Bayfield Harbour: What the visiting boater needs to know

History

Dave Bieman, CPS-ECP - Port Captain.

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Admiral Henry Wolsey Bayfield 1795-1885 started his career by joining the Royal Navy at the age of 11 where he served on the 80 gun "Pompey". Within 6 hours of setting foot on deck he was in action off Portsmouth.

Later in his career he surveyed the Great Lakes over a period of 9 years following 1817, 4 of them on Lake Huron. Many of his remarkable soundings are still trusted today. He's also left behind many of the place names we know throughout the Great Lakes. His own name was given to this Village as it was the only one he personally chose as a good site for a town. He once claimed that this harbour would be the best place to winter the British Navy - today's visitors have to use their imagination to picture the natural harbour upstream of the highway bridge dredged out and filled with British "Men of War"

The Village was founded by Baron van Tuyll van Serooskerken, Lord of Ysendoorn (that's why the lakefront street today is called Tuyll, there aren't any Serooskerken or Ysndoorn streets) because of Bayfield's recommendation - but he never saw the place. His son Vincent Gildermeester spent a while in the area, but eventually the land was signed over by Vincent's wife Charlotte Henrietta (no, no street names there) to Thomas Jowett (and yes, there's Jowett's Grove and others.....

..... To find out more, visit the Village's archives in the library on our historical Main Street, or see the Historical Society's web site http://bayfieldhistorical.ca

The Historical Society is keeping alive our nautical history through the restoration of the Helen MacLeod II.