Joseph Willcocks

Joseph Willcocks (1773 – September 4, 1814) was a publisher, a political figure and ultimately, a traitor in Upper Canada.

He was born in Palmerstown, Ireland in 1773. He came to York (Toronto) at the age of 27, staying initially with his second cousin once removed, William Willcocks. However, after acquiring a position as clerk to Peter Russell, an older distant cousin, he moved in with Russell and his half-sister, Elizabeth who was 19 years Willcocks' senior. This, however, did nothing to cool his apparent ardour. To quote him, "no Fair one has yet made any impression on me nor Do I think there shall in this country for I fear in General they are destitute of V(irtue). and Money" and to quote Riddell in his "Joseph Willcocks: Sheriff, Member of Parliament and Traitor", "if she was destitute of the Beauty which "does not make the pot Boil", she undoubtedly had V[irtue]. and expected to have money". This gives a good view into what propelled Willcocks. Through William Baldwin, Peter Russell ended his sister's dalliance with Willcocks and ejected him from his home. This would be a pivotal moment in Willcocks' life. From Russell's home, he almost immediately moved in with Chief Justice Henry Allcock, who argued with Russell on Willcocks’s behalf, to no avail. In Allcock, Willcocks found a worthy patron. Although he would write “mediocrity . . . is the summit of my ambition”, changes were afoot in the political dynamic of Upper and Lower Canada, changes that would result in the ill-fated Rebellions some 30 years later.

In 1804, he became sheriff for the Home District, largely through his association with Chief Justice Henry Allcock. He was active in an 1806 by-election for Robert Thorpe, a friend and neighbour. Willcocks and Thorpe were concerned about changes in government policies regarding land grants, which were controlled by the Executive Council, an appointed body. As a result of these criticisms, Lieutenant Governor Francis Gore removed Thorpe from office and withdrew Willcocks' appointment as sheriff in 1807, citing "general and notorious bad conduct".

Although Willcocks counted himself among Thorpe's contingent, he wasn't as close to the centre as he perceived himself to be. Thorpe described Willcocks as lacking "a sufficiency of brains to bait a mouse trap."

...
Wikipedia