Francis Bond Head - Biography

Biography

Bond Head was a soldier in the British Army from 1811 to 1825, and afterwards attempted to set up a mining company in Argentina. He married Lady Bond Head (the former Julia Valenza Somerville) in 1816, and they eventually had four children.

Bond Head was born to parents James Roper Mendes Head and Frances Anne Burgess. He was descended from Spanish Jew Fernando Mendes, who accompanied Catherine of Braganza to England in 1662. His grandfather Moses Mendes married Anna Gabriella Head and took on the Head name following the death of his wife's father.

Bond Head was appointed Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada in 1835 in an attempt by the British government to appease the reformers in the colony, such as William Lyon Mackenzie, who wanted responsible government. He appointed reformer Robert Baldwin to the Executive Council, though this appointment was opposed by the more radical Mackenzie. In any case he ignored Baldwin's advice, and Baldwin resigned; the Legislative Assembly then refused to pass any money bills, so Bond Head dissolved the government. In the subsequent election campaign, he appealed to the United Empire Loyalists of the colony, proclaiming that the reformers were advocating American republicanism. The Conservative party, led by the wealthy landowners known as the "Family Compact", won the election.

In December 1837, Mackenzie led a brief and bungled rebellion in Toronto. Bond Head sent the colonial militia to put down the rebellion, which they did within a four day period. In response to the rebellion, Britain replaced Bond Head as Lieutenant-Governor with Lord Durham. Bond Head returned to England and didn't hold any office for the rest of his life. He settled down on writing books and essays back in Britain. Bond Head was appointed to the Privy Council in 1867.

In later life Bond Head lived at Duppas Hall, overlooking Duppas Hill in Croydon, where he organised protests against the proposed outlawing of horse-riding in the area.