Jacob Æmilius Irving

Who was Jacob Æmilius Irving?

Jacob Æmilius Irving was a soldier and political figure in the Province of Canada. He served as a member of the Legislative Council of the Province of Canada from 1843 to 1856.

He was born at Charleston, South Carolina. He was the eldest son of Jacob Aemilius Irving, of Ironshore, St. James, Jamaica, and his wife Hannah Margaret, daughter of Thomas Corbett of Charleston. Jacob's father was a nephew of Lt.-General Sir Paulus Aemilius Irving, 1st Baronet, Commander-in-Chief of the British West Indies. From 1814 to 1817, Irving served with the 13th Regiment of Dragoons, reaching the rank of Lieutenant. He fought at the Battle of Waterloo and received a sabre cut to the head in one of the last charges.

He emigrated with his family to Upper Canada in 1834. Irving helped suppress the Upper Canada Rebellion, serving on the Niagara frontier. He settled in Newmarket and was elected on to the Legislative Council of Upper Canada from 1843 until his death. Irving also became the first warden for the Simcoe District in 1843.

In 1821, he married Catherine Diana Homfray, daughter of Sir Jere Homfray, of Llandaff House, Glamorganshire, and granddaughter of Francis Homfray. They were the parents of eleven children, but only five reached adulthood: