Artillery in Canada (5) Ontario: Toronto, Casa Loma, High Park, Island Park, Limber Gunners, Marie Curtis Park, Old Mill, and Riverdale Park

Toronto, Casa Loma, High Park, Island Park, Limber Gunners, Marie Curtis Park, Old Mill, and Riverdale Park

The aim of this website is to locate, identify and document every historical piece of artillery preserved in Canada.  Many contributors have assisted in the hunt for these guns to provide and update the data found on these web pages.  Photos are by the author unless otherwise credited.  Any errors found here are by the author, and any additions, corrections or amendments to this list of Guns and Artillery in Canada would be most welcome and may be e-mailed to the author at hskaarup@rogers.com.

For all official data concerning the Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery, please click on the link to their website:

Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery Website

According to the  1974 edition of ACP 125 Cansupp 1A, "Sheldrake" was the appointment title for the artillery representative in a headquarters.  "GOLF" was the arms indicator to be used by artillery callsigns on nets other than their own, especially those of the supported arms.

Toronto, Casa Loma

(Thomas Quine Photo)

Bronze SBML Gun, Sir Henry Pellatt's Bedroom at Casa Loma.  Possibly a Lyle gun used for firing a rescue cable ship to ship.

Toronto, High Park

(John Eckersley Photos)

Bronze 24-pounder 12-cwt Smoothbore Muzzleloading Gun, weight 12-3-6 (1 ,434 lbs), W. North, 1843, Queen Victoria cypher, GM monogram in a garter suspending a Maltese cross, the garter is engraved TRIA JUNCTA IN UNO on the chase, button broken off, mounted on wood rails in front of Colborne Lodge, High Park.

Toronto, Island Park

(Metro2Photos) Bronze 24-pounder 13-cwt SBML howitzer, IslandPark, Toronto.

(Chris Belfontaine Photos)

Bronze 24-pounder 13-cwt SBML Howitzer, mounted on a wood carriage with iron wheels at the ferry landing site on Island Park.  Queen Victoria cypher and the cypher of Baron Richard Hussey Vivian Master General of the Board of Ordnance from 1835-1841, on the barrel.  According to the report to parliament in 1878, there were eleven 24-pounder howitzers in Canada, including three in the Toronto area. This is the only one presently known.

Toronto, Limber Gunners

25-pounder C Mk. 2 QF Field Gun with No. 9 circular firing platform, Limber and Canadian Military Pattern Field Artillery Tractor (CMP FAT), (Serial No. CH1384404), 3, 9, AA.

Toronto, Marie Curtis Park

Blomefield Cast Iron 32-pounder 56-cwt Smoothbore Muzzleloading Gun, weight 56-0-27 (6,299 lbs) under the cascabel, (Serial No. 03660, CARRON, 1803) Carron of Falkirk, Scotland, on the left trunnion, (32P) on the right trunnion, No. 43 on the astragal ahead of the trunnions, King George III cypher, broad arrow mark, located on the waterfront of Marie Curtis Park.

Toronto, Old Mill

(Jaan Pill Photo)

Cast Iron 6-pounder Smoothbore Muzzleloading Gun, weight 23-1-8 (2,612 lbs), crown over P, carriage disintegrating. Old Mill.

Ruth Rhynas Brown published references to these guns in an article on the guns of the East India Company: 1990 “Guns carried on East Indiamen, 1600-1800”. IJNA. vol 19, 17-22. 1995 “Arming the East Indiamen” in The Archaeology of Ships of War, ed. Mensun Bound. Oswestry. 114-119.  Basically it was introduced by the Board of Ordnance.

Guns marked wit the Crowned P:   After Wheatley and Company were given permission to proof guns for the East India ships, the Board of Ordnance decided on 3 November 1749, that all guns "which pass the King's proof for the future, and for the Merchants' Service, be marked with a Crown and the letter P" (WO 47/34, 422v).  In the next few years increasing numbers of East India Company guns were proofed and in 1755 the Company insisted that all guns for its use had to be proofed at Woolwich.  Robert Davidson at Woolwich was paid for cutting crowned Ps for India ships on guns.  This mark was also used for guns of a semi-official nature, such as those cast by John Fuller for the Sardinian government.  It was used for the civilian branch of the government, such as for troop ships, armed transports and post office packets.  Theform of crowned P on guns like this one suggests an 18th century date, possibly something for a transport in the Seven Years War or American Wars.  This type of gun vanishes with the introduction of the carronade.

Toronto, Riverdale Park

(Crystallee Hollihan Photos)

Blomefield Cast Iron 32-pounder 56-cwt Smoothbore Muzzleloading Gun, weight 56-0-0 (6,272 lbs) under the cascabel, The Carron Company of Falkirk, Scotland (Serial No. 70450, CARRON, 1806) on left trunnion, (32P) on right trunnion, King George III cypher, broad arrow mark, mounted on a concrete stand.  Riverdale Park East.

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