Written by Staff Blogger Vicky
If I went around insisting folks refer to my apartment as Cattingtonshire, you would probably think I was absurd. But in the 19th and early 20th centuries if you had the money to build a fancy house, you could call it whatever you wanted and people would go along with it. In fact, these homes were so well known by their "christened" names, that they often weren't allocated proper addresses. Who needs a civic number? Cattingtonshire is all you would need to know.
Let's take a moment to learn about the history of estate naming and some of the properties around Halifax and Dartmouth that everyone knew on a first name basis.
Would a house by any other name be just as fancy?
Britain has a long history of bestowing names on buildings/lands.
Working-class men often named their properties based on their speciality. The Mill House in Berkshire, England is a classic example of this. It was originally built in the 13th century and was a working flour mill until the 1930s. You can find other names like Forge Cottage, Wool Hall, The Dairy, and more that represent the trade that went on in the building. The wealthy, however, took the convention of naming property in a different direction: one of prestige.
Take for example Dillington House in Somerset, England. The name "Dylla" is said to have been associated with the land the house was built on since the 10th century. The name of the owner - Sigeward de Dillington (of Dillington) - began appearing in documentation in the late 11th century. (Dillington House) Hutton-in-the-Forest in Cumbria, England was originally built as a 13th century stronghold, and is believed by many to be the inspiration for the Greene Knight's Castle in the story of Sir Gawain and the Greene Knight (Hutton-in-the-Forest, Family History). Burton Court in Herefordshire, England dates back to the 14th century. The name Burton is said to be a translation of the Old English burh-tun meaning "fortified dwelling place". (Burton Court, Eardisland)
During the early 16th century, there was a new take on naming conventions. King Henry VIII was in the midst of his spat with the Catholic Church regarding his ability to get a divorce. In order to get his way, Henry decided he would cut ties with the Vatican and become the head of the Church of England, thus enabling him to get as many divorces as he wanted. What went hand in hand with this separation was the destruction of the Catholic monastic system in England. Afterall, you don't need monasteries if you don't need monks. By passing a few pieces of legislation, the Crown was able to close most monasteries in England and add the buildings, land, and other property to their own holdings.
These former Catholic properties were then sold to some of Henry's favourite nobles and became their country homes. This is why you sometimes see luxurious estates with the word "Abbey" attached to them, for example: Turvey Abbey and Woburn Abbey, both in Bedfordshire, England, or Maenan Abbey in Conwy, Wales. Others, however, drifted away from this religious heritage. For example, Midelney Manor in Somerset, England was originally a part of Muchelney Abbey.
In addition to being named after their owners or the property's history, estates were also often named after attractive natural features that were on the land like oak trees, roses bushes, or even animals like foxes and bears. You'll also see particularly showy houses were frequently paired with elegant descriptors like park, manor, court, and hall. The well-to-do didn't want to just own property that demonstrated their opulence if you could see it in person; they wanted a name that gave the impression their estate was grand and expensive even if you couldn't go there to see it (and let's be honest: most people couldn't). That being said, when the middle class began to grow during the Victorian and Edwardian periods, they too adopted the custom: "Rising affluence and influence practically begs for outward expressions of respect and distinction. Naming one's house was simply one means of projecting a sense of importance and confidence that mirrored one's success in the world." (Ballard, pg. 5) Middle class homes may have been smaller in scale, but that didn't mean that they couldn't be bestowed with a name that gave the impression of accomplishment and wealth.
Houses, Lands, and Estates! Oh, My!
As the British conquered their way around the globe, the tradition of naming buildings, homes, and estates came with them. When Governor Edward Cornwallis founded Halifax in 1749, wealthy British residents couldn't wait to hop on the name train. Let's take a look at a few of the estates that are/were in our own backyard.
Carleton House, Halifax
Carleton House, located on the corner of Argyle and Prince Streets in Halifax, was built around 1760 by the Honourable Richard Bulkeley. Bulkeley traveled to Nova Scotia in 1749 with Governor Cornwallis acting as his aide-de-camp (a personal assistant/secretary). Later in his career, he would serve as Halifax's director of public works, the provincial secretary, and as a judge. Bulkeley named the house after Sir Guy Carleton, the 1st Baron of Dorchester, who was a good friend.
Carleton House was by no means a country estate - it was in the heart of downtown, after all - but the idea of building a country home at this time in Halifax's history would have been almost impossible. The establishment of fortifications, businesses for basic necessities and trade, and homes for settlers would have taken top priority. That is not to say that Carleton House was not impressive for its day. Structures at this time in Halifax were made of wood. Carleton House, however, was made of stone, which would have made it quite the standout. Not only that, the stones used to build the house were said to have come from Fortress Louisbourg after the British conquest over the French. The original house had a kitchen and maid's quarters in the basement, a dining parlour, a breakfast parlour, and a drawing room on the first floor, two sizable bedrooms and a study on the second floor, and servants quarters located in the attic. The property also included outbuildings, stables, and a coach house. (Erikson, pg. 8-9) In time, Buckeley purchased surrounding property to develop a large garden. He also kept his old one story home just to the north on Argyle Street to use as an additional library and study. (Erikson, pg. 7) For its time, Carleton House was both grand, elegant, and prestigious.
Today, Carleton House is known as The Carleton, a restaurant and bar that is known for hosting live music.
Belmont House, Halifax
In 1783, after nearly 30 years in the British navy, a Scottish immigrant named Henry Duncan settled in Halifax. A few years later in 1790, he purchased a plot of land on the North West Arm and within a year he had constructed Belmont House, named after his family home in Dundee, Scotland. Belmont House was the first family estate to be built facing the waters of the North West Arm, but it was certainly not the last. Unfortunately, information regarding the layout and specific details of Duncan's Belmont House are not readily available. What we do know is that it was not immune to tragedy. In 1811, the home was damaged by fire and had to be heavily reconstructed. In 1857, the original house was completely torn down and replaced. At this time, the property was owned by the Honourable John. W. Ritchie, a local judge.
The newly built Belmont House was crafted in the Cottage Style. It was described as being "...replete with every convenience; it contains 13 handsomely furnished rooms, besides kitchens, dairies, and extensive Cellars, with Barns, Stables, and Outhouses" (Belmont House, Nova Scotia Archives, pg. 2). It was also blessed with a beautiful view of the North West Arm and extensive grounds that stretched from the shores of The Arm to what is now Robie Street.
Unfortunately, Belmont House no longer stands. In 1964 the estate was purchased by developers to construct additional housing. It was decided that Belmont House was to be torn down, but during the demolition the house caught fire and burned instead.
Evergreen House, Dartmouth
In the mid-1800's, Alexander James - a Dartmouth lawyer who would go on to be a Provincial Court Judge - and his wife Harriet lost eight of their eleven children to diphtheria. In an attempt to provide their remaining children with a cleaner, safer upbringing, the family purchased land in the Dartmouth countryside from James Creighton in 1862. Five years later, they moved into their new home: Evergreen House, named for the evergreen trees that originally covered the property.
Evergreen House was designed by local architect Henry Elliot. The house is an example of Picturesque architecture, and is nothing if not a demonstration of the James family wealth. The house features a formal entrance with double wooden doors, transom windows, balustrades, columns, and an enclosed verandah. It consists of 22 rooms, including several parlours and a sun room that offered a panoramic view of Halifax Harbour.
In the 1920's, the Evergreen House estate returned to the Creighton family. Folklorist and local historian Helen Creighton lived in the home until 1978 when it was purchased by the City of Dartmouth with the support of the Nova Scotia Museum. Today, it serves HRM as the Dartmouth Heritage Museum.
Oaklands, Halifax
Next door to Belmont House was Oaklands, a spacious estate owned by William Cunard, son of shipping magnate Samuel Cunard. Cunard purchased the land from from the heirs of Richard Tremaine - a former militia officer and justice of the peace - and his new neighbour Judge Ritchie. He then hired local architect Henry Elliot and his business partner Henry Busch to design a lavish villa in the Italianate style for the Cunard family. He spared no expense.
The Oaklands house was build from Philadelphia brick with a granite foundation. The interior of the house was decorated with indulgent woodwork made from walnut, cherry, and mahogany. The fireplaces were made from Cararra marble and the stairs were made of cast iron. The house consisted of 37 rooms. The basement level housed the kitchen, two pantries, a wine cellar, two servant's quarters, a laundry room, a washroom, and other storage and service rooms. The ground floor had a total of 12 rooms which included an entrance hall, a breakfast room, a dining room, a drawing room, and a sitting room. It also had a library, an office/conservatory, another kitchen and a servants' dining room, among others. Not to be outdone, the first floor had 13 rooms that included the main master bedroom, four additional bedrooms, and a guest bedroom, two bathrooms, and a billiard room. The second floor had an additional bedroom that was used to isolate members of the house that were ill. It also offered access to the roof which offered an unobstructed view of The Arm.
In 1873, Cunard decided to move the family to England, and Oaklands was sold to Phillip Carteret Hill, a local solicitor who would go on to be the Premier of Nova Scotia. However, Cunard later bought the property back only to sell it again. This time, however, Cunard broke up the property and sold it piecemeal. The Oaklands house was sold to a merchant named Roderick MacDonald in 1904. By 1913, the Canadian Government expropriated the property to make way for the tracks heading to the new railway terminals being constructed in the south end. Strangely, much like neighbouring Belmont House, Oaklands never saw a wrecking ball. It caught fire and burned to the ground.
The Brae, Dartmouth
Up the road from what is now Lake Banook was The Brae, an estate owned by George Augustus Seymour Crichton. Crichton was the secretary for the Lake and River navigation Company who were a part of the Shubenacadie Canal project. He built The Brae homestead in 1843 and the Crichton family lived there for more than 60 years.
The Brae estate was more than 200 acres in size, surrounded by the greenery of the Dartmouth countryside and looking over the nearby lakes and streams. The house itself was made of 14 rooms with 12 foot high ceilings. The house also featured a glass observatory on the roof, along with large widows walk that offered incredible panoramic views. Over time, the property was divided up and sold off bit by bit until The Brae house was left on a much smaller ten acre lot. In 1909, the home was ultimately sold out of the family to Dr. R C Weldon, then dean of Dalhousie Law School. Tragically, in 1932 while construction work was being done on the home a workman's torch accidentally set fire to the and it could not be saved.
Rosewood/Claremont
Rosebank, or Rosemount, was an estate situated at the north-east corner of Gottingen and North Streets. It was built for the Honourable John Hawkins Anderson, a merchant who went on to serve not only as a member of the Nova Scotia Legislature, but also as a member of the Canadian Senate. After Anderson passed away in 1870, the house was purchased by Charles Henry Miller Black, one of the brothers so named in the Black Brothers Co. hardware store on Upper Water Street. Black renamed the building Claremont (sometimes seen as Clairmont). Relatives of the Black family continued to live at Claremont for several years after Black himself passed away, but in time the property was purchased by the British Army where it was used as both a residence and a mess hall for officers of the Wellington Barracks.
By 1895, the Claremont property had been divided into separate building lots and the pieces were sold off. In 1905, the house itself became The Home for Aged Men, an institution that provided housing and meals to elderly Protestant men. In 1943 in the midst of the Second World War, the Canadian Navy purchased Claremont House. They used it as a residence for their nursing staff, but by 1955 it was decided the building was no longer needed and Claremont was torn town. Today the former Claremont site is a part of the Halifax Stadacona military base.
Claremont house was built in the Italianate style, which takes inspiration from the Italian Renaissance. The bounty of rounded windows is a classic feature of this style, not to mention the columns and rounded archway surrounding the front door. The basic square shape of the house allowed for many ornamental elements to be applied. Along the roof and above the windows you can see decorative brackets and elegant fretwork. In its prime, the Claremont grounds featured intricate flower beds, walking paths, trees, fountains, and several ornate rock gardens.
The Finishing Lines
In Halifax today you are much less likely to find named homes and estates. While some residences may be casually referred to by their names - like Oakville (1460 Oxford Street) which is now the President's Residence for Dalhousie University - all buildings in HRM are required to have a civic number for their address; a fancy name just won't cut it. This is, of course, to avoid confusion for mail workers, firefighters, ambulance drivers, civil servants, etc. , but the numbers do lack a certain charm. Naming where you live is not just about how big it is, or how pretty; it's about the pride of home.
So name your house! Name your individual apartment! It might not be official, but there's nothing wrong with being proud of what you have and the space you call home.
Library Sources
Halifax and Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, City Directory (various years)
Heritage Houses of Nova Scotia
Historic House Names of Nova Scotia
Street Smart: Jubilee Road, Halifax Public Libraries
Additional Sources
Apartment Door, Nelcos, opens a new window
Belmont House, Nova Scotia Archives Photograph Collection, opens a new window
The Brae, Government of Canada, opens a new window
Burton Court, Eardisland, opens a new window
Civic Address History, HRM, opens a new window
Claremont, formerly Rosebank, Nova Scotia Archives, opens a new window
Dillington House: End of an era: 1949 to 2023, Somerset Country House, opens a new window
Dissolution of the Monasteries, Historic UK, opens a new window
Evergreen House - Dartmouth Heritage Museum, The SMU Journal, opens a new window
Evergreen House, Historic Places, opens a new window
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G.A.S. Crichton, Find a Grave, opens a new window
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History of UK House Names & Street Numbers, Your Signs, Custom Signs, opens a new window
Homes, Richard McCully Aerial Photograph, Nova Scotia Archives, opens a new window
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