in Baysville, Ontario, Canada. He married Martha W
Deakin on 23 Dec 1903 in McLean, Muskoka, Ontario, Canada, daughter of Edward Deakin and
Mary Unknown. She was born in Apr 1881 in Ontario, Canada. She died in 1959 in Baysville,
Ontario, Canada. John Langton King and Martha W Deakin had a son named Langton James
King. He was born on 10 Jul 1905 in McLean, Muskoka, Ontario, Canada. He died after 1965.
He married Elizabeth Unknown between 1935 and 1945. She died after 1965.
Langton House was definitely named about 100 years ago after a member of the family. I am
now trying to locate a descendant of the King family who might be able to identify exactly who it
was named after. I like to think that John Langton King named it after his son, whose given
name was Langton.
Some readers may recall my article called “Langtons of Muskoka, Ontario”. The family featured
therein is not directly related to the King family in Canada. However, they are very distantly
related to one another in England, through their most recent common ancestor John Langton
(b.1500 d.1572) and Rose Littlebury (b.1510 d.1574) of Langton by Spilsby, Lincolnshire,
England.
Pictures of Langton House are not included in this article for fear of copyright infringement. The
reader is invited to look at the wonderful pictures available in the reference material cited above.
See the end of this article for specific reference details.
Langton House, Peterborough, Ontario
Latitude: 44° 18' 37'' North (decimal: 44.3104)
Longitude: 78° 19' 40'' West (decimal: -78.327814)
Adopted: About 2007
Address: South-Eastern Corner of London and Reid Streets
According to the FLICKR website…
Doors Open Peterborough 2007 - Langton House
The house that is named after Anne Langton. She never actually lived in this house. Trent University named their buildings after pioneer women of the arts who had lived at some point in their lives in Peterborough County.
From the Doors Open Ontario website: Built around 1870 by lawyer David Dumble to resemble his family home in Cobourg, Langton House’s steep roof, heavy bargeboards and gables are typically Gothic. Trent University bought the house in 1965 and remodeled it for use as offices and a residence. The porch was demolished, but otherwise the original exterior remains intact.
According to an article called “City gives permission to sell Langton House” ”, by Galen Eagle of
the “Peterborough Examiner”…
City council, sitting as committee of the whole, gave the Peterborough Housing Corporation permission Monday to sell Langton House, a property the corporation owns on London St.
According to a subsequent article called “Planning committee approves zoning for 10-bed
hospice in Langton House building”, by Brendan Wedley of the “Peterborough Examiner”…
Hospice Peterborough is another step closer to its dream of offering residential hospice beds for people suffering from life-threatening illness who are no longer able to receive care in their own homes.
City council, sitting as planning committee Tuesday night, endorsed a zoning change for the organization's future office at 554 Reid St. and 293 London St. Hospice Peterborough would convert the existing building, known as Langton House, for its offices and program space.
The organization is working toward expanding the existing building to add a 10-bed residential hospice. It doesn't offer hospice beds at its current facility on Rubidge St.
For more information about Anne Langton (1804-1893) and her Langton family history see my
article “Langtons of Sturgeon Lake, Ontario”, as well as ARCHIVES ONTARIO’s on-line exhibit
for Anne Langton called “The Early Years”.
Langton Lake, Manitoba
Latitude: 54° 34' 10'' North (decimal: 54.5694000)
Longitude: 99° 53' 37'' West (decimal: -99.8935999)
Elevation: 274 meters
Adopted: May 5th, 1972
Des Kappel, a Provincial Typonimist at the Manitoba Geographical Names Program, provided
me with an excellent reference to the origin of the name “Langton Lake, Manitoba”.
I am pleased to advise you that Langton Lake was named in honour of Pte. Elmer L. W. Langton, Reg. No. H 200133, a Manitoba World War II Fatal Casualty. Langton Lake was named on May 5, 1972 and is located at 54° 34’ 10” latitude and 99° 53’ 37” longitude in central Manitoba.
Similar reference is also found in the book called “A Place of Honour – Manitoba’s War Dead
Commemorated in its Geography”, by Conservation Manitoba, 2nd Edition, Page 234.
Langton, Private Elmer L.W. of Morris (H 200133). Saskatoon
Light Infantry. He died 13 December 1943 and is commemorated
at the Moro River Canadian War Cemetery in Italy. He was
survived by his wife Jessie Langton. Langton Lake (63 J/12),
south of Wekusko Lake was named after him in 1972.
Commemorative Name Certificate
(Provided by this Langton Family)
For more information about Private Elmer Lyle Wentworth Langton (1910-1941) and his Langton
family history see my article “Langtons of Upper & Lower Canada”.
Langton Public School, Fenelon Falls, Ontario
Langton Public School opened in October 1991. It was named after Anne Langton. For more information about her Langton family history see my article “Langtons of Sturgeon Lake, Ontario”.
The school’s address is:
P.O. Box 520, 35 Wychwood Cresent, Fenelon Falls, Ontario, K0M 1N0
Langton Township, District of Kenora, Ontario
Latitude: 49° 50' 55'' North (decimal: 49.8486111)
Longitude: 93° 24' 43'' West (decimal: -93.4119444)
Jeff Ball, a Geographic Names Specialist at the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, provided
me with an explanation to the origin of the name “Langton Township” in the District of Kenora,
Ontario, as well as the formerly named “Langton Lake”.
The geographic township of Langton located in the District of Kenora, north of Eagle Lake was
surveyed in 1906. It was named after John Langton, one-time Auditor General of Canada.
Corner Lake in Langton, Wabigoon, Docker and Smellie Townships, District of Kenora was
officially known as “Langton Lake” up until 1979. This former name for Corner Lake was
probably named after the township of Langton – one of the townships the lake lies within.
For more information about the one-time Auditor General John Langton (1808-1894) and his
Langton family history see my article “Langtons of Sturgeon Lake, Ontario”.
References
Articles
“City gives permission to sell Langton House”, by Galen Eagle of the “Peterborough
Examiner”, December 5th, 2011.
“Langtons of Muskoka, Ontario”, Danny Langton, October 1st, 2012.
“Langtons of Sturgeon Lake, Ontario”, by Danny Langton, September 1st, 2012.
“Langtons of Upper & Lower Canada”, by Danny Langton, November 11th, 2012.
“Planning committee approves zoning for 10-bed hospice in Langton House building”, by
Brendan Wedley of the “Peterborough Examiner”, May 23rd, 2012.
Books
“A Place of Honour – Manitoba’s War Dead Commemorated in its Geography”, by
Conservation Manitoba, 2nd Edition, Page 234.
“At the Water’s Edge – Muskoka’s Boathouses”, by John de Visser and Judy Ross,
1993, Pages 96 to 99.
“Narrative of a Second Expedition to the Shores of The Polar Sea, In the Years 1825,
1826, and 1827, by John Franklin, 1828, Page 197.
“Place Names of Ontario”, by Alan Rayburn, 1997, Page 188.
“Yukon Places & Names”, by R.C. Coutts, 2nd Edition, Page 169.
People
Bronwen Quarry, Archivist, Hudson’s Bay Company Archives, Archives of Manitoba.
David & Joel Langton, Masters of the LOST LANGTONS website.
Des Kappel, Provincial Toponymist, Manitoba Geographical Names Program.
Hilda Sturm, Corporate Archives/Records Administrator, City of Kitchener, Ontario.
Jeff Ball, Geographic Names Specialist, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources.
Joshua Salamandyk, Planning, Property, and Development Department, City of
Winnipeg.
Karen Ball-Pyatt, Librarian – Grace Schmidt Room, Kitchener Public Library.
Katie Anne Baxter, Administrative Assistant, City of Kawartha Lakes.
Leon Bensason, Cultural Heritage Planning, Planning Division, City of Kitchener.
Sarah Bannon, Cultural Places Officer, Government of the Northwest Territories.
Shannon Olson, Reference Assistant, Yukon Archives.
Viki Mansell and Kevin Keely, Owners of Langton House, Lake of Bays, Muskoka,
Ontario.
Websites
ANCESTRY: http://www.ancestry.ca
ARCHIVES ONTARIO’s on-line exhibit for Anne Langton called “The Early Years”:
http://www.archives.gov.on.ca/english/on-line-exhibits/langton/langton-early-years.aspx
BRITISH MEDALS: http://www.britishmedals.us
COLLECTIONS CANADA for the collection called “North West Mounted Police (NWMP)
– Personnel Records, 1873-1904”:
http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/nwmp-pcno/001032-100.01-
e.php?PHPSESSID=auhpqaglmsdttc1osqtb512eh3
COTTAGES IN CANADA for a description and pictures of “Langton House” in
Bracebridge, Muskoka: http://www.cottagesincanada.com/langtonhouse
FLIKR: http://www.flickr.com/photos/pchee/1461887432/
GOOGLE MAPS: http://maps.google.ca/maps
LOST LANGTONS for articles by Danny Langton: http://www.lostlangtons.co.uk/
NORFOLK TOURISM: http://www.norfolktourism.ca/towns/
ST. BONIFACE HISTORICAL SOCIETY: http://shsb.mb.ca/en
THE PETERBOROUGH EXAMINER for articles by Brendan Wedley and Galen Eagle:
http://www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com/2012/05/23/planning-committee-approves-
zoning-for-10-bed-hospice-in-langton-house-building
http://www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com/2011/12/05/city-gives-permission-to-sell-
langton-house
THE WINNIPEG FREE PRESS ARCHIVES: http://archives.winnipegfreepress.com/
VILLAGE PHOTGRAPHY:
http://villagephotographer.wordpress.com/2012/05/21/pioneer-tower-kitchener-ontario/
Written by
Danny John Kenneth Louis Langton on January 25th, 2013.
9010 Omega Street, Brossard, Quebec, Canada, J4Y 3A9
All rights reserved.
