Date Published:
January 2005

L’Encyclopédie de l’histoire du Québec / The Quebec History Encyclopedia

John Douglas Borthwick

Borthwick, John Douglas (1832-1912), clergyman and author, was born at Glencourse, near Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1832, and came to Canada about 1850. He taught school, first in Upper Canada, and then in Montreal ; and in 1866 he was ordained a clergyman of the Church of England. For twenty-five years he was incumbent of St. Mary's, Hochelaga, and in his later years he was Protestant chaplain of the Montreal prison. He died at Montreal on January 14, 1912. In his earlier days he published a number of general or reference books, such as Examples of historical and geographical autonomiasis (Montreal, 1858), A cyclopedia of history and geography (Montreal, 1859), The harp of Canaan, or selections from the poets on Bible historical incidents (Montreal, 1866), The battles of the world (Montreal, 1866), Everyman's mine of useful knowledge (Montreal, 1869), and The Dominion geography (Montreal, 1871). He published also The history of Scottish song ( Montreal , 1874), Borthwick castle, or scenes from Scottish history (Montreal, 1880), and Poems and songs on the South African War (Montreal, 1901). But he is remembered chiefly as the historian of Montreal, and was the author of Montreal, its history (Montreal, 1875), History of Montreal and commercial registrar for 1885 (Montreal, 1885), History and biographical gazetteer of Montreal, (Montreal, 1892), History of Montreal, including the streets of Montreal (Montreal, 1897), Authentic history of the eight prisons of Montreal (Montreal, 1907), and History of the diocese of Montreal, 1850-1910 (Montreal, 1911).

Source : W. Stewart WALLACE, ed., The Encyclopaedia of Canada, Vol. IV, Toronto, University Associates of Canada, 1948, 400p., pp. 258-259.