General Sir John Coape Sherbrooke, (29 April 1764 – 14 February 1830) was a British Army officer and colonial administrator. After serving in the British army in Nova Scotia, the Netherlands, India, the Mediterranean (including Sicily), and Spain, he was appointed Lieutenant-Governor of Nova Scotia in 1811. During the War of 1812, his policies and victory in the conquest of present-day Maine, renaming it the colony of New Ireland, led to significant prosperity in Nova Scotia.

Early life

John Coape Sherbrooke was born in Oxton, Nottinghamshire, on 29 April 1764, the third son of the wealthy country squire William Coape and his wife Sarah Sherbrooke.

Army career

Early career

Sherbrooke joined the British Army as an ensign in the 4th Regiment of Foot on 7 December 1780. He was promoted to lieutenant on 22 December 1781 and then transferred to the 85th Regiment of Foot when he became a captain on 6 March 1783. The end of the American Revolutionary War brought a number of reductions to the army and this included the disbanding of the 85th, and so on 23 June 1785 Sherbrooke transferred to the 33rd Regiment of Foot which was at the time serving in Halifax, Nova Scotia. His service in India was cut short when he fell ill with malaria which forced him to return to England, doing so in 1800. Sherbrooke's break in service was exacerbated by the Peace of Amiens in 1802, at which point he went on half pay.

The Peace ended in May 1803 with the start of the Napoleonic Wars and Sherbrooke accordingly resumed active service, being given command of the 4th Battalion of the Army of Reserve, a home defence force created to prepare for a French invasion, based at Norman Cross.

When the War of 1812 began Sherbrooke initially fought a phoney war, allowing trade to continue with Maine to the benefit of British merchants.

When the Napoleonic Wars ended in April 1814 more troops were made available for North America; Sherbrooke used this opportunity to attack the disputed area of Maine between Passamaquoddy Bay and the Penobscot River, landing an expeditionary force of 2,000 men at Castine that August and proceeding to subdue the area between the Penobscot and St Croix rivers. He renamed the region the royal colony of New Ireland. Sherbrooke was able to collect customs dues while he occupied Castine, and these funds were in later years used to finance the Cambridge Military Library in Halifax and to create Dalhousie College. in 1816. His talent as a mediator helped settle disputes between the Francophone and English political factions; he formed a good relationship with the leader of the Francophone faction, Bishop Joseph-Octave Plessis, but at the same time cemented the position of the Chief Justice of Lower Canada Jonathan Sewell although Plessis' faction had impeached him. Named Sherwood, it eventually lent its name to the neighbourhoods of Sherwood Park and Sherwood Heights. The community of Sherbrooke, Nova Scotia also bears his name. Other honorific eponyms are listed below:

;Geographic locations

  • Nova Scotia: Sherbrooke
  • Nova Scotia: New Ross, formerly known as Sherbrooke
  • Quebec: Sherbrooke
  • Quebec: Rue Sherbrooke, Montreal

;Buildings

  • Quebec: Sherbrooke Station, Montreal
  • Sherbrooke Martello Tower (1814–1828; four guns), at McNabs Cove, opposite York Redoubt at Halifax harbour.
  • Fort Sherbrooke (Maine)

;Vessels

  • Sir John Sherbrooke
  • Sir John Sherbrooke
  • Barbados

See also

  • Military history of Nova Scotia
  • The Sherbrooke Hussars

Citations

References

  • National Assembly biography (in French)
  • Archives of Sir John Coape Sherbrooke (Sir John Coape Sherbrooke fonds, R2513) are held at Library and Archives Canada