Retired, full-pay - 25 Jan
1866
Died at Bournemouth, 21 March
1887 Colonel Moody
personally chose BC’s first Capital New Westminster, established the
Cariboo Wagon Road, and gave us the incalculable gift of Stanley Park.
Moody also named Burnaby Lake (of Burnaby City) after his private
secretary Robert Burnaby, and named Port Coquitlam’s 400-foot
"Mary Hill" after his dear wife, Mary.
Thanks to
Captain George H. Richards who thoroughly surveyed the BC Coast,
Colonel Moody’s name has been immortalized in BC history with the
city of Port Moody. The city was established from the end of a
trail cut by the Royal Engineers, now known as North Road to connect
New Westminster with Burrard Inlet. Port Moody was developed to
defend New Westminster from potential attack from the USA. The town
grew rapidly after 1859, following land grants to Moody’s Royal
Engineers who then settled there. All of the officers returned
to England, but most of the sappers and their families chose to
remain, accepting 150-acre land grants as compensation. Port
Moody was the Canadian Pacific Railway's original western terminus.
In 1863
Colonel Moody planned to cut a trail from New Westminster to Jericho
Beach due west, but Lieutenant Governor Douglas was very much in
opposition. Of this venture, the matter was taken to the
Colonial House, London, England, and permission was granted for
Colonel Moody to proceed with the trail. Unfortunately he ran
out of money before completion and the trail ended at Burrard Inlet.
Moody’s
Royal Engineer detachment was disbanded by Governor James Douglas in
1863. Only 15 men accompanied Colonel Moody back to England,
with the remainder settling in the new colony. These men formed the
nucleus of the volunteer soldiers that led to the formation of the BC
Regiment twenty years later.
Colonel Moody
left his mark not only in the physical but also in the spiritual.
At the conclusion of BC’s ‘Ned McGowan War’, as it was Sunday
morning, Colonel Moody invited forty miners to join him at the
courthouse for worship. As no clergy was present, Colonel Moody
himself led worship from the Anglican Book of Common Prayer.
|
Here, let the writer introduce the list of the wishes which were outlined by Sir Lytton to Col. Moody at the interview held before the latter's departure to British Columbia.
They were:
|
(1) |
He should give immediate attention to means of transport by land and water. |
|
(2) |
Report on the unification of British interests on the Pacific. |
|
(3) |
Report on harbours of the Colony and the existence of all minerals, especially, coal, and on fisheries, timber, oil and agriculture. |
|
(4) |
Keep his force from drink. |
|
(5) |
Show courtesy and tact for all foreigners. |
|
(6) |
Work harmoniously with the Governor. |
|
(7) |
See the Colony was self supporting. |
|
(8) |
Survey the land most needed and send full reports on permanent settlement as the Home Authorities wished to establish responsible government as soon as possible.
|
|
| Port Coquitlam's most
prominent physical feature is Mary Hill, about 400 feet
high. It is believed to have been named for Mary Moody,
wife of Colonel R. C. Moody, Royal Engineer, possibly by Captain
Jack Grant. The name first appears on the 1859 Admiralty
survey charts of Captain Richards, in charge of the royal Navy's
survey vessel, the Plumper. |
 |
Mary Hill may have been Colonel
Moody's first choice for British Columbia's capital, but according to a
later report, Captain Grant, of the Royal Engineers, persuaded Moody
that New Westminster was the better site. Instead, as Richard
Mayne of the Plumper reported, Colonel Moody proposed Mary Hill as the
site for "the citadel which shall defend New
Westminster." Although Mary Hill was the official name on
the survey charts, it was also known as "St. Marys Hill" in
the 1860s. In the boom years of the 1910s, in fact, Mary Hill was
known as St. Mary's Heights. Today, a Mary Hill residential
development is called "Citadel Heights."
FORT YALE,17th January, 1859.(89)
Sir,--I have the honour to report to you
it seems probable the difficulties at Fort Yale and Hill's Bar are for
the present quelled.
In conjunction with Judge Begbie, I
deemed it the best policy to leave the Royal Engineers at Fort Hope
and for us to proceed alone to Fort Yale and try to arrange matters in
the ordinary way. We purposed to visit Hill's Bar together without any
display of force or authority, and it was our intention to have summoned before us Edward McGowan and a man named Kelly (who appears
to act as a sort of Lieutenant to him) to answer the outrage upon
Captain Whannell, J.P., and the breaking-open of the jail.
On communicating, however, to Mr. George
Perrier your Excellency's order for his suspension from the role of
justice of the Peace, considerable excitement arose in the town and
Edward McGowan violently assaulted a Dr. Fifer in the street, and the
information I received of the state of affairs altogether convinced me
that it was hopeless to expect the Law would be respected. I therefore
sent Lieut. Mayne, R.N., express to Fort Hope to send up the
Detachment of Royal Engineers under Captain Grant, and to proceed on
in the steamer "Enterprise" to Langley to bring up the
Detachment of Royal Marines with the Field-piece party of Seamen. In
accordance with my detailed orders to Captn. Grant. the Detachment
arrived this morning after a trying night advance by batteaux and
marching. Mr. Brew accompanied the Party and also 12 special
constables headed by Messrs. Ogilvy and Macdonald, of whose zeal and
ability (especially Mr. Ogilvy's) I cannot speak too highly. There was
some little excitement on their arrival, but the feeling generally in
this town was of the best description, and summonses have been duly
served at Hill's Bar on McGowan and Kelly, who are to appear here the
day after to-morrow. 88
I am very much afraid, however, they will
be able to shelter themselves behind Mr. Perrier's authority, he
having sworn them in as Special constables on the occasion.
The troops are in excellent health and
spirits. I shall have the honour of addressing your Excellency more
particularly on a future occasion and report the arrangements I now
propose to make in respect to the troops.
I have the honour to be,
Yr Most Obedient humble Servant,
(Sgd.) R. L. MOODY,
His Excellency the Governor.Lt-Gov.
--Source: The Early History of
Fraser River Mines.
compiled by F.W.Howay.
Published by John
Forsyth,
British Columbia Provincial Archives, Victoria 1926.
Accession no.: NW 971.3 5F H853 c.6 |
Early
Trails of Burrard Peninsula
The
above map [etbp.gif 33K] showing the evolution of communications on
Burrard Peninsula was compiled from a number of sources, including
the Map of New Westminster, by Woods and Turner, 1882 (in the
Provincial Archives), and a Map of Burrard Inlet, by Albert J.
Hill (in the Vancouver City Archives).
A British Admiralty chart of 18601
shows a trail from the Royal Engineers' Camp (New Westminster),
extending northward to Burrard Inlet. This very early route
antedated the North Road, but was soon superseded by it and fell
quickly into disuse. The original military trail, later called the
False Creek Road2
was extended as far as False Creek, although it was surveyed
to the "outer anchorage," near the present Jericho
Beach. A Royal Engineers' map of 18613
shows the proposed extension as completed, but it is very doubtful
if the actual construction was carried out.
3) British Columbia. New Westminster to Lillooet from a General
Map in Preparation by the Royal Engineers. Copy in Provincial
Archives. The legend states that this map was made under the
direction of Captain Parsons at New Westminster in August, 1861,
by order of Colonel Moody. British Columbia Historical Quarterly,
Vol. IX., No. 4.
(4) Admiralty Chart No. 1922, dated 1860.
|
MOODY - Captain Henry de Clervaulx -
South Wales Borderers Killed in action at Nooitgedacht. 13th Dec.
1900. Aged 36. Son of Major-General R.C. Moody (Royal Engineers). Born
February 1864. Served Burma 1885 (medal and bar).
|
Marine Drive was created
by Colonel Richard Moody and a crew of Royal Engineers. It was
originally called River Road. It was infamous for mud fields and
potholes.
|
