Joseph Willcocks (1773 – September 4, 1814) sometimes spelt Wilcox
Early life
He was born in
Palmerstown,
Ireland in 1773. He was the second son to Robert Willcocks and Jane Powell.
During the Irish Rebellion of 1798 he was loyal to the British Empire.
He came to York on March 20, 1800.
Career
York
On May 1, 1800 he was hired to be the private clerk of Peter Russell, who was a distant cousin. He later became a receiver and payer of fees for the Office of the Surveyor General.
He was dismissed from this role when Russell's half-sister revealed their romantic relationship.
hired Willcocks as a clerk
and William Jarvis employed him to engrave deeds. On May 9, 1803, he was appointed as registrar of the
probate court and marshall for the courts of
assizes.
In 1804, Willcocks became sheriff for the Home District.
Niagara
Willcocks moved to Niagara where he began to publish
The Upper Canada Guardian; or Freeman's Journal. He used the newspaper to criticise the government and voice his opposition to Upper Canada's land laws. In 1807, he was elected in a by-election for West York, 1st Lincoln & Haldimand after the death of Solomon Hill. During the 4th Parliament, he was jailed for contempt of the house. He was re-elected in 1808 to 1st Lincoln and Haldimand and became the leader of the parliamentary opposition. His political positions in this session included lower salaries for public servants, less regulations for loyalists and military personnel to obtain land and more regulation on election procedures. During the last session of the 5th Parliament, Willcocks and his group successfully resisted efforts by
Isaac Brock to pass a number of measures preparing for the expected war with the
United States.
Willcocks was a member of the Freemasonry in the Niagara Lodge.
Brock called an election in 1812 to obtain a legislature that would support his war preparations. Willcocks was reelected for the rising of 1st Lincoln and Haldimand. In June 1812 he sold his printing press to Richard Hatt. Brock enlisted Willcocks's help to secure the loyalty and participation of the Iroquois peoples to the British Crown in the upcoming war and Willcocks was successful despite his poor health.
In early June 1813 hardline loyalists were upset with Willcock's opposition to giving extended powers to the government. They spread a rumour that Willcocks was working with American forces in their invasion to Stoney Creek. There is evidence that he was actively involved in supporting American forces at Stoney Creek.[" A Correct Statement of Losses Sustained by Isaac Swayze- June 10, 1813"]
Defection to United States
Disillusionment with British rule
Willcocks was disturbed when military rule and harsh measures against people expressing disloyal opinions were introduced in the province. Willcocks saw this as an abandonment of democratic principles in the province.
In July 1813 he committed treason and travelled to the United States to join the Americans. He was made a major in the American army and commanded a company of Canadian Volunteers consisting of expatriate Canadians fighting on the American side.
Conducting Operations in Canada
In the fall of 1813 George McClure appointed Willcocks as the police officer of Niagara. In this capacity, Willcocks regulated the movements of the city's citizens and interrogated prisoners.
Raid at Newark
On December 10, 1813. Joseph Willcocks conducted a raid with 100 armed members of his militia and 70 U.S. Regulars. Joseph Willcocks marched on his horse while leading his column. Willcocks and his force burned more than 60 structures of public and private property. Willcocks recruited four Canadians, who joined him, and Willcocks withdrew to New York with 24 prisoners.
Raid on Saint David’s
On July 22, 1814, Joseph Willcocks, with 200-300 men, who included American dragoons, made a surprise raid on Saint David’s, where there were four Canadian militiamen. The Americans, under Willcocks, came around by the mountain and surrounded the house where the Canadian militiamen were staying. The Canadian militiamen fired through the windows with their muskets, killing one American dragoon and wounding a few horses. The Canadian militiamen refused to surrender until the American dragoon captain Harrison stepped forward into the open and persuaded the Canadian militiamen to surrender. The Canadian militia surrendered. Joseph Willccocks and his fellow American raiders destroyed the house that the Canadian militia had taken shelter in. Then Willcocks and his fellow raiders withdrew to American territory with four Canadian prisoners.
Marked for treason
In the spring of 1814 fifteen Upper Canadians, including Willcocks, were charged with high treason as part of the Ancaster Bloody Assize.
Death
On September 4, 1814, during the Siege of Fort Erie. Joseph Willcocks led a sortie against a British battery. After six hours of fighting, the sortie raiding force under Joseph Willcocks withdrew, with Joseph getting killed.
His body was buried initially in "the circle or open square of that village (Buffalo, New York)" and reburied in Forest Lawn Cemetery in the 1830s.
Further reading
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William Renwick Riddell (1927) Joseph Willcocks: Sheriff, Member of Parliament and Traitor, Toronto.
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Donald Graves (1982) Joseph Willcocks and the Canadian Volunteers: An Account of Political Disaffection in Upper Canada during the War of 1812, Carleton University.
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Pierre Berton (1980), The Invasion of Canada, 1812—1813, Toronto: McClelland and Stewart.
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Pierre Berton (1981), Flames across the Border, 1813—1814, Toronto: McClelland and Stewart.
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John B. Lee (poet) non-fiction 2023, King Joe: A Matter of Treason: The Life and Times of Joseph Willcocks, Toronto, Hidden Brook Press.
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John B. Lee (poet) documentary poem, 2002, In the Terrible Weather of Guns, Toronto, Mansfield Press.
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John B. Lee (poet/editor) anthology, 2012 War of 1812 Poetry and Prose: An Unfinished War, Windsor, Black Moss Press.
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