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Macaulay’s Debts


by Jessica Chase, Assistant Curator of The County Museums

Learn more about William Macaulay, a leading figure in the development of Picton and Prince Edward County at Macauley House and Macaulay Heritage Park.

William Macaulay became a land baron at only six, when he inherited 400+ acres of land in Hallowell from his father, a wealthy merchant with sizeable land holdings through eastern Ontario. But the young Macaulay wasn’t always wise with his wealth – and his debt management shadowed him and his family for decades.

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Reverend William Macaulay’s extensive lands eventually became part of Picton, a town he named. | Courtesy of The County Museums

While William’s brother, John, decided to pursue a career in government, William looked to the church. He completed a degree in theology at Oxford University, was ordained in 1819, and settled at Hallowell to establish The County’s first Anglican parish, now part of Macaulay Heritage Park.

William married Ann Geddes in 1829, and due to his extensive land holdings and family connections, they lived in relative comfort.

It was around this time that William started referring to his neighbourhood as “Picton,” after General Thomas Picton, a Napoleonic War figure who he admired. (While Picton was lauded as a capable soldier, he was also decried for the brutality and torture he employed during the decade he was Governor of Trinidad.)

While land-rich, Rev. Macaulay was not particularly savvy with his money.

Family letters reference debts owed to local merchants, as well as those in Kingston, Toronto and elsewhere. His brother John frequently wrote to their mother complaining about William’s flippant attitude regarding his debts, and annoyed with the fact that William sometimes borrowed money against John’s good name without asking permission.

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Life for Victorian-era servants meant long, hard days ensuring their employers were warm, well-fed and comfortable. | Courtesy of The County Museums

A seemingly casual attitude toward paying off these debts, combined with a tendency to not collect rent from tenants on his land and his wife’s chronic poor health, meant that the Reverend often found himself in a tight financial spot.

This did not bode well for those employed by him.

The Macaulays, as a prominent local family, employed a household staff consisting of between two and four female servants: one to cook, and the others to keep house, do the washing and attend to the family’s general needs. There were also a small number of male labourers who worked Macaulay’s farm and tended to the family’s livestock.

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The fireplace at Macaulay can still be used for cooking – a reflector oven is used at special events for pizza and more. | Courtesy of The County Museums

Being a domestic servant in the mid-19th century was no picnic, as all members of the household staff were awake well before the Macaulay family to ensure that the Reverend and his wife were kept warm and fed.

The female staff would creep down the servants’ staircase before dawn to start a fire in the hearth in the home’s main kitchen, and get to work on the day’s tasks. The fire stayed lit the whole day to cook the family’s meals, boil water for bathing and washing, and to generate heat for the entire home, including the female servants’ quarters, which were directly above this main, winter kitchen.

In the summer months, the female staff would move out of the winter kitchen and cook over a stove in the cooler summer kitchen. This kept the rooms used by the Macaulays at a comfortable temperature.

The accommodation for male staff, however, was directly located above the summer kitchen. This unfortunately meant that it was freezing cold in winter and stiflingly hot in summer.

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For her efforts, the cook at Macaulay’s House would have earned about £15. | Courtesy of The County Museums

Wages for domestic servants depended heavily on how many staff worked in the home, and whether a household was rural or urban. In the case of the Macaulays’ staff, by the mid-1840s the manager of their farm had an annual wage of about £23 per year (approximately $5,000 in today’s currency).

The family’s cook was paid about £5 annually, and the other female servants likely would have earned less. Their room and board was always looked after, and the money they earned was often put into savings accounts or sent overseas to family members.

In 1846, however, Ann Macaulay wrote to her brother-in-law expressing anxiety and feelings of regret because she and her husband had been unable to pay their servants for months on end.

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“I cannot be happy or at ease in the least are long as I think that people will have to be put off when they call for what is justly their due.”

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March isn’t over but with all of the delicious M March isn’t over but with all of the delicious Maple Festivities we couldn’t wait to share a recap so far.

BIG thanks to all of our lovely, hardworking local maple syrup producers and maple supporters. 🍁 

Every year March gets sweeter and sweeter so make sure you plan a visit to Prince Edward County during maple season next year.

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#PrinceEdwardCounty #PEC #CountyUp #DiscoverON #VisitTheCounty #SouthEasternOntario #TheCounty #BayOfQuinte #DiscoverOntario #Picton #SandbanksPP #VisitPEC #ExperienceTheCounty #MapleSyrup #March
Mark your calendars! This year's Waterfalls Tour Mark your calendars!

This year's Waterfalls Tour event is on April 8 & 9 from 11am - 4pm each day. A family friendly event organized by the Rotary Club of Picton to take in the beauty of two of Prince Edward County's picturesque waterfalls. Big thanks to the land owner's of Jackson Falls and Cape Vessey Falls for welcoming us all.⁠
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Entry is by donation in support of Back the Build, Ukraine Relief and other projects of the Rotary Club of Picton. ⁠

Enjoy a short hike outdoors with your friends, family or simply, just your camera.

Picture by Robbie Garden.⁠

For more information please visit https://pictonrotary.ca/page/waterfalls-tour

#PrinceEdwardCounty #PEC #CountyUp #DiscoverON #VisitTheCounty #SouthEasternOntario #TheCounty #BayOfQuinte #DiscoverOntario #Picton #Waterfalls #VisitPEC #outdoors
We will soon be in full bloom. 🌼 Let us know i We will soon be in full bloom. 🌼

Let us know in the comments 👇🏼 the bloom you are looking forward to most. We are already dreaming up sunflowers over here.

This spring image in the County captured by @kassandramelnykphoto 
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#PrinceEdwardCounty #PEC #CountyUp #DiscoverON #VisitTheCounty #SouthEasternOntario #TheCounty #BayOfQuinte #DiscoverOntario #Picton #OutDoors #VisitPEC #ExperienceTheCounty #Spring #flowers
Finding colour & beauty despite the weather today. Finding colour & beauty despite the weather today. A grey day is all how you look at it. 💛
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#PrinceEdwardCounty #PEC #CountyUp #DiscoverON #VisitTheCounty #SouthEasternOntario #TheCounty #BayOfQuinte #DiscoverOntario #Picton #SandbanksPP #VisitPEC #ExperienceTheCounty #travelphotography
🍽️ A Delicious Giveaway 🍽️ We're three 🍽️ A Delicious Giveaway 🍽️

We're three weeks away from Countylicious and to count down we're giving away $100 to each of our 16 participating Countylicious restaurants. 
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Comment on the post below and mention who you would want to take out for a Countylicious meal at one of the five following restaurants: ⁠
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🍽 Chef Sean Finnerty of @parsonsbrewing has worked up delicious $30 Lunch and $60 dinner menus featuring dishes such as Concinita Bibil Torta and Elote Caesar.

🍽 At @jacksonsfallscountryinn, Chef Chris Wylie has developed a $20 Lunch menu that can be enjoyed on weekends throughout Countylicious. If you struggle to choose between sweet and savoury brunches, this is the menu for you. 
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🍽 Chef Amanda Ray of @drakedevonshire is serving up an inventive $60 dinner menu with spring-inspired dishes like Mushroom & Leek Mezzaluna and Honey Chamomile Pannacotta. 
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🍽 At @pastaonesta Chef Martin Brzozowski's $20 lunch and $45 dinner menus will transport you straight to Italy with dishes like Focaccia with mortadella, arugula and fior di latte, and Rigatoni with quanciale, pomodoro and pecorino. 
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🍽 Chef Leah Marshall Hannon's $45 dinner menu @stellaseatery features a host of must-try dishes like Braised Bison Brisket and Cedar Crème Brulée. 
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Swipe to see their menus and head to countylicious.ca to book your table! Come back every week for even more restaurant features and giveaways! ⁠
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Content Rules:⁠
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1. Follow @VisitTheCounty on Instagram⁠
2. Like this post⁠
3. Comment and mention a friend. 1 comment with unique mention = 1 entry. Max 5 entries per person.

Winners for each individual giveaway will be contacted via Instagram DM and announced on stories the day following contest closure.⁠ Winners will be assigned a gift card at random from the group of restaurants featured in this giveaway post⁠. Winners will only be contacted by @VisitTheCounty. DMs from any other handles should be considered spam.⁠
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Contest closes March 29 at 11:59pm⁠
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#PrinceEdwardCounty #PEC #CountyUp #DiscoverON #VisitTheCounty #SouthEasternOntario #TheCounty #BayOfQuinte #DiscoverOntario #Picton #SandbanksPP #VisitPEC #countylicious
🍁 Maple in The County is back! 🍁 Maple seas 🍁 Maple in The County is back! 🍁

Maple season is in full swing and the celebrations in Prince Edward County will culminate in the long-awaited return of Maple in The County from March 25-26, 2023. Featuring 5 local sugarbushes and a host of local businesses, Maple in The County is a wonderful outing for the whole family. Come on out to tour a sap house, enjoy a pancake breakfast, walk through the maple woods, and so much more. Head to mapleinthecounty.ca for more information and to plan your Maple in The County route! 

Participating Sugarbushes: 

Sweetwater Cabin / Hubbs Sugarbush
Fosterholm Farms
Vader's Maple Syrup @vadersmaple 
Roblin's Maple Syrup @roblins.maple 
Loha Farms @lohafarms 

📷 by Ramesh Pooran of the Wellington Times

#PrinceEdwardCounty #PEC #CountyUp #DiscoverON #VisitTheCounty #SouthEasternOntario #TheCounty #BayOfQuinte #DiscoverOntario #Picton #SandbanksPP #VisitPEC #mapleinthecounty
🌱 Spring Countylicious 🌱 Countylicious is b 🌱 Spring Countylicious 🌱

Countylicious is back for spring from April 12 - May 1, 2023! Come out to The County for three weeks of prix fixe dining at restaurants you know, love, and have been dying to try. Stay tuned as we reveal menus and gift card giveaway from all 16 participating restaurants: 

@flameandsmith 
@7numberspicton 
@bloomfieldpublichouse 
@555brewingco 
@parsonsbrewing 
@pastaonesta 
@theroyalhotelpicton 
@TheWaringHouse 
@DrakeDevonshire 
@MerrillHouse1879 
@JacksonsFallsCountryInn 
@BocadoPEC 
@MatronFineBeer 
@StellasEatery 
@HartleysTavern 
@waupoosestatesrestaurant 

Head to http://countylicious.ca/ today to start planning your Countylicious experience.

#PrinceEdwardCounty #PEC #CountyUp #DiscoverON #VisitTheCounty #SouthEasternOntario #TheCounty #BayOfQuinte #DiscoverOntario #Picton #SandbanksPP #VisitPEC #Countylicious
🍁 Maple & More 🍷 Wondering what to do in Th 🍁 Maple & More 🍷

Wondering what to do in The County this March? Check out our latest blog for a round-up of everything you can see and do this month, from indulging in maple treats at local sugar bushes and eateries with @maplemadnesspec  and @mapleinthecounty, to tasting wines at the inaugural Élevage: PEC Winter Wine Festival hosted by @pecwine , and everything in between. We've also included a preview of what you can expect next month (hint: it's de-LICIOUS 😉).

Link in bio 👆

Image description: Sweetwater Cabin at Hubbs Sugar Bush, Maple in The County participant, taken by Karen Palmer. Above the image is a banner which reads "Experience Maple & More in The County this March." 

 #PrinceEdwardCounty #PEC #CountyUp #DiscoverON #VisitTheCounty #SouthEasternOntario #TheCounty #BayOfQuinte #DiscoverOntario #Picton #SandbanksPP #VisitPEC #MapleInTheCounty #MapleMadnessPEC #elevagepec #pecwine #MarchinTheCounty
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