Thomas Caulfeild

Who was Thomas Caulfeild?

Thomas Caulfeild was an early British Lieutenant-Governor of Nova Scotia. Due to the frequent absence of governors Samuel Vetch and Francis Nicholson, Caulfeild often acted as governor for extended periods between 1711 and his death.

Caulfeild was born to an English family in Ireland. He was the younger son of William Caulfeild, 2nd Viscount Charlemont and the daughter of the Archbishop of Armagh. He entered the military, serving in Spain during the early years of the War of the Spanish Succession. In 1710, his regiment was sent to North America, where he took part in Francis Nicholson's successful expedition against Port-Royal, the capital of French Acadia. The next year he served in Admiral Hovenden Walker's disastrous expedition to Quebec. He impressed General John Hill, the commander of the expedition's land forces, and was appointed by Hill to command the garrison at Annapolis Royal and serve as deputy to Governor Samuel Vetch.

Caulfeild was formally commissioned as Nova Scotia's lieutenant governor in October 1712. Vetch was absent from the province between October 1711 and June 1712, during which time Caulfeild was acting governor.